Sew What? Krackens

Yes, this is my knitting blog, but sometimes fleece and sewing seem like a better choice! With 1/3 yard of fleece and a few fleece scraps you can make two Kracken puppets!

This grandma is pretty excited about the Seattle Hockey Team selecting a name and mascot.  I do not think the design of the puppets will look anything like the mascot, but I had fun making these sea serpents.   
(Quick summary of the project: 1/3 yard fleece. The mouth is an oval, not a circle.)

Materials:        
1/3 yard fleece,
sewing thread
scraps of fleece
embroidery floss  

Supplies:
yard stick or

measuring tape
scissors, pins
sewing machine
chalk or soap for marking details
lid for template
2 hours 
Finished sizes: 
11"circumference, 30" nose to tail

Let me share photos of the process:

fleeces options

scraps of fleece

Cut 60" fleece in half, (mine 11" x 30") 12" x 30"

Trim salvage, fold lengthwise (hotdog).  Not in the photo, cut 10"x12" to fold lengthwise for dorsal fins.

Although this is fleece, stitch right-sides together.  Then,  turn righ-tside out, creating an inside seam.

 The dorsal fins are ready for design.  With soap or chalk, trace triangles and head back to the sewing machine.

Top-stitch the triangles twice.

Trim away the excess fleece. 

Early in the afternoon, I interrupted the sewing project because the grandkids and I have Zoom storytime.  I talked about my excitement for the NHL Seattle Kracken, and read Ralph's Secret Weapon by Steven Kellogg.  Then, I returned to my project!  

Cut fleece for the tongue.  Cut an oval for the inside mouth.

Stitch the tongue into the mouth, securing the tongue, and creating a hinge.

With the same lid as a template, trim the head.  (Sorry, I forgot to take photos of sewing the mouth in place.)  Center the mouth and top-stitch the two semi-circles, leaving the extra (oval) fabric at the hinges

 Turn the puppet inside out, and stitch the extra fabric to close up the gap at the hinge. 

Yes, this is fiddly.

With the puppet nearly complete, 9"down from the nose, cut a 2" slit at the fold (really4" opening) for the child's arm.  Next time, I think I would snip at 12".  Then, return to the sewing machine to secure 14" end of the fabric and create a tail.

With more fleece scraps, create eyes.  (I could have used fancy buttons, but this family includes a baby brother.) 

Again, quick summary of the project: 1/3 yard fleece. The mouth is an oval, not a circle.

 Now, let's get Kracken!

Copyright 2020, Marilynn Blacketer. All rights reserved. 7/25/20

for pattern support please contact marilynnblacketer@gmail.com