Useless, But Fun!

This morning I was cleaning out the corner of the bedroom that I call the rat's nest.  I work there a lot of the time, because there is a big screen TV on the wall and I can do two things at once.

As usual, my "stream of consiousness" way of cleaning lead to other things.  I found a couple of watches that need new bands.  I moved all of the sock knitting stuff out of there, so that I wouldn't be tempted.

Then I cleaned off the top of the bedside table.

I always have a jar of tools, a frog full of scissors, toothpicks and glue right there and ready to be used as soon as the mood strikes.  The glue bottle is a small one that I fill, over and over.  Really ugly...

OK.  Just call me "Sidetracked Sadie".  I saw that old gold Aleene's Glue bottle setting there and I cracked.

I wondered why Aleene doesn't make pretty glue bottles?  Then I thought....It doesn't have to be all that ugly.

I know this is a waste of time, but it was fun.  I went and found some black and white fabric that would look good with all of the other black and white in the bedroom and went to work.

Tessie joined me and between the two of us, this is what it looked like when we were done.

I laid the bottle on the fabric and cut a piece that was about an inch longer than the bottle was tall and about 3/4" longer around.  I cut it so that the top to bottom edge was on the selvage edge. 

I was lucky.  This particular fabric was printed all the way to the edge, so I didn't have to turn it under.

I glued it around the bottle.  Then I clipped the bottom and the top edges and glued them to the bottle, trying not to overlap too much.  The top went all the way into the neck of the bottle.  The bottom covered only about 1/4 to 1/2" of the bottom.

I then cut a cardboard circle the size of the bottle bottom and covered it with fabric.  Tessie glued that to the bottom of the bottle.

I decided that the cap needed something too.  I cut a circle a bit larger than the top and cut a hole for the snout to fit through.  We slipped it over and glued it around the spout. Then I clipped the edges.  Tessie glued those down.  Then I cut another piece of selvage edge the height of the cap side and glued it around to cover the clipped pieces.

Amazing what a little glue and fabric will do!  Now I will hit it with a bit of clear varnish to protect it.

After seeing how nice that looked, I prettied up the jar with a couple of strips of fabric to match.  OK.  It's silly, but I like it.  It makes me smile.

No. It's not mini, but it is something that will put me in a good mood while I am working on minis.....If I could only get Tessie to stop asking, " Can you see me now?"  That happens every time she puts the tangled apron on...

See you tomorrow with other rediculous things to keep you busy.

Kind of a Nothing Done Day....

 This morning I met April and Amare at Target to shop...and shop....and shop some more.  We had a great time.

We wandered around the store for about 2 1/2 hours.  It was fun, but now I don't really feel like moving a lot.  The temperature outside is 99 degrees and rising...

I have about half a headache and not in the mood to do much of anything where I have to move....

About the only thing I have to show for the past 24 hours is a piece of kumihimo about eight inches long.

Colorwise, it looks good with the blue beads from Walmart.  I can't say that I particularly like the thread or the pattern I am using.

I may just have to break down and buy some that will look better with the beads.  I want to make it into a necklace, so that the braid will show between the beads.  As it is now, It just looks like a piece of a blue rope. I am not impressed.

I am using up some of the tons of #5 perle cotton that I have on hand.  I think that the beads call for something more lively.

For now, I am going to go hide in a corner and pout about starting over.  I think that I need an attitude adjustment.  Somebody pass the asperin. 

See you tomorrow.

One Tiny Little Problem....

OK.  It took me almost three hours to trim and fit that little bit of paving that you see on the front and one side of the Crooked cottage.

I took the house off of the foundation to do it.  Then, when it the job was finished, I set the house back in place.

Can you guess what the tiny little problem was?

Well.....I only did the paving where the house wasn't.  Not where the house sits on the board.

When I sat the house back in place I went to open the front of the house....I had to lift the front of the house to open the door, clear of the paving stones.   

It was one of those "Duh!" moments that we all have.  Especially in miniature.  Oh well....

It will be easy enough to fix.  I will just lift the house up by the same height as the pavement, plus an extra little bit.  Then the door will open without having to lift anything...I hope.  I am pretty sure.

