Elvis has not quite left the building

While Elvis hasn't officially left the building yet... he is on his way.

My inspiration for the pose was the Song, "Walking In Memphis", so while he may not look exactly like the King, the impression is there.. enhanced by the Beale and Union Ave. St. signs.

I didn't want to do him all glammed up, but wanted to keep it subtle and everyday. Just a little glitz in the buttons and cuff links... and of course the Blue Suede Shoes.

I really love that song Walking in Memphis, the idea of following in the steps of the King... not that I'd want to follow the King exactly... I just love the hope and dream behind it. Kind of absorbing yourself in the moment as you travel, the sounds the smells, the taste... the energy. I hope I captured part of that here.

I worked all weekend trying to finish this piece, I hope my customer loves it! I'm happy with the way it turned out, I must admit I was terrified to take on the challenge of a well know personality.

Each time I do something like this I feel more confident in my abilities and in each case I learn something new about myself and my craft.

Hope you don't mind my sharing... and have enjoyed sharing a bit of the journey with me.

Murple Puppet Project Part Six

Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of how I did these steps...

I sewed on Murples Feathery hair with a couching stitch (you come out from inside the puppets head where you want the hair to start, then come out and over the feathers and back into the head and out the other side you keep doing this until you have captured all the feather boas core, but be careful you don't catch up too many of the fluffy feathers... try to pull them out form under the thread as you go.)

Then I decided Murple needed a nose and ears. For the nose I cut out an egg shape out of felt pinched it together a bit at the small end and sewed it in place between the eyes. the whole nose isn't sewn down. I wanted it to stick up a bit.

For the ears, I cut out an oval and cut it in half. I then folded ear flat side into a little "w" shape and stitched them in place, then stitched them onto the puppet just below ans slightly behind each head dart.

I also decided Murple needed to have tonsils and a tongue so I cut out those from a deep red felt and slightly clued those onto her black mouth.

One last thing I did was add a line of black on her lower eyelids with a sharpie. I really wanted it to look like Murple had bags under it's eyes. hee, hee.

And that's Murple! Now make up a story for your own puppet. Murple is off to an all-night Karaoke bar to show off his lovely singing voice. Too bad all those late nights have him developing a slight tick under his right eye... Makes him look a little crazy when he gets on the subway after his late night.

HAVE A BLAST!!!