magda the rod puppet

I LOVE puppets, especially when they are this easy to make and use scrap fabric but no Sewing! And seriously, such sass!

What you need:

  • A piece of dowel approx. 30cm long (a straight stick would be fine)
  • A smaller piece of dowel/paddle pop stick or garden stick approx. 10cm
  • An old T-shirt or Scrap fabric in cream or white approx. 40cm x 40cm
  • Some coloured fabric approx. 30 x 30cm
  • Wool roving, cotton wool or yarn
  • Scrap cardboard
  • Masking tape.
  • Old newspaper
  • Hot glue

1. Begin by scrunching a fist sized ball of newspaper. Insert the larger piece of dowel, a stick or a ruler.

2. Cut a circle from your cream coloured fabric and wrap over the top of the scrunched ball and secure with an elastic band.

3. Trim excess fabric and secure to the stick using some masking tape.

4. Cut a circle from your coloured fabric and make a small slit in the centre.

5. Insert the rod through the hole. Make sure the hole isn’t too big, as you want it to fit snugly through the rod. If it’s a bit loose secure it with hot glue or add some extra masking tape underneath.

6. Make some ‘shoulders by lifting up the dress and attaching the smaller stick horizontally to the bigger stick with some strips of masking tape. This is optional really but it gives the puppet a better shape.

7. Glue on your hair by tearing three strips of wool roving as shown and adding in layers. I used A LOT of hot glue here. You could also use cotton

wool balls or some curly yarn.

8. Add some facial features. Again, this is totally up to you. I went with some 50’s glasses that I drew on some cardboard and cut out. I used black

marker, paint and some sticker diamantés. Her lips were drawn and cut out of red cardboard.

You could add all kinds of decorations here. Some beads? A paper hat?

Optional Hands.

If you want to take your pupeteering a step further you can give your puppet some hands.

1. Cut out some heart shapes from cardboard and stick to some think sticks or bbq skewers with tape or glue.

2. Attach these to the sides of Magda’s dress with hot glue or staples.

To operate the hands hold both sticks in one hand and move side to side.