2014/02/26: My Poodle Telephones!

This past weekend I finally got around to doing some crafting/sewing. 

I found 2 old-timey phones in the trash in my building.  Of course, I immediately thought of poodles!  These phones both are in working condition.

I had a couple of the fuzzy tubular scarves that I purchased at Goodwill.  These tubular scarves make crafting easy.  I removed the handset and cords from phone #1 and painted around the number buttons with white acrylic paint.  Opening up the pink tubular scarf, I inserted the first phone.  I folded under one end of the scarf, leaving about 6-8 inches of excess fur at the back of the phone.  I cut off the excess at the other end.  Then I glued and folded the scarf around the phone, cutting small holes for the number buttons and the cord openings.  I carefully glued around these openings.

I then took the handset and inserted it into the remaining portion of the scarf.  I took the excess on one end and pulled it into a rubber band, forming one ear.  On the other side I made a loose covering for the spiral cord.  I folded up and hand sewed the cord cover so it wouldn't be so bulky.  When I tuck back the cord it looks like another ear.

I inserted a piece of balsa wood into the bottom fur cover and glued it to the underside of the phone.  I glued a clothespin with its base to the wood and glued a large pink puff ball to the top of the clothes pin. Then I pulled the excess fabric over these pieces, taking a rubber band to tie the end of the clothespin to form the pouf of the tail and securing with a few stitches.

I added some doll eyes and lashes that I already had in my stash, used a button for the nose, glued in a felt tongue and tied a bow on an ear.
 I attached the handset to the phone base and plugged in the phone cord.

Now I just need to figure out how to make the phone bark instead of ring!

I decided my pink poodle phone needed a mate.  So I covered the phone #2 with a blue tubular scarf.  I took some photos as I worked on it.  This phone was a dark brown so I doubled the scarf over the phone to cover the dark color. 

The handset and cord were permanently inserted into this phone so I had to work around them.  I left the brown spiral cord uncovered and made both ears the same way by cutting off a piece of scarf. pulling the excess fur and gluing the fur onto the handset, folding it as necessary. 

I wrapped both end of the fur with rubber bands to form the ears. 

I made the tail from the excess fur on the back side of the phone - securing it with a rubber band and some stitches.

I cut out white felt ovals for the eyes (no more eyeballs in my stash) and sewed on black buttons with white thread for the pupils.  The nose is a button.  The tongue is red felt.

Aren't they just the perfect couple!