These boots are made for walking

My latest excuses for lack of activity here: Elaine had a cold, then I had a cold; I have a large backlog of sewing projects for 4 friends with new babies (all in December-February period...most inconsiderate...could they not have spaced their due dates to allow me more time to struggle with binding, bobbins and bumpy bits which require unpicking?). Oh and I got caught up in the first season of 'Prison Break' (yes, I am 7 years behind everyone else).
 
As the babe is now very much a toddler, my few completed sketchbook pages have been focused on footwear.

It's still January...

...so I guess it's still acceptable to wish everyone a happy new year. Had planned to use the first post of the new year to review 2012, mull over my resolutions and start 2013 in a thoughtful, structured way. Unfortunately by the time I get round to doing those things I suspect it will be no longer topical. Here are some of the few drawings I got done over the festive period.

My percieved porkiness was confirmed yesterday by a colleague who, after I admitted to pigging out said: "Yeah, it shows in your face...or are you pregnant again?". Can't even blame German bluntness as she is Italian. Tchah!

It's not almost impossible to draw anything with a toddler roaming in the vicinity

There is another page (yes, I'm soooo popular) but it wouldn't be humble to show it (...ok, I admit it: I haven't finished it).

The drawing is pretty hideous but the reality was very cute and took place every day on the holiday.

Probably Elaine's favourite gift - a multi-coloured push-a-long walker. Which I never did get around to colouring.

Christmas is coming...

...but you wouldn't guess it from my sketchbook. I've been busy wrapping and sending gifts and cards and haven't made time to actually draw anything Christmassy. The following sketches are all I've managed in the last couple of weeks. Elaine napping and some more anatomy sketches (copied from the library book I was meant to take back today...sigh...another errand to add to the list. Only one more week to get everything organized!

 

Snow, trees, mountains

This past weekend we had a work event - the AGM and Christmas 'do' of a hairdressing association, Intercoiffeur. Fortunately it didn't feel like a work event at all because it was at one of the loveliest hotels in Bavaria - the Schlossanger Alp. It's a family run hotel located near the top of a mountain on ground which used to be the family's cowshed and summer pasture for their herd. It's only a 10 minute drive (up a rather scary one track road) from civilisation but round about are only mountains and forest. And it snowed just in time for the first advent. Stupidly, I haven't yet progressed to putting my phone photos onto this blog but you can check the website or use your imagination while looking at these somewhat abstract sketches of the two views from our room:

What looks like a sandcastle is the tower of the ruined castle Falkenstein. King Ludwig (who built the famous fairy tale castle, Neuschwanstein) planned to build his 4th castle here but died before it could happen.

 In the afternoon I sat (ok, hid) in the gallery area of the lounge area and, looking down on fellow guests tried to sketch some. Unfortunately I seem to have forgotten everything I learnt in the motion sketching workshop I took a while back. Still, practice is practice.

Just say....yes...maybe...well, actually - no!

I'm trying to improve my basics so I've started copying a few drawings from an anatomy for artists book borrowed from the local library. This one was done on tracing paper (well, greaseproof paper from the kitchen, actually):

 and underneath is the skeleton with some muscles.

At the weekend I managed to put together a festive toddler outfit using a pattern from the book Simple sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter. The gorgeous polar bear fabric is Brrr! (Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufmann) and the red is a recyled t-shirt of mine which I found deep in the back of the wardrobe. If I have time this week I may make a tiny polar bear friend to fit in the pocket.

Not going to win any tailoring prizes but I'm slowly getting more sewing confidence.

 

In the hospital

This drawing was done from a snap taken in the hospital about a month ago now. This was the morning after. Drip still attached to forehead but she'd got her appetite back. The brown thing in her hand is a bit of 'Breze' - bread pretzel - which she guzzled down. The drawing isn't great but it's representative in that she didn't look herself at that point - still dehydrated. All back to normal now, though :)

Photo round up

My Blogtoberfest ended with more of a whimper than a bang as the combination of my parents being there, preparing for E's birthday and general disorganization meant that I didn't get any drawing done in the last days of October. It was quite a relief not feeling obliged to do something every day but the feeling of freedom has now changed to disappointment in my procrastinating self as I haven't done any sketching for the last 2 weeks.

I put on the lego car for scale. Only occured to me that I just could have used a tape measure. Duh. The backing is just the same Kona purple as the binding.

I've not been totally lazy though. Mum helped me add the binding to my small quilt (it's maybe pram/small crib size) in the first picture and I added the backing, quilted and bound the 2nd, somewhat larger quilt. If it survives a machine wash it's going to be my sister-in-law's birthday present. Once again a massive thank you to Sarah who gave me the fabric for both of the tops. She's lovely :) The final photo shows the first zippy bag I've ever attempted. It's meant to be an Xmas gift for a friend but the upper corners have somehow 'disappeared'. Hmm..still, adds to the charm.





I'll stop now and promise to draw something for the next post. I'll leave you with a glimpse of Elaine's birthday: