Monday, February 18, 2013

Doorway Puppet Theater

While I was suffering from crafter's block, about a month ago, I searched my pinterest boards for inspiration.  When I came across a beautiful doorway puppet theater, I decided to try and make one myself.


It seemed fairly easy.  I mean, I did make a fitted domed circus tent topper, so I figured I would give it a try.

I had material, a tension rod and plenty of puppets, so I had nothing to lose.


First, I measured the width of my door frame and cut out the amount of material I would need.
*I would suggest, if you attempted to make your own, to use striped fabric, the stripes act as better guides in cutting than polka dots. 

The next steps really were easy.  I sewed a hem, along all sides of the puppet theater.  Then, I took the top of the puppet theater and folded it down about 3 inches. 


I sewed along the seam line to make a pocket the tension rod would feed into.


This is where it got tricky.  I cut out the center, for the puppets to peek through BUT I had no idea how to finish the edges.

So, this project sat and sat. My crafter's block made more frustrated by half finished projects I had no idea how to finish.

Cue a visit from my mom, the Queen of Quilts.  Using some double biased tape, she hand sewed the trim over the raw edges using a reverse miter on the inside corners.


Finally, the unfinished project was finished.

My crafter's block is, fortunately, a thing of the past.

And, this hedgehog is happy to have a stylish venue to perform.


I am determined to master the art of reverse miter and make these as gifts for Grace's classmates birthdays.




*The doorway puppet theater I was inspired by, is for sale on Etsy.  If this stay at home mom could have afforded it, I would have spent the $90 (including shipping) to have bought it myself. 

23 comments:

  1. What an adorable idea! I've pinned this too. :) But, of course my non sewing self has simply pinned and not created. Yours is so cute and Grace's friends are lucky kids to get these as birthday presents in the future.

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  2. you make me want to be a kid again so i can hang out with grace (and you too!) sweet idea!

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  3. Amy...I just wanna be a kid in your house! How fun is that?! You know I just get lost when it comes to sewing talk...(reverse miter?..it's like a foreign language)..but you have tackled the problem with ease! Stripes might be easier..but polka dots are so much fun! Nice project!

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  4. Fun and cute idea! Grace surely has the coolest mom in town! :D This is the first time I hear the term "reverse miter"... calls for good old google! Or you can master it and show us how it's done!

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  5. That is genius! I wish my kids were smaller so I could make them these. (Of course, that would require me to use my sewing machine so maybe it's better that they're big... ;)

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  6. Such a lovely idea! May make one for my firneds children :-)

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    1. Thank you so much Charlotte. It's such a fun gift to make. I love how it encourages imaginative play.

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  7. How fun! My daughter has a small, tabletop puppet theatre, and the kids have lots of fun with it...plus it looks cute in the playroom. What a thoughtful gift this will make for your daughter's friends, they definitely won't get duplicates!

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  8. HAAAA! I love it! I'm giggling at your disclaimer. That's how I felt about that dang tree skirt I made........that was $130 on Etsy!

    It IS pretty darn cute though!

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  9. That's a great idea for a gift. How fun, and easily stored. On the mitering if you need a gift before you master it, maybe a rounded square window could be used, or just get the queen to do it again, they're handy like that! :)

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  10. I LOVE this---super cute, I think I may be able to handle this:)

    Julie
    www.thechirpingmoms.com

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  11. I love it! And I love that your Mom helped you with it! :) I would have loved this as a kid. You are such a great Mom!

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  12. This is so adorable Amy. What a great gift idea. When it comes to sewing I'm pretty clueless... mitres in woodworking I know about, but sewing... I have no idea. It looks just wonderful... and what fun!

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  13. wow...$90 sounds like a lot. You did great making it yourself

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  14. That is so adorable! I would've loved to have one of my very own growing up! You're creating such fabulous memories for your adorable daughter!

    :) Linda

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  15. Oh that is so adorable. My nephew would love one of these. So cute.

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  16. It is so beautiful dear Amy! Reading your posts, i start missing the time when Eva was still into doing stuff like this... Enjoy it while it lasts with Grace! Hugs to you

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  17. This is a GREAT idea! Its been so cold out and the kids and I are going a bit stir crazy. I can't wait to make this to give them something else to do. Great tutorial.

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  18. so well done, and i bet it's a big hit with kids!

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  19. This is such a fun idea even for a party!!! I hope you come by to share this on my blog- http://atozebracelebrations.com/2013/02/link-party-8.html
    Nancy

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  20. What a great project and so much fun for the kids to use! This sure beats the PVC puppet stage we built for our kids to use when they were young. It would take up a lot less space and also is quick to put up and take down. I'll be pinning!

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  21. Hello Friend! Guess what? THIS lovely post will be featured at Smart School House for Whimsy Wednesday! The new party and your feature will go live later today. See you soon!

    Kelly from Smart School House
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SmartSchoolHouse
    Google+https://plus.google.com/u/0/111902135882668872474/posts

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