ADAM AT HOME UK

Should you feel inclined to listen to this blog rather than read it, please click   HERE Yes indeedy, as of yesterday there is a body in my hall - going by the unconfirmed name of Manny Bootstrap... He arrived after a long weekend of creativity, culminating in 3 1/2 hours of hard labour - stuffing him with about 5kg of shredded paper bedding. Handsome guy tho he is, I really DO NOT KNOW where his living quarters will be! Back-tracking a few days, it's a very well thought-out pattern with a central panel hidden inside, supporting the basic outline. The shape of things to come, so-to-speak! I had an odd bit of foam for the neck lying around, just waiting for this kind of project... After a certain amount of slightly mind-bending 'inside-out-ness' everything came out the right way round. But it was the ned of the day and I was, frankly, bushed. Inserting the stuffinginvolved first of all fluffing-up the paper offcuts after their ...

If you would prefer to listen to the audion version of my scribblings, please click   HERE There's been a temporary side-track while I make myself a couple of pairs of boxer shorts, as yer do, but now I'm back on track: the body form has been started! Initially quite straight-forward - centre-back-left to side-back-left, centre-front-left to side-front-left and so-on,  but the sleeve hole covers were really complex and made me realize why I don't like doing set-in sleeves. The neck cover wasn't much better.  I've actually been really enjoying the process - it's been stretching my sewing skills... The next step will be to stuff and finish - but that's for another day. And then... on to thge banyan!! I've been watching way too much YouTube recently, what I term the Orientals: Liziqi XiaoXi Polin Lifestyle   (to name a few) There's a certain peace and quiet which pervades their videos, as they get on with their daily...

For the spoken blog click   HERE Well now, I've been having a lovely  time tidying up  <cough>  The craft/dining table is  a little clearer: there is at least now a small space at the end of the table for one person to eat! I did indeed finish up three unfinished projects, but...  then...   I got sort of side-tracked by an idea for a Christmas card. "What???" I hear youi cry "but Adam you've not sent out a Christmas card in years !" and, of course, you'd be right. But 2020 has been such a desperately strange year that I feel desperately strange measures are called for. Needless to say, what started out as a very simple idea employing a glue gun, has become rather a production number, with a lot of hand sewing; a lot slower perhaps, but a lot cleaner and more precise that said glue gun. I've pretty much finished the applique elements and now 'just' need to brush up my calligraphy skills: there'll be about thirty cards to write up. I...

The spoken version of this post can be accessed right   HERE My box of 'stuffing' - aka animal bedding - has arrived and currently resides in the middle of my hall as a) it's a hefty box to move and b) I don't anticipate any visitors... My first task was to stuff a tailors' pressing pad - for all those curved seams I don't use much... Rather surprisingly this took me well over a half hour. In fact the pad will be very useful when pressing round shoulders and neck seams. The bedding material is indeed small bits of tissue and, as such, packs down quite hard, which is what I want in an ironing pad. I also want the mannequin to be quite solid - definitely not the squidgy one would get from polyester fibre... Anyway, I have made a list of things that need doing before I can allow myself the luxury of more sewing and it includes boring things like finishing off previous projects, tidying up the dining room/craft table, etc. So ...

Should you by chance wish to listen to the spoken version of this little ramble, please click right   HERE My pattern from Bootstrap Fashion duly came through - 40-odd A4 pages of actual pattern pieces, plus nearly 50 of very clear, detailed instructions. My poor laser printer had smoke coming out of it like some mad cartoon character... Tip to self (and others): next time give the poor beast a few breaks in the printing process!! A lot of yesterday was spent trimming and taping all the pieces together on my friendly fabric shop's cutting out table; it is quite amazing just how long that takes. Cutting the fabric itself out was quite straight forward, except that I wanted the pattern to match at the centre front and back seams. A mind-bending challenge where this rather wonderful Chatham Glyn 'Zig Zag' fabric was concerned... The stuffing took a certain amount of thought - and thank goodness for Mr Google (generally not my fav...