I just need to get back to it and fix the error.

I am getting absolutely no sympathy from the Terrible Two, plus One...

They told me that I should work well into the night to get it back to a working door.  I think that I may need a lot of support.  The three of them now seem to be working together....HELP!!!

In the meantime, I have to show you the neat assortment of beads that I found at Walmart this morning. 

They were put there just for me.  Or maybe not....  They have quite large holes and will look wonderful on Kumihimo ropes. 

Yes.  I realize that will mean a sidetrack to Kumihimoland.  It's not a problem though.  The Kumihimo is something that I do in the evenings, after the mini work is done.

There are about a dozen different colorful assortments.  Walmart seems to be stocking a lot more jewelry making stuff than they used to.  Some of it, like these, are irrisistable to a beader and jewelry maker.

I must raise the house before I start playing with beads!  Somebody, give me a shove back towards the house.

See you tomorrow.

Fast and Furious....

This morning I finished the embroidery on the under dress for Nellie. 

It was simply two strands of embroidry floss woven through the open work on the skirt, sleeves and stomacher.

In the first photo, I had just started.  I ran the green floss around all of the edges and up the blocks at the sides.

Then with yellow, I filled in the curved design.  In the center of the design, I wove the thread through twice to make the center stalk thicker than the branches.

The last step was to put a center in each of the flowers.  That was done with a single wrapped french knot.

I have glued the stomacher in place and am ready to start the over dress.

But first I have to stop and get ready to go to the Wednesday Witches mini meeting.

Oh!  I did do one other thing.

Shoes.

They aren't very fancy.  I tried leather, but they just looked too thick.

I finally settled on the knit lining material from one of the gloves that I had been using.

I simply cut a U shape from the fabric.  then I put glue on the foot and wrapped the fabric where I wanted it.

I did the same for the sole, trimming it after it was on the foot.

The last step was to add a bow on the toe.

They aren't fancy, but they won't be seen much either.  With these on her feet, she will be able to balance more easily when she stands.

I have to go and get ready now...No more Nellie work for today.

See you tomorrow.

There Was a Little Girl, That Had a Little Curl.....

A truce has been called.  Nellie promised to be nicer if I would get rid of that horrid bun at the back of her head and let her loosen up, so to speak...

So, the Terrible Two agreed to let her have her way, with the understanding that, the first cross word that comes from her mouth puts her in danger of going into the stocks for a couple of days.  And they volunteered to build the stocks themselves...

I am not sure that they are thinking straight...That would give me something to hold over their heads as well....Misbehave and to the stocks with you!

Anyway, Nellie got a load of all of the different choices of hair and decided on a practical chestnut shade.  The first photo shows the basic wig.  I simply spread out the hair and glued it to the head, where the hairdo would go.

I used a small metal knitting needle to form curls.  The hair was separated into small strands and wrapped around the knitting needle, then sprayed with hairspray.  There is another method that can be used.  They can simply be put in the oven for a while at a low temperature.

I don't use the second method, because the mohair is very dry to begin with and this will make it all the drier.   Just one woman's choice.

While the curls were drying, I took another strand of the mohiar about the size that you see hanging over Parnell's shoulder.  I twisted it as I did the perle cotton to make a rope.

Again, if you hold it by the middle and let it twist back on itself it will wind up into a nice loose bun.

Nellie says this is much easier on her brain.  Not so tight as to cause a headache.  Maybe that is why she was so disgruntled before.

As you can see, I didn't try for a formal style.  She is, after all, a working woman.  She needs a quick style that will stay out of her way when she is at her embroidery.

It still needs trimming of stray hairs  and maybe a couple of hair ornaments, but she now looks much more relaxed and ready to work.

And she does have the curl in the middle of her forehead...

Amazing, I have not heard even one small curse word from her all morning....But....She just now started in about the clothes. 

It seems that she wants MORE embroidery on the underdress.  It will show at the bottom half of the sleeves and the front opening of her overdress....At least she isn't yelling at me.  It was a simple request.

I have to go hunt up the thread and start stitching.

See you tomorrow.

Necessary Roughness.....

