Design Doodles

Finished Orville and Emu

I have finished my massive embroidery at last! Had many finger injuries along the way, got so sick of it and almost threw the whole thing away and almost did the same to my machine as it was playing up continually. I think that this was stretching the capability of my cheap machine to it's absolute limits. Blame the tools!

I have decided to call it 'British Blokes with Birds' and have entered it into a fiber exhibition in Annapolis, now shall wait to see if selected.

Aghhh so much sewing! Thankfully I am back to making wooden things for the next few days.

Orville and Emu first stages

I have at last started the Orville and Emu embroidery. I've attached some fabric as a block base colour and and have started to build up the colour detail with fabric and free machining. A very long way to go yet and this is quite large 120cm x 80cm.

Ooh and I did a rough underpainting to begin with.

Orville and Emu

I have roughed out an idea that may bridge the gap and give the cousins (been watching John le Carre) a sanitized version of the horrors some of us had to endure in our youth! Rod Hull and Emu are far too benign as yet.

Free Machine Embroidery Sketching Again

I have designed the most enormous impossible automaton which I have no idea how to make. So while I'm puzzling and suffering I have gone back to drawing with my sewing machine to keep myself sane. Still trying to replicate biro sketches and I still haven't bought myself a fineline pen. Here is the latest effort.

He is fairly large 50x100cm and needs an iron (sorry). I am intending to stretch him on a frame as a canvas although he will most likely end up adding to my growing collection of strange cushions featuring bad drawings. I am so tempted to make one of Rod Hull and Emu or/and Keith Harris and Orville.

Another Automaton that sort of works

Smoothish flight but it still needs tweaking. Sorry about the poor quality film I need to fit the back and hang it on the wall and have a volunteer turn the crank. I also think the puppet needs a dress.

Automaton with Fly Away Hair

I am trying to finish another automaton with the mechanism above. I have the leg movement perfect but the hair, (arms, wings) at the moment move like they are directing crossroads traffic. When I have a smooth flight I will post a video.

The mechanism box.

Cat Girl Automaton Works (sort of!)

It works! Hopefully the puppet hanging next to the wall will stop it swinging so much but she does sort of do what I wanted.

Another Automaton with Mechanism from Above

I have finished this Cat Girl puppet

 and the mechanism box

 so if I can get the mechanism to work I will post a video later. I am hoping that her hands and tail will move and if not she can just be a still puppet.

Return to Embroidery Experimenting

I am waiting for some wooden figures to dry and thought I would have another go at an under painted image with free machine embroidered detail. I took the image from a vintage birthday card and ended up with this! I think this is the progeny of a recent visit to the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. (Which has the best museum gift shop in the world!)

For some inexplicable reason I have made this one into a large cushion.

The original card.