Need to make a very large lion - help!!!!!!!!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I cant say what its for - other than its for school (in case any one here knows me!) I need to make a lion - 3d, small child sized. I don't mind if its sitting/standing or whatever as long as it is recognisible as a lion.

Any thoughts please? its keeping me awake worrying about it.

Lying down will be easiest so the legs don't have to be strong enough to hold the body.

You could make it from one of those nasty beige velour curtains that lurk in every charity shop.

Does it have to last long or just temporarily? Maybe stuff it with newspaper if only needed short term.

blimey!!! First one slightly big - second one beyond my skills.
thanks

I think I would get chicken wire and duct tape and the beige velour curtains cuppaTeaJanice was talking about.

The mane would be simple enough using a strip of felt with cuts in.

It will be tricky enough to make the material smooth but does it have to be very professional looking?

If so I would buy one.

if it doesn't need to be especially portable, make the basic body shape of a lion in this kind of pose out of cardboard boxes then drape with aforesaid velour curtain, tucking in well round 'legs' made of loo rolls etc

Draw face on piece of card or (easier) stick a mask on the head.
Add mane made of undone mop heads, and a tail

It does have to be fairly professional but it will be pretty dark in the room. I love the idea of the velour curtains - I'll go up into town and have a look I think.

Back later

what about finding an orange fleece sleepsuit and stuffing it with newspaper or wadding. Then you could make the mane and use a mask for the head. It would make it much simpler.

thanks all for your ideas! They are all brilliant.
On my wander into town I had a bit of a brainwave (I hope) dd has a v. large cheetah that is far too spotty to use. It suddenly dawned on me that he was the perfect form now that I was thinking of fabric rather than (gulp) papier mache.

I couldnt get any velour curtains in the charity shops in town but woolies are selling fake fur throws in exactly the right colour for half price. I bought a double at £20, I can claim the money back as long as I keep costs down as far as I can. I think I can probably work out the pattern by draping and pining. Face I'll work in black wool

So its just the mane to work out. I like the idea of the mop heads but I think I need fluffier - would combed out orange wool do the trick do you think?

If you scroll down here you'll see a few different types of manes.

This one might be good because I think it's a type of wool

You are an absolute star Quickdrawn - thank you so much that is really helpful!

I'm in the process of using an old painting sheet to create a pattern. Its not quite as easy as I thought - am glad I've not started cutting for real!

Not sure it will be of any help but the basics of how we made a giraffe are here

OMG!!

Bows and grovels at Dingle's feet.

fantastic!

Well first you get a mummy lion and a daddy lion who love each other very much, and they have a special cuddle...........

dingle that is utterly amazing!!!!! you are very very talented!

sunnygirl

I made my pattern last night and have spent all morning til a couple of minutes ago pinning the pattern to the fabric and cutting it out. Its now all pinned together ready to be sewn. I thought my head was going to explode with concentration pinning all the pieces together - trying to imagine it inside out and left to right was a bit much for me atm! but it is all pinned now and looks like an inside out lion. Will sew later. (flipping real life getting in the way of fun) Am leaving top of head unstitched til I get supplies for mane.

OhYouBadBadKitten you'll have to post a pic when you're finished. I'll be judging it against dingle's standards so no slacking.

not fair! dingle is clearly talented and I am not! I'll give it a go at posting a pic though

Sorted out the mane - I've loads of embroidery threads so I cut out a strip of fabric and pinned it to the edge of a large rectangle of card. I've then wrapped all my oranges, yellows and browns around the card. Next I stitched them to the fabric, cut all the threads (like you do in a pom pom) and ta-da a lions mane. looks better than I thought.

/surveys neglected bombsite of house, remembers its parents evening and we have to eat, theres washing on the line and the guinea pigs need cleaning out.

'spose I ought to stop for the day

Oh dear. I may have gone slightly wrong somewhere. I just put the lion costume on to leopard and somewhere along the lines it seems to have gained a fifth leg

/back to the drawing board.....

a tail maybe?

could be a two tailed lion!
I've performed a limbectomy and it looks a lot better (one rear leg is a bit flipper like but I can stuff it under him a bit)

Its practically finished now - just need to tidy up a couple of bits. Will take a picture tomorrow and see if i can upload it on to profile somehow