The Terrible Two ganged up on me this morning.  The handed me the petition with several more signatures on it and announced that they were moving out if I didn't comply with their demands.

It seems that they want their(notice the "their") weaver's cottage finished.

I kept trying to explain that Nellie wanted her Crooked Cottage finished too....

It didnt't work.

Then I tried the "but she's mean" card....That didn't cut it either.

They announced that they would take care of Nellie if I would agree to get back to work on the weaver's workshop. 

That made me a bit nervous, but they also agreed to help get the two sections of the workshop fastened together...How could I not agree to do it?

As you can see, it all fits together nicely.  This was a good job to do on Monday.  I am multi-tasking and waiting for the glue to dry gives me time to do laundry and other housework between steps.

I glued and clamped the two sections together and Tessie and Zar helped put on the clamps and tape to hold it together.  So far...So good....

I am sure you are asking, "But what happened to Nellie?"......

She is now a prisoner in her own crooked house.  Tessie and Zar shoved the heavy oak table across the front door....Yes. It does open inwards, but....

They also bribed three dogs and a baby tiger to keep her from getting out. 

I do believe it is going to work... At least long enough for the glue to dry.  Then we may have to summon the jaguar and the Friskie, the alligator...That should hold her in for a while longer.

Then if that doesn't do the job, there is always Monte Python!  The snake, not the comedy show.

See you tomorrow.

Taking a Tiny Break....

The back yard thermometer reads 94 degrees right now....It is going up at a steady pace.  Tessie and I are going on strike.

We have barricaded ourselves in the bedroom and are refusing to come out until the temperature comes down....Well maybe for lunch we might sneak out for a  few minutes....You see.  The AC and the ceiling fan make that room nice and cool.

So what do we decide to do whilst sitting in there?

I blame it on my friend, Jane, in Pennsylvania.  Remember when she sent me a couple of boxes of sock yarn at different times?  

Tessie and I decided that now would be a good time to take stock of what was there...Along with the other sock yarn...

Jane's contribution is all of the folded pieces that you see.  Hand dyed Barefoot Yarns.  Each folded piece will make a pare of socks, with enough left over for baby socks for Amare.  And once in a while, a sock for a injured cat.  Let's hope that we don't need any of those though.  I have four or five pair of Jane's yarn started.  I have to see how they are going to turn out.  They look totally different when knit into socks.  Same colors but altogether different patterns than you think they are going to be.  Great fun.

As of right now, there are 13 pair that haven't even been started. One pair that are finished, from some Japanese yarn that I had.  And another nine pair that are in the first stages(first sock only) on needles.  I should have never bought and made all of those extra sets of #2 needles...I found some dowels that were exactly the size of #2 needles....That was my first mistake.  My other ones were picking up every set of #2s that I found in thrift shops.

I guess that I should be thankful that none of it is in a tangled mess.  All are workable....I wonder how that happened.

Anyway, if I want to get Christmas socks done for the whole family, I guess that Tessie and I should get started. 

See you tomorrow. If I don't melt....

Whistle While You Work...

I have never been a very good whistler, so I have to find other things to do as I work.  

After I told you about the Internet Archives website  http://archive.org/index.php , I found, through them, another even better website for my needs.

This one is strictly audio and has a huge number of older books to read. It is Librivox.  http://librivox.org/
I am having a wonderful time working and listening.  Right now, I am listening to the first of the "John Carter" series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  It's called "A Princess of Mars" and the first couple of chapters take place in Arizona....Right up my alley. No pun intended.  Very good so far.

I got as far as a couple of Tarzan books when I was a kid, but I didn't really know about the rest of his stuff except through a lot of cheesy movies.  I am finding that I really like his writing. 

Just about any classic that you want is on this site in audio form for free!  And they keep adding stuff all of the time. 

Did you ever wonder who the people are that read audio books to you?  Believe it or not, on here, you could even be one of the readers.  They are looking for people to volunteer to read all the time. 

OK, so now that I have set you up with something to listen to as you work, let's get back at it.

Nellie is awake...Does anybody know where I put the Sleepytime Tea?  She is driving us all insane.

