(A rag puppet made with polyester wadding and old clothes)

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You will need Polyester wadding (150 cm x 2 metre roll) White or yellow rubbish bags Old newspapers or polystyrene chips Old clothes Synthetic carrot, chilli and berries Adhesive tape String Scissors Polyvinyl acetate glue

At first arm yourself with patience! You need some days to make this puppet but you'll make your children happy especially if they help you in making it. Put it at school or at home or in a corner of your shop window. But remember it isn't ideal for too little children because eyes, mouth and nose can be removed easily.
First of all you have to decide the exact dimensions according to tha place where you have decided to place it.
Our puppet has the following dimensions. Its head is 84 cm across and the body 145 cm. You can obtain the same result using two different rubbish bags: a 70x110 cm bag for the body and a 28x56 cm bag for the head. Choose light rubbish bags to avoid the black colours shine through the wadding.
Screw up some old newspapers and stuff the rubbish bags with them. Try to give already a shape to the head and the body. Let the body open. Close the head very well with a lot of adhesive tape.
Use now the wadding. This is like a synthetic cotton wool in a sheet form. Cut a 130x90 cm rectangle from the wadding. Verify the measures before cutting it. This rectangle is oversize but there is a precise reason. Wind the central part of the synthetic cotton round the head and glue the borders only on the head. Let the glue dry very well and the day after close the head at one end and then at the other with the string. You have to obtain a candy roll shape. Turn one end inside out and cut some hair lines as you can see in the photo and its enlargement. Insert the second end inside the body deeply and close the bag with the string and adhesive tape so that the head is fixed very well. Now you have to cover the body with the wadding. Take the measurements of the body before cutting the wadding. You have to obtain a large rectangle (our rectangle was: cm 70x145).
Wind the rectangle round the body and glue the two ends. Let the glue dry very well. At this point plait and glue the wadding around the head. Arm with patience; it's a long work and it would be better to make it in a few days.
Put an old cardigan round on the body and fill its arms with some wadding.
Turn the end of every arm inside out and let a little piece of the arm go out for the hand. Glue the chilli on the head for the mouth. Cut a round hole for the nose and insert the carrot deeply.
Place the berries for the eyes helping you with small sticks or toothpicks.
Complete your snowman with an old hat and a scarf.
Choose the clothes with the colours you prefer and add all that your fancy brings to your mind!