My family was at a Jim Henson exhibit not too long ago, and they had the coolest interactive section where the kids could make their own cartoon characters by putting felt shapes on a fabric board hanging on the wall.
There were parts (eyes, noses, mouths, hair..) to make many different faces, and lots of accessories(hockey sticks, bats, balls, toys...) to create all kinds of wacky scenes. My kids loved it, my wife loved it, and I loved it. But, we eventually had to leave. Now what?
When I got home I was inspired, Christmas was coming, and I had a plan. Here you will find the steps it took to complete my very own felt board for the kids to enjoy at home. Hopefully with this instructable you'll be inspired to make your own, the possibilities are endless!
PS -
If you aren't familiar with the concept, felt sticks to felt. There are characters made out of felt, then glued to a felt background, and there are tons of fabric accessories that you can stick to them to make your own crazy characters. When you are done, the parts come off easily for storage.
There were parts (eyes, noses, mouths, hair..) to make many different faces, and lots of accessories(hockey sticks, bats, balls, toys...) to create all kinds of wacky scenes. My kids loved it, my wife loved it, and I loved it. But, we eventually had to leave. Now what?
When I got home I was inspired, Christmas was coming, and I had a plan. Here you will find the steps it took to complete my very own felt board for the kids to enjoy at home. Hopefully with this instructable you'll be inspired to make your own, the possibilities are endless!
PS -
If you aren't familiar with the concept, felt sticks to felt. There are characters made out of felt, then glued to a felt background, and there are tons of fabric accessories that you can stick to them to make your own crazy characters. When you are done, the parts come off easily for storage.
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Signing UpStep 1: Make the Frame/Main Background
You'll need:
Sharp fabric Scissors
Lots of fabric in multiple colors
Fabric Marker
Fabric Glue
Creativity
Should have:
PC with illustration software (like Adobe illustrator)
Printer
For my felt board, I decided to go with a 4'x3' frame as that seemed to be a good size where it is portable or I could store it away when not in use. So, everything from here on out is scaled to fit this area.
I am sorry for not getting photos of this part, but it is relatively simple.
Go to store and get 1/4" plywood cut to 4' x 3' (or use similar material from your scraps)
Get a large enough piece of felt to cover it. In my case I used two pieces, one for the "sky" and one for the "ground".
First, position the felt and cut it to size. I made the top a dark blue for the sky. The fabric was cut to 24" x 54" to include 3 inches of overlap on each side and the top. For the grass I used green fabric cut to 18" x 54". Where the ground meets the sky I also overlapped them by about 1/4 inch. These measurements and placements are approximate. They need not be exact, just make sure you have enough fabric to cover the plywood fully.
Put fabric glue on the plywood to secure the fabric in place. I laid down the bottom first followed by the sky.
Flip the frame over. Wrap the overlap to the back and tack it down to secure it in place.
This will give you a basic grass/sky background. If you are feeling creative you could add mountains, buildings, or create any kind of scene that you can imagine! Cut out the shapes in fabric and glue them to the plywood.
While this dries we can create the characters to add to the scene.
Sharp fabric Scissors
Lots of fabric in multiple colors
Fabric Marker
Fabric Glue
Creativity
Should have:
PC with illustration software (like Adobe illustrator)
Printer
For my felt board, I decided to go with a 4'x3' frame as that seemed to be a good size where it is portable or I could store it away when not in use. So, everything from here on out is scaled to fit this area.
I am sorry for not getting photos of this part, but it is relatively simple.
Go to store and get 1/4" plywood cut to 4' x 3' (or use similar material from your scraps)
Get a large enough piece of felt to cover it. In my case I used two pieces, one for the "sky" and one for the "ground".
First, position the felt and cut it to size. I made the top a dark blue for the sky. The fabric was cut to 24" x 54" to include 3 inches of overlap on each side and the top. For the grass I used green fabric cut to 18" x 54". Where the ground meets the sky I also overlapped them by about 1/4 inch. These measurements and placements are approximate. They need not be exact, just make sure you have enough fabric to cover the plywood fully.
Put fabric glue on the plywood to secure the fabric in place. I laid down the bottom first followed by the sky.
Flip the frame over. Wrap the overlap to the back and tack it down to secure it in place.
This will give you a basic grass/sky background. If you are feeling creative you could add mountains, buildings, or create any kind of scene that you can imagine! Cut out the shapes in fabric and glue them to the plywood.
While this dries we can create the characters to add to the scene.
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farzadbayan
says:
Oct 13, 2010. 6:20 AMReply
It's kindly !
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