Chapter 12 making a functional piece

These are various stages in the making of the functional piece. The picture of the springs are all the ones I tried out which lamentably failed to work. It was back to the drawing board innumerable times. I finally tried a different system for the large figure. I'm slightly better at embroidery than engineering!

The box!

Myrtle and Malachi are hiding in this box. (Myrtle because she's a turtle and Malachi because it means 'messenger'. Malachi is on a folded spring and leaps up as a proper 'jack in a box' should. Myrtle refused to do this unless she had a proper custom designed conical spring. As this was too expensive to buy and beyond my engineering capacities to make, she is tensioned instead with elastic. She holds Malachi down with her head when the box is closed and her head emerges when the box shell opens - like a turtle would and releases Malachi who gives his message.

Myrtle hanging out with Malachi

Chapter 11 addition

Ooops, I forgot to upload the log cabin piece into Chapter 11

Here it is now!

Chapter 10 Piecing

Chapter 11 More piecing