AIM Mag Issue 10 PDF

Contents… March 2009: Issue No 10

Cover Image: Petite Properties (1:24th Scale Dolls house)

Regular Features… 2 Editor’s Note: An introduction & welcome to this month’s edition of the Artisans In Miniature FREE ‘downloadable’ magazine! 3 Showing Us The Way: Harlands of Hendon explain more about the organisation of their show. 10 Well, It Happened To An Artisan: Read about the often strange lives of AIM members 11 In The Dock: AIM member Sue Newstead is put into the dock, read her fascinating answers, to our in depth questions. 16 Crafty Tips: Learn the tricks of the miniature trade. 20 Fairy Celebrations & Festivals: Louise Goldsborough explains more about March’s celebration of Ostara. 32 Mini Aimers: Written by Margaret Pitts especially for younger miniaturists and the artisans of the future. 49 Antique & Vintage Corner: Celia Thomas takes a closer look at the popular manufacturer of dolls house accessories from the pre 2nd World War era called Taylor & Barrett 53 The Miniature Kitchen: Mags Cassidy opens the door or her virtual kitchen ‐ Check out the fantastic fimo project and other helpful information she has in store for you! 56 The Miniature Grapevine: Catch up on all the latest news from the international miniature world.

Special Features… 5 Inspiration From The Old Masters, Ophelia: Doll maker Eileen Sedgwick shares her interpretation of this classic painting. 17 Adapting 1:12th scale miniature knitting & crochet patterns for smaller scales: Frances Powell of Buttercup Miniatures shares her expert knowledge on adapting knitting & crochet patterns. 21 Tiny Little Dolls: AIM members share with us their tiniest ‘smaller scale’ dolls. 28 An Open Book: Find out more about the fantastic miniature book made by Terry Neville of Datemans Books. 35 The Joy of 1:24th Dolls: AIM member and doll artisan Kate Pinsent shares with us her enthusiasm for creating exclusively in this smaller ‘half’ scale. 38 Think In Scale: Robin Britton takes a closer look at working with different scales. 48 Smaller & Smaller: AIM Member Margaret Pitts takes a closer look at what’s on offer in the smaller scale miniature property market. 51 Show Report: Sandra Morris lifts the lid on last month’s Thame Dolls House & Minia‐tures Show.

Free Projects… 19 Knitting Project: Buttercup Miniatures provide us with a fantastic knitting project suitable for both 1:12th and 1:24th scale. 24 What‐not Project: Enjoy Jane Harrop’s charming 1:12th scale project that has been finished and accessorised to compliment a country style bedroom or bathroom setting. 39 24th Scale Inset Room Project: Bea (Fiona Broadwood) of Petite Properties shares her highly effective solution for completing miniature DIY within a confined space! 54 Fimo Project: AIM member Vicky Guile shares her simple yet highly effect project to create a mouth watering lemon cake in ‘half scale’.

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Editor’s Note...

The AIM magazine production Team

(in 'first name' alphabetical order)

Bea (Fiona Broadwood) Editor: Editor's note,

(Layout, Format Designer & Publisher)

office@petite‐properties.com

Celia Thomas Features Editor Co Ordinator: The Miniature Grapevine / Antique & Vintage Corner [email protected]

Dave Williams Production Manager:

In The Dock / Historic Houses / Showing Us The Way / AIMology [email protected]

Mags (Margaret Cassidy) Cookery Features Editor: The Miniature Kitchen

info@mags‐nificent.co.uk

Margaret Pitts AIM Columnist

New children's feature: Mini AIMers

[email protected]

Robin Britton AIM Columnist:

Crafty Tips / Yes It Happened To An Artisan / Artisan Street

[email protected]

Sandra Morris AIM Columnist:

Tales From The Toy Cupboard [email protected]

(Regular 'Author of' information given in italics)

Please note all AIM members contribute to the magazine…

Dear Reader It is said that March “Comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb...” and after pondering this old saying for some time, I am left concluding that the author of it must have been an exhibitor at Miniatura!

For many AIM members (myself included), the world famous Spring Miniatura show held at the NEC in Birmingham certainly puts the ‘M’ into March, whilst also ensuring that the month starts with an almost audible ‘roar’ of activity and preparation. Indeed for many of my colleagues who will be exhibiting there on the 21st and 22nd of this month will undoubtedly now be collectively gripped by an all consuming panic as the calendar flips over!

However despite the whiff of panic building in the air, it has been nothing short of a minor miracle that AIM members have found the time amidst their busy professional lives to produce yet more fabulous content for you the reader to enjoy.

So why not grab a ‘cuppa’… sit back, relax and join us this month as we take a closer look at the fascinating and often mesmerising world of the smaller scales.

From 1:24th, 1:48th to even smaller scales, AIM members have shared their tiniest of creations for you to both marvel at and hopefully enjoy. AIM members have also written some fabulous projects for readers to try out themselves and if that was not enough, this month’s Grapevine is crammed full of news, announcements and interesting information about the miniature world that we all love.

Finally I really hope you enjoy this issue of the FREE AIM magazine and with any luck the quiet ‘lamb‐like’ part of the month will soon be with us all…. However, for my fellow exhibitors at Spring Miniatura, I am almost certain that you will have to wait until the 23rd for calmness and normality to return!

Bea Editor (& General whip cracker) March 2009 www.petite‐properties.com



SHOWing Us The Way Harlands of Hedon When and why did you become involved with miniature fairs? Began running our own fair 10 months ago because we needed a fair in our area.

Is this a full time occupation for you and what did you do or still do before you started in miniatures? Almost full time but cannot earn enough from miniatures to live! I worked in various types of retailing for nearly 30 years.

Do you own a dolls house or collect miniatures, if you do what is your most treasured piece? Yes I do – I love all my miniatures and houses so I couldn’t choose any one item.

Do you ever get any strange requests regarding the fairs? We haven’t had any except one man who insisted he should receive refreshments as part of his entrance fee of £2.00.

Do you have any hobbies, if you do what are they? I love to read. I work 3 hours per week in our local charity shop. I try to swim twice a week, add to that, family commitments, there isn’t much time left.

Do you read books and magazines on Miniatures, if you do, what is your favourite? I usually receive a couple of magazines on my birthday and Father Christmas puts one or two in my stocking but I don’t have a favourite.

If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in miniature making, what would it be? I think you need to be in the business for a while, to get to know other Traders plus people’s likes/dislikes and all the small problems that can occur.

Do you think there is much, if any, rivalry or jealousy between traders? Yes, but I don’t understand why.

If you were told you could go back in time to visit a certain era, what period would you choose? I love history and couldn’t choose a particular era.

Are there any bad things in the Miniature world that you would like to see put right? As in any business, large or small – copying other people’s ideas, which have involved a lot of time, effort and cost, is very sad. I don’t think people take this very seriously.

Do you think the Dolls house hobby needs more publicity? Yes, there is so much talent in this hobby and a lot of the public do not realise what is available.

Re the previous question, if you do, what do you think could be done to enhance its popularity? Advertising is too expensive for most Miniaturists and economics at the moment are a problem, so not sure what would help just now.

What do you think to the mass‐produced imported items now available? They have their place in the hobby but I am concerned at the quantity that is coming out of China.

If you were told you could come back in a second life, what would you change, ie would you still want to come back as who you are now and would you still want to be involved in miniatures? I would only want a second life if all my loved ones were with me!

Do you consider yourself lucky to be able to do what you are doing? I’m not sure that ‘lucky’ is the right word. We work very hard for very little pay but because we enjoy our work so much we are prepared to live on a small amount. I do think we are fortunate because we now know so many lovely people.

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment that has occurred from running a fair? I can’t think of anything, ask me in a couple of years!

What was the first record or CD you ever bought? I think it was by the Kinks but can’t remember which one!

One inch to a foot (1/12th scale) is the accepted standard, but more smaller scales are now becoming available, do these seem to sell as well? We tried making and selling 24th scale but customers would not pay the price so we stopped.

Considering how long the 1/12th scale has been going, how do you think the smaller scales will do in the long term? I really don’t know.

If you were told you were to be marooned on a desert island and you could only take one CD, one DVD and one book, what would you choose? CD – any Tamla Mowtown hits; DVD – Jungle Book; I can’t choose a book because I don’t like to read anything twice so I guess anything with lovely cheerful pictures.

Do you think there is anything that cannot be produced in miniature? I don’t think so.

What is the strangest question you’ve had since running a fair? We were asked to leave our rabbit hutch tops loose so that the rabbits could be cleaned out! But so far, nothing to do with the running of the fair.

Do you exhibit yourself at Dolls House/Miniature fairs? Yes, I think that this is essential; you must experience them to know how to run one.

Do you get a buzz from running a fair or is it a nail‐biting affair? 50‐50, I really look forward to the day but I’m convinced that the weather will be terrible, the police will close the road, etc.

Do you know if anyone famous has visited or still visits your fair? Mags Cassidy exhibits at our fairs, I think she is classed as ‘infamous’!!

Do you think you have any advantage over your competitors, if so what is it? We have an advantage locally, that’s why we started.

What do you think the world of computers and the Internet have brought to the Miniature world? I am computer illiterate so I’m not affected personally an awful lot, but we rely on the computer to run the business because that’s how everyone does it and you have to keep up with the trends otherwise people don’t know that you exist.

Excluding the last question, have you seen any major changes since you became involved in miniatures? Yes, there are too many people selling imported goods who are not Miniaturists, just Traders. On the other hand, there are lots of lovely, friendly people selling imported goods and even more making and selling lovely miniatures. This has the knock‐on effect of making more of the public aware of the hobby and what is available.

Have you noticed any change in the number of visitors attending your fairs since you first started out? Not so far, the numbers have been steady.

Do you visit other fairs yourself? I used to but I don’t have the time now and I really don’t have the spare cash. I would love to but have to be realistic.

What would you consider to be your greatest achievement, in your real life and in the miniature world? Staying married – oops! Happily married, produced 2 great kids. Our sons are now grown up. Anyone that has met them through our fairs will know how friendly and polite they are. Customers look for us at fairs and they can rely on our quality and service. It’s taken a few years to gain this respect and we intend to hang on to it.

Do you have any plans to increase the number of fairs that you organise? Not at the moment.

Do you actually foresee a time where you will stop being involved with miniatures? No – I hope not. And finally... If someone wanted some advice on exhibiting how would they be able to contact you?

Tel: 01482 898869 www.harlandsofhedon.com [email protected]

We love to chat to Customers.



\nspiration from

the Old Masters… bÑ{xÄ|t

By AIM Member Eileen Sedgwick Anyone interested in making miniature figures could do a

lot worse than start by looking at the world of Fine Art.

Paintings are a rich source of reference for the style and

construction of garments: colours, patterns and textures

of fabrics, as well as accessories, make‐up, jewellery,

hairstyles etc. It was partly for this reason I originally

began to reproduce them myself when I first started

doll‐making, and I was surprised to see, looking back

recently, that I had recreated eight so far, including the

one of Ophelia.

It is something of a treat to work on a piece based on a

favourite painting. As well as the historically accurate

costume, the composition, choice of colours, pose,

atmosphere etc. has already been created for you in the

masterpiece. You can also be sure there will be the extra

delight and pleasure for your audience of recognising

(hopefully!) the original source of your inspiration within

your newly created piece.

“ It’s almost a guaranteed recipe for success!”

