One of the things I need to do for my casket making class is to create the design I will stitch on the outside.  Most people are cutting and pasting, making copies and resizing through the modern Xerox machine.  I don't have the luxury of access to a Xerox, and since I don't drive, trips to the library are not an option. 

Once I decided what motifs I wanted to include, I found pictures online to match.  I found if you Google "coloring pages" there are tons of coloring book pages to choose from. I then used a blank sheet, and drew the dimensions of each area of the casket actual size. Using a piece of graph paper, I marked the size of the area using each block as one cm.  I then determined how many blocks I wanted the design to occupy.

Using a ruler, I marked a grid over the original print in 1/2" blocks. When transferred to the graph paper, the design would then be roughly half the size of the original.  Then it was easy to draw each block one by one onto the graph paper.  I am planning a lion on one side of the casket for courage, and a stag on the other for strength. 

As I was working on these drawing, my son texted me, and I was chatting back and forth with him as I worked.  Our newest kitty, three month old Indy, was sitting on the table pestering me.  Each time I put my pencil down to type on my cell phone, he would do his best to grab my pencil and run off with it. 

Despite the distractions, I was able to finish a few. These are my finished drawings, the original is on the right, my work is on the left:

I am quite pleased with the results.  I have a few more to do, then I will cut and paste onto the design area and begin to fill in the background with flowers and greenery.  Once the design is complete, I will post the finished products onto the website for the class for input from other students. When the time comes to stitch (which wont be for a very long time) I will use the Prick and Pounce method to transfer the design.  You prick holes in the paper along the design outline, lay the page over the material, then use pounce (or charcoal) to cover the page.  The pounce then falls through the holes, leaving the outline on the material.  Last, use a color pencil to connect the dots and solidify the outline on the fabric.  Piece of cake.

Tomorrow I hope to do a few more.  I want to stitch our kitty that we lost last year on the top, and I have already uploaded a photo to my ipad.  I can minimize the photo until I get the size I want, then I can use the light from the ipad and just trace the photo.  I also have a willow tree to draw, a caduceus (I was a nurse), a butterfly, plus a man and a woman to represent myself  and my husband which will go on the two doors in the front.