cosma

Excuse the ever changing colours of the blog, I decided to play around before I put any links back up, so there's nothing to lose. I've been editing the html, a case of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
This is Cosma finished. She doesn't bear all that much resemblance to the original, and there's lots of mistakes in her, but she is a prototype, I may do some more, I'm quite taken with the embroidered face. I have to learn to do my own artwork.

fed up

I was supposed to be doing a 2 week contract. I agreed because I could do with the money, but I was worried because teaching full time, even for a couple of weeks is a LOT more work that day to day supply. Last week I did all the stressful bit of getting up and ready making lunches, nagging Christopher to get ready, to find that his school at least was closed, then I spent a stressful hour trying to find out if I was supposed to be going in and what to do, since I have no backup childcare. Then Tuesday all the schools round here were closed, which was fine, but that means I lost 2 days money.
Yesterday, again,I did all the stressful bit of getting up and ready making lunches, nagging Christopher to get ready, actually got to school, set my lesson up. Phone call: come and get your son, he is sick. Panic, what to do now, I feel even worse as the supply teacher because now the school has to get back up for the back up. we are still at home today. I feel totally stressed by the whole thing. I have a sick child (not so sick today), I feel I have let the school and my class down ( I think of them as mine even after 3 days).
I would like to stay at home, but I need to work for the money for now and the future (didn't make proper pension plans when I should have). So like a lot of working mums I feel totally torn, and like I'm doing nothing properly.
Anyway, while Christopher has been lying on the settee watching tv I have been working on another doll.


This is very experimental. I used my embroidery machine software to digitize the face from the artwork on the pattern. I also digitized the other body pieces. Just to see if I could, I don't think it saves any time. I tried and tried and tried to turn the hands but I just could not , and I do have all the right equipment, tiny hemostats, finger turning tubes. So I put a satin stitch edging and left them unturned. Quite a complicated process involving water soluble stabilizer and apllique methods. Do you like the embroidered finger nails? Anyway that process still needs refining, don't look too closely at the arms. The next thing I had problems with was putting chenille stemps in the fingers, partly due to the sticky residue from the stabiliser which I obviously hadn't washed out as thoroughly as I thought I had.
I haven't quite worked out how I am going to put it all together, it's another one of those patterns with attach the arms and legs instructions, without specifying how to do it.
It's a fantastic pattern, though. The doll is supposed to be gessoed and painted, but I decided to do it all differently, although I do plan to do a painted one and follow the instructions. I am most pleased with the face. One day I will paint my own faces and digitize those.
The doll pattern is here.

That's what you get for messing around

I thought I would have a little play with my blog layout. Now I have lost all my old links because I foolishly believed that when blogger said it would save my whole template that it included the links.

Snow days

I was supposed to start a 2 week contract yesterday, but Christopher's school, and mine, were closed. I have spent the day browsing the internet and finishing off projects. Teddy made from very expensive mohair, and Russell Crow,an in the hoop project from embroidery outlet.
I think the media are making too much fuss about the snow in London. So we all had to stop what we are doing for a couple of days. I'm sure lots of people could and did work from home (via that internet thingy), and if I was relying on the bus to get to work then I think I would rather know that there are no buses than wait for one in the cold for an hour and then not be able to get on it because it's too full. I was just fretting about the inability of the schools to make a decision about whether to open today or not. We were being warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary, surely that applies to children and teachers as well? Just get me on that grumpy old woman program.