Some of my reinterpretations have been just of single freestanding figures. In the one I based on

Waterhouse’s “Lady of Shalott” (1888), I set the figure in a boat on a simulated section of the stream, but

still in the round. With Ophelia I’ve moved slightly further away from the traditional idea of doll‐making,

and have made a relief picture, like the “Dream of Sheep” piece I made last year. I trained originally in Fine

Art, specialising in mixed‐media drawing and painting, so moving more towards the arts of mixed‐media

collage, sculpture and experimental textiles seems quite a natural approach for me, and it is certainly

something I intend to explore and develop further in the future. I didn’t want to just copy the original this

time, but rather to use it as a starting point.


Ophelia appealed to me very much as a

subject in so many ways. As for John Everett

Millais who created the original painting in

1852, with poor Elizabeth Siddall posed in a

warm bath for months, the original tragic

story was compelling enough. In my own 2D

work however, water and the transformations

it creates has featured for many years, and I

had wanted to try to build links between this

and the new doll‐making I was doing for some

time.

I made the figure in the way I usually do,

although I also had to consider the fact that

the composition was flatter than usual...this

figure has less material at the back of the

head for example so that she will appear to be

partly submerged. The wonderful surface of

the stream strewn with the stems of her

garlands, the floating weeds and the flowing

water all had their appeal and I thought it

would give me wonderful opportunities for


experimenting with some of the new materials I

had collected. I used a grey supporting fabric

onto which to build the hand‐dyed fibres and

netting, laying them out to try to suggest

reflections and depth, the flow of the water and

the feeling of the girl sinking into it and

becoming, for a short time, part of the stream.

The stitching is both decorative and functional in

that it holds the layers together, and suggests the

direction of the flow of the stream, and the beads of water and light reflecting off the surface. Her

dress has skeletal designs of flowers and leaves drawn over it which reflect those applied on the

surface of the water and any laid about the edges of the piece. I referred to my own sketchbooks for

notes on rivers, water and natural forms, as well as the Millais piece for colours, shapes, reflections,

anything which could be used to enrich the surface, yet also tried to keep a simple unity in the range of

colours used. The fibres are of hand‐dyed silk and also in this piece some soft brown alpaca hair. It

could be justifiably thought strange perhaps to choose warm and woolly fibres to represent the water

of the “Weeping Brook”? I have also used strips of different coloured fine netting to twine about

Ophelia’s form in the water like ripples. Sometimes it is only later you fully understand your instinctive

choices.

Â ....Her clothes spread wide, And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up;

Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes, As one incapable of her own distress,

Or like a creature native and indued unto that element...”

(Hamlet: IV.7 vs166 onward)


I see now quite clearly the idea of the stream as

her death bed, folding softly about her, as she

sings and feels almost comfortable in her new

element for a time...yet there will come the

entrapment of the water, all too soon to pull her

down to “muddy death”. Woven through her

story is the emotional snare of Hamlet’s

duplicity, so these were appropriate textures

perhaps to choose, each with their own subtle

meanings, adding further, even if only

subconsciously at first, to the story of the scene.

There are many religious themes and references

in Pre‐Raphaelite painting, although I’m not sure

how conscious Millais was of the similarity of

the pose of Ophelia to that of the crucifixion.

This idea of sacrifice, and that of water marking

the joining of two worlds, a transformation

point, has great resonance for me. In ancient

times pools of water, marshes and rivers were

thought mystical places, allowing us to see

glimpses of other worlds and to offer gifts, or

sacrifices through them.

The sensation Rossetti described of being “rapt

from Earth to Heaven” was in my mind when I

considered how I felt about and wanted to

depict Ophelia. I was also thinking of the images

I had seen of the bog bodies laid in the marshes,

and of some of the poetry of Seamus Heaney,

that I have loved for many years, which links

women and water, often in tragic

circumstances. I wanted to try to achieve, as

icons often do, something beautiful and yet at

the same time terrible ‐ showing death yet

containing hope, peace and serenity.

I spent some time combing out her hair so that

it seemed to spread like a halo around her head.

I tried then to interweave the figure and the

backcloth, so that the dress and the stream

were difficult to distinguish. I used the same

beading on the neckline of the dress as in the

water droplets, with just a slight change of scale.

Through her physical merging with her sur‐

roundings, I wanted to suggest something of the

transformation she was also undergoing inside.

Ophelia ‐ innocent, sacrificed, spared through madness the

fear and distress of her terrible immediate danger, passing

unseen from this world to the next.

It is an incredibly sad, moving, and yet also beautiful scene

in a tragic timeless story.

My Ophelia, in spirit at least, seems already to have found

that gentler place; I wanted to show this in her face, with

her eyes already seeing through the dark glass. She

appears to be held up, almost reborn from the water, as

she begins the mysterious transformation of her final

journey.

Despite some of the rather sad aspects of this particular

story, I did find making this piece based on the story of

Ophelia extremely enjoyable and rewarding, and I would

like to thank you for letting me share some of my thoughts

about that process here.

I hope I’ve also convinced you too of the enjoyment and

value to be had in engaging with the world of

Fine Art and allowing it to work its

magic on you!

All text & images belong

to Eileen Sedgwick.

Copyright Eileen Sedgwick 2009

For more of Eileen’s work, go to:

www.eileensedgwick.com



As a child, my house was a haven for nature

books; we had rows upon rows of them and

reading was and still is, one of my favourite

past‐times. But there was one book that I took

an especial liking to ‐‐ a Collins Guidebook of

Birds. It wasn’t exactly my book, it belonged to

my brother but he didn’t see it for dust after I

got my hands on it.

Being a huge lover of birds, the book and I

were literally inseparable. I carried it

everywhere with me, including outdoors and

scrawled my name on

the side of the closed

pages of the book.

One day I was on the

bus with my dad and

with my book. I was looking at the pictures

and seeing if I could spot a hooded crow, I

remember that clearly because it was

the winter of 1987 (I was 7 years old at the

time) and the crows would be out and about

during this season.

Then it was time to get off the bus and we

were in a hurry since we almost missed our

stop. Then as the bus drove away, panic set in.

I had left the book on the bus!

When dad and I got back home, we called the

bus depot to see if anyone had handed the

book in, but to no avail.

Well, it Happened to… A Miniature Artisan

This month we bring you a delightful story by AIM member Anya Stone of an amazing coincidence in her life ...

He tried to find a

replacement, but the

book was already either

out of print or very hard

to get hold of. This was in

the days before Amazon

or the Internet unfortunately, and the book was

never found.

After that I don’t think that there was a soul on

earth who hadn’t heard me say ‘do you know

where you can get the 1980 copy of the Collins

bird guide?’ so everyone who knew me knew I

was after that

book.

To my delight I

was bought a

copy for my 25th birthday. Then about a month

after having the book I noticed something

scrawled on the closed pages on the side of the

book. It was my name written in my childish

handwriting.

I still have a hard time believing that the book is

the same one I lost back in 1987. I can only

assume that there were very few copies left or

the person who found it wasn’t keen on bird

watching so it ended up back with me.

Either way it turned out to be a happy ending.

Copyright belongs to Anya Stone

www.anya‐stone.co.uk

‘Lost & Found’

(Picture top right: Anya’s Peregrine Falcon ‐ Polymer clay sculpture with real feathers applied to the body Length 3.7


AIM Member Sue Newstead

• When and why did you become involved with miniatures? Only two years ago, though I have painted all my life. When recuperating after a long illness, I picked up a ‘Homes and Gardens’ type magazine and discovered what I then thought was a photo of a (full sized) dummy board. I said to myself “I would like to paint one of those” and so I did. I then began to research the historic ones and before I knew it, I had enough for a book and had amassed over 400 photos. It might not be a natural progression from there to mini ones, but I got a request from a local dollshouse shop to try them in miniature and I obliged. The results can be seen on the web site. Sadly the shop reneged on the deal and I was rather disheartened to be told that I wouldn’t be able to sell them. I thought I had better go and find out about this miniature world, particularly as regards pricing. I was lucky to fall in with Alan Barnes and Sue and John Hodgson who introduced me to Charlotte of KDF. The rest is history. When I went back to that original photo I found to my amazement that what I thought was a free standing dummy board of a 17th century gentleman, it was in fact a flat picture made up of tiles stuck to a wall! Fate maybe?

• Is this a full time occupation for you and what did you do before you started in miniatures? Yes it is for me, though Stephen is still involved full time with his Garden Consultancy business. I spent many years in psychiatry working with younger people with dementia ‐ No it’s not just a disease which attacks older people. When I developed my illness (I know what you’re thinking‐ and no it isn’t catching! ) I had to leave my job and found that, having a lot of free time I could paint full time if I wanted to.

• Have you ever had any special training for what you do, or are you completely self taught? Apart from A level no training at all. I would like to think that I could give some credit to my art teacher but as she was inebriated most of the time (she used to nip into the supplies cupboard for more than a nip of gin!), she wasn’t much help. I was left to my own devices much of the time and I suppose the resultant unsupervised experimentation was good for me. Art is in the family, in the genes though.

• If you wanted to completely change what you make now, what would you like to make in miniature instead? Both Stephen and I would love to make 17th century Dutch marquetry. We love the sophisticated furniture of that age. We did make a chest on legs for our display roombox which was painted to look like marquetry but that’s as far as we got.

• Do you own a dolls house? No, only the 17th century room box parlour which we made for display.

• Do you collect miniatures? Again only the pieces we have bought for our display. The things I would like are out of our price range, sadly.


• What do your family and friends think of what you do and do they encourage you? Well, Stephen is my “ cutter‐outer” so we work together and he is very encouraging. My brother Ian works for the National Trust so he has been very helpful. A few of my friends do come to the shows to support me even though they aren’t collectors and if it weren’t for one friend I would never have got into painting miniatures at all. Hilary took me to that first dollhouse shop and when the owner boasted that she had ‘everything that could possibly be put into a dollhouse’ in her shop, my friend countered with “bet you don’t have any dummy boards?” It’s entirely Hilary’s fault we are where we are now!

• Do you keep anything that you make? No, except a 5 inch miniature of me in 17th century costume and I have painted Stephen as a Jacobean courtier complete with pearl earring. We use these on the display stand but I have many full sized replica figures which I use when I lecture to groups about the historic dummy boards.

• What do you most enjoy making? Miniature dummy boards of dogs. They are such charming subjects.

• Is there anything you make that you do not enjoy making and why? As yet, no... but I am in the fortunate position of not having to do what I don’t like...yet.

• Do you ever get times where you think of giving it all up? I am so passionate about dummy boards and feel that they are a real lost art form, that I would never give up promoting them. However I might be forced to stop painting little ones if my eyes or my hands gave up on me.

• Do you read books and magazines on Miniatures? If you do, what is your favourite? No I’m afraid not...unless someone we know is featured in them, or us of course!

• Do you keep a notebook of ideas or future projects, or is everything you do, done on an impulse? Not a notebook, no, but I have hundreds of photos of full sized dummy boards to draw on, a by‐product of my book. Sometimes, something I see will fire me to paint a (non historic) figure such as the 1/24th children I am working on now, based on Victorian scraps.

• Do you have a purpose‐built workshop? I don’t need much room but I have a studio in the house and this space allows us both to work side by side, Stephen cutting out and me sanding or finishing. If we need a bigger work area for a display for example, then Stephen

will use his workshop.

• Is your workshop full of very expensive ma‐chinery? No, not at all. We have a few small drills and of course a mini jigsaw but the figures are made by hand so we don’t need too much machinery.

• Do you work com‐pletely on your own? If not, who helps you?

Stephen and I work together, me painting and he cutting.

• If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in miniature making, what would it be? I really am not qualified to give advice as we have not been in the business very long but I will say ‐ find a niche. What you do after that is up to you. Do your homework and believe in yourself. Don’t be put off.

