A Wee Bit of Imagination

Well my darlings!! How are you all? This again I am afraid is to be the shortest of posts but I so wanted to update you on the corset (and please forgive me for the lack of linky word thingies but I am so in a rush - things to do, things to do!! ) I feel like the rabbit from Alice and Wonderland!!

I really want to thank you all for reading my blog and leaving lovely comments and just really being such wonderful people, working from home can be a lonely thing sometimes, but no longer when I have such truly incredible support and friendship here!! You are all lovely!!

So here are a few update photos of the position of the corset as it was 2 days ago. I had hoped to be further on with it but alas (please forgive me for boring you with this!!) yep it was the week of being driven insane by my back etc.

But here we have it nonetheless - and all I ask of you is to use a wee bit of imagination!! I love this stage actually, making the toile, as there is no other way to say it, but at this stage the 'prototype' always looks hideous!! And it can be hard to picture it in all it's glory in the final wonderful fabrics. I have made this pattern from scratch to fit around the artwork on the leather provided by the wonderful Jenn.

As the other corsets I am displaying are TINY!! I have decided to go for a wonderful womanly size for this one. Shock horror - an actual size 14 (US size 10 I think!!) Ha ha no size 0's in this house baby!! I myself am a rather curvy size 16 and do not subscribe atall to this notion of 'thin is the only kind of beautiful'. (It has to be said too that I also wanted to get as much of the artwork by stiletto heights onto this corset as possible and that simply would not have worked on a tiny figure!!)

I had originally intended on handpainting and embroidering the fabric on the rest of the corset but after holding up samples against the leather I decided to let the artwork be the complete focus, I think it just stands out so beautifully and did not want to allow anything to detract from that. The fabric I am using on the rest of the corset is a wonderful dusky purple taffeta and the flounce is going to be hand dyed fabrics with a bit of gold in there too!!

I did however add a little bit of gold fabric paint (just the absolute minumum!!) and some gold embroidery to the image (I hope you approve Jenn!!) just to tie it into the gold fabric that I have used in other places on the corset. I had to get gold in there somewhere!!

I am really ridiculously excited about this as well as being stupidly nervous about the whole exhibition. I am displaying one other costume (a follies costume I made at college - which feels a bit like cheating but I have been unable to make a new one due to health and finances - but I feel it does fit in with the theme of the exhibition). I have also been working on new pieces of artwork and am framing 2 large costume rendorings from the same previous project. So it all has to be finished tonight!! I am teaching a workshop this afternoon which I am so ill prepared for and it is over an hours drive away so how I am going to be able to focus on that I do not know!! I will be itching to get back home to get on with things.

My poor lovely and adorable Mr Cox has just been wonderful the last week. He has been on holiday and has had to put up with my artistic temperament times 100 whilst making meals and supplying me with endless cups of tea and coffee etc. We did manage to get out for a lovely dinner on Friday and also went to the opticians for eye tests and I am getting 2 new pairs of beautiful glasses!! (Buy one get one free) which will be a godsend as my current pair are a disgrace. I was asked if I wanted contacts - but no frames are the thing for me - they are part of my appearance and I love them. Mark is getting glasses too for the first time and I cannot wait - he will look adorable in them.

Okay back to work for me!!! Sorry for the lack of blog commenting etc. I will be back with all my heart and soul on Wednesday - with new photos of the exhibiton and finished work and cannot wait to see what you have all been up to.

PS Vanessa - typepad has been acting like a petulant child for me again and I have been unable to leave comments on your blog!!! I am so sorry - but your shop looks wonderful - I am so proud to know you!! Emails will be sent shortly!!

Oh and as for the 'sorry this will be a short post' idea at the top of the page - clearly I am completely incapable!!