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Original poster

Crafty People - I need your help.

115 replies

Jaybee · 03/02/2004 15:38

Ds came home last night stating that, as part of his homework for this week, he has to make a pheasant - yes a bl(dy pheasant. No suggestions on how to make it - just make it.
Helpppppppp!!!!!!
I have been looking on the net today for pictures and nipped out at lunch time for some relevant coloured card, tissue paper, pipe cleaners etc. but I need some ideas on how he can actually do this. Best idea so far from the office ladies is make the body with papier mache over a balloon - sounds ok but then what.....
Any suggestions and simple ideas greatly appreciated - ds is 10 by the way but has very limited interest in anything crafty.

OP posts:
Hilary · 03/02/2004 22:41

I would forget the paper mache, that is going to take ages. I would either use Fimo or I would make a flat pheasant just from card, with slots to put wings in etc. You can't be expected to spend days doing this. Ridiculous!

bobsmum · 03/02/2004 23:41

Has anyone mentioned Mod-Roc? It's fantastic stuff - plaster of paris impregnated bandage strips - like for broken arms. Wet it and wrap it around some bent coathangers or some other shape and leave it to dry - then slap some paint on it. Sounds complicated, but might be messy and gory enough for a 10 yr old? Any craft shop should sell it, but Hobbycraft would be ideal. All the best!

Original poster
Jaybee · 04/02/2004 10:18

Well an update - we were a bit limited on time as I had to collect dd from ballet and then we had to have tea before we could get started - well we have a papier mache body (although this was still wet this morning) - we have a kitchen roll cut and glued into a sort of neck and head shape and we have two wings plus a box of tissue paper cut into feathery strips ready for sticking onto the body.
If the body doesn't dry then I think I will look into Hilary's suggestion of a flat pheasant with the wings slotted in.
Stressyhead - He is Year 5 - although he (or should I say we) had to make an insulator to keep a baked potato warm overnight in Year 4.
Like the sound of Mod Roc but I won't get chance to get to the nearest Hobbycraft before Friday - he was given this homework Monday to be in on Friday - not even the opportunity of doing it over a weekend. I work full-time too.

OP posts:
Janstar · 04/02/2004 10:46

If you need to speed up the dying process, you could put your construction in a warm place, above a radiator for example. I would try an extremely low oven if desperate.

Thomcat · 04/02/2004 10:47

WHAT - you had 4 nights to make that. Do you know what that actually made me angry! What do they think mothers are - super-human, well yes I know most of the time we are, but for God's sake, do they think every mother stays at home ready, willing and able to produce pheasants and god's knows what! When the hell did you find the time or the energy - you poor thing.

Sorry that did just really pee me off!

I'm over it now

Original poster
Jaybee · 04/02/2004 11:48

Don't get me started Thomcat - to make matters worse, he is playing football for the school tonight after school and was training for the match on Monday after school - that's another three hours ish of the time for this project lost(or to get the rest of his homework done). Janstar - it is in the airing cupboard - would have thought it would have dried in there. We'll see.

OP posts:
Original poster
Jaybee · 05/02/2004 10:02

Janstar - thank you so much for the hints on shaping the tail end and the neck and suggesting the use of masking tape. Well we are almost there and I have to say that it looks bloody good. Ds cut a circle of card and we shaped it into a cone for the tail end and stuck it in place with masking tape (would never have thought of masking tape myself), we stuck the head and neck with craft glue and masking tape and set to work with the tissue paper, we stuck the strips of brown tissue (we had put flecks of black onto it with a marker before we cut them up on Tuesday) starting at the bum end and overlapping the strips until we reached the bottom of the neck, we then used a couple of strips of white tissue to give a ring effect and then continued to the end with a turquoise colour, we used some yellow card to make a cone for the beak and stuck that on, put a circle of tissue onto each side of it's face with an eye in each, stuck the wings on and shaped some brown pipe cleaners into legs and feet and stuck them on - hey presto - Fred the Ring Necked Pheasant is almost complete - we just have to make the tail feathers and stick them on - we have two strips of brown tissue with a pipe cleaner sandwiched between all glued together - we will shape them into feathers tonight and stick them on. To be honest, we thoroughly enjoyed our craft evening - even dd was sticking bits of tissue on.
Plus ds went off happily this morning in his Victorian outfit carrying his Victorian lunch in a tea towel.
The house is a tip, the bathroom needs cleaning but what the hell - let's make a pheasant!! I ought to take a picture of it once it is complete.

OP posts:
Coddy · 05/02/2004 10:03

ooh please do !! cnat wait o see it
#LOl at your sense of satisfaction!

maybe the schoola re trying to raise morale amongst parnets!!

Coddy · 05/02/2004 10:03

Ps not Fred - Reginald

SoupDragon · 05/02/2004 10:16

LOL! I can't wait to see a photo!!

ks · 05/02/2004 10:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Jaybee · 05/02/2004 16:39

p-m phase?? Could read that as Pre-menstrual - funnily enough i found a surprising amount of papier mache sites when I was having a look - it had dried fine in the airing cupboard by the time I gor home from work.

OP posts:
spacemonkey · 05/02/2004 18:21

LOL @ "what the hell - let's make a pheasant" jaybee!

Coddy · 05/02/2004 18:55

anyone else agree on Reginald as a name?

mummysurfer · 05/02/2004 18:56

Am i the only bad mother who would have refused to do this?????

I'm a primary teacher too, but I would have sent a brief note in to say "sorry - busy week, can't manage this". I would have encouraged other parents to do likewise!!

Coddy · 05/02/2004 18:58

yes BUT we wouldnt all have had such a laugh reading about it!!

I thinkits funny that she is so pleased...

mummysurfer · 05/02/2004 18:59

You're right Coddy. But would you have done it?
Please tell me I'm not the only Bad mother here

Coddy · 05/02/2004 18:59

well I would have been pissed off as I am not crafty at all

mummysurfer · 05/02/2004 19:01

We are all fairly crafty ..........but I like to chose my own projects.

Coddy · 05/02/2004 19:03

and a pheasant doenst thrill you?!!

mummysurfer · 05/02/2004 19:04

Fried or boiled??

Coddy · 05/02/2004 19:05

mmmmm I love pheasant and cream and apples

mummysurfer · 05/02/2004 19:08

Do you think Jaybee's would go down nicely with cream and apples?

Coddy · 05/02/2004 19:09

It may be a little cardboardy..

mummysurfer · 05/02/2004 19:11

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's son

Where did that come from????

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