• If you had to move house and workshop from where you are now and money was no object, where would you choose to go? We would go back to the chalk Downs and trout streams of Wiltshire and buy ourselves a (full sized!) William and Mary or Queen Anne house and fill it with beautiful antiques.

( sigh)........


• Do you think there is much, if any, rivalry between makers? We haven’t found any rivalry in fact the exact op‐posite. Craftspeople have been so generous with their advice and time. We have experienced some copying which is unhelpful and sad but I’m sure that sort of thing is rare in the miniature industry.

• Hour for hour, do your sales warrant what you do? Not at all. But if something is worth doing then I believe it’s worth doing well. If I can make someone happy by making something they really love then my time is well spent.

• Is there anybody from the miniature world whose work you really admire? In the modern world, I admire the painted work of John Hodgson and Joy Stanley Ricketts. In history, the work of painters Nicholas Hilliard and Richard Cosway are inspirational as is Petitot the 17th c. French painter.

• If a competitor came to you for advice, would you give it freely? Yes I would, though I wouldn’t give away any real trade secrets! Actually we don’t have any direct competitors but I would try to be as helpful as I could.

• If you were told you could go back in time to a certain era, what period would you choose? I would go back to the end of the 17th beginning of the 18th century. As long as I could be wealthy and take Paracetamol and central heating! I love the fashion, the artefacts and the music of the era.

• Do you think the Dolls house hobby needs more publicity? I expect it could do with a bit if a boost. Sadly it can be seen as a rather ‘childish’ occupation and people need to appreciate that working or collecting in miniature is just as valid as full sized craft‐ working or collecting.

• If you were told you could come back in a sec‐ond life, what would you change, ie would you still want to come back as who you are now and would you still want to be involved in minia‐tures? I would like to have swapped working with people for working with things. I have always wanted to

be an art restorer and so I could then work on historic miniature pictures couldn’t I?

• Do you consider yourself lucky to be able to do what you are doing? I am very lucky to be doing what I want to do...when I want to. If I want to paint all day.. I can. • What was the first record or CD you ever bought? Ah that’s easy! I have always loved classical music and when I was 8 years of age I bought Beethoven’s Pastoral ( Symphony no. 6 ) on vinyl. Everyone else was raving about the Beatles. I just thought they were raving. Still do ;‐}

• After buying from you, do you get many cus‐tomers coming back for more? We are so new ..we don’t know yet. We hope so. But if they only ever buy one dummy board then that is fine too. A lot of people are not fond of dolls in their houses and our figures are perfect for them.

• One inch to a foot (1/12th scale) is the ac‐cepted standard, but more smaller scales are now becoming available. Do you make anything in smaller scales and if so, what scales do you make in and what is your favourite scale? We started in 1/12th and are now experimenting with 1/24th. That small it’s quite difficult to paint on wood and to cut out but we are resourceful. I like painting in both scales.

• Considering how long the 1/12th scale has been going, how do you think the smaller scales will do in the long term? Art will imitate life. Real homes are getting smaller and so 1/24th scale should do very well. • If you were told you were to be marooned on a desert island and you could only take one CD, one DVD and one book, what would you choose. We don’t have a T.V. so have few DVD’s but I think our ‘Allo Allo’ series would have to come with us and we would watch it on the computer as we do now. WE LARF OUR SOCKS OFF AT IT! Stephen and I are both devotees of Richard Strauss and I think for both of us, ‘The Four Last Songs’ sung by Gundula Janowitz would be an essential. Stephen would want a book of plants to

look at and I would be happy with a large picture book on great art to study. I could waste hours on that!

• Do you only sell to the Dolls House fraternity? If not, where else do you sell? No, I sell art to anyone who wants to buy it. I exhibit in a few local galleries and with a few societies. Both full sized and miniature.

• Do you think there is anything that cannot be produced in miniature? Let someone try to replicate a bacterium in 1/12th.... mmm I’m being silly now!

• What is your favourite tool or material for working in miniature? My 10 noughts sable brush, small enough for painting the white dot in the eye of 1/24th figure to make them look alive!

• What is the strangest thing you have ever made or been asked to make? We are waiting for that one.

• Do you exhibit at Dolls House/Miniature fairs? Yes. KDF, Miniatura and we do Thame.

• Do you exhibit abroad? If not, is it something that you would like to do? We should like to go to the fair at Arnhem. There are many dummy boards in the museum there and this art form originated in Holland. Maybe we wouldn’t have to do quite so much explaining about what dummy boards are, at Arnhem!

• Do you get a buzz from exhibiting or is it a nail‐biting affair? Stephen is not so keen but I love it! Biting my nails...no quite the opposite..it’s the only time I paint my nails! When you are showing your work it’s good to have nice hands to handle them with.

• Do you think working in Miniature has changed your life in any way? Though I have to pace myself owing to my illness, I am very lucky to be able to do what I want with my day. I feel very privileged to be involved in this industry and wonder what I would do if I couldn’t paint. Changed my life, no.. but broadened it, yes.

• Why do you think customers should buy from you instead of someone else? Because we do something no one else does! :0}

• Have you ever sold one of your products to someone famous? Yes. Princess Ann and the Prince of Qatar ( but then most people have.)

• Do you think you have any advantage over any competitors, if so what is it? Strictly, we don’t have any direct competitors. I suppose those who paint mini pictures are competing to a degree. However I paint in oils on wood and no one else seems to do this, Maybe this is a unique selling point. Also we offer a bespoke service where we will paint your face into any costume you like so you can stand in any room in your own dollhouse. Now that IS unique.

• Do you sell through the internet? Yes, we have a web site: www.pastmastery.com though it isn’t completely devoted to miniatures ( yet...)

• What do you think the world of computers and the internet have

brought to the Miniature world? Of course it has allowed a freer movement of ideas amongst craftspeople and given us all a wider audience for our products.

• Do you think, if someone from the Victorian era visited one of the top shows today, they would be very surprised at the changes? I’m sure they would be shocked at the prices for a start! More than a whole year’s housemaid’s wages for a tiny bed!


• What would you consider to be your greatest achievement, in your real life and in the miniature world? Certainly my book on dummy boards “This Quiet Life” the only one of its kind ever to be written. It has taken me twelve years to write and research and that is a large chunk of anyone’s life. And the spin off, of course, is my army of tiny figures.

• Where do you see yourself in the miniature world in one year’s time? Doing much the same but with one or two 1/24th projects up our sleeves, Stephen and I will be do‐ing what we enjoy best ....working together side by side.

• Do you actually foresee a time when you will stop making miniatures? Only if my hands or eyes pack up. • And finally, if someone wants to commission you to make something, how could they contact you?

Telephone: 01280 703284 Email: [email protected]

Snail mail: Medlar House, Hanover Drive, Brackley, N’hants. NN13 6JS

Website: www.pastmastery.com Sue Newstead Copyright 2009

Artisans In Miniature “An association of professional artisans, dedicated to promoting a high standard

of excellence in original handcrafted scale miniatures…”

The AIM website has been created in order to showcase the work of the individual artisan members whom together form the international Artisans In Miniature association. AIM was founded in 2007 as an association for professional artisans who create beautiful and original scale miniatures for sale to the public. Since its launch, AIM has grown rapidly and now boasts some of the most talented artisans within the miniature world! On the AIM website you will find further information about the work of these international artisans and artists who provide further information about their work

in the AIM online directory, which is free for all AIM members and can be found on the AIM website. New member’s pages are constantly being added to reflect our growing worldwide membership.

So why not bookmark the site today!

Are YOU a professional miniature artisan?? Then why not join us??

AIM is completely FREE to join and inclusion in the AIM online member’s directory is also

uniquely completely FREE!

So...if you are a professional miniature artisan and you would like to find out more about joining the AIM Association please email Bea for more information: Bea@petite‐properties.com

www.artisansinminiature.com



Dear Readers I’m sure you’ll agree this is quite a special CRAFTY TIPS………..because we begin with a reminder that we can all incorporate memories, or special moments into our miniatures and dolls houses.

Marsha Mees – Sassy Minidolls – used a pair of her mother’s leather gloves to cover a trunk, which she filled with beautiful items, including an exquisite nightgown that she made from a handkerchief she carried on her wedding day. The handkerchief had belonged to her aunt, who like her mother, is no longer with her. The photograph is an old one of Marsha and her husband and other pieces were saved when her dolls house was sold. I just love it, and I’m sure you will too. Maybe you have

something tiny, or of no obvious or immediate use, that you are fond of, which, with a little imagination could find a new role.

You can see more of Marsha’s work on her website www.sassyminidolls.com - and she holds the Copyright for the photographs.

...and a CRAFTY TIPS reminder about glue…

A new bottle of Tacky glue is often quite runny and can take longer to dry, especially on wood – this can be solved by leaving the top off for a night or two, and it will have the same ‘grab’ as your old one.

If you are renovating old or antique furnishings, you may notice that sometimes the glue has discoloured. It probably means that a popular rubberised white glue was used. Avoid using this, especially where it may show and discolour in the future and use P.V.A. (white craft/wood glue).

Enjoy and happy mini-ing!


Adapting 1/12th scale miniature

knitting & crochet patterns for smaller scales.

By AIM Member Frances Powell

1/16th scale... All 1/12th scale patterns can very easily be adapted for

1/16th scale by knitting with needles two sizes smaller

than the size knitting needles stated in the pattern. This

is because using two sizes larger or two sizes smaller

knitting needles than that specified in the pattern, will

generally give an overall increase or decrease of ¼‐inch

(0.35 cm) respectively on the item you are knitting.

1/24th scale... Please remember that some 1/12th scale patterns will

not adapt well to 1/24th scale. There are even certain

restrictions to designing knitting patterns in 1/24th

scale such as:

1. Only a small number of stitches can be used, which

makes children’s and baby clothes extremely difficult to

design effectively. 2. There are not many dolls available in this scale that

can easily be dressed in miniature knitting or crochet.

As the garments are so tiny there is very little room to

manoeuvre arms and legs into the garments. 3. Sewing up garments on the doll does not always

work with knitting and crochet, as stitches often need

to be picked up for neckbands, etc.

In both the above photos the toy on the left is 1/24th scale and the toy on the right is 1/12th scale. Also in both cases the toys have been knitted using a 1/12th scale pattern

UK size Metric size US size

14 2.00 mm 0

15 1.80 mm ‐

16 1.50 mm 3/0

17 1.40 mm ‐

18 1.25 mm 4/0

19 1.00 mm 5/0

20 0.90 mm ‐

21 0.80 mm ‐

22 0.70 mm 6/0

23 0.61 mm 7/0

24 0.55 mm 8/0

25 0.50 mm ‐

28 0.38 mm ‐

Knitting needle size comparisons

This said some 1/12th scale knitting patterns can be adapted for 1/24th scale by using knitting

needles SEVEN times smaller and No 80 crochet cotton or No 70 Tatting thread or No 100

crochet cotton, instead of 1‐ply wool or cotton. So, if the 1/12th scale pattern states size 17

knitting needles and 1‐ply wool you would need to use size 24 knitting needles, and No 80

crochet cotton for a 1/24th scale version.

However most 1/12th scale items are usually knitted using size 19 knitting needles and 1‐ply

wool, which means you would need to use size 28 knitting needles and size 100 crochet cot‐

ton or a very fine cotton sewing thread. If you are adapting patterns for this small scale for

the first time try a VERY

simple pattern to see if it works first.

Unless you fancy knitting on extremely thin knitting needles it is perhaps best to use knitting

patterns that are designed especially for 1/24th scale.

1/24th scale crochet... Some items do not adapt well to this small scale and the stitches will look too large on the

finished item, this is particularly the case with crochet work, where gaps between stitches

would be several inches/cms in real size.

