Cockadoodle Doo!....Time to meet Cherry, the 'Chicken Stripper'

Cherry is so called because of the cheeky cherry tattoo on her rump. Rumor has it that she had planned to get a tattoo of the blueprints for the millenium dome but changed her mind at the last minute. Cherry shakes her tale feather at a multitude of strip joints and spends the money which the punters stuff into her G-string on Jimmy Choos. Unfortunately, she never gets to wear them because, well.....she's a chicken.

Bear with...............bear with..........bear with........

Now then fabric fans..... A sincere 'THANK YOU' and big tight squeeze to everyone who has visited my blog so far. It's really great to know that people are enjoying my work and so lovely to hear your comments.

I have a million ideas bouncing around my brain at the moment and spent some time in haberdashery heaven today buying bits and pieces which caught my eye.

Unfortunately I have taken on some extra work just now so am a bit short on monster making time. I really hope you all stick with me. It is very tempting to stay up 'til 3am in a flurry of threads and buttons but that would mean I was a little cuckoo.

I am really hoping I might get a little time tomorrow so even if I don't get in a whole monster I will try and show you some work in progress.

See you soon
The Mistress xxx

The 'Sexy New Sewing Machine' Challenge

Shhhhh.....keep your voice down, I don't want to upset my sewing machine. She was a much cherished christmas gift from my parents some years ago and has been a great friend to me. We have been through many trials together, from broken needles to wonky buttonholes and she has always done me proud.

I would hate for her to find out that I have met someone else. The Brother Innov-is 350. Sewing machine of dreams. Fully computerised, 294 stitch selections and 7-piece feed dog.

I feel I need to really earn such a fine piece of machinery so have set myself the 'Sexy New Sewing Machine' challenge. I can only buy this pretty little piece of kit using money raised through the sale of monsters. This week I have sold three small ones for a grand total of £63. Only £386 left to raise! I had better get sewing!

Junior

I didn't have the time or the supplies to start any of my big projects which I have bubbling away in my mind but felt the need to do something so just bashed out a quick 45min monster called Junior. I'm not over the moon with him but he was an itch that I just had to scratch.

Alphonso McSkag

This mean looking beastie is Alphonso McSkag. Lead singer with zombie metal chart-toppers 'Shuffling Terror' Contrary to his zombie chums, he isn't fond of brains. Alphonso has a more sophisticated palate and besides that... he just finds them too squidgy. He has never kissed a girl, or worn lederhosen. While on tour, Alphonso demands his dressing room be equipped with a Wii fit so he can keep trim and avoid that unsightly muffin-top over his skinny, tartan jeans.

Inspiration...

I have charged myself with the task of making a monsterous little monster for someone who has brightened up my life of late. As I left work this evening I had a fledgeling idea in my mind and even had a name...Alphonso.

As I made my way home the cogs started to turn and by the time I got in through my front door Alphonso had become a fully formed piece of fibre art (in my head at least). My only slight concern is that his construction will involve playing with matches a little bit which has the potential to end very badly for both Alphonso and myself. Ah well, danger always was my middle name.

He might take a couple of evenings to come to fruition so watch this space for his arrival over the next couple of days. Right.....I'm off take the batteries out of my smoke detectors.

Javier

Say 'Hola' to Javier. A gun-slinging tough nut with a passion for fashion. He retains his vibrant skin tone by living on a diet of purple Smarties and Cadbury's chocolate, although he does only eat the wrappers and throws the chocolate away. Don't get on the wrong side of Javier....he is a sharp-shooter who is always bang on trend.

On a personal note, I think this is my favourite so far. I had the idea a while ago when bouncing around some ideas with a friend (for whom I made this as a gift). I didn't want to make it until I felt that I had the skills to do it justice so I am really happy with the end result.

I Love You With All My Hearts

I enjoyed a little project this week working on a gift for a friend. I never forgot the kindness shown to me by Fritha Strickland (http://tigerlillyquinn.blogspot.com/) when I was poorly. Although we barely knew each other she took the time and care to send me a parcel of handmade goodies to make me feel better. Her illustrations are fabulous and this one in particular has a beautiful sentiment

So I decided to set about bringing her beautiful octopus to life to send on to her and was really pleased with the results.

It actually turned out to be a great exercise for me besides anything else as it got me thinking outside of my usual style of design. I finished another creation today which is also intended as a gift so I can't blog it yet but I am REALLY happy with it. Watch this space for it's appearance this time tommorow.

The Frog Comes to Fruition!

My dearest fabric fans...may I present to you the fruits of this evenings labours. He is in an unstuffed state as I haven't yet bought the grain to fill him with so as he can go in the microwave to keep my lovely Sarah warm. Here she is by the way:

Isn't she gorgeous? It seemed only fitting that her frog in shining armour should have a crown.

A cheeky little Froglet who likes to kiss the girls and make them cry, mostly owing to the fact that he doesn't turn into a prince and leaves a faint slimy residue. He likes drinking cold tea and is a huge fan of Masterchef's Greg Wallace, Froglet shares Mr Wallace's passion for puddings.

