Cut out the pieces for my fiancés wedding waistcoat. We’ve got some cheeky goose-print satin lining and the wool outer has nice flecks of silver through it.
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I’ve been trying to keep COVID off this page, but its got to the point that people are telling me to cancel my wedding which is 7 months in the future because of it.
I know that right now everything is a bit horrible and I really feel for those who have had to cancel their own celebrations at incredibly short notice through no fault of their own. However, just because right now everything is restricted does not mean it will be exactly this way 7 months from now. There is every chance that restrictions won’t be this severe then, we truely can’t predict 7 months in the future even under normal circumstances.
So until I’m told that I have to postpone my celebration party, I’m going to continue preparations. Right now, that’s sitting on my floor cutting out and sewing triangles for festive picnic themed bunting!
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Completed paint by numbers of ‘happy’ Venice. Most people don’t varnish these, but I decided to put on a thick coat of JoSonja’s gloss varnish, which I think has generally evened the painting out plus given the canvas some extra stiffness.
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Decided that his eyebrows were too small for his eyes, so I added on the classic predatory bird eye ridge.
Other changes were swapping out the springs for a new, springier double set. One higher gauge set on the outside hinge and a lower gauge set on the inside hinge, all held on with a bolt, washers, and nut for easy changing if needed in the future.
Also threaded in the brake cable and secured to the lower jaw. As you can see, this moves when I move. Next step is to obtain a chin cup to glue onto my foam chin rest (as my face keeps slipped out the bottom jaw!), then I can tie the brake cable ends to the crest rigging so it’ll raise when I gape.
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Mine and my matron of honours bouquets.
Constructed of artificial silk flowers and natural lady pheasant tail & wing, and duck feathers. Wrapping is jute mesh and jute twine.
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A quick weekender bookmark project.
Unfortunately the ribbon provided was vastly too small to cover the stitching on the back, so I improvised with a felt insert that extended just enough on either side of the ribbon to hide the stitching.
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Progress of the crest rigging & updated forehead rest and head harness.
I’m very pleased with the rest & harness from #TwinBlueChimera as the mask now feels a lot more stable on my head with the weight now resting firmly on my forehead rather than my glasses!
The crest rigging has been driving me insane but I’m thankful for #TheMotleyCrow helping me out with some advice on how to do this simply! My partner machined some nice aluminium holders for the cable housing so it’s all secured in there. Next step is to thread in the brake cable and attach it up so I can move the crest with my jaw movements.
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Guess what I’m stitching now?
I’ve always found that Couchman cross stitch patterns simple and generally straight forward. This one though, omg! The lines of colour are so hard to keep in focus that major miscounts happen very easily. The black section had to be unpicked in it’s entirety at least 5 times consecutively because of major wonkiness. Still something wierd happening where the black shadow trails off, but its small and easily fudgable (now).
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Some more progress on the paint by numbers. I’m finding it is really incredibly fiddly and times consuming to do, needing many breaks in-between sections for both drying time as well as preventing neck/hand cramps/eye strain.
I’m glad I bought a few more on the sales last year, but I don’t think this is something one would want to do without a sizeable break between paintings.
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The finished core of my bouquet.
The florist tape from Spotlight was still sticky (I think it is literally just double sided tape!), so I unwrapped and rewrapped the stems and feather wires with proper florist tape. It’s so much more pleasant as it’s only waxy to the touch after wrapping!