It is best to stick to items like bedding and shawls where stitch size does not matter as much.

There is no simple formula for crochet hook sizes as there is with knitting needles. This is be‐

cause the tension of crochet work varies more from person to person than with knitting. The

best way to find the correct hook size is by experimentation.

Crochet hook size comparisons

English Metric US Steel 2.5 1.50 mm 6 3 1.25 mm 8 4 1.00 mm 10 5 0.75 mm 12 6 0.60 mm 14 ‐ 0.50 mm 15 ‐ 0.40 mm 16

Copyright F H Powell 2009 www.buttercupminiatures.co.uk



Note: the above photo shows the smaller 1/24th scale pram cover.

Materials required: For 1/12th scale version‐1 pair size 17 (1.4 mm) knitting needles, approx 30 metres 1‐ply wool For 1/24th scale version‐1 pair size 22 (0.70 mm/US size 6/0) knitting needles, small amount No 70 tat‐ting thread or No 80 crochet cotton

Abbreviations: st‐stitch; k‐knit; yrn‐wind yarn around needle to make a stitch; sl‐slip next stitch from one needle to the other without working it; k2tog‐knit next 2 stitches together to make one stitch; psso‐pass slipped stitch over stitch just worked; p‐purl; ( )‐repeat instructions between brackets as detailed in pattern; rep‐repeat.

This pram cover is knitted sideways. The SAME pattern is used for both scales.

Cast on 29 sts. Rows 1‐2: k Row 3: k 3, (yrn, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yrn, k 1) to last 2 sts, k 2. Row 4: k 2, p 25, k 2. Row 5: k Row 6: k 2, p 25, k 2. Rows 7‐30: rep rows 3‐6 six times more or until blanket is the required width. Row 31: k 3, (yrn, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yrn, k 1) to last 2 sts, k 2. Row 32: K 2, p 25, k 2. Row 33: k Row 34: k Cast off fairly loosely.

Sew in all loose ends. If you wish to press the cover press gently with a warm iron and damp cloth, pull‐ing the work into shape as you go. This works better than blocking and pressing in this scale.

Project: miniature knitting

pram cover in 1/12th and 1/24th scale

© Copyright F. H. Powell 2009 This pattern is for private use only and may not be reproduced in any form, or reproduced for commercial gain including selling any item knitted up from these patterns without written permission from Buttercup Miniatures. Reproducing or transmitting this pattern by any means for any purpose other than for personal use

constitutes a violation of copyright law. www.buttercupminiatures.co.uk


‘Ostara’ The festival of Ostara is celebrated around

21st March on the Spring Equinox and is a

fertility festival. The Christian celebration of

Easter is derived from this most ancient

festival.

Ostara, also known as Eostra’s Day and

Rites of Spring, marks the first day of true

spring. The Goddess bursts forth from her

winter sleep and blankets the Earth with

fertility. The God walks the greening land‐

scape, stretching and growing to maturity.

Fairy Celebrations 9 Yxáà|ätÄá

By AIM Member, Louise Goldsborough

On Ostara the hours of darkness and daylight are equal

and the wild animals and birds are compelled

by Mother Nature to busy themselves with nest

building and mating.

This is a very busy time for fairies and earth spirits as

many new plants and flowers are popping up all over

the place! Suitable Ostara offerings to give to the Fae

include seeds such as sesame, pumpkin and sunflower

or cakes and biscuits made from these; also leafy green

vegetables such as sprouts etc.

Today, we still use many of the old symbols to mark the

Christian Easter celebrations. These symbols include chocolate eggs derived from the ancient

practice of decorating small trees with little painted wooden eggs ( still done in parts of Europe,

especially Germany) The egg is of course a big fertility symbol. Our modern day Easter Bunny

comes from the hare, one of the old symbols of the Maiden Goddess during Spring. In ancient

times it was said that if you saw a hare springing across the land, it was really the Maiden Goddess

of Spring in disguise.

This is the perfect time for renewing or refreshing the home and garden so if you haven’t cleaned

out that old messy cupboard, now is a good time. When you’ve finished that, treat yourself to a

walk and see how many plants you can spot coming to life.

Best wishes, Louise.

www.angeliqueminiatures.co.uk

Debbie Dixon‐Paver is a doll artist from South Africa,

who makes exquisite dolls in porcelain. Her lovely

1/24th creations in tiny trunks, bring the stories of

Cinderella and

Eliza Doolittle

to life. Her work

in 1/12th scale is

as beautiful.

Anne Walden‐Mills is so well known for her

expertise as a costumier who embellishes

garments with exquisite embroidery and

beadwork. In the next two pictures, Row‐

ena, dressed for Ascot and the little girl, Ju‐

dith, she demonstrates the special skills

need to costume 1/24th dolls.


TINY Little Dolls... Little, tiny, dolls fascinate so many of us….1/12th scale is tiny….

but when you go below that scale, 1/16th, 1/24th and even 1/48th, the illusion is even bigger, and the fascination also. We have some wonderful dolls to show you, in these smaller scales…..

The first dolls pictured in the gallery are

also the tiniest; by Dorys Barahona, one of

the AIM members from U.S.A.

Dorys works in moulded clay, but also

crochets these wonderful miniature dolls

and animals.

Don’t you just love the Wizard of Oz

collection!

Dorys Barahona

Dorys Barahona

Anne Walden‐Mills

Debbie Dixon‐Paver

Debbie Dixon‐Paver

Jennifer Matusek has

made the next enchant‐

ing little people in

1/24th scale. She has

achieved such a high

degree of detail in the

clothing of the prettiest

little girl ‐ what a

fabulous hat! And ‐ the

twins – such fun, with

their smiley faces!


Julie Kendall is Jakdaws Attic.

The name itself gives a hint of the

original, fantasy and fairy dolls that

she often creates. We illustrate

two of them, in 1/16th scale – the

amazing, Gothic, Witch‐fairy and

the Dragon Tamer. Julie sculpts in

polymer clay.

Kate Pinsent of K Designs creates 1/24th characters; the

painted head and hands are cast in pewter before she adds

the hair and dresses them authentically. Her work brings a

scene to life, and two we particularly love, are the New

South Wales Farming scene and a Late Victorian Proposal.

Julie Kendall

Julie Kendall

Kate Pinset

Kate Pinset

Jennier Matusek Jennier Matusek


Robin Britton sculpts original character dolls in polymer clay. The group of

Regency dolls shows the versatility of the medium, and the little boy with his

conker, on a cotton reel, demonstrate this 1/24th scale well.

Robin Britton

Robin Britton

Julie Campbell is also a doll artist, sculpting original,

individual dolls with the most beautiful eyes. Julie also

works in polymer clay, and she is launching her 1/24th

dolls at Spring Miniatura, so we are so pleased to have

first sight of her Princess and Wizard.

The photographs are the Copyright of the

individual Doll Artisans listed. They all make a

range of wonderful original dolls, so do take time

to browse their websites and see some more.

Anne Walden‐Mills ‐ www.anrominiatures.com Debbie Dixon‐Paver ‐ www.cdhm.org/user/debbie

Julie Kendall ‐ www.freewebs.com/jakdaws Jennifer Matusek

‐ [email protected] Robin Britton ‐ www.coombecrafts.co.uk K Designs ‐ www.kdesignsdolls.co.uk

Julie Campbell ‐ www.bellabelledolls.co.uk

Julie Campbell

Julie Campbell


1/24th scale

‘what‐not’ By AIM Member, Jane Harrop

Stands with open shelves in three or

four tiers are generally known as what‐nots.

They originated during the end of the

eighteenth century and were often made out

of mahogany with turned fancy legs and used

to display decorative objects.

This simple what‐not has been finished and

accessorised to compliment a country style

bedroom or bathroom setting.

3/32in (2.5mm) by 3/32 (2.5mm) obechi strip wood: Four 1 1/2in (38mm) for legs 1/16in (1.5mm) obechi sheet wood: Four 9/16in (14mm) by 1/8in (3mm) for top sup‐port 1/32in (1mm) obechi sheet wood: 13/16in (21mm) by 13/16in (21mm) for top Two 11/16in (17mm) by 11/16in (17mm) for shelves Eight 9/16in (14mm) by 1/16in (1.5mm) for shelf supports 3/32in (2.5mm) gold plated eyelet for pot pourri dish 1/4in (6mm) gold plated end cap for pot pourri dish Dried flower fragments for pot pourri

1/8in (3mm) to 3/16in (5mm) sized beads for bottles 1/16in (1.5mm) brass drawer knob, gold plated sequin pinhead, 3/32in (2.5mm) gold plated cap for bottle tops 1/4in (6mm) wooden belaying pin for shaving brush handle Twine for bristles 1/4in (6mm) by 1/32in (1mm) length of adhesive foil tape for collar Three 1 1/4in (32mm) by 5/8in (16mm) woven cotton cloth for towels Wood stain Acrylic paint Tacky glue Super glue gel

You Will Need...


To make the what-not... 1. Take a shelf piece and cut 1/16in out of each corner. To

prevent the wood splitting, first cut against the grain, using either

mitre cutters or a craft knife, and then cut with the grain of the

wood. Repeat the procedure with the remaining shelf wood

piece.

2. Lightly sand each of the wood pieces

using fine‐grade sandpaper. Stain the top

and shelf wood pieces with wood stain

referring to the procedures below and paint

the remaining components using acrylic

paint, again following the procedures below.

Wood stain

Apply wood stain to wood using a soft cloth

and use sparingly as too much stain can

warp the wood.

Acrylic paint

Apply two thin coats of acrylic water based

paint with a paintbrush, allowing the first

coat to dry in‐between, to avoid the components

warping. Once dry, lightly sand the face of each wood

piece to remove the ‘flatness’ of the paint.

3. Take a shelf wood piece and position and glue the

narrow edges of four of the shelf supports on top so

that all outside edges are flush. Repeat the procedure

with the remaining shelf and shelf support wood

pieces.

4. Place two legs in a right‐angled gluing jig opposite

each other. Position and glue a top support wood

piece wide side down at one end of the legs, so that

the top of the support is flush with the top of the legs.

Repeat the procedure with the remaining legs and an‐

other of the top supports.

3

1

5

4

6

7

5. Slot the two shelves in‐between the

legs on one of the constructions, posi‐

tioning them as shown on the photo‐

graph and secure using a dab of glue.

Note: Ensure that the grain of the wood

of both shelf pieces run in‐line with each

other.

6. Transfer the measurements on to the

remaining leg construction and then slot

and glue on to the shelves, with the inset

side facing inside the construction. Once

dry, turn and position and glue a top

support piece, in‐line with the previously

positioned pieces. Repeat the procedure

with the remaining top support.

7. Stand the construction and position

and glue the top wood piece centrally on

top of the construction ensuring that the

grain of the wood piece runs in‐line with

the shelf pieces.

Pot-pourri dish Glue an up‐turned gold‐plated end

cap on top of the narrow end of the

eyelet using super glue gel. Once dry,

cover the inside of the dish with tacky

glue and fill with fragments of dried

flowers to represent pot‐pourri. Note:

you could add a drop of essential oil to

make it really authentic

Bottles The dark small bead has a tiny drawer

knob inserted. The lilac bead has the

head of a gold plated sequin pin inserted

and the yellow bead has a gold‐plated

cap placed on top to cover the hole. All

pieces should be secured using super

glue gel.

To make the accessories...



Shaving brush

Cut most of the straight end off a

wooden belaying pin.

Dip the remainder of the straight

end, which is attached to the

belaying pin, into some tacky

glue, and then poke this into the

top of a short length of brown

twine.