I hope his new owner likes him when he arrives. xxx

The Froglet Project

I have itchy monster making fingers.

I have just got through the door from work and can hear my sewing machine sweetly and softly calling my name.

My good and beautiful friend Sarah, AKA 'the froglet' has asked me to try and make one of those bean-bag thingys which you can microwave and take to bed. As her name would suggest she would like one in the form of a frog.

Never one to shy away from a challenge I am tonight going to try and construct said bed-warmer. Wish me luck! ...

From Little Acorns...

I wanted to share with you a little of where my enthusiasm for fabric art comes from. My very talented mother has an affinity for fabric and has been making things for as long as I can remember. The projects which stick in my memory most of all are the character dolls she used to make for her friends and colleagues back when I was growing up.

She works in a primary school, actually the same one where I spent my formative years and in the great British tradition, we had some great and eccentric characters working there. Perfect material for making a fabric caricature. Staff used to get excited around birthdays and special occasions, hoping they would be in receipt of one of these little works of art

This is just a small selection and what you can't see is that they often had fancy underwear, union jack knickers and the like.

Like mother like daughter.

The Viscount - Revised

Phew! Finally happy with this one, I should never go to bed on an unfinished monster. I still have a lot to learn about the whole process but am very grateful for the skills passed down to me by my mum. She used to make amazing dolls of her friends and work colleagues when I was young and I pretty much learnt everything I know from her. Hmmm.....I wonder if I can get hold of any photos of her work? Mum....if you are reading this, get Dad to scan some in and e-mail them and I will publish them for the world (or at least my 8 followers, each and everyone of whom I love dearly for being interested in my work) to see!

Viscount Toppington-Inchpractice

The Viscount descends from a long line of Toppington-Inchpractice's. I think the family is beginning to scrape the bottom of the gene barrel as this little monster has very little between the ears besides cotton-wool. He can usually be found in the elevator at Toppington Towers pressing all the buttons and chuckling to himself. He begged me to make him a sparkly top-hat because he digs Disco.

Not sure I like his nose and mouth, will probably change them tomorrow but for now... I rest

Meet Consuela

Consuela first came to our shores on a forged passport in the hope of a better life. All she had with her upon her arrival was her crystal ball and several packs of tarot cards. She has since forged a successful career in fortune-telling and has been putting aside the money earned to fund her breast augmentation surgery. I suspect she is a fraud as when she reads my future she tells me she sees an Olympic gold medal in the 100m butterfly.

Burt

Burt likes pain........ He came to me as a substitute for my trusty pin-cushion. At first he was dubious but he learnt to love his new employment. In his spare time he enjoys making ice-cream (mostly pistachio) and shouting BOO at passing strangers.

Ginger Cat

This is Ginger Cat, he lives with a very kind and cat-loving family but they never see him. He is always visiting the neighbours for tit-bits and a good old stroke. He likes sitting on carrier bags and head-butting things. No-one knows his real name but there are some who call him 'The Colonel'.

Hello Peeps....This Could be the Start of a Beautiful Friendship

Now then.....we all know that my last attempt at blogging didn't go so well. Five posts followed by a loooong silence. You would have every reason to doubt my commitment to such a project however, this time I am determined to keep it going.

So what has changed I hear you cry?

I now have 'a thing'. Let me begin at the beginning

I come from a family of largely frustrated creative types and seem to have the genes which make me full of ideas but lacking an outlet for them. At school I discovered the joys of textile art thanks to an inspirational and enthusiastic teacher, Sue Smith. She saw my potential and nurtured me for four years through GCSE's and A-levels to a point where I considered making textile art a career. However, as seems to be typical of me I changed my mind at the last minute and floated around for a few years feeling less and less fulfilled and more and more unhappy.

After forging a successful career in dentistry and stifling my creative urges almost entirely, I was starting to forget who I was and what I was here for. Following a difficult year and a broken heart (funny how they give you a kick up the bum), my artistic temperament just couldn't be held back any longer and started to burst forth all higgledy-piggeldy in what could only be described as a state of chaos. Inspired by a friend and very generous human-being (you know who you are), I decided to give illustration a go. I loved it but just didn't have the skills to get the characters in my head down onto paper.....frustrating yes?

Sooooo, why not make them come to life? I can't for the life of me remember what started it all off but beginning with monsters made of old socks and progressing to fabrics of all kinds, I dusted off my trusty sewing machine and got sewing. I am increasingly pleased with the results as my rusty skills start to come together again. I quite literally can not stop!

And why am I blogging again? I watched the movie Julie/Julia at the weekend. A true story about the woman who cooked her way through Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' in a year and blogged about it. She was a frustrated writer in a job which wasn't right for her and felt that she never finished the things she started. Sound familiar? She found that blogging gave her the motivation to see the project through and I hope it will do the same for me. Even if no-one ever reads it then I don't mind.

Stick with me....