She dumped Tessie's apron and stole her hand knitted shoulder scarf.  Then proceeded to berate me for not having her dress finished.  It would help if she would select some fabric for it.

Then she went in search for accessories for her home....Not even a thankyouverymuch for finishing the bed. 

She found a mini biscornu( French pincushion) that I made a couple of years ago and immediately confiscated it.  If you are interested in trying to make one, just put biscornu pattern in your search engine.  That's where I found the one that I did.  It was supposed to be about three times the size.  I simply did it on smaller cross stitch cloth.

While you are looking at the photo, please note.  The table that was made with the leftover saw horse is gone.  she simply could not abide a table that crude.  She grabbed the table that you see and immediately started going from room to room in other people's houses gathering things that she decided she needed.  She even stole Lettice's sampler!

Lettice just signed the petition to lock up the embroideress and throw away the key.  That's two people and two cats that have signed now.

Meanwhile, Zar and Tessie are looking over the damages in the Weaver's Cottage, caused by hurricane Casey.

OK.....It wasn't a hurricane.  It was just me piling stuff on the table where the cottage sits.

I am afraid that the Terrible Two are going to start a petition to get me locked up if I don't get this mess cleaned up so that I can go back to work on this cottage too....I am not so worried about the locked up part.  I am more worried that they will lock me in with the "Mad Embroideress"....

Hang in there whilst I clean up the area.  Then back to work.

See you tomorrow.

With A Little Bit of Help From My Friends...

I needed Zar's and Tessie's help to finish the bed.  I gave them the task to get Parnell out of the way so that I could attach the curtains and the canopy.

While they were puzzling it out, I made the canopy.  I took cat cardboard(separators from the cat food cartons) and cut the top 1/4" larger than the bed on all sides.  In other words, 3 1/2" by 6 1/2".  I also cut 3/4" side pieces to match. 

I started with the top and covered it with the fabric from which I maid the curtains.  I made sure that there was enough excess to wrap to the inside of the flaps.  I always seem to make my photos read right to left, instead of left to right.  On the right, you see the shape that I cut the fabric.  In the center back of the photo, you see that I have cut out the corners of the fabric and glued in the side pieces.  On the left end, I flipped in the extra fabric and glued it in place.

I then cut a piece of cardboard that was 3 1/4 by 6 1/4 and covered it.  That is the interior of the top. 

By this time, I had  need of the bed itself.....The Terrible Two solved the problem.  I am ashamed to say that they put a bag over Nellie's head and gently moved her to the floor by the fireplace.  I didn't get to see it, but I know it happened because they told me so....Also they must have done it right.  She didn't even blink.  At least that's what they tell me. 

Tessie swears that Nellie just kept snoring to beat the band.

Anyway, after trimming the tops even,  I glued the bottom of the curtains to the sides and ends of the box bed.  Then I flipped it and put the tops in the corners of the canopy. 

I pressed them in place and then installed the ceiling liner to hold them in place.

I used the cords that I made yesterday for the tiebacks. 

I made the bed just tall enough to fit into the floor to ceiling space of the room. 

I can see that I need to adjust some of the pleats just a little.

By the time I went to get some pins to put the pleats right, Tessie and Zar had Nellie back where she belonged....I wonder what they put in her tea this time.  She has been asleep for two days now.

Maybe I had better take away their tea making privileges now.  I need to finish the dress for Nellie.  By the way, some of you thought that I was going to cover all of that beautiful embroidery.  Not to worry.  It will be showing when I am finished.

I am going to go adjust pleats now.  I have to get the Terrible Two out of there. With my luck, they will wake her up and I will be in trouble because her dress is still unfinished.

There is still a lot to do.  One thing at a time.  I will get there. 

The only problem I see now is the fact that my fingers are itching to get back and put the weaver's cottage together.  Oh well.  It all gets done eventually...

See you tomorrow.

Bed Curtains, Cords and Tassles...

Tessie made me do it.   I am finishing the bed today.

She seems to think that, if I finish the bed, she can close the curtains, make it dark and Nellie will keep on sleeping...Great theory....

