Mustachio the Mexican guitar

My friend Matty recently got a job as a primary school music teacher and requested I make him a puppet to entertain the kids. So he created Mustachio (c) and as per his detailed description "He's a guitar whose strings all broke and couldn't be played anymore. So the kids teach him to sing instead and he lives happily ever after," accompanied with this picture of his vision to go by:

 

 

So I set out to create this generation's greatest children's entertainer which has since been described as "freakish, like he's too happy and on the verge of craziness - he will scare children," so all in all, mission accomplished! 

Here's how he turned out!

Materials:

2 metres of brown felt
30cm dark brown felt
Black, pink, brown felt
Brown fur for his mustache and brows

2 teddy bear eyes
White, blue and black paint, paintbrush.


First of all, draw out a guitar pattern on folded felt like so. That oven mit was just to gauge how far up you would need to stick your arm... He's basically the same size as a full-sized guitar.

You will also need to long strips of darker brown to join the two guitar panels together, flip the right way round and fill with stuffing like so. Add a black felt circle which will become Mustachio's mouth.

Dont forget to  leave an opening so you get elbow deep inside him. Line it with some more brown felt and hand sew shut. And yes, I am aware this looks slightly suspect. Cue giggles.

Add some beautiful ocean blue eyes - I've shown in previous posts how to make these. Make the eyelids with a bit of brown felt, otherwise he looks faaaar too starey.

Now add a mustache using trimmed fur fabric, and mould it with some hairspray into a curled handlebar style for that extra Mexican-y feel. Put a little pink felt tongue on his mouth hole as if he is singing "La la la laaaaaaaaaaaa Amigos".

Don't forget his eyebrows. I experiemented with their placement and found the height gave him a happier look and didn't make him look so evil. It did kind of give him an Italian vibe though....

You can add a nose too if you want. Or you can leave that nose behind...

Matty was stoked with him. And I hope this will catapult me to best friend status so I win the stupid competition vying for the place of best friend. Manuel has only known him for more than a decade, but I made him a puppet dammit!

WHOSE YOUR BEST FRIEND NOW MATTY?!?!?!?!!?

Tricky xoxo