Wind the strip of adhesive foil

immediately below the handle to

secure the fibres into place.

Trim any excess string, and then

with your finger,

separate the fibres

to form bristles.

Towels

Carefully fray one

end of the cotton

fabric pieces and

fold and glue each

piece on to itself

with the frayed edge

showing at the top.

Complete the project by

positioning the accessories on

top of the what‐not and gluing

into place using a dab of tacky

glue.

© Jane Harrop October 2008

www.janeharrop.co.uk

An

By AIM Member Terry Neville

I am often asked how I became

involved with miniature books. The

question should be WHY I became

involved, but that’s another story.

It all began when I wanted to have a

book bound for my own use. I could not

find anyone to do it so being interested

in arts and crafts I got a book out of the

library and taught myself.

“I knew nothing about miniatures until, one sunny Sunday

in August…”

It wasn’t long before others were asking

to have books bound and I started a

little business binding family histories,

novels and collections of poems.

I knew nothing about miniatures until,

one sunny Sunday in August, Anne and I

went to Bath to visit an exhibition by the

Miniature Book Society.

We really only went to meet the

representative of the company from

whom we bought our materials, but

when we saw the books it was love at

first sight and I immediately went home

and started working on miniatures.

At first these were the normal 3‐inch

size miniatures of the miniature book

collector but after showing them to

various people, I was asked if I could

make books for dolls houses!

Well I ask you, what kid is going to pay

good money to have a book in their toy

house?!! I was politely told to go and

have a look at a Dolls house Fair and

“The Rest is History”.



My investigations into dolls house miniature books showed me that what were

available were either blocks of wood covered in paper, blank pieces of paper folded in

half or very expensive, leather bound volumes which although of excellent quality,

were out of the price range of the average collector. I started work modifying my

normal binding methods and finally was able to produce REAL books in 1/12th scale that had all the

properties of a real book. They were printed with the actual text of the work being reproduced, they

were readable, and hand bound in exactly the same way as a big book, including having the pages

sewn.

We attended our first fair in Cheltenham with 24 titles and a stock of three of each one. Now, three

and a half years later we have over 200 titles in two sizes and in two different styles of binding to suit

different periods. We have sold our books all over the world in every continent (except, for some

reason, South America) and have exhibited at fairs throughout the UK and in France, Spain and

Holland.

At first we stuck to the classics; Dickens, Jane Austen, Shakespeare etc as these were in the public

domain and free to use. In Europe, copyright protection lasts for 70 years from the time of DEATH of

the author so in order to produce more modern works it is necessary to obtain a license from, and

pay royalties to, their estates.


Our first venture into this field was

Rupert Bear and following its success

we moved on to Beano, Dandy and

other titles from the stable of D C

Thomson, and then to The Eagle. Our

latest venture is the complete James

Bond collection by Ian Fleming. We

are looking into others but the costs

are high and they will probably have to

wait a while.

We would love to produce Harry Potter

as we are asked at almost every fair if

we do them, but despite approaches to

her agents, Miss Rowling has declined

to agree to sell us a license. We know

that there are miniature Harry Potter

books available but as far as we are

aware these are not made under

license and we have no intention of

ruining our reputation by following suit

and producing pirate books. It is not possible in the space and time

available to give full instructions on how to

make a miniature book, but I can outline

some of the problems that you will have to

overcome if you consider making books

yourself.

First select your book bearing in mind the

points made above concerning copyright.

The amount of the text that can be used is

limited; we use either the first chapter or

2000 words, more than this could make the

book appear too thick for its size.

We use a desktop publisher programme to

actually produce the pages. Using this

programme, a template has to be produced

setting out the pages as they will appear in

the final book. All our books are printed on

BOTH sides of the page so the template must

be set up to allow for this.


If you still have any hair left or have not thrown your computer against a convenient

wall, you should now be able to paste in the text of your book and have it

automatically set up to produce a set of pages.

These then have to be cut, sewn, and trimmed. End papers have to be attached and the spine

reinforced. You now have a book block ready to be turned into a book by the addition of a cover.

We make our covers from grey board covered either in imitation leather, bookbinders’ linen or

printed paper. The cover having been made it can now be introduced to the book block and if all

has gone well, once glued together you have your book. All that remains is to add a printed dust

jacket and the book is complete.

From start to finish, once the text has been set‐up, it will take about two days to make a book

although the actual time spent on each stage is not as long; it is the pressing and drying that takes

the time.

For those of you who have better things to do with two days of you life, we will be happy to send

you a catalogue of the books we already make, or you can visit our web site

www.datemanbooks.com and order ready made ones.

Or those who persist and do make their own I will just add a further word of warning. It is

addictive and will slowly take over your life, your home and your sanity!

Copyright of Terry Neville ‐ Dateman Books www.datemanbooks.com

Compiled By AIM Member, Margaret Pitts (MiniMilliner)

Hi Kids! That was a short month, wasn’t it? It’s hard to believe February is over and it’s March already. With all the snow around the country last month, you probably didn’t spend much time working indoors on mini projects….unless you made a snow scene in miniature. Perhaps you tried out the snowman project or the winter trees? If you did, do let me know how you got on.

Does anyone in your family have a toolbox like this? It is very handy for keeping everything together when you are working on a project, but it’s actually surprising how few tools you really need for most things.

Over the next few months, we will have a look at the most commonly used tools for miniaturists and you might like to start putting together your own collection. You don’t have to have a tool-box like the one above ---- something like a shoebox serves the purpose just as well. If there isn’t a spare one around your house and you can’t persuade anyone to buy new shoes, shoe shops are always glad to get rid of (empty!) ones for free.

You could personalise it by covering it with a favourite wrapping paper; (remember you can download lots of wallpapers from the Internet: www.printmini.com/printables/p1.shtml ) Or you could cut up old cards and make your own original design by pasting them randomly on your box.

This month, we will look at glues. Check out the picture below to see if you recognise any of them:

You will notice that all except one are kinds of ‘Tacky’ glue. They are very similar and all work well ….and of course you only need one type, but you will find tacky glue very useful for gluing together many different types of materials. You can apply it with a plastic paste-spreader, or even just a rectangle of stiff card. For tiny dots of glue, a cocktail stick is handy. There are little bottles and sy-ringes available to buy with tiny nozzles, but they can be tricky to use.

This Month...



Mini AIMers Continued…

Here is a TIP when you are using this sort of glue: It is called ‘tacky’ for a reason…..and even some adults don’t know this…..but it only works properly if you spread it where you want it, then leave it for a couple of minutes before you stick things together. This gives it time to change from ‘runny’ to ‘tacky’ and it will stick much more firmly. Also, it won’t squeeze out and run where it shouldn’t if it has gone tacky.

The odd one out in the picture of glues, is the little tube of Super Glue. My advice is leave well alone! There have been all kinds of nasty accidents with super glue, such as people sticking all their fingers together, so although it is a very strong glue, I should leave that to the grown-ups.

Time for a project…..and you will need glue!

You will need: 6 lolly sticks

Stiff card or mount board Tacky glue

Acrylic paint

Step 1. Cut a strip of card about 20cm long and 2 ½ cm wide.

Step 2. Lay 3 lolly sticks side by side and place the card on top of them so that about 0.6cm of the tops of the sticks can be seen. Draw a line on the sticks with a pencil where the bottom edge of the card

comes to.

Step 3. This line is where the lolly sticks need cutting, but you must ask an adult to do this for you. Using one of the cut sticks, mark the other ends of the lolly sticks, then do the same with the other three sticks. You should now have 12 pieces all the same size. Mine were all about 3.2cm.

Step 4. Lay the strip of card flat and mark a line very near one end, just 2mm (NOT cm) from the edge. Glue 3 pieces of lolly stick close together, starting on the line you drew on the card. When the glue has dried, mark another line just 2mm away so that you have a very small gap before you glue on the next three sticks.

Project to make a garden tub or planter...

2

1

3

4

Step 5. Continue like this, until all the sticks are glued onto the card, with a tiny space after every three sticks. There will probably be a large space at the end of the card which we will trim later.

Step 6. Now ask an adult to lightly score down the spaces between every third stick. This will enable you to bend the card where it has been scored, so that you can form the four sides of the planter. The last side will probably be too big and you will have to work out where to trim it. You might need an extra pair of hands for this, so if an adult can hold the planter so that it is perfectly square, you can draw a line where the first side meets the last and cut off this spare piece. Now use your tacky glue to stick these edges together.

Step 7. When the glue has dried, stand the planter on a piece of thick card and draw round it inside. Now cut out the square, just outside the pencil line. Try pushing it into your planter from the top. If it is too big, trim off a tiny bit, but you want it to be a tight fit, so don’t take off too much. When you are happy it is a good fit, glue it in place.

Step 8. All that’s left to do now is to paint it. The hard part is choosing what colour ----if you can’t make up your mind, you could always paint each stick a different colour! I used acrylic paint and gave it two coats, making sure I covered the corners where the card shows. I also experimented with a bigger tub (or planter), using 4 sticks for each side and stained this with a wood stain. (See picture at the start of this project.)

Next month there will be a project to make flowers to put in your planter, so make sure

you have it ready! If you have any questions, comments, ideas or

projects, please contact Margaret: [email protected]

Text & photos copyright of Margaret Pitts http://www.minimilliner.co.uk

Please note that projects in the Mini AIMers section have been written for children, however when

completing the projects children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times!

5

6

7



THE JOY OF 1/24th Dolls! By AIM Member, Kate Pinset

Post War Working Family...

Post War Family...

I have dressed 1/12th dolls for more

years than I care to remember, but

when it came to producing a

complete doll I was unsure whether I

could compete with some of the

wonderful work of other artists.

I did my ‘market research’ one

Autumn Miniatura and was struck by

the enthusiasm of 1/24th craftsmen

and the absence of dolls in that scale.

With some trepidation I returned

home and set to work.

My first piece of good fortune was

that my mother, Jill Bennett, had

already created some 1/24th masters

several years before, but had not

done anything further with them, as

at that time it was not a popular scale

and she had no real interest in them.

I, however, discovered that I enjoyed

working with them very much. I often

think that this is because I am naturally lazy – you

can get away with a hint here, and a hint there,

which is why I never use a magnifying glass!

In 1/12th you have to include so much more detail.

I was also lucky to see that one of the most popular

periods for 1/24th houses and furniture was Tudor

– which I love! There are so many different charac‐

ters that can be created, from the arrogance and

richness of the upper classes, the simplicity of the

artisan and yeoman classes to the roughness (and

dirtiness) of the humble workers.


Ragamuffins...

Tudor Country Woman...

Here we come to the part that really excites me – making

proper people who are capable of doing the work required

around a dolls house. This is one of the reasons that I was

only going to develop the smaller scale dolls if they could

move – all my dolls can sit, stand or hold things (with a little

bit of help from a teeny blob of wax).

From this point, I have allowed my imagination to take flight

and dive into other periods. What I find very interesting is

that I enjoy the 1940s/50s. I don’t like making that period

particularly in the bigger scale, but in my small scale it has an

immense charm. Perhaps it is that I can see my grandmother

in the little mother who sits gently with her knitting – she

was always making things; or my elegant great‐aunt in a neat

twin set and pearls and immaculate hair, arranging some

beautiful flowers. Don’t ask me who the scruffy little tyke is,

but it could be almost any little boy!


Victorian Family... When it comes to materials,

I do spend quite a lot of time

selecting the ones that I

want. I find that I use silk,

fine cotton and jersey –

fabrics that won’t be too

bulky on a tiny figure.

There are some prints small

enough which I use

sparingly. The main thing to

remember is that clothes

should look as if they are

being worn, so I am very

firm with them and it is a

good job that the dolls are

made of metal!

I do try to moderate my

language when they are

being particularly awkward…

Tudor Lady & Gentleman...

So the message is – don’t

be afraid, jump right in!

There are many worlds

that can be created in

1/24th scale (and it only

takes up half the space) –

it has its own special

charm and I for one am

hooked!

Kate Pinsent Copyright Kate Pinset

www.kdesignsdolls.co.uk

By AIM Member, Robin Britton

As a professional artisan, I have to be able to think in scale – it is probably the most crucial aspect of my work. It is absolutely useless to make a really interesting or attractive doll that is taller than the doorway of the dolls house it's supposed to inhabit, and equally hopeless to make a doll that is going to be lost in the corner of the chair because it is too small and out of scale. Thankfully it does become second nature after a bit.

In U.K. most collectors are looking for 1/12th scale which has been the most popular for many years, but an increasing number are now choosing 1/24th scale – our U.S. cousins call that half scale (half of 1/12th see!) Just to confuse us all, many really old houses, especially home made ones are 1/16th scale and if you are over 50 your dolls house, as a child was probably this size.

We could talk about the house that Dad built, which was his own scale and he made the furniture to fit, and Mum and Granny made the dolls – but that is one confusion too far, so let’s leave that, and there is also the intriguing 1/48th and 144th scales, but I’ll leave those to someone else.

The other thing about thinking in scale, is that proportion is also pretty critical. A 5 ½” doll with a waist that in the real world would measure 40ins doesn’t look good, neither do size 20 shoes, especially on a woman. The average table top is probably less than 2ins deep, which is worth bearing in mind when making or buying one as there are a few about that would work out at three times that, if it was the real‐size world. So scale does matter.

Simply put, 1/12th scale means 1inch represents 1foot, 1/24th scale means 1/2inch is 1foot and in 1/16th scale, which is trickier, about 3/4inch means 1 foot. Does that help? Some artisans are in both 1/12th and 1/24th scales, although many specialise in one or the other and a few will work to commission for the more difficult to find 1/16th. The place to find that scale is often with dealers in old and antique dolls and dolls house items.

As a maker I find that it is too difficult to switch between scales when I am working ‐ my brain gets a touch confused, so I like to work in one scale at a time. Of course, just to add to the confusion and fun, a one‐cup teapot in 1/12th scale becomes a family sized 1/24th teapot, a 1/24th storage chest might look very good as a work box on the 1/12th sideboard and a 1/12th ornament looks great as a garden statue in the tiny garden. So try and think in scale and have fun. Robin Britton Copyright 2009 ww.coombecrafts.co.uk

“The house that Dad built…”

“Does that help?...”

“So scale does matter...”



1:24th Scale...

(But can be modified for ANY scale…!)

By AIM Member, Bea (Fiona) Broadwood

With the onset of spring, decorating often comes to mind and here, in our miniature world, is

certainly no exception! However ,when faced with bringing smaller half scale interiors to life it can

sometimes feel that any internal improvements are a difficult combination of miniature ‘DIY ‘verses

key hole surgery… Well not anymore!

Using this simple inset room project you can put the enjoyment back into decorating smaller scale

interiors and as the materials used are mostly odds and ends of scrap craft materials, it will hardly cost

you a thing!

Alternatively if you are a 1:12th scale fan, this

project can be simply scaled up to fit the

larger dolls houses or reduced in size for

those who just love to work in 1:48th. Further

details of how to adapt this project to suit the

scale that you love working in please see page

44 for further details…

Materials: • Medium card; (Cereal boxes are an ideal free source)

• Thin card: (Used greeting cards are an ideal free source)

• 2mm mount card.

• Tacky Glue

• Acrylic paint: dark brown, light brown & black

• Emulsion paint: Ivory, soft peach (or an alternative colour to suit your own colour scheme)

N.B. ‘Tester pots’ available in all DIY shops are ideal for this project.

• Selection of permanent fibre tipped pens in contrasting colours to suit the colour scheme

• (I have used brown and green when completing the room insert shown in this project)

• 2mm bead

• Double sided tape / or carpet tape

Tools: • Metal ruler (one with a finger guard)

• Craft knife or scissors

• Cutting mat

• Pencil

• Paint brushes – assorted sizes as required

Method... Step 1...Carefully measure the internal dimensions of the room that you wish to create an insert

for. Record the internal width, depth and height of the room.

Step 2...Draw out the room dimensions as shown in fig 1. onto medium card and cut out the three

wall elevations using a craft knife and metal ruler. Using masking tape on the reverse side, join the

cardboard walls together to form a three sided room shape. To create the false floor, cut a piece of

2mm thick mount card to the correct shape using a craft knife and metal ruler, ensuring that it fits

easily into the room you are working on. Ensure that the room insert walls AND false floor both fit

into the room together ‐ trim if required, before continuing. Set the false floor aside.


Fig. 1


Step 3… To create the template for the door, take an

off cut of medium card and draw a rectangle

1 ½ inches x 3 inches on to it, then cut out.

This template can then be reused in other

room boxes as required.

Step 4… Next, place the door template in the location

on the cardboard rear wall where you would

like your false door to be located and

carefully draw around the door template.

Step 5… Cut a strip of thin card approximately 12 inches long x ¼ inch

wide. From this strip then cut x2 3inch lengths; parts A and

using a little tacky glue, glue into position on either side of

the door. See Fig.2.

Next cut x3 short lengths of the card; parts B, to fit

horizontally between the side strips on the door. Glue into

position at the top, middle and bottom of the door front.

See Fig.2.

Finally cut x2 strips; parts C, to fit snugly between the

horizontal parts B, glue into position in the centre of the

door, again see Fig.2.

4

Fig. 2

5

Step 6… Paint the door with 2 coats of

brown acrylic paint. Leave to

dry.

Step 7… Take a ruler and pencil and

draw a line approximately ¼

inch below the top of the door

horizontally along each of the 3

sides the room inset. Next

using the paint chosen for the

walls of your room, paint the 3

cardboard walls up to the

pencil line with 2 coats of paint.


7 Step 8… ‘Age’ the walls and door by

distressing them using the dry brush

technique: Take a tiny amount of a

‘dirty brown’ shade of paint onto a

dry soft brush. Remove almost all of

the paint from the brush, then using a

gentle circular motion move the

brush over the surface of the walls /

door allowing the paint to ‘catch’

onto the edges of details such as the

door panels.

Step 9… For the door frame cut a strip of

medium card approximately ¼ inch

wide x 10 inches long. Mark 45° and

cut the strip into 3 pieces, so that

together the card pieces fit snugly

around the edges of the false door.

Paint with 2 coats of ivory paint prior

to fixing them into place with a little

tacky glue.

8

Step 10… Next cut a strip of thin card approximately ⅛ inch wide

and long enough to form the picture rail within the room.

Glue the card strips into position along the previously

drawn pencil line, ensuring that the edges of the wall

paint are covered. When dry carefully paint both the

picture rails and the section of the wall above the pencil

line with 2 coats of ivory paint. When dry distress using

the dry brush technique.

Step 11… To create the skirting boards simply cut a ¼ inch wide strip

of thin card. Then cut another strip of thin card

approximately ⅛ inch wide. Stick the thinner strip of card

onto the front of the larger strip ensuring that both edges

are flush along the bottom of the skirting board in order

to create a fluted detail along the top. Paint the skirting

board with 2 coats of ivory paint, then when dry distress if

required. Fix into place along the bottom edges of each of

the walls using a little tacky glue.


Step 12… If you wish to create the illusion of wall paper on

the walls of the insert room, simply take a little

ivory paint and apply tiny dots in small clusters us‐

ing either a cocktail stick or fine watercolour

brush. Leave to dry. Next take some permanent

fibre tipped pens and add more tiny dots to the

previous white clusters to create the illusion of

small areas of flowers.

For the door handle, glue a small 2mm bead into

position using a little dab of tacky glue and a

steady hand!

Step 13… For the floorboards take a medium piece of

medium card which is slightly wider and longer

than the floor area that you wish to board. Using

chunky bristle brush paint the whole of one side of

the card with 2 coats of dark brown acrylic paint,

ensuring that your brush strokes stay in one

direction. Leave to dry thoroughly. Using a clean

dry chunky bristle brush apply small amounts of

light brown paint to the card, again working in

‘lines’ moving the brush lightly across the surface

in the same direction. Leave to dry. Using a clean

dry chunky bristle brush repeat the above

technique, this time using black paint. Again leave

to dry.

Step 14… To create the individual floorboards take either a

craft knife and metal ruler or a guillotine (if you

have one) and cut the card into strips. The

‘floorboards’ should be a combination of

(approximately) ⅛ inch, ¼ inch and ½ inch wide

lengths. Please note: Ensure that the strips are cut in the same direction as the previous brush strokes.

12

12

13 13

16

14


Step 15… Next paint the

mount board floor

with 2 coats of

black acrylic paint

and allow to dry

before continuing.

Step16… Working on a small strip of floor at a time, spread PVA glue onto the cardboard base and then

stick on the floorboard strips leaving tiny gaps between each one. Ensure that all the edges

and each end of the boards are securely stuck down. Occasionally cut a floorboard in 2 to

recreate a planked effect to the floor and to add a feeling of ‘age and realism’. Once the

whole floor has been covered with floorboards, leave to dry thoroughly before trimming away

the excess.

Step 17… Before fitting the inset room, paint the ceiling and top edge of the walls with the same ivory

paint used previously. Leave to dry before continuing. To fit the floor permanently into the

room, cover the underside with double sided tape (for instant adhesion) ensuring that the

tape goes right to the edges of the floor. Add dabs of tacky glue onto the floor of the room

before gently sliding the false floor into place. Press the floor down firmly and weigh down

with heavy books. Leave to dry over night.

Step 18… Next cover the back of the room insert with double sided sticky tape, again ensuring that the

tape goes right to the edges of the walls. Add a few dabs of tacky glue onto the ‘real’ walls of

the room. Slide the room insert carefully into position and press into place. Hold the 2 front

edges of the room’s walls in place with household pegs until completely dry.

Want to make this inset room in a different scale?...

To scale this project up to 1:12th, simply double all

the measurements given as applicable.

Also remember to double the thickness of the

materials used too. To reduce this project to 1:48th

again just half all of the measurements given and half

the thickness of the materials used too.

Pictures & text by Fiona Broadwood. Copyright 2008 Petite Properties Ltd / LUMO Publishing

16

17


TÇà|Öâx 9 i|Çàtzx VÉÜÇxÜ By AIM Member, Celia Thomas

This month I thought I would briefly touch on a popular manufacturer of dolls house accessories

from the pre 2nd World War era called Taylor & Barrett or T&B for short. Although these T&B

items were readily available at the time, they are now becoming highly collectable, therefore

more difficult to find and consequently more valuable.

History of T&B... After the 1st World War an engineer called Mr Fred Taylor joined Mr A

Barrett and his brother Mr S Barrett to form Taylor & Barrett based in

London. To begin with they made metal toys in their spare time i.e.

evenings and weekends to supplement their full time jobs, by selling their

wares to main stores and also to Charbens Ltd. However in 1923 they

branched out and went into business full time.

In 1929 they moved to bigger premises in North London and by the mid

1930s the next generation of the Taylors and Barretts had joined the firm

i.e. their sons and they were manufacturing toy motor cars, fire engines,

zoo & farm animals, soldiers and of course some dolls house accessories

too. Their toys were mostly sold to the wholesale trade and big stores such

as Selfridges & Co‐operative Stores but also a large percentage were

exported.

However by the beginning of the 2nd World War, materials were becoming difficult to obtain and

their workers were being drafted into the armed forces. Disaster struck when their premises were

completely destroyed in an air raid. They salvaged whatever they could from the ruins and started

up again in another North London factory but by 1941 the government deemed that bullets were

more important than toys and Taylor & Barrett were closed down for the duration of the war. The

stocks and all assets were sold plus the moulds were

split between the Taylor and the Barrett families.

After the war in 1945, they went their separate ways. Mr

Fred Taylor registered a company with his son & son‐in‐

law and called his company F.G.Taylor & Sons; Mr A Bar‐

ret and his son registered a company called “Barret &

Sons”. These two separate companies continued to

manufacture independently post war.....and in a future

issue I will feature these in their own right as their items

were manufactured quite prolifically.


The same pre‐war moulds were used for post war items however

the difference would be the markings i.e. T&B for pre‐war; post

‐war would either be B&S for Barrett & Sons or FGT & Sons for

FGTaylor & Sons even though many of the metal items were

almost identical to their pre‐war counterparts. Needless to say the

pre‐war T&B items are more valuable than the post‐war items.

Various Accessories Produced... T&B produced a variety of household accessories to be used in the

dolls house.

The majority of these accessories were marked with “T&B” embossed

either underneath or on the back. My favourite has got to be the very

distinctive “coal fire” fireplace with matching curb stone – all 1/16th

scale plus the gas fire so evocative of that 1930s era. There are various

colour variations of both the fireplaces and the gas fires.

The T&B price list of the 1930s delightfully refers to a “coal vase” which

for the younger generation and totally not conversant means a coal

scuttle...or a container to

put coal in for the fire! I

have yet to lay my hands

on one of those but I do

have a complete

companion set with tools

plus a fireguard.

The antiquated metal

fridge with opening door

contains metal food on

loose metal shelves that

includes jellies, a meat

joint, a chicken and a bot‐

tle of milk. The old‐

fashioned stick phone

seen in the photo sadly

has lost the piece that you

s p e a k i n t o bu t

nevertheless is an

interesting piece.


Also for the miniature kitchen is the T&B

metal gas cooker with a plate rack and

opening oven door. A nice touch is the tiny

hook to the right of the cooker top for

hanging up your miniature oven gloves or

“oven mittens”!

The vacuum cleaner is of the upright

variety, again marked T&B underneath

although my cleaner has a bit of a hole in

the material bag which is commonly found

on this specific item....the wear and tear of

all that miniature hoovering often put too

much strain on the material! Apparently

T&B in their 1930s price list state that there

is a Goblin Cleaner...this I would love to be

the proud owner of but they are so scarce

these days that I have yet to set eyes on

one.

If you would like to find out more about

these antique and vintage

dolls house items, then do

visit

www.ktminiatures.com

Not only will you find lots

of lovely old dolls house

items to buy but there is

an ever‐growing Old Dolls

House Gallery which

features some super

collections of antique and

vintage dolls houses and

related items belonging to

collectors all over the

globe.

Copyright of text and

photos belong to Celia

Thomas of KT Miniatures

Bath House (Right)

This imposing and

graceful property,

based on the

historic houses in

the city of Bath is by

Holly Jo Beck. Artisans In Miniature 48

aller & smaller... A gallery of tiny buildings made by AIM members and compiled by Margaret Pitts

So you thought when it came to dolls houses, 1/12th scale ruled?

After looking at some of these amazing miniature ‘buildings’ (I use the term lightly as you will see),

you may change your mind.

Lets start with 1/24th scale, or half‐scale as our U.S. friends call it…..and sensibly so, since it is half the

size of 1/12th (or 1‐inch scale).

The Model Shop (Right)

Jane Harrop designed this

lovely little shop for a

workshop she was

organising.

Dandelion Cottage (Left)

Another delightful 1/24th

property ( from our very

own editor), Bea (Fiona

Broadwood)

Roundabout House (Left),

Blackberry Bottom (Below)

Couldn’t you just move into any

one of these cosy country

dwellings, made by Robin

Britton?


Boot house (Right) How about this for something different? Sue Newstead has made this amazing half scale boot for the old woman who lived in a shoe.

…..But how about a house only half the size again i.e. 1/48th or quarter scale?

Quarter scale Corner shop (Below) Don’t you just want to pop into this corner shop and pick up a loaf of bread or a newspaper? Bea left an apple beside it so you can get an idea of just how small it is...

Quarter scale country cottage (Below) Peep inside this 1/48th bedroom scene by Debbe Mize and enjoy all the tiny details.

Tree House (Left) how about this dwelling with a difference? Debbe made this tree‐house… another one in quarter scale.

If these small buildings have surprised and delighted you, prepare to be astonished at the following miniature abodes. They are in the even smaller scale of 1/144th…sometimes known as ‘a dollshouse for a dollshouse’:

Fairy nut house & Inside fairy nut house (Right) Deb Jackson has made this tiny fairy house in a nutshell and we can even peep inside!

With thanks to the following AIM members for allowing us to use photos of their lovely work for which they retain the copyright: Jane Harrop www.janeharrop.co.uk Sue Newstead www.pastmastery.com Holly Jo www.joarts.com Robin Britton www.coombecrafts.co.uk Debbe Mize http://community.webshots.com/user/debbem101 Bea (Fiona) Broadwood www.petite‐properties.com Deb Jackson www.debjacksondesigns.com Pat Carlson http://my.att.net/p/PWP‐DHMINIS Kathryn & Alan Gray www.templewoodminiatures.co.uk

Tree Stump (Left) If you look carefully, you can see another of Deb’s tiny houses in a tree stump.

If life in the great outdoors appeals, you will love these two: Romany caravan (Below Left) and Trailer (Below Right) Deb Jackson made the Romany caravan and Debbe Mize did the trailer scene.

Perhaps you enjoy the Tudor period? Then this jettied, Tudor house by Alan Gray with internal beams, glazed windows and even stairs, will be right up your street: Swan Cottage (Below left) Herb cottage (Bottom Middle) and Redbrick Cottage (Below Middle) Pat Carlson has made these two exquisite cottages. Chapel (Bottom Right) This lovely little chapel is another of Pat’s.

Haunted Tower (Below Right) Finally, Pat’s imagination has run riot with this wonderful Haunted Tower!


Thame 2009 Dolls House &

Miniatures Show... Thame Fair Report by Sandra Morris (Diminutive Dolls)

The third Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair was held on a gloriously spring‐like day in Thame

Leisure Centre on Saturday 21 February, in aid of the Breast Cancer Campaign.

Although a relatively

modest fair, with 42

exhibitors, the cream of

British artisans were

represented, many of

whom are rarely seen

outside of the much bigger

Miniatura or Kensington

fairs. In the three years

since its inception, the

Thame fair has attracted a loyal following of outstanding artisan exhibitors and discerning collectors

alike, and its growing popularity and reputation for quality are well deserved.

This year was especially exciting for Artisans in

Miniature, because the organiser of the fair

(Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures) generously provided a stand to enable AIM members to display

examples of their work. There was also a wealth of information about the membership, all handily

packaged in free goody bags.

AIM members were also very well represented

amongst exhibitors with perhaps the largest

showing outside of the major fairs.

Over 700 visitors travelled from near and far to

enjoy the delights on display, from hand‐sculpted

dolls to exquisite glass, delicate silverware to

amazing ceramics, an abundance of wonderful

doll’s houses from 1:12 all the way down to 1:144,

plus handcrafted food, toys, clothing, accessories

and all manner of miniature marvels.


Above: Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Show 2009 Below right: Over 700 visitors supported the show

Highlights of the fair included a Breast

Cancer Campaign sales table, Grand

Raffle, tombola and a wonderful display

by the Market Town Miniaturists of Thame. As an

added special attraction, the Thame Town Crier

loudly announced the winners of the raffle and

sealed bid auctions.

It is anticipated that

in excess of £3000

has been raised for

the charity, a real

success, and a testament to all the

hard work by Celia, her husband

David, and their dedicated team of

volunteer helpers.

It was my first time as an exhibitor at

Thame, and I was immediately struck

by the welcoming and friendly atmosphere which reminded me of

the halcyon days of fairs 20 or more years ago. In those days fairs

were organised by people passionate about the hobby, most of the

miniature wares on display were handcrafted rather than imported

and the majority of the exhibitors were artisans who in turn were

collectors themselves, and extremely knowledgeable about

their speciality.

The Thame Fair has ALL of the

above attributes and thoroughly

deserves its success and high

standing in the current roll call of

British miniatures fairs.

If you missed this year’s fair, be

sure to look out for the details the

2010 event, which promises to be

even bigger and better.


Above & Below ‐ AIM member Jane Harrop talks to visitors at the AIM stand...

Top Left: The Town Crier announces the lucky raffle winners.

Left: Raising money for the Breast Cancer Campaign at Thame


The Miniature Kitchen presents ‘smaller scales’ this month...

Welcome to the Miniature Kitchen... Goodness it’s busy in here this month.

I was told to expect a painter – thought we’d get

a nice coat of paint on the walls, but oh no, the

Aim Team are far too penny pinching for that! No, instead I got Kay Burton in

the way whilst I was making Boars Heads and the like, painting a picture of a

bottle of Wine! How she got paint everywhere when the finished item is only

17mm x 22mm, I will never know.

Then Robin from ‘Coombe Crafts

breezed in and built a new table, well I know I needed

one but not while I am cooking! I must admit (although it

pains me to say so) my Boars head does look very nice

sitting on it.

Oh, then there was someone at the door with a fruit and

vegetable delivery! I have three baskets of vegetables and

nowhere to put them; I only ordered one basket in 24th

scale from Philippa Todd

Quarter scale fruit, that is no problem – Debbe Mize will

present that beautifully on a table ...

Each month Mags Cassidy of Mags‐nificent Miniatures opens the doors to her very own ‘virtual’ miniature kitchen, to share with readers: top tips, new products, news and fantastic miniature food related projects written by either herself or by her fellow ‘foodies’ at the AIM Association…

1:24th Scale

Anyway, then I thought I could get cleared up, but no, in came Vicky Guile, “only going to bake a cake” she said. Fortunately she did clear up when she had finished, so no complaints there. I might just cut myself a slice, rather partial to Lemon cake! Now we have a kitchen full of people wanting to watch and learn how to make it!! Oh well I’m off to have a fish ’n’ chip lunch. I hope that you will look in again next month.

Mags

1:24th Scale

1:24th Scale

1:48th Scale

1:24th Scale

Lemon Cake Tutorial...

In 1:24th Scale…!


“Simple 1:24 Scale Lemon Cake”

This 1:24 scale lemon cake measures just 7.5mm wide, so if it were a real life cake it would be a very respectable 180mm or a fraction over 7” wide.

Step 1. Mix a small amount of white

clay with a smaller amount of

beige and lemon until you achieve a uniform colour similar to the lightest part

of sponge‐cake.

Step 2. Roll out the clay until it measures approximately 3.5mm

thick (1/8”). Place the clay onto your ceramic tile. Liberally

dust the circle cutter with talcum powder and use to cut

the basic cake shape from your clay.

Step 3. Using the stiff bristled brush, stipple the cake over and over

around the edges and over the top.

Step 4. On a scrap of paper scribble with your pastel chalks to create some powder. Mix the

beige, ochre and yellow until the colour resembled that of the

outside of a cooked cake. Using your soft paintbrush, apply the

pastel dust all over the exterior of the cake, paying a little more

attention to the edges where the cake would be browned more.

