Did you guess?

I was making Rocky Road - i make mine with philly cheese instead of butter or marge! This happened the first time when i had planned to make it but Mr RaggyRat had eaten all the latter, and I was forced to try it having promised the small people! It's really nice and fudgy!

And of course, you remember my sweet little sofa ...

I covered the new cushion, and now no small things slip down the gap, or feel the sprung-ridge on their tender parts!

foam dome ...

i have been working with my own body a little bit more ...

whose nose do you suppose?

i like t o draw things so that i really get to know them ...



a double layer of dense sheet foam provides the innards for a tiger's nose ...



there he is! and the nose seems to be the right size and shape ...



i use my copic markers to colour the nose, working on some beige fleece fabric ...



the next stage will be to wrap the pink fleece around the foam and stitch in place, before adding it to the tiger's muzzle ...

dear old grandma tiger!

I have made some marking on the head, covering it in old curtain fabric, so will be cutting fur in the next few days!

rat feet ... WIP

big ones!

tiger tiger ....WIP - better shaping - ready for fur?

tiger with a toupee, that's not right ...



I dig this little toy from Mary's animal tin, he looks a bit cheesey but he helped me with the head shape ...



better?



although, after looking at it again ...



i had to lift up the ears a bit!



better!
ear furring next, perhaps!

Another plush seagull for Artwey ...

After Jonathan Livingston was adopted at Artwey 'Spirit of the Sea', I decided to make a new seagull, especially since Ed Hintze was so upset ...

mixing textures ... in need of stuffing ...



quilting foam to create feathers/shape ...



here the tail is resting on the fabric i chose for the birds beak, yellow, but not too yellow!



The seagull of 'The Song of the Sea' on-a-stick ...



Hide your chips!

Good Bye Big Rat Head !

Off to Canada he goes .....

smaller, cuter, furrier, lower jaw ....

with an elastic strap to help attach it to the head ...

Rat Head Gets Lower Jaw - Finally!

i have layered and bent three pieces of foam to try and create a bit of a smile for the rat head ...

busy busy .....

creating a pattern for the muzzle and cheeks
laura ashley curtains for patterns making ....

i cut some tear ducts for improved ventilation, painted the insides blackand covered them with 2 layers of chiffon ...

a fur face on the book shelf ... the nose isn't the right shape yet but improves this photo !

getting furred ....

wow the head is looking rounder and fluffier and cuddlier and i am on the home straight with this now!
i may have to re-think the plastic dome 'eyes' if they dont fit my vision for the character - which really just changes as the thing grows and hopefully fits whats in mine and my clients heads !
now im off busy shaping the cheeks, building the pattern for the muzzle fur - 3 kinds of fur, and getting hot glue gun burns again !

i have got plenty of glue-gun glue now ...

at least i hope so, i want the foam to stay glued together ...

WIP wednesday .... gurt big furry mouse head ...

not that i stick to a theme or anything, but for those of you that are pondering my great fursuit project, here are some pictures of the head being built ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/raggyrat/tags/balaclava/

and here is a picture of my very small snowman, photographed to make him look bigger!
his eyes fell out, and to be honest, he was mostly made of hail, not genuine snow!

this glue gun is loaded ....

my new gun, very neat ... very HOT!
all fursuiters must wield hot glue guns ...

the fabric of the furry feet, long fur, short fur and oatmeal fleece ...

mmmmmmm. soft ... in need of structure ... so back to those foam shapes i was cutting out and sewing ...

the feet with some shape ...

here are the foam toes glued inside the fleece toes, this hot glue works great, it sets fast and holds the fabric under tension ...

try not to get in the way of it tho, i dont even know how i got a hot blob on the back of my thumb!

i am going under the knife tomorrow so will not be in my workshop. i do have some small pieces of hand sewing to take with me in case i can't concentrate on my book or magazine. wish me luck, and i'll see you when i get back
cat xxx