Can you tell that she is not happy with the new tenant?  She made me close the front of the house, so that it would stay comparatively dark inside.  Again, the theory that Nellie will stay asleep.

Who knows?  Maybe she is right.  I found her circulating a petition to all of the other people that live here this morning, including the cats.  She wants to evict the crooked house tenant if she ever wakes up....Her only signatures so far are Zar and a couple of questionable paw prints.  There may have been coercion or bribery involved....

The rest of the community has not interacted with Parnell yet.  They haven't had the pleasure...?

Anyway, I took the clip board away from Tessie and made her help with the curtains and trims.

You have seen me make curtains elsewhere on the blog, so I won't go into the directions.  Look under curtains in the label section if you want to see.

Anyway, whilst the curtains are drying, I decided to make rope tiebacks for them.  I imagine that a lot of you already know how to make twisted cording, but for those of you that don't, I will show you.  It is a valuable skill to have when you need cording and don't have the right color.

I used #5 Perle cotton to do these three.  The bottom one is simply one thread.  I made sure which way the twist went and then simply kept twisting it in the same direction as tight as I could until it twisted back on itself.

I put a pin in the pin board on the right side and did a slip knot around the end of it.  I used a piece about three feet long.  I held the center point loosely in my left hand and rolled the other end on my leg until the twist was very tight.  Then I slowly eased the tension on the left hand(center point).  That let the thread twist around itself and the result is the bottom cord.  It will stay like that if you twisted it tight enough. Glue the cord where you want to cut it, to keep it twisted.

The next one up is simply the first piece twisted back on itself in the same way.

For the first one, I cut twice as much thread as I wanted for the finished length, plus a bit more for the twist.  For the second one, I needed a piece four times as long +.

The top one is the fun one.  I took two different colors and tied them together with an overhand knot. making sure that the twist ran in the same direction on both pieces when I stretched them out.  Then I simply treated it as one long piece.  I held the knot in my left hand and just keep twisting.  It automatically turns into a two color rope.

I have done tassels on the blog before, but here is a fast refresher course for those of you that don't know how.  I made it larger than life so that you can see it plainly.

First I wrapped it around my fingers until I thought it was full enough.  I usually make these out of embroidery thread or un spun rayon.  This makes for a more in scale tassel.

This was with #5, so that You could see it.

I tied another piece of thread around the top of the tassel.  Then I cut the bottom in half.

I made another slip knot and pulled the loop over the top and down about an eighth of an inch.

I then pulled it up tight to make the head of the tassel and tied a single knot over the slip knot so that it wouldn't move. 

When I am making these with embroidery thread, I use regular one strand of embroidery floss or sewing thread in the same color to do the knots.  Again, more in scale.

After I have it arranged the way I want it, I trim the bottom.

Here's the finished tassel.

Now I have to back and make the real ones.

We have to get this done before Nellie awakens.  Back to work!

See you tomorrow.

Please! Let Her Sleep!!!

That was Tessie and Zar, loudly whispering in unison when I went into the family room this morning.

It seems that they have banded together to get the job done.

Nellie has them both buffaloed.  She keeps waking just long enough to make more demands. 

I am still not telling her that I am not in charge of the complaint department around here.  Let the Terrible Two have a taste of their own medicine for a while....Maybe they will start being nicer...One can only hope.

As you can see, the saw horses grew and multiplied this morning.  A foot higher and now there are two the same size.

What to do with one saw horse that was left over?  I made a small, temporary table for the living area. Three simple boards with cross bar supports underneath and a shelf at the other end.

She probably won't like it, but it will do for a while.

Tessie and Zar tiptoed upstairs and installed it, in complete silence. Not one sound!  Amazing what they can do when they work together.

We also got the shelves, under the stairs, installed.

One board and a small brace attached to the wall and stair back.  Very simple, but they will work well.

We even made allowance for storing the joint stools at the bottom, when they aren't needed.  I expect that, when not working, Nellie will want to put the frame on a wall and hide stools and saw horses.  They may have to hang on a wall or be hidden behind the frame wherever it stands.  We shall see.