(See picture 4 on page 55)

Materials needed... Polymer clay in white, beige and lemon. Liquid clay. Pastel chalks in beige, ochre and yellow. 7.5mm circle cutter. Soft paintbrush. Stiff bristled brush. Unwanted butter knife or similar (this is to blend the liquid clay with the solid clay – so make sure it is not something you would want to use to butter your bread with again!). Cocktail sticks or dental pick. Talcum powder. Ceramic Tile. Craft knife. Ruler.

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Step 5. Take a tiny piece of white clay and mix it with an equal amount of liquid clay in a corner of your

ceramic tile. The best way I find to do this is with

an old butter knife, spreading and mashing the

clay as I mix. It does take a while to get all of the

solid clay combined with the liquid, but eventually

it will get there.

Step 6. Use the cocktail stick/dental pick to apply the

white clay icing mix to your cake. A good idea is to

cover the top with a few little drizzles running

down the side. Tiny amounts on the end of the cocktail

stick works best.

Then mix up a small amount of lemon clay, this is for

the “peel” decoration on the cake. Roll out as thin as

you can possible get it and then cut into extremely fine

slivers, in turn cutting each sliver into shorter lengths

just a few mm long. Gently scatter these over the top

of your iced cake.

Place the tile with the cake on into a preheated oven and bake as per the manufacturer’s

instructions.

Once cool, place on a cake board, plate or stand of your choice.

Copyright belongs to Vicky Guile of NJD Miniatures www.njdminiatures.com

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The Miniature... GRAPEVINE

New AIM Members

The Ranks Of AIM Are Ever Growing!

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following artisans who have joined AIM in the past few weeks.

Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair – AIM’s First Ever Showcase Stand!

The third Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair took place on Saturday 21st February at Thame Leisure Centre in Oxfordshire, UK. It was a huge success with over 700

visitors through the door and a phenomenal amount has been raised for Breast Cancer Campaign.... the total raised at the time of going to print is £3,080.25!

Out of the 42 artisans attending, 18 were AIM Members so we were well represented. AIM had their

very first Showcase Stand where members work was exhibited plus several members not attending the event donated their lovely items over to the Breast Cancer Campaign Sales Table at 3.00m. The Sales Table made a total of £866.10...which AIM Member Celia Thomas (KT Miniatures) who organised the event, said had far exceeded any total raised ever before on the Sales Table and has attributed it to the presence of the AIM donations. So THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the day such a great success!!!

21 YEARS OF TRADING FOR ANGELIQUE MINIATURES!

We simply HAVE to wish AIM member Louise Goldsborough, of Angelique Miniatures a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS for reaching 21 years of trading this month. Louise makes a wide range of miniature dolls and doll clothing. See next month’s edition of the AIM magazine for the full story!

Buttercup Miniatures Birthday Celebrations

Buttercup Miniatures was formed 10 years ago, at the end of March 1999 and to mark this occasion we will be offering various special offers, free patterns and competitions for email newsletter subscribers during the whole of our Birthday year from April 2009 to March 2010. Details will be given to subscribers in the newsletter each month starting April. These offers and competitions will ONLY be open to e‐mail newsletter subscribers. To subscribe to the newsletter please visit www.buttercupminiatures.co.uk and click on the link on the left under the French Flag.

AIM Members New Website Corner...

Deb Jackson of Deb Jackson Designs has recently unveiled her brand new website. From medical to macabre, vanity to fantasy and just about everything in between, Deb is a multi‐media artist producing a diverse range of miniature dolls house items covering many periods in time and subject matter.

www.debjacksondesigns.com

Tom Saunders Richard Johnson

Lidi Stroud Theresa Stringer

Kim Sexton Linda Toerzey Helena Bleeker David Harriman

Carol Cook CJ Stutz

Sylvia Beuker Sara Alvarez

Patricia Paul Nancy Cronin Karin Corbin

Ken & Linda Batty Lesley Hughes Cheryl Clingen Jaqui Sillence

Pearl (of Literature in Miniature) Sally Pether

Wendie Hurrell


NEW


Catherine Davies of Dolls House Heaven has a very pretty and feminine new website to showcase her beautiful and exquisite miniature handmade food, flowers and knitting.

www.dollshouseheaven.co.uk

Jain of Giddy Kipper would like to proudly announce that her brand new website is now up and running. Jain creates whimsical characters in miniature.

www.giddykipperdolls.com

Pearl of Literature In Miniature tells us that they have just launched their new website offering superb quality hand‐crafted miniatures. You can view their selection of 1/12th s c a l e b o o k s , ornaments, furred animals and furred taxidermy items and invites you to browse their range of unique items at

www.literatureinminiature.co.uk

The membership of AIM is so huge now that many of the prominent hard copy miniature magazines around the globe feature our mem‐bers in one way or another. Below we have highlighted just a few...

Dolls House & Miniature Scene Magazine – Issue 179 April

AIM member Helena Bleeker has her Milly pattern published in this next issue. It is for a pretty dress for a child size doll (10 cm).

Dolls House Magazine – April Issue AIM Member Catherine Davies of Dolls House Heaven has a feature on her flowers in this next issue.

Bit late but just had to sneak this in ...If you get the chance....do go take a look at pages 40 ‐43 in last month’s Dolls House Magazine March Issue No 130... as AIM Member Debbie Dixon‐Paver had a 3‐page article on her work called:"A Bevy Of Beauties". Her dolls are absolutely stunning!

March/April Issue of Dollhouse

Miniatures Magazine Issue 8

AIM member Pamela J has her 'Mattie's Sweet Shoppe featured over a four page spread in this magazine. AIM Member Gina Gagnon has her Castillo de Lobo featured this month....(incidentally Gina tells us that the castle has now been sold and resides in Hawaii!)

NEW! ANGELIQUE'S MINIATURE BALLERINA COSTUME SETS.

Delicately hand‐crafted one twelfth scale miniature ballet tutus on matching padded silk hangers along with the tiniest silk pointe‐ballet shoes (toe shoes) you have ever seen! Each l i tt le shoe measures just three quarters of an inch long and has the word 'Angelique' impressed in gold letters along the sole. Also included with each set is a wig with beautifully embellished headdress on a fancy wig stand. All items can be ordered as a set or as individual pieces and many colours and styles are available. (Shown with an English penny and US five cent

piece to demonstrate the tiny size.) www.angeliqueminiatures.co.uk

NEW! From Coombe Crafts Coombe Crafts have introduced Church pews and an Altar Table to their range of 1/24th scale furniture and accessories. Each set is individually handcrafted to order ...and of course, as always, if you'd like us to fill your Church with little people, each one a unique and individually crafted character....we can do that too.

For further details do get in touch with us. email: [email protected] or

phone: 01844 99565 www.coombecrafts.co.uk

BLUE PETER BADGE WINNER! Congratulations to Eleanor Dickens who was awarded a Blue Peter Badge when she wrote into the programme and told them about her articles on a previous MiniAimers feature…

Well done Eleanor! NEW! From Kay Burton

I've had a bit of a spring clean in my online shop and added some new products *Alongside my traditional paintings section, I have a new contemporary art category, which includes original paintings and poster prints (in three scales 1/12, 1/24 an 1/48); art suitable for dolls houses set towards the end of the 1800's right up to the present day *On looking back through all my miniature paintings that I have accomplished over the years, I thought it would be lovely to be able to share some of them again in the form of gloss prints. I am happy to be able to present some past works in small collection sheets in several scales, ideal for the DIY enthusiast, but also a cost effective way to decorate the dolls house wall. Miniature picture frames are available in another section of my shop in which to mount them. *Ready to hang framed prints are also available

and I have a Spring Sale on also. www.kayburton.co.uk

NEW! From Diminutive Dolls Diminutive Dolls have just unveiled a new range of handcrafted miniature wicker toy prams. Based on original Victorian toy perambulators, each is painstakingly woven with intricate patterns on a wooden base. They are then painted in a range of pastel colours, decorated with silk buds & bows trimming and mounted on a chassis with freely moving metal wheels. A perfect miniature accessory for your favourite doll's house child, these are just the right size for a toy baby doll or a collection of tiny toy animals.

For more details see www.diminutivedolls.co.uk

NEW! Tiny Crocheted Dolls By Dorys Barahona

Dorys Barahona has recently started a new prod‐uct of tiny crocheted dolls. They measure only 10 mm tall and they are 5 way thread jointed, which means they have movable arms and legs. Their hair is handmade by Dorys with embroidery floss

and the details on their faces and their dresses are embroidered. She tells us that she likes to think they are one of the smallest dolls in the miniatures world...and we think she may be right! All the dolls are one of a kind –OOAK‐ which means each of them is special and unique and has her own personality. For more details see

www.dbaminis.bravehost.com

NEW! Exquisite Toothpick Carvings By Linda Master

Linda Master of Miracle Chicken Urns now has available some truly amazing toothpick & match stick carvings plus micro miniature woodcarvings. Her breathtaking items have recently been featured in American Miniaturist Magazine (Mar. '09). See Linda’s website for more details

www.miraclechickenurns.com


NEW! “Good Times” At Debbie Dixon‐Paver

I've just started a new series of dolls on my CDHM gallery web‐page, called "Good Times". This series focuses on the special occasions and magical moments through the year, month‐by‐month. Whether i t ' s the "January Sales", Valentine's Day celebrations, spring‐gardening with grandma or a family Christmas.... this 1:12 scale series will cover all of those highlights and memorable times of the year. So please come and browse at:

www.cdhm.org/user/debbie New dolls will be added over the next few

weeks.

NEW! New Range Of 1/48th Scale From Amelia’s Miniatures

Janine Crocker of Miss Amelia’s Miniatures has just released her new range of 1/48 scale miniatures. The collection includes Victorian, Edwardian and modern hats, silk dresses on dis‐play hangers and tiny accessories such as parasols, gloves and handbags. Customers can also commission 1/48 beds dressed in lace and silk, each one unique. The range will be available from the KasyTas miniatures fair, Madrid 7th March 2009 and directly from Miss Amelia’s website.

AIM readers will receive a 10% discount on all products purchased from the Miss Amelia web‐site throughout March 2009 (Please quote ref. AIM0309 when placing order).

www.missameliasminiatures.com

Susanne Is Back After Nearly 20 Years! AIM member Susanne Russo tells us that she is now back after almost 20 years, making miniatures. Susanne makes unique miniature horn furniture , an example of which can be seen in the photo.

She is working on a new website: www.hornaments.webs.com

NEW! Shepherd Miniatures goes 24th!

Due to many enquiries regarding 24th scale miniatures, we have decided to extend our range to now include 24th or half scale items. We will gradually be adding to the range and putting them on the website, however if you would like a particular item in 24th, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will see what we can do.

Please visit us at www.shepherdminiatures.com

Miniatura® The International Dolls' House Show

The forthcoming Spring Miniatura Show is being held at the Birmingham NEC on Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st March 2009. Many of our AIM members will be attending as stand holders so it will be well worth a visit. Tickets for the Saturday have to be bought in advance but for Sunday you can just turn up on the day. For full details visit

www.miniatura.co.uk Come and see us all there, you will be

assured of a warm welcome! Artisans In Miniature 59

Darcy On Horseback Making His Debut At Miniatura!

Mary Williams informs us that Darcy will be making his debut on a Breyer horse at Miniatura! S e e Ma r y ’ s website for more details:

www.dollshousedolls.co.uk

Limited Edition of Phil Vickery/Nestle’ Desserts Available

At Miniatura Mags Cassidy of Mags‐nificent Miniatures is producing a limited edition of ‘Phil Vickery/Nestle’ Desserts on preparation boards – these are still under wraps! Photographs will be on her website prior to the event.

In addition to this, there will be some distinctive pieces of filled/accessorised furniture ‐ Old Stove, Modern Cooker, Old Cooