You can tell I've been busy!!!

I've been so busy since Christmas I've had no time to blog! How shocking. I shall now try to remedy that with one huge post, jam pack full of the exciting things I've been doing...

First up on the Jewellery front...I've now had 3 front covers for Making Jewellery Magazine ;) Two more since Christmas, including the current issue, March which showcases my Polymer Clay Tulip Tiles. These are really, really sweet, and bound to make you feel like spring is on the way...

I've also got a full on steampunk article in Aprils issue of Craft Stamper coming up, with details of how to make a working cogamascope, using the stunning new stamps from Ink and the Dog

Talking of spring I was hoping to get to Spring CHS international today and say Hi to Tim Holtz and other fab crafty people, but when I woke up there was snow everywhere - at least a foot deep! Hopefully it'll clear by tomorrow or tuesday and I can pop down then instead...

I'm also halfway through my new book "Steampunk Jewelry" (or Steampunk Jewellery for those
in England...) which I'm writing for North light books. It's going to be fantastic - I'm very excited...

I also went down to Oxford history of Science Museum to the Steampunk Exibition at last. We had a great day out in full costume with all the other "mannequins" who had volunteered to be Steampunk statues for the day.

It was lots of fun and the science museum is absolutely incredible...full of beautiful artefacts like orrories. The Steampunk exhibition was certainly perfectly suited to the museum, although it's overall portrayal of the Steampunk genre was a very narrow one, I felt.

I finished the gorgeous Tudor wedding gown I'd been working on over Christmas too... It looked absolutely stunning, and the bride was thrilled. It is entirely silk, with the most exquisite silk brocade front panel and petticoat opening. I hand embroidered the top edge with Elizabethan goldwork, including real pearls and garnets too.

It's very much "The Tudors" rather than historically acurate Tudor. The sleeves are completely separate, the strapless bodice is fully boned and comes over the hip, the skirt is held in correct sillhoutte by a farthingale and petticoat.

I've also been very busy on the teaching and workshop front - I've been creating replicas of my exquisite original late victorian corsets for "Foundations Revealed" including patterns and step by step instructions on how to re-create them yourself.

Although they are both from roughly the same date they are so different, the first (in gold) is just one fabric layer, with exquisite shaping and godets - it's a factory made Charles Bayer corset. The second is a gorgeous corded corset, very similar to Symingtons "pretty housemaid" I had lots of fun working out how they were originally made as you can see on the site...

I taught workshops all through January and February too, including one for some wonderful Swiss girls who came over to Nottingham to learn corsetry, I also had visitors from Ireland and Wales in the studio in January, and what a fun, well travelled group of students they were...

I will soon be announcing details of a super exclusive special Steampunk Jewellery Workshop - so watch this space ;0