Anyway, let's hope that she sleeps for a while longer. I think that the troops will rebel if she keeps it up and then I will have to be the one to contend with her..."Tessie, do you have any more of that Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea that I gave you the last time you got in one of your moods? We need it now!"

Back to work.

See you tomorrow

London, We Have a Problem...

And her name is Parnell Saintaubin.  This morning Nellie got a tour of where she will be living....Maybe she should have stayed in Paris...

She considers Tessie the landlady and directs all complaints to her...For once, Tessie is on the other side of the fence.

If that weren't enough, she got her first introduction to Zar and insists upon calling him by his full name....Remember? Balthazar....So all conversations are about double in length.

She thinks that he is cute, but he dresses funny and is a lousy carpenter.

I got lucky.  She didn't realize that I was anything but a lowly hairdresser and costumer.

She hates the hairdo and doesn't like running around in her under dress. 

She borrowed one of Tessie's aprons and is pestering me about the hair for now.

As for Zar, he says she is not to his taste.  Too bossy!  And I thought that Tessie was bossy...Nope.  He says she is fine.  Nellie scares him. 

He has trouble trying to understand her accent and when he does, he doesn't like what she's saying...

He was so proud of the embroiderer's frame....She liked that OK, but announced that the set up should be by the front window, where there is lots of sunlight to work. And there should be plenty of shelves under the stairs.

She knocked the wind out of his sails when she sat down on one of the joint stools to try it out....It seems that I built the saw horse about a foot too short...Back to the drawing board.  I refuse to tell her that it's my fault.  I have enough to do with hair and clothes.

I am all for telling new people about the 21st Century, but I don't think that I am going to tell her about modern day electricity or magnifying lamps. She will learn soon enough.  Then the trouble starts.

Tessie took her upstairs to show her the new bed, but Nellie had already beat her to it.

Maybe the reason that she is so grouchy is, she stayed up all night, finishing the coverlet for said bed.

She decided that she wanted a turn back, also with black work....Rather than doing more work she grabbed the decoration for my sewing box and used it.  I am not going to argue with her....Would you?

She has already been in  my workroom.  I noticed that she has one of my pillows with a hand embroidered white work decoration around the edge of the case.

It looks like she has already been up to the attic too.  I know that I didn't leave the ladder in her bedroom...Not only is she pushy, but she's nosey...

She demanded that Tessie and Balthazar start fixing her long list of repairs immediately... Then she wearily climbed the stairs and went to bed, saying as she went..."Wake me when everything is fixed and get that woman in here that fixes hair and clothes.  I need my rest now, but I will be needing her services when I arise."

I think that I created a rather demanding monster...

See you tomorrow.

Taking Advantage...

See those three rows of 1/16" wide tucks?  They are done by hand with love.  No.  I didn't do them.  They are probably at least 100 years old.  This is an example of what I mean by taking advantage.

Some mother or grandmother put these stitches in the fabric to add to a baby dress.  By the time I found it, it was just scraps. 

I regularly look for what most people consider useless scraps of fabric and I consider myself lucky when I find a bag that someone has thrown together and attached a small price tag to.

This was the last scrap of the fine cotton with the three rows of tucks.

I decided that Nellie should have some underwear.  No.  It's not necessarily authentic to the time period, but let's just say that she is ahead of her time in that respect.  No drafts up the skirt for this lady.

Another example of taking advantage...This is the first under sleeve for Nellie's costume.

This time it was two hand embroidered hankies that I found at the 22nd Street Antique mall.  There is a stall there that used to have things like this dirt cheap....The prices are going up. 

These two were so badly damaged in the center that nobody wanted them....Nobody but me.  I paid two dollars each for them, but where else could you find that kind of miniature embroidery for so little money?  I will use just about every scrap of these before it is done.  The embroidery went all the way around the edge.

The poor Elizabethan ladies that had to wear the layers of clothing in one of these costumes! The under sleeves were separate from the rest of the dress. 

So far, Nellie has the under sleeves, the pantaloons(not authentic, but necessary), and the hip roll.  No.  Nobody will ever see the hip roll, but I will know that it's there.

The common woman couldn't afford all of the under trappings of the ladies of the court, so they made do with a hip roll to hold out the top of their dresses a bit. 

