A wonderful opportunity arouse this week - tickets to two NHL playoff games. It's very exciting to be able to attend a playoff game! The atmosphere & pace of games in the quest for the Stanley cup is electrifying. So a spur of the moment trip for a couple of out of town games. Such a treat to get away for a few days & do a bit of sight seeing while we are there.
As soon as I return, I will tackle the the remainder of the new stocking pattern. It's coming along nicely. Creating designs for my own purpose is significantly different from designing for a pattern release. I usually work directly from bolts of fabrics/trims (not pre-measure quantities) & sewing adjustments are done on the fly - it is much more free form & flexible. I am presently re-engineering the construction process of the candy cane stocking to make it easy as possible to describe & sew. I like to ensure that customers using my patterns have all the information needed to successfully complete the pattern in the easiest possible manner.
Back shortly
Wow, April is almost over - seems to have just flown by! It's been a busy month on the home front with working on the house repairs. One of the wonderful things about doing mundane tasks - such cleaning, mudding, sanding, painting, etc. - is that it leaves the mind free to wander, imagine & create... Although physically drained, all kinds of wonderful design ideas have surfaced that I need to capture & develop. Out with the sketch book!
The candy cane stocking pattern is in full progress. Everything is drawn in vector graphics, now just need to split all the pieces to fit on a standard piece of printer paper & add all the annotations. Next will be printing out everything & then photography/writing the instructions while I sew the actual stocking. It will be great to take a break from physical labour & head back to my studio for this.
The Spring Goddess is finally finished. Yur looks stunning as always.
Spring Goddess
The bodice & skirt are made with the
Agripppina pattern. With the embellishments & accessories, it has a little bit of fantasy feel to it. I really enjoyed making this outfit for her. Definitely would like to do more in the fantasy arena!
The latest addition to BJD patterns is AGRIPPINA! A "timeless" Bodice & Skirt combination that is a canvas for your creative embellishment... Figure flattering fitted bodice with a corset style (lace-up) back. A long skirt with a slight train at the center back. Add accessories to complete the "look"
All the photos are being sorted & will be posted shortly...
Yur did wonderfully in her "runway" photo-shoot today. She is a natural & wanted to share a picture of her new hat. Here is a quick peek...
Yur's new hat!
She looked absolutely stunning in her new auburn wig with soft curly waves. And the hat was amazing.. It has a full meter of chiffon on top. I am just going through all the photos from today & hope to have them posted in the gallery shortly to go with new pattern release.
I'm still working on the last few accessories for the final outfit made with this new pattern. In the meantime, another photo shoot scheduled for tomorrow with a totally different theme so need to get everything ready.
Yur has been busy helping to make chiffon flowers for her next outfit. She wanted to do a demo of how they were made...just click on the photo to check it out.
Make some MINI Chiffon Flowers
Now that the flowers are finished they are ready to be sewn on. Just one more accessory to go then Yur will be set to model.
The pattern is in it's final stages of proofing. I am in the process of sewing on all these lovely flowers & putting on the final touches of the outfit. The photo shoot will be next & then it will be ready for release.
I added a few beads to Yur's new bodice. Thought I would snap a quick picture...
Bodice Beadwork
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Bodice Beadwork
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The whole outfit looks wonderful on her. Yur's new wig is in progress as well, it is a lovely shade of auburn.
Book binding was a great deal of fun. The flyleaf on the first couple of books are just drying. These give me a chance to confirm sizing & then I can get some more made. I've been gathering various components whenever I am out & about, to make props, accessories & of course backgrounds. My biggest challenge is to re-organize the house so that I can have a dedicated spot for setting up a room for Yur. Been studying each room to see what can move where - natural light being the best to take photos.
Spring has arrived in BC! Everything is blooming & it's time for spring clean-up. Brush cutting is a must this year to keep the wilderness at bay. It is a physically demanding job & a few hours each day is about all that my body can handle. The salmon berry & black berry are the worst, my arms are covered in scratches already. Some of the thorns are long have I hope that we can get it all done over the next couple of weeks.
Afternoons will be dedicated to doing machine work & then evenings to hand work. The next BJD pattern is coming along & expect to have it completed in the next week or so.
Bead mixes are wonderful to work with. I was looking at my mix of pink seed beads & there seemed to be quite a variety of shades. On closer inspection, there were actually 6 distinct shades. The shades are quite subtle so had to do the sorting in daylight.
Shades of pink seed beads
These will look lovely worked onto Yur's new bodice & will be incorporated to create different shapes.
I have finished the vector graphics for this new pattern featuring a two piece ensemble. Next step is to take photos as I create the cover outfit.
