As the sole puppet fabricator, I meticulously wrapped yarn around 50 puppets.
Each character was individually wrapped row by row, around and around, for months and months! Maddening for some, zen for me.
Due to the large volume, I developed a wrapping system to ensure continuity – first the chest like a vest, then the arms and gusset and then the entire body.
It was important not to make certain areas too bulky as it would limit the puppet’s movements.
For the wool to adhere to the silicone puppet, I had to stick it down using more silicone. Nothing sticks to silicone… but silicone. But I had to be careful not to ruin the visible wool.
We used foam balls for the heads and in this case, spray adhesive worked best on the foam, but it was incredibly tacky and again I had to avoid getting the glue on the wool.
To lay down the wool I used large teddy bear sewing needles to apply the silicone and manipulate the yarn. And at one point, I somehow managed to embed one of those needles in my foot.
In the end, I used about 2KM of wool to wrap all the puppets. And all those empty cardboard spools made great puppet stands!
If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to watch Zero.
