1/ What happens if my baby moves? No worries!! All babies will wriggle. This will have no effect on your casts, it’s my job to get you the perfect cast. Each cast takes about a minute. Your baby can be awake or asleep and you can feed them whilst I cast. Milk is always a good distraction!
2/ How long does an appointment take? An appointment takes approximately 45mins depending on how many casts you want. I always leave plenty of time between appointments to allow for feeding and nappy changes. Appointments aren’t rushed and you will have time to look at frames and decide on a finish.
3/ When will my casts be ready? The casts need plenty of time to dry out properly. They will be ready to collect in 6 to 8 weeks. Larger hand holding casts will require longer.
4/ Is it safe? Yes, the material used to take the cast is called alginate. Alginate is completely safe and can be used in direct contact with skin. Alginate is extracted from natural seaweed. It is the same material that has been used totally safely for making dental impressions millions of times by dentists in people's mouths for well over half a century. Alginate is a flexible mould- and impression-making material which is perfect for casting. It is a very fine powder which is mixed with water to form a liquid gel that can pick out the tiniest details.
5/Where does the appointment take place? I have a studio at my home in Shirley Southampton, but I am also happy to do home visits. Although there is an extra charge for a home visit.
6/ What is the best age to have casts taken? The answer to this is any age. From a few days old to adult. I have even had a customer email me whilst in labour, she was replying to emails In between contractions!
7/ How can I display my casts? Casts can be framed or mounted on a plinth. Although they are better protected in a frame. I have framing samples at my studio. Although if there a particular colour or style of frame you would like, I use a local framer who is always very helpful at sourcing what I need.
8/ What are casts made from? The casts are made of a very high quality casting stone, I do not use plaster of paris!
9/ Is there anything I should do to prepare for the appointment?
There’s nothing in particular you need to do to prepare, just bring yourself and your changing bag. You can feed your baby before or you are welcome to feed your baby here, before during or after casting. If they have a dummy bring that with you or anything else, you use to settle them. If your baby is new born don’t worry too much about the timing of an appointment, we can just go with the flow. With older babies though it’s probably a good idea not to schedule an appointment when they are due a nap. If they nap at a regular time that is!
10/ Is the process messy/ what should I wear? I have aprons and plenty of towels to cover you in but please don’t wear your best clothes, life casting can be messy!