Sewing Basket

A close-up from yesterday. Click to enlarge the image.

Surprise!

This posting is going to surprise at least two people -- my friend Sherry and me! Sherry has listened to me talk about making miniatures . . . for years while I did nothing but search websites endlessly. Well, now the deed is done. I bought a Sewing Work Basket kit designed by Lisa's Little Things -- and I made it!

Click on the photos to enlarge them.


Additions from My Collection

• Pair of reading glasses
• Sewing machine
• Woven basket -- to hold all the extras Lisa provides in the kit
• Spool of orange thread
• Scissors (the big ones with black handles -- the two smaller scissors are part of Lisa's kit)
• Tape measure which I substituted for Lisa's tape measure

Pin cushion -- small one (left) before I revamped it

Tomato Pin Cushion
I thought I was going to use my old pin cushion because I remembered it being smaller than the one that came with Lisa's kit, but when I found it, the older pin cushion was actually bigger. However, I liked the detail work on it better . . . so I copied the way it was made.

Small pin cushion after the revamp

• I took the small tomato pin cushion apart, removing a green "flower" at the top of the tomato. It was glued on and appeared to be made of paper or synthetic leather/felt.
• I removed the double-ply green threads that divide the tomato.
• Replaced the divider threads with single-ply embroidery floss for a more delicate scale.
• For the star on top, I used double-ply floss and the daisy stitch.
• Et voila!

Revamped pin cushion

Finishing Touches
For added realism, I crumpled the tape measure and some of the ribbon bits. I also cut up the lace that Lisa provided  making it half the width...just to get the scale right.


Great Kit
I liked this kit because I really did not have to get a bunch of new equipment or supplies. I had just about everything I needed. I only had to buy a brown brush tip marker. I seem to have lost my 1/8-inch punch but I figured out how to do the job with scissors. That said, my vision and dexterity are not what they used to be! Lisa provides all the extras and lots of them! She even added something I'd never heard of – thread winders. You can see them in the top drawer of the basket. Thank you Lisa for making this kit so doable!

Mr and Mrs Duck

This not exactly a miniature but it's one of the smaller things I've made in a long time, and these ducks are smaller than your average rubber duckie.

A coworker got married last weekend, and a few weeks ago, we held a shower for him and his fiancee. Another co-worker found this pair and I added the veil, bouquet and boutonniere. The tiny flowers were punched from a cupcake paper and then black marks were added to the centers. For the veil I used a recycled fabric teabag and a freshwater pearl. The tea comes in cloth bags; I used them in a teapot and I wash them. The bride and groom ducks are on top of a cake platter. Here's the cool thing -- unbeknown to us, the fiancee has a  thing for rubber ducks. She plans to keep this pair! For a closer look, click on the photos.

Phyllis Hawkes Studio

Phyllis Hawkes is another New Hampshire miniaturist. She paints signs, furniture, fine art, and much more. Phyllis is an IGMA Artisan, studied at the IGMA Guild School in Castine, Maine. IGMA is the International Guild or Miniature Artisans. This month, Phyllis will teach at the Castine gathering. Have a look at her website.

Marquis Miniatures

One of my discoveries at the Sturbridge Minatures Festival last weekend was Marquis Miniatures, which hails from Hampton, New Hampshire! How cool is that? I love her sinks here and here. This fish tank with live fish was so much fun! I love her artist supplies, too. Be sure to check out her shop on Etsy.

Sturbridge Minatures Festival.Part 1

I had a great time at the Sturbridge Miniatures Festival today! I have no photos because my camera is dead but I can tell you what I bought (today's posting) and what I saw (in my next posting) . . . in no particular order:

• While waiting for the doors to open, I chatted with another woman in line. I was thrilled to learn that Teresa Layman was at the show and made a beeline to her display!
• I chose one kit, Bees and Trees, which  Teresa said was good for a beginner. My intuition matched her advice: Do not make your favorite pattern the first time out of the gate, because once you build your skills, you will want to do it all over again.
• I also picked up a (magnetic) needle keeper. Had I realized how many other items I would buy today, I might have skipped this indulgence.
• Carla Gaustad was a lucky find because she has neither a website nor a store. I bought:

• Green pitcher made in France
• Quimper style bowl (1) and plates (2). I think they are painted metal. They are thinner than the ceramic plates that are often sold in dollhouse stores. Excuse the blurry image, it was made on my scanner and since the bowl is deeper than the plates the image is out of focus.
• Basket of raspberries. Ordinarily, I make my own food but this looked like a level above what I think I can do. Again, had I known how many other items I was going to buy, I might have skipped the berries but they are well done.
• Robin Betterley was at the show! She had so many wonderful items I almost bought nothing, but I was pretty sure I'd be sorry later. I decided on one of her secret books, Castle Spells, and the matching interior kit. I could not believe how small these are! They say the scale is 1:144 or smaller. When I got home and looked at the pieces I was blown away my the tininess! Apparently, the laser has completely changed the world of miniatures. Many people are switching to 1:24, 1:48 -- and 1:144 scale. It was nice to see some items that have not yet made it to the website including a bookcase to hold the full set of 13 secret books.
• For month's I've been drooling over anything that looks like a gypsy caravan, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered Michelle's Miniatures!

• I decided I need to walk before I crawl so I chose one of her very simple kits, the Arts and Crafts Bench kit which was sold for less than the online price. I figured it would be a nice way to display some of the things I already have.
• You have to check out her 1-inch scale (1:12) caravan which she based on photos of a real caravan. It comes in 1/2 inch scale (1:24) and quarter-inch scale (1:48), too. The 1:24 scale has lots of detail inside. Love it!
• I'm dying to see how the laser stuff works! What I've heard is that these designers have their own laser machines! How cool is that?!
• I was tempted to get many other kits such as the briefcase, plate shelf, market cart, and many more. Check out the Art Deco house; which has really fine interior details (and I'm not even an Art Deco fan)!
• Look at this Tree of All Seasons Room Box.

Well, that's enough for now. Later this week, I'll tell you about more of the vendors and what else I learned!