Beyond Measure: Halloween Decorations: DIY Franky Jr.

This time of the year things seem to start going really fast, especially with the school year starting! Here is a project you can start now and dedicate some time to over a few weeks to complete. In total it took me around 4-5 hours to make this little guy, however I have worked with these tools before and used a blow dryer to hasten the drying time of the paint.

*I suggest this project only for people experienced in power tools*

*Improper use of tools could lead to injury*

Here's what you will need

Two fake pumpkins (one large and one smaller), doorknob hangers, glue, saw/power saw, black and green paint/paintbrushes, a black youth sized t-shirt, two small wooden objects (like miniature pickle barrels), a sharpie or other marker, and black and white felt. In total it cost me around $35 for the tools using coupons and keeping in mind I already had glue and the power saw.

The first step in making your own Franky junior is cutting a hole in the bottom of the smaller pumpkin so it will sit nicely on the larger pumpkin. To cut in first make an incision using the tip of the stationary saw (mine had a nice sharp tip for carving) and gently nudge it inside, now proceed using your power saw. (You could use the regular saw, but I found it easier and faster to use the power saw)

**You will want to do the sawing in a well ventilated area because there is a lot of "pumpkin dust" from sawing.**

Check to make sure the hole is large enough before moving on. If it is not simply cut it larger.

Next draw circles by tracing the miniature pickle barrels on either side of the head.

I drew them in two locations, one set higher and the other lower before deciding that the lower would look best.

Make sure to follow instructions on the power saw as directed. **Once again I suggest that you only do this if you have worked with these kinds of tools before and will be knowledgeable and comfortable doing so** I found it easiest to start from the center of the circles and then create a straight line to the edge and go around the circle.

You will want to make sure they fit snugly in the holes.

Now it is time to give Franky a face. Go ahead and draw him as you like! It makes it easier when cutting if all the areas that are going to be cut out are filled in black so that you will cut the right areas. You may notice in this photo that Franky has had a little haircut, I decided to cut off his stem to use for his nose later on.

Now begin cutting out his facial features. If you have skinnier areas such as the stitches cut out those first so the structure can support it. I went ahead and cut out the stitches in rectangles, first cutting out the center.

Now that the face is cut out it is time to paint Franky's face so he has a nice ghoulish glow!

About two coats of green paint covered the pumpkin nicely. While the face is drying you can take this time to paint the miniature pickle barrels black, the doorknob hangers green, and the cut off stem green. Once the pickle barrels and step top are dry glue them into place.

While everything is drying, you can put the shirt onto the larger pumpkin to begin considering where the arms should go.

If you use a blow dryer you can have the "arms" dry faster so you can use them to mark where the next cuts should be. Where you marked you will cut a long and thin rectangle shape like the shape of the edge of the doorknob hanger.

I cut the wood using a pair of scissors so it would fit nicely into the slits on the pumpkin. I cut out the upper corner so that that the other half was completely intact. Glue these into place.

***NOTE*** You are cutting the wood at your own discretion and should do so carefully.***

Now it's time to give him a tux. You can do this by cutting out a large triangle of white felt and gluing it onto the pumpkin.

Once the white felt is on securely cut out a tie shape from your black velvet and glue it on.

It is helpful to put Franky's head on while you figure out where the tie should go so you know that it will be in the right place.

For the rest of the tux you will need to cut a slit down the front of the black t-shirt. I cut it almost all the way to the bottom so I could slip the shirt up the pumpkin and around the arms.

Now fold in the edges on the top and glue them down onto the felt to create the jacket look.

After gluing down the top parts onto the felt fold the fabric slightly on the rest of the cut portion inside. Glue this down to create a clean looking seam.

Fold the rest of the fabric underneath the pumpkin to cleanly finish the body. Glue the fabric in place again.

Now it is time to give Franky some hair ! To do this I cut several sections of black felt. First a long strip to go around the back of his head stopping on either side above the "screws". By cutting a slit in the back you can create a smoother application of the felt. By gluing everything down in pieces the overall look is smoother on the pumpkin.

Now cut out two smaller pieces of felt to act as sideburns.

Now cut a piece for the top of the head. I cut out a shape similar to the ghosts on pac man. I placed it on the head and draped it to figure out how to cut the bangs.