Class at Cranberry Public Library teaches how to make your own puppets
CRANBERRY TWP — “Makers” spent last week screwing eyeballs onto fabric they cut into tube shapes, cutting holes in it to make mouths and attaching arms to bodies able to be controlled by small coat hangers dangling from their palms.
This wasn’t taking place in Frankenstein’s lab, but in the Cranberry Public Library, where makerspace manager Mary Frances Reutzel was teaching people how to make their own puppets.
Although they looked like fuzzy tube socks with arms hanging off of them on Wednesday, July 23, they would be brought to life the following day, the final session of the first week of the class.
“Sometimes tears happen because it’s like they brought something to life,” Reutzel said Wednesday. “I’m really proud of this program.”
The puppet-making workshop, Project Puppet, was successful last year, when Reutzel, who has a self-proclaimed passion for puppets, first led a four-day class that took students from the design process to putting the finishing touches on their creations.
The second week of the class kicked off Monday, July 28.
Reutzel is teaching a new batch of students how to make a puppet from nothing but fabrics.
“I try to give everyone a whole experience,” she said.
Project Puppet was created by Reutzel, who tailored the program to be for individuals age 12 to adult. The first week of the class had six people in attendance, mostly youths with one professional artist signed up.
Cole Diefenderder, of Cranberry Township, took the class last year, and returned to the library this year to make another puppet. A fan of puppet-related artistry, namely the Muppets, Cole said he enjoys making the creatures on his own rather than buying them fully made from a store.
His puppet had his personal stamp on it — in part because he made it up as he went along.
“It’s better to make it than just buying it,” Cole said. “I don’t really come in with a whole idea. I just start and do whatever pops into my head.”
River Ludwig, of Zelienople, also enjoys puppetry as an art form and wanted to make one from scratch. River signed up to take the class again this week, out of a love of puppets.
River said it was nice crafting in a group, because it offers the opportunity to learn from others in the class and make puppets that complement one another.
“I really enjoy meeting others who enjoy the art form,” River said. “It’s good for talking to people and bouncing ideas off of each other.”
All of the materials needed to make a puppet are supplied by the Cranberry library, which allows people in the class to try new things when crafting their character.
It all starts with paper and scissors, which people use to cut the general shape of their puppet, before choosing a fabric for the body, which wraps around the maker’s hand to form a tube for the maker to operate the puppet’s mouth.
Reutzel said she was pleased to see the variety of fabrics and colors people in Project Puppet used. Every day of the workshop, she would introduce new materials, so as to not overwhelm the makers.
“I gave a plethora of materials. Everyone chose something different,” Reutzel said. “They start with fabric and patterns, then every day I give them new materials to finish their puppets.”
Although by Wednesday the puppets resembled well-known characters like Kermit the Frog and Oscar the Grouch, Reutzel emphasized that the final day of the class would teach the finishing touches that really flesh out the puppets’ furry personalities.
Cole said he would wait until the end before naming his creation — he wanted to see how the end result looked first.
“It’s mostly the end result (I enjoy),” Cole said. “I didn’t name mine until the very end of the last day last year.”
It took 32 hours of work for Reutzel to assemble her first puppet — a creation she displayed at the library makerspace alongside several other puppets she has made over the years. She also had boards featuring prominent puppeteers and puppet makers nearby to demonstrate different approaches to crafting and characterization found in popular culture.
All the while, Reutzel sported a “Sesame Street” T-shirt, and music from media featuring puppets, including the Muppet movies, “Bear in the Big Blue House” and “Fraggle Rock,” played over the speakers. Reutzel said she wanted to foster an environment of creativity within the makerspace, and the whimsical music contributed to that atmosphere throughout the workshop.
Although the Project Puppet classes are comprised of a lot less time than 32 hours, Reutzel said the time attendees do use at the workshops are spent carefully, with each piece of every puppet being a big decision. As she explained, it’s hard to make a puppet, and even harder to make one that lives up to its maker’s vision.
The puppeteers pictured on the boards in the makerspace were there to demonstrate that the hard work of puppet making can pay off.
“I’m a creative maker and I have a passion for puppets,” Reutzel said. “You want to get everything right.”
River decided his puppet’s eyes would be placed far apart on the head, so it could be expressive and funny in a way unique to his character.
River said the puppet, to be dubbed “Mortimer” or “Moledimer,” would probably not be used for much acting.
“I love the Muppets and the art form,” River said. “It’s mostly for display.”
Across the room from River, Lisa Seel, of Shaler Township, was putting eyes on her puppet. She said it was a struggle to get the right shape for her puppet’s body and ait was difficult to get the eyes on it in the exact spot she wanted, but the process was still rewarding.
“I’m in love,” Seel said. “The process and the final result — I’m just so happy with how he turned out.”
Seel said she plans to give her puppet to her 1-year-old grandson, and deferred naming her creation to him. She said she thought it would be a good gift, because it was clearly a craft made with love.
“That kind of sewing is really hard to do,” Seel said. “Mary helped us all find our potential.”
