Materials And Supplies

8"x 10" black felt

8" x 10" picture frame (optional)

8" x 10" paper Elmer's Glue-All

8"x10" dull white cardboard, bristol or mounting board

Tools

pair of sharp pointed scissors 10 straight pins pencil ruler

Silhouette felt pictures are most effective when cut out of black felt. Hunting scenes, ships, dogs, horses, and other animals make good subjects for these pictures. Using the procedure described here, try other silhouettes which have characteristic shapes.

Procedure

1. Measure and draw one inch squares on the sheet of paper. Using the pattern on the following page as a guide, draw the outline of the ship and blacken the dark areas as shown.

Figure 32. Ship Silhouette Design.

2. ;Pin the paper to the felt with at least ten straight pins. Do not have any pins go through the blackened parts. Cut out the outline of the ship carefully cutting both paper and felt at the same time. In order to cut out the blackened areas, fold the felt and paper at one of the black spots, make a snip in the middle of it with the scissors, and cut the black spot out. Repeat this process for all the blackened areas.

3. ;With pencil and ruler draw a light guide line one inch from the edge of the ten inch side of the cardboard. Apply Elmer's Glue-All in a thin line around all the edges of the felt ship and sparingly on the sails. Paste the felt to the cardboard having the bottom straight edge of the felt ship rest on the guide line. Smooth the felt silhouette gently with your hands. Avoid getting any glue on the right side of the felt. Should this happen, however, wipe off any white spots with a dampened cloth.

4. ;Frame the finished picture if you wish. The frame does not necessarily need to have glass. The picture is equally effective without glass.

Figure 33. Flexible Fabric Clown.