Little Red Riding Hood Stick Puppet

Inspiration

pending the weekends with my grandmother, Laura Elena, was the best treat I could ever imagine. Unfortunately, she went to heaven when I was six. Colon cancer was her Big Bad Wolf. How much I wished I could have been the huntsman, able to pry out the malignant tumor that ate her inside painfully slowly. Not even my aunt Elenita, the surgeon, had special fingers, or magical suture thread for a miracle. As such, my dear grandma went to heaven to watch over me after her passing. Saying that my grandmother and I had a unique connection is an understatement. My grandmother, Laura Elena, was also my godmother. Mom told me that between me and my twin sister, Claudia Elena, she had chosen me as her goddaughter. I’m not sure what special quality she saw in me. All I know is that I have always felt privileged by her choice. Regardless of the limited time she was among us, the memories I have of those moments together will always be in my heart. And going to visit Grandmother Laura Elena was always an unforgettable experience.

Fond Memories of Grandma

The journey to Grandma’s House

Just like I envisioned Little Red Cap preparing her basket of treats for her travels through the Enchanted Forest, my twin sister Claudia and I paid a lot of attention to our packing. Warm pajamas, a couple of changing outfits, colored pencils, some books and toiletries. As you can see, the list did not include cupcakes or cookies. This is because part of the adventure was baking treats with grandmother. Our enchanted forest was the bustling streets of Caracas, which we traversed in grandma’s black Lincoln Continental. Unlike Little Red Riding Hood, we were not distracted by fields of pretty flowers and songbirds singing in the forest. Our distractions came from the newsstand near grandma’s house which sold fresh flowers, magazines and candy. Our distractions were the honking horns, and the anticipation of what was to come.

How we Spent Our Time at Grandma’s House

Grandmother’s kitchen was a magical place where sounds of whisks against enamel bowls, the tic-toc of the clock, and insatiable laughter inundated the air, melded with the intoxicating smells of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and fresh baked goods. I can close my eyes and imagine Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s hearth blazing fire as the house would fill with the delicious smell of cooked sausages, onions and collard greens stew. I believe that besides the difference between a savory smell and a sweet one, the essence of the scent was one and the same, love.

Visits to Grandma meant sewing, reading, and coloring lessons as well. Sitting on her rocking chair, with each of us on her lap, she would read to us. One of our favorite stories was Little Red Riding Hood. Not necessarily because of the story per se, but because of her acting. We couldn’t wait until her hands would tickle our tummies when she read aloud the sentence, “The better to eat you with!” We rarely got to the end of the story, as we would clamor for a reprise, in between laughs, while tears ran down our cheeks. Grandma would repeatedly reread the passage about the big ears, the big eyes, the big hands and the terrible big mouth, only to stop when our bellies would start hurting from so much laughter.

And so, the lazy afternoons at grandma’s home were filled with plenty of activities, each with its very special memory, too many to describe here all at once. And so many that deserve their own ornament to preserve them. For now, this Little Red Riding Hood figurine memorializes those magical visits to Grandma’s house where my twin sister and I learned how to let our imagination soar, enveloped by our grandma’s love.

Little Red Riding Hood Stick Puppet Ornament Design Process

There are two unique elements that make Little Red Riding Hood clearly recognizable. The most obvious one is her little red cap. The Grimm brothers described it as a “little red cap of velvet.” Velvet is a luxurious fabric that frays easily when not hemmed. Given the small size of these ornaments, hemming velvet is quite impossible. So instead, I chose red felt, which gave the hood a thick and warm feeling. The felt I used came from remnants I had left over from making a Christmas tree skirt. I made it for the first Christmas my husband and I were together. I tied her red hood with red ribbons under her chin. For her hair, I used light brown yarn I had found at a garage sale. Her light brown hair peeks playfully from under her little red cap.

The second element that makes Little Red Riding Hood distinguishable, is her basket. When I was designing Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, I crocheted her basket out of cord. But, the size of this ornament was too small to be able to weave something this tiny. I thought of using an old straw hat and forming it into miniature baskets, but it also proved futile. As I was going through my collected materials, I encountered these wooden beads that were painted with cross hatched designs. I immediately knew that those beads would make perfect little baskets for Little Red Riding Hood to bring the piece of cake and bottle of wine to her ill grandmother. To make the basket, I cut off a thin slice on one end. This flattened end became the bottom of the basket. Next, I drilled tiny holes on both sides of the bead and threaded miniature wooden beads from a necklace onto a thin wire. The threaded beads became the basket handle. With a larger drill bit, I enlarged the bead’s main hole to make room for a doily. I made the doily from white ribbon. Finally, I cut circles of brown paper to cover the bottom of the basket.

Fairy tales usually have little description of details — they leave it up to our own imagination to fill in the blanks. As I imagine Little Red Riding Hood frolicking around the enchanted forest, I envisioned her wearing a bright colored skirt. So, for her dress, I used lime green and periwinkle ribbons. I adorned the skirt with lace to represent her petticoat.