I figure that Nellie has to be presentable when receiving customers.  Being an embroideress, she should show off her work when she can.

She has permission to use leftovers for her own wardrobe.  Lettice and others that like her work, order a bit extra whenever they can.  She does well with what they give her, in addition to the payment for work done.

More of the handkerchiefs.  It is a little hard to show you what I am up to next. 

I have made her "stomacher".  That is the flat triangular piece that goes in the front of the bodice.  None of those silly curves.  A flat chest and stomach area are a must. 

The under skirt will be two pieces of the hankies grafted onto some other antique cotton fabric.

The raw edges that you see will be covered  by her over dress. 

After she decides what kind of fabric to use for the over dress, I may do a bit of embroidery over the lace of the underdress.  No decisions yet. 

It is, once again, Monday.  I have the real world to contend with for a bit.  Laundry calls.  I will work on the underdress as time allows. 

Also, I think that she needs a few curls around her face...

We have to make a decision on the fabric for the over dress too....Lots to do in the big world as well as the small....

See you tomorrow.

My Name is Parnell Saintaubin and I Need Help!

I did the face this morning and right away I was sorry that I did it first.  Nellie, as she likes to be called, immediately started complaining.

As an experiment, I did the facial features with Fine point Sharpie pens and a Pigma .oo5 black.  I always use the Pigma, but this was a first with the other pens.  They worked very well.  Much more control than with a paintbrush.

"Where's my hair?  What happened to my clothing?  This is indecency in the extreme!"

You see, Parnell is from the family of  Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin that wrote the "Art of the Embroiderer"  in the 1770s.

She predates him by about 170 years.  She was the black sheep of a large family of embroiderers in France.  She wanted to strike out on her own.  As soon as she hit England she anglicized the name.  It was originally Pernelle de Saint-Aubin.  She quickly learned to get along in the English language and was commissioned by the court as an embroiderer to several of the ladies in waiting, including Lettice...

I had to start the hair quickly. I grabbed some viscose that I bought at the mini show last year.  I have never used it before, so decided to treat Nellie to fancy hair....Even though the hairstyle is quite simple. 

I decided  to do a very simple style because Parnell will be sweating over an embroidery frame all day and won't have time to mess with curls.

This is the simplest way to simulate a part without actually doing one.  I though that those of you just starting the wigging process would like to see it.

It can also be done with mohair.

I put white glue on one side of her head from the hairline to the center line of her head. Then I spread out the hair flat and laid the end over that side of the head, with a bit of excess at the bottom back of the neck.  I let that dry.

Then I applied white glue to the other side of the head.  I flipped the hair back on itself and glued it down to the other side of the head, shaping the hairline as I glued.

I pulled it around to the back to meet the first side.  I cut the excess off and let that part dry too.

After that, I took a piece of the excess about the thickness of a barbecue skewer and maybe 4" long.  I twisted it into a rope. As I twisted, It naturally folded back on itself.  That makes the bun.  I glued that to the back of the head and there she is.

Tessie is sympathising with her and smoothing her ruffled feathers, so to speak. 

I have to get some clothes on her quickly.  She is not a happy camper at present.

As soon as I finish here, I will start sewing.  The sooner I get her dressed, the sooner I can put her to work on the blackwork coverlet.  Gotta run. 

See you tomorrow.

Cooked and Stuffed....

Tessie has turned into quite the nurse.  She is taking the new person under her wing.

She reassured her as she went into the 275 degree oven....She reassured her when she came out.  She sat with her whilst she cooled down.

I keep telling her that this person is not aware of what is going on yet.  That will happen when she gets her face painted later today.

But first she must get some padding on her bones.

I use a polyester batting that is medium loft and loosely put together.

I cut strips that would fit between her elbows and her shoulders, a strip the width of her body length, and strips for her upper legs. 

I cover the upper arms first.  That's the easy part.

Here, you can see what the batting looks like.  Tessie helped me cover the inner body.

I wrap it as tight as I can, without distorting it.

I wrap the two chenille stems separately first.

You will notice that I don't use any glue to fasten these pieces.  If torn where I want to end the wrap, the fibers will stick to them selves and kind of melt together with a little help.

