underpantenhosen

Vintage detailed underwear, pintucks, lace and ribbon.
Silly family word for 'underpants', in case you wondered.
Without their hair my girls sit a little forlornly, they will be transformed soon but they are definatly high maintenance.

It's been a weekend of fits and starts, work has been fitted in, here and there, around family life.
I pushed my boundaries yesterday, being the subject matter of a photo shoot.Only with my daughter and husband as photographer but still, I hate having my picture taken.
I'm soon to be 'introduced' on a great American site, which I'm so excited about.It's taken a lot of discussion and work and I think it's going to be fabulous.However, the downside was having to put myself 'out there' a bit, something I'm never comfortable with.But, I certainly know how important it is to regularly extend your comfort zone and I know, more often than not, only good comes from it.

I have had another great opportunity presented to me, through the 'Country Living' mention.
I was asked last week if I'd like to participate in Made08, which is the new name for the Brighton Craft Fair.I think it's something I should do but need a little time to weigh up the implications.It is a little short notice, (it's in November) and I do have quite a lot of commitments I've already agreed to.Fear is good though, to a degree and I know if I say yes, somehow I'll make it happen.
Don't think I'll have any kind of life from now till December mind you, what do you think?
Has anybody any experience of this kind of event?

Oh well.
I've been adding little bits to my website too.I alternate between thinking I've got the hang of it and it's easy, to hitting a brick wall and having to contact the help squad.
Hope your weekend was happy and productive.

all creatures great and small

Just a progress report.

I've new work everywhere I look, all in different stages of completion.

All will have to remain un coiffured until next week as Royal Mail saw fit to waltz off with my lovely order of fibres for their hair.

I'm going to be seriously disappointed if the order is anything like the two I recieved last week.

Every now and then the shortcomings of ordering over the internet becomes apparent.

Not able to imagine how insignificant 50g bags of anything are I managed to pay £10 for two piddly little bags of throwsters waste which, really, are neither use nor ornament.At a push I could use one of them.

The other order, which was loosely termed 'fairy wool' bears more resemblance to something I'd rather not mention.So, I'm pinning all my hopes on my final order.Oh, the suspense.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying making these new figures.Occasionally the idea is so complete that the reality of making them is almost effortless.I papier mached four new figures before allowing myself the treat of painting her.

They're not going to remain a trio, the teddy saw the photo opportunity and went for it.

heads

As I wrote it I knew I wouldn't keep to my self imposed ban.No painting, who was I kidding ?

However, a mini compromise was reached.As long as I completed all the outstanding pieces I could see, as well as two new figures, I was allowed.
(a second batch of figures awaits me patiently, lets say in my 'Cheshire studio' and leave it at that.)
So, the heads.I have loved painting these today, they are the beginning of what promises to become a very time consuming range of work but I don't mind as I think they'll be worth it.
Looking admittedly, slightly freaky at the moment, they are growing on me.I used a bit of a drybrush technique at times which worked well though ruins your brushes.

I ordered masses of fibres for their hair this morning, interesting trying to describe what effect of curls you're after to someone at the other end who didn't want to visualise with me.Never mind, I soldiered on and am recieving something soon.They will change completely when the hair is added.In honour of some black mohair that's coming I did my first ever brown eyed face.

The light has gone now, no more painting tonight, I'm afraid.
Continuing productivity I'm off to become confused with my website.

Wish me luck......

Bathing Belle

After much anticipation I finally got my copy of Country Living.

It was good to see her finally in print, she's currently residing in the Platform Gallery so perhaps she won't come back to me.No matter, a whole host of new characters are waiting a little more papier mache, I've made good progress and quite a few are ready to paint, though I think I'll fulfill my initial self imposed rule and wait till the whole batch is ready before succumbing to the paint.
Or maybe not, I'll see what tomorrow brings.

Anyway, moving on.Last week I'd tried to add a link to a site I'd used that stocks beautiful vintage and antique fabrics but for some reason I couldn't do it.It's called Country House Antique Textiles and is owned by the lovely Donna.She sells wonderful things, fabrics, buttons, trims to name a few and today it got even better.
She has a blog!You must click on this link the fabric of my life and I defy you not to want to buy something she's sharing on her blog pages, and that's before you've visited her site, which you must do.
I got quite excited.
Donna is really helpful and a delight to buy from.I've got some very special vintage ribbons from her that I'm looking forward to using soon.
I'm off to look for my next order.

Perfect English!

