First acquire two tomato cages and duct tape them together to create an oblong shape. (I grabbed up some white duct tape just so that nothing dark would show through--this turned out to be a genius precaution).
Next, take one end of the shape and bend the prongs inward to create a kind of dome. This will be the head. Duct tape in the middle so it will hold the shape.
Now you need to construct your feet. You need legs that are stiff, otherwise they'll flop over--Always keep in mind that the mummy will be upside down. I harvested the cardboard roll off of some wrapping paper and used 1/4 of it for each 'leg'. I used two stiff metal cupcake taped together for the middle of the foot, but anything slightly stiff will do. I taped the cupcake holders to the cardboard roll to form the leg, ankle, and part of the foot.
I sacrificed a (long) pair of socks and stuffed the toes with some stuffing. I then eased the sock over my constructed half of a foot. I took a piece of tape to put over the open end of one of the ends of the cardboard roll (the 'ankle' end) so that the prongs wouldn't slip through. Repeat with other leg.
I then slipped the leg/cardboard roll over one of the prongs and taped it tight. Repeat with other leg.
The third prong I bent over to the other side so that it functioned as a large hook from which to hang the mummy. Duct tape it firmly.
For the body, I had obtained a plain white long sleeved shirt from the thrift store (~$2). Mine had some kind of softball emblem on it, so I had to take a white piece of fabric and sew over it. I also sewed the sleeves shut (while right side out) from the top of the shoulder to under the arms. Next, slip the shirt over the skeleton (while right side up). I had to baste the neck together a bit because otherwise it would have slipped right off.
I then stuffed the arms loosely (too much and it looks overly chubby). I crossed the arms and sewed the tops of the sleeves to the body to hold it. I also had to sew the bottoms of the sleeves (or around the elbows) to the body so that the arms wouldn't come up over the head--remember, gravity works. Obviously, the bottom of the shirt needs to be stretched and taped to the prongs so that it doesn't flip up as well.
For the head, I took a piece of white fabric, folded it over, and made a slightly rounded pillowcase roughly the size of the head. I turned it inside out and slipped it over the dome shape. Duct tape or sew to the collar of the shirt.
The next part requires much patience. I took one of those large spider web packages (the ones that are supposed to cover 400 sq ft) and rolled it out. I started first with the head and body, making sure to have the web thick over places that had less coverage and you could more easily see through. I did the legs separately because I wanted them to be distinctive, separate, and clearly visible as feet. As I was getting towards the bottom, I took a doubled up loop of string and tied it to the handle between the feet and made a loop so that I could string the mummy up.
Lastly, I slipped in some large fake spiders I had found at Michaels. I used them mostly in the front, but since I was placing it not in the corner, I made sure I put a large one in the back.
Took maybe three hours from start to finish, and turned out very cool. I put him up along with my spider sacs from previous years, and some spider web on the porch to complete the picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment