Keeping the 1 Inch Scale

Just a little thought - 1/12th  actually. Doesn't that mean that 1 foot becomes 1 inch? Some people call it the inch scale.
A six foot man is represented by a six inch doll. A three foot table becomes a 3 inch table. That is so easy to understand, measure and recognise, so why do some miniaturists now try to give measurements in metric, i.e. millimetres?
The metric system works in tens and is not easily and obviously divisible by 12.
It isn't just miniaturists in countries where only metric has been used but the English and Americans who have always used good old feet and inches are now doing it.
Anyone not understanding imperial measurements can easily buy a small ruler made of plastic for patchwork workers. They are marked in 1/8th, making it easy to measure parts of a foot to scale.
This little doll is the equivalent of a 3ft child but could you visualise if she was to scale if you were told she was 76mm or 7.6cm?
Can you visualise whether  a cupcake measuring 13mm is too big?
Well, it is. It equates to 1/2" (6 inches), you'd need two hands to hold it!
Please let's keep it 'the inch scale' and not ' 2.5cm scale'.

Cream Horns for Tea?

Fascinated by mini cakes I've always dabbled but following a tutorial Saturday night on CDHM with Linda C. and despite not having all the required ingredients I managed to make a fairly edible looking batch of 16 cream horns! Half a dozen I've put aside for the other member of our dollshouse club as she wasn't able to join Linda for the class.

It was a great tutorial and Linda always shares her secrets of how to make the food have that extra realistic look. I had so much cream left over I filled up a little basin as well. More goodies for the Tea Shop!

Jugs in the Teashop

I've been noticing some really cute jugs/pitchers around lately and found a site which offered a pattern to make them from paper but the site wasn't working. I was really disappointed for a couple of weeks, then, quite by chance I found another site with a pattern! They are such fun to make and the results are very pretty. Here is a photo of one that I've made, on a tray made by my friend Bob which I painted, with some dessert bowls and the finest little spoons I bought years ago at a fair.

Typical of me, I got on a roll with the jugs and now have a few more than I need but I'll soon find homes in my other houses and shops.

Favourite Patchwork

As I've mentioned before, patchwork is my favourite miniature to make. Looking through some of my photos I found one of the first miniature patchworks I ever made and I think it's my favourite. It's in my Victorian house, completely out of place but I think of dollshouses as fantasy and I'm not too precious about details. If I like something, it goes in, within reason!

Making Kits

The temperature here has been 39 degrees again today; it's been hot so long I can't remember what it's like to have energy! In the house it was only 29 so after I made up some guest beds for visitors arriving on Friday I set about putting together some of the kits that had been accumulating in my 'to do' drawer. I often buy these from Zena's  or Craft Pack Co. They are quick to do and always so pretty.
Tomorrow is 'dollshouse club' (still just the two of us) so I'm off to bed 'early', it's midnight, but last night I was still awake at 6.20am what with the heat, the crickets, and the sounds from the fiesta in the next town. The Spanish really know how to party! Music and fireworks until morning! I love it, Viva España!

Pinocchio's Bed

I mentioned my friend before who makes me all the things I don't like making out of wood. He asked me recently to make him a patchwork for a lady friend of his who has a Pinocchio House. Pinocchio needed a quilt for his little bed and a matching bed for his cat. I had fun finding all the bright fabrics and those with little prints of flowers, hearts and a teddy. The cushion in the cat bed is reversible, with a fish on one side - the cat can choose, depending on his mood!

Before and After - Makeover

In a gift shop during a holiday in Tenerife in 2003, I glanced at a box of key rings and my instinct knew they'd become something more one day. I bought the entire box full and this year I decided I needed some bridesmaids for my Ladies Shop. I'd never dressed small dolls before and certainly never wigged one but I enjoyed working on these. Not very professional but very sweet!

Disappearing Cookies!

These gorgeous little cookies didn't disappear, fortunately....... but an identical display of cookies on a glass stand, just like this one was sent to me, here in Granada by Linda of Linsminis but they never made the journey.
How, one might wonder could they possibly go astray with the package correctly addressed to me and with Linda's return address on the back?
Usually, Linda makes only one of each of her creations but on this occasion she copied it and kindly sent me a replacement - which did arrive safely.