After wrapping the two sections separately, I then wrap the whole torso.  If the body needs extra padding, this is the time to do it.  I added a bit of extra to the butt area.  She will be sitting down a lot and needs the extra padding.

I simply folded a piece the size that I wanted it to be and then put in place.  Then I wrapped the larger piece all the way around a couple of times.

At this point, I could have made her larger in the bust area if it were going to be covered all the time, like Tessie.  Or if it were a man, I could have done a pot belly.

The last to be wrapped is the upper leg.  Here is a good photo of what I mean about tearing the batting instead of cutting it.

When this piece is pulled around, it will end very smoothly and need no glue.

I used to go through all kinds of stuff with glue and wrapping the bodies with strips of nylon stockings.  I probably still would, if I were doing this for someone else.

I don't do it for my own people.  It is too hard to get them apart to give them new parts when the old ones wear out.

We all know what Tessie and Zar can do to themselves without even trying.  Broken legs, arms and other parts.  They are much to active to put up with glue.

The last step for this one was to wrap the waist with white sewing thread to give it definition.

Tessie is still trying like mad to get her to stand up by herself and talk.  At one point, I thought that she was trying to teach the new girl to dance....No.  She was only being helpful and showing off the waist.

Right after the photo was taken, Tessie threw her hands in the air and yelled, "OK! I am done being nice to this person until she gets a personality.  She is no fun whatsoever and moreover, she weighs more than even Zar!"  Then, "You carry her around and finish her.  I am going to go raid the refrigerator."

That doesn't sound like a bad idea....Refrigerator raiding, that is. "Hey, Tessie.  What's for lunch?  Wait for me!"

See you tomorrow.



"Hello? Are You In There?"

Good Morning....I have now had a couple of cups of coffee and can say that.

I got up at four.  Couldn't sleep.  Thinking about sculpting the embroideress.

I rough finished the face and then came the ears.  They are just a blob of flattened clay.  I started with a small orb and flattened it.  Then I cut it in half and put the cut part to the front of the head, just above the jaw.

Then I pulled the back of it down to make it secure.  After that, I started rounding it and putting the holes on the inside of the ear shell.

Each person's ears are different.  Kind of like fingerprints.  So you can play with them until you get something that you like.  I suggest that you look at photos and find an ear that you like to copy.

Just think eyebrow and nose as the top and bottom.  That should be just about right.  Here's the finished one on the other side.

Keep in mind that I will keep going back and making adjustments all over the person until I am ready to put her in the oven....

Next, I started the hands.  On the left, you can see that I started with a flat piece of clay and wrapped the lower arm.  I then shaped a rough hand and cut three slits to make the four fingers.

I then roll each finger between my thumb and forefinger until it is long and slender.  I always have to cut some off.  A little bit at a time, until I get them all right.

Then I add a small roll of clay for the thumb pad and thumb.  It attaches inside the hand, directly below the index finger.

I position the hands and then with the eye end of a needle, I press in fingernails.  The eye of most needles will make a perfect fingernail indentation.  It's just a matter of finding the right size. I used a small crewel needle.  Not sure of the size.

Next comes the feet.  These will be much easier than Tessie's barefooted feeties(that's what Tessie calls them).

I will be putting shoes on this lady, so all I have to do is make the foot shape and not the toes.

Here you see, on the left, the clay added in the same manner as the hands.  The only difference is, more clay and a bend in the foot portion.

The one on the right is all shaped and ready to go.  I always stop just below the knee.  That way the person can sit down...And below the elbow, so that she can bend her arm to sew.

As I was taking the photo,  Tessie jumped in and started trying to get the new lady to talk.  I had to explain, once again, that she won't be conscious until she is a whole person. It's better that way. 

I have the feeling that Tessie, if she could get through to the new being, would be teaching her bad habits.  Even before she is aware....Tessie keeps whispering in her new ears...Hopefully, nothing is getting through to her yet.

I really need to give new girl a name.  Back to the Elizabethan name list. 

I also really need to get her cooked and padded.  I will show you the body building tomorrow.

See you then.