The bell attempt

Feeling a little better. My family tells me that once germs enter, if the hot flashes don't fry them, the bitchy will have them running for an exit.
 I played with the bell a little and wanted to share with you for your thoughts and suggestions before I go any further.

The shape is rough, basted, and just for sizing.  I used a heavy canvas on the back for body and am finishing it as I would any other to be stuffed, but I'm not stuffing it.  Let me try to explain my reasoning and method.

 

 

Making it into a true bell shape would mean that both back and front would be rounded, preventing it from laying flat on a wall or door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would be nice hanging freely, but where?  And with no extra linen in this color, the back would be a contrast.  So I'll sew a backing to the stitched piece which will serve as the lining and finish off the edges. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the very thick felted wool product I chose for the back.  The color blends nicely and the edges need no finishing.

 

  

 

 

So the plan is to hand sew the finished Santa on to this wool back, raising the Santa to create the bell with the curved front.  I don't know how else to do it.  Once the back of the bell is attached to the finished front, I may have to stuff with fill half way down to keep that shape, and probably need a piece of mat board/cardboard cut to that half circle arc pushed up inside to hold it.

 

This way, it will lay flat on a door and have the shape of a bell (well .... half bell), and I can have the jingle bells extending down.  I can add a trim of some sort to the hand sewn edge, but I think I will sew the front edge over the thick wool edge to hide it.  If I get that far.  But really, once the bell shape is tweaked and the backing sewn on, this shouldn't be difficult at all.  The wool (Michael's, Hobby Lobby all have it) which is super thick, can be trimmed easily. 

 

  Do you think the backing material of the Santa front will be sort of loose and maybe hang?  I hate to fuse it.  Wait.  How about using Mylar (stencil blanks) inside the bell part, cut the same shape as the front piece?  Yep.  That's what I'll try.  I can poke a few needle holes on the sides and stitch it to the front's backing.  When I sew the front to the wool, the Mylar will bend also and keep that shape, and also press against the front's backing so it stays in place.  Hey.  Everything sounds good, but that doesn't mean it will work.  We'll see. 

 Any suggestions? 

 

 

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