Materials:
- 1 large sheet of poster board or styrofoam cones, 10" tall with a 4" base. One large sheet makes 6 cones.
- Stryofoam eggs for the heads, 2 1/2"
- Wire coat hanger, 1 will make 2 figures
- Good quality paper towel, torn into strips
- Masking or drawing tape
- Stapler
- Glue gun
- Thick starch -- see recipe below
- Gold, clear, white or glitter spray paint(Be sure you can use it on styrofoam)
- Clothespins or hair clips
- Scraps of yarn
- String
- Lace
- Paper doilies
- Cotton
- Old earrings, buttons, trims, etc.
- Old sheets, coarse fabrics like muslin or fancy brocades, satins velvets
- Paints for faces and hands (optonal)
Instructions:
Measure and cut and/or tear the following: From the poster board cut 1 circle with a radius of 10" to 12". Cut away about 1/3 of a pie piece from the circle.
For the Madonnas or angels, pure cotton fabrics of fairly fine texture are the best esepcially for the sleeve and veil. However, soft satins and coton velvet, or corduroy can also be used. Too much synthetic fiber makes it resistant to absobing the starch. For the sleeves, 2 peices 4" by 30". For the cloak a piece 15 by 30" for the taller figure, shorten 2" for shorter figure. For the veil cut a piece 8" square. TIP: If you make several figures, it is better to do it assembly line style.
1. Cut the circles, and divide into thirds. Form each third into a cone with overlapping bottoms generously, and closing the tip to a point. Staple firmly in place.
2. Cut the coat hangers with wire cutters: Cut about 8" from the center of the top, clip the hook just above the twised wires. Fold thelong peice in the center, twisitn the tw wieres several times and then clip the loop. You may have to tape them so they say fixed. Bend the ends into small loops for the hands.
3. Make a slit on the top of the cones and place the wire armature with the wires up. Use the masking tape to firmly secure them. Bend the arms into a soft angle at the elbow bringing the hands together but not touching. The can be adjusted later, but for draping the fabric it is easier if they are already shaped.
4. Forming the hands - You may use several options and your own creativitiy. a) Fill the loop with cotton or a small wad of paper towel soaked in the starch and with small strips of soaked paper towel, wrap them and smooth them to just beyond the "wrists". b) Roll or twist tth towel into tiny rolls, five for each hand and then wrap them onto the wire loop in the shape of fingers and thumb. Use more strips over the back and palm of the hand to make them realistic.
