Mini tutorial:
Packing your Fairy for Safe Shipment
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Enchanted Hearts
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By Deb Wood email: enchantedhearts@mchsi.com
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Supplies needed:
100% cotton quilt batting, cut across the width in 4" strips--(cut them narrower if your work is smaller)
You will find this quilt batting rolled up in plastic bags at fabric stores or Walmart's fabric departments
4 oz or heavier polyester sheet batting cut into 8" wide strips
(this is sold on rolls in the fabric stores)
1/2" plastic bubble wrap 12x36" (or more)
Additional cushion air pillows or other soft packing material
Packing tape/ Fragile labels/ Priority labels if shipping USPS Priority
Two sizes cardboard boxes, 200LB test-with a minimum of 2 inches space between the two boxes
Packing peanuts or other soft fill material |
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To cut the strips of 100% cotton quilt batting- I use a rotary blade and mat to cut 4" wide strips the
width of the batting, usually about 80" long. I also cut the polyester batting on the mat with the rotary blade. Works well! I use these to wrap the sculpt like a little mummy...all safe and snug. |
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Ready? Here we go!
You see the products I use laid out here... *The blue sticker you see on the base of this fairy is
just an indication of the 'front' of the base. Since I wrap the base separately, this tells the buyer how it should be placed later. |
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Begin by tucking the end of the batting between
her legs, or in some way to anchor the batting. This also supports the legs during shipment. *I like using the cotton batting- it's clean, soft and
does not leave any fuzz on your sculpture. |
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Wrap a few times around the feet, then begin wrapping up the legs. Tuck the skirt or costume in the
layers of wrapping- this not only protects the costume, it keeps it from getting crushed or wrinkled. You can even stuff tissue paper up under a fuller skirt-then wrap with the batting. |
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Pay close attention to the hands and fingers on your fairy. To protect them, tuck the batting in next to the
body, (1) then begin to wrap the arm. (2) Twist the batting a bit now- this is called 'roping'. It provides even more cushion for the hands. Continue until there is a whole cocoon around the hand (3)....go behind the body and do the same thing on the other hand. Once the hands are safely wrapped- then carefully lay the batting over the wings. |
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Once the wings are safely cushioned, then wrap a few 'roping' wraps around the head of your fairy.
If your fairy is wearing an elaborate headpiece, you can wrap a piece of tissue paper around that and tape in place- that way it won't get caught on the batting as your customer unwraps it. Be sure to leave a little room to breathe!! Sorry, I can't help myself....
Now lay that snug little bug down on the poly batting....
This step isn't all that necessary- but it does provide more cushion and it also holds the cotton batting nicely in place. |
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Wrap the fairy in the poly batting as shown here. Then lay this on the bubble wrap--at a 90 degree angle with
the bubbles to the inside, against the fairy. You will be wrapping side over side now, instead of end over end. |
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Closeup detail of the bubble wrap. This works so
much better than the small bubble wrap. |
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Like this...
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Select a box that is just slightly larger than your rolled up fairy. You don't want any 'wiggle room' in this box!!!
The wrapped fairy should be snug, but not squished into this inner box. Place some soft packaging material in the bottom of the box,,,, Place the roll in there diagonally- as shown above. She is in there with her wings toward the bottom and top of the box. This provides good protection for her hands AND her wings. Add more soft packing material on either side. Here I am using the air pillows. Packing peanuts work fine- or even plastic bags. Use anything to hold it in position and that will not allow it to move inside this inner box. |
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This shows how I tape the bottom of the outer box. You can see that it is taped along the edges too, no chance
of it coming apart there. Put a layer of packing peanuts in the bottom of the larger box, set the smaller box inside and pour more peanuts around. See the minimum 2" clearance around the inside box? This 2" minimum space is what is recommended by the US Post Office. I often have even more space around the inside box, usually 3 or 4". |
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Finally, more peanuts on top, or if I have some on hand, sheets of styrofoam help to cushion the inner box.
Tape it up securely, add the labels and you're ready to go! I also put several strips of tape over the top of the address label so even if the box gets soaking wet- you would still be able to read that label. Recycle materials whenever possible- but be careful about your box selections. Make sure they are at least 200 Lb test- it says it on the bottom of most boxes-and don't reuse a box that already shows obvious damage. Good wrapping and packing is a must, there is no question about that. But it is also important to use good
quality clay and bake that clay properly so you are sure it is fully cured. A strong armature is also a must. Polymers were never intended for large creations without good, strong armatures to support them. Hope this information helps you to get your precious works into the hands of your collectors, safe and sound. Deb Wood--Enchanted Hearts enchantedhearts@mchsi.com
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