Somewhere, someone has a display of cookies just like this one; I hope they appreciate it as much as I do mine.
Thanks, Lin. x

Thoughts of Christmas

Focusing on completing at least one of my many unfinished projects I took my little Christmas carpet to my friend's house today where we had our 'dollshouse club' together.
I started making this carpet when I went to Sharm for Christmas 2008. It's a free pattern from Dollshouse World and is small enough to get the whole thing, including skeins of thread and scissors into a very small plastic box. Very useful for packing into a suitcase and likewise, a beach bag!
Like so many projects of mine that queue for completion it hadn't seen light of day since my return.
And so, today I was thinking of the Christmas I started this and looking forward to this coming Christmas when I hope to finally place it loving inside my Christmas house.

Patchwork

If I had to choose between all my interests, it would be miniature patchwork.
I have a passion for cotton fabric - the smell, the colours and the patterns. Fine cotton handles so well for miniature work and produces clean, crisp results.
I cut squares of fabric a little bigger than needed and tack each one to a half inch square of paper. I lay out the design on a cork board where each piece can be stabbed down with a pin until needed. Then, with right sides together I over-sew the squares together in rows and then over-sew the rows. To complete the quilt I back it with a piece of cotton.
After 1/2" squares I got smaller to 3/8th" squares and finally hexagons with 1/4" sides.
Hand patchwork is relaxing to do, needs very little fabric and the whole project can be carried around in a sweet tin. Many of my patchworks and mini carpets have been done on the beach or by the pool on holiday for this reason.
I sometimes buy sample packs of fabrics and I have a dear friend who makes the most beautiful full size patchworks and she saves me all her off-cuts.
It's a clean hobby, and other than a few stray threads, it doesn't make too much mess.

A Magazine can be a Wonderful Thing!

I've been visiting my offspring and despite my dashing madly from one place to the other faster than the speed of light in order that everyone feels suitably visited, I'm feeling remarkably relaxed and unstressed! I was staying with my dear daughter and she bent over backwards to look after me, and her soon to be 'other half' is an excellent cook so I was almost sorry to leave!
Four days away from my miniature making I may well have had serious withdrawal symptoms if it were not for her digging deep into their wardrobes and supplying me with endless 'sewing jobs' as she puts it.

Flying forces me to sit and 'do nothing' as they won't allow me to take on board knitting needles, saws, scissors or the like so I bought a magazine and although I'd made up my mind before hand that I would be bored with it in minutes - I was wrong! Suddenly my head was back in 'miniature mode' and I was readily absorbing ideas for new projects!
How to 'Make It Small' is what I think when I hatch an idea and that is how I came to use this name for my website several years ago, although it's a shambles at the moment - but that's yet another hobby, isn't it? I'll get around to it one day when I have nothing to do.......ha!

Making Day

Being confined to the house due to having the electrician here to do some work is an excellent excuse (as if I really needed one!) to spend the day in my work room cutting, sewing, gluing and designing new ideas, all of which I have done today.
The sun was pouring in through the open doorway, providing perfect light and fabulous warmth.

Tomorrow I plan to paint a table and some baskets - whooop! I'm easily pleased.

Successful Fair

For my friend and I the Dollshouse and Miniatures fair at Nerja was a massive hit. Like two eager beavers we had arrived an hour and a half early, ensuring ourselves a parking place close to the venue.
I always promise myself that once inside I'll look at all the stands first, then go back to those I really liked and buy something. It never works and true to form I had spent 55€ at the first stand.
By lunch time both my friend and I had spent all our money and I'd walked up to the high street and maxed my visa card for the afternoon spend.
Having to stop for the customary siesta break here in Spain it enabled us to eat, rest and drop our loaded bags back to the car, starting the afternoon refreshed and eager to spend again. And spend we did.
It was busier in the afternoon and very hot but we managed to stay until it was time to drive to the airport to pick up my husband and with no more than ten euros between us. I'm too embarrassed to admit how much we spent but the stall holders did very well from my dear friend and I!