Marjo, your powers of description are perfect!I did it first time too.

Now, if I'm correct I have to pick some wonderful blogs of my own to spread the love a bit.
It has just turned midnight so I shall add my choices tomorrow
Other than finishing off one piece I think I can start papier mache-ing next.

Thank goodness, I have bent and twisted wire enough for now.
I've done something scary too, taken my first baby steps to having my own website.

an award, how lovely!

Many thanks to Marjo from Erratic Needle for awarding me a blog award.

Unfortunately, my brain has turned to mush and I can't remember how to make it appear here.

Also the page elements on my page has now turned to gadgets, I'm sure it's all obvious and I did read the new info on blogger but I can't do change at the moment.Everything needs to stay the same, just for a bit.

Another productive day, I have what feels like a battalion of figures ready for papier mache.

For many reasons I have practically no ongoing work so have had to create a whole new set.

I have been playing with scale a bit today and have a clear idea of what each piece should look like.

This is the difference between toodling along, making things as and when and having to make things to fulfill obligations.

I also made the pig (from previous post) which at the moment is displaying great pig characteristics.

Tomorrow brings more of the same, I want to have as many pieces made as possible.I suppose, going forward the ideal is always to have work at differing stages.Unfortunately there's no getting away from the fact that papier mache needs time to dry, and accelerating it through unatural heat doesn't really work.

So this lovely weather we're having isn't helping any.

Can you believe I've lit the fire?

Hopefully it won't be too long before I have progress pictures coming out of my ears.

Think I'm reassuring myself here more than anything.

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes

A silly title but sums up what I've been up to today (well, minus the toes anyway).

The morning was spent doing battle with my sewing machine.I became re-aquainted with the fact I struggled to use it with instructions to hand and now that my instructions have been separated from the machine I have no chance.

I then spent a larger than desired amount of time backstitching trying to emulate machine stitching.
The first thing I made was too small, the second I managed to poke a hole through with a crochet hook as I attempted to turn it inside out.
I was beginning to think the day was a bad idea.
And, as often happens, the corner was turned and suddenly all was well.
My heads are now moderately more head like, shoulders have been attached and arms are making their presence felt.

Ok, so the knees and the toes will have to wait for another day but a good day, in the end.
Sorry about the absence of pictures, everything is at the lumpy stage when things look slightly offputting except to me.

I'm very excited actually, things seem on the up and I've just found a great web building tool that I might just have to have.

Hope your Monday was a good one too.

a space of my own

Often inspiration strikes when least expected.

I was searching for a source of beautiful felt I was sure I'd seen somewhere in blogland, when, not only did I find the felt but also had a lightbulb moment.

Gigibird was the home of the felt and the lovely Lynn had posted about her sewing nook.

I was envious (as I am of all singularly owned workspaces).

Suddenly it seemed the right thing to go and do was to survey the garage to see if I could carve out a little workspace for me.For the next few hours I moved and stacked, brushed and arranged.

I can't say it looks as nice as Lynn's nor does it provide all the answers but I did manage to work in there all afternoon, (albeit with the door flung open to maximise the light ).That actually was quite soothing, I was as snug as a bug whilst just a foot or so away torrential rain did it's thing.

I like to make more than one when trying out a new idea, just in case it works!Today's efforts resulted in three papier mache heads.I'm planning on treating these a little differently so am looking forward to see how they turn out.

Think the garage is my new favourite place.
Thanks to Lynn too for her felt advice, much needed and appreciated!

what the heck?

No, I'm not going mad but needed to say the huge spaces in my text have occured all by themselves.
I will fix them and delete this as soon as a reliable member of my family shows me how.

Pathetic but I know my limits.

oink oink

Just to show I am moving on.

I spent last night making rough sketches and doing some research.
I've three Christmas exhibitions to make for, as well as new work for my soon not to be secret, secret.

Also I'm itching to submit my work to a few other places so I really need to do some!
I've made a definitive 'to do' list, which has made me feel a little calmer, if nothing else.

It's been nice having a little blog holiday but as always feels good to be back home.
I even managed a tiny bit of knitting, managing to start my second Falling In Love sock.

I had to picture them together to prove it wasn't just the first one.

I had some great ideas as I lay in bed, awake for the umpteenth night.So good I almost got up to put them on paper but instead I repeated them over and over in my head, like a mantra and they remained intact till morning.

I'm off to see what they're made of.

By the way, thanks to Karen and Jackie for visiting the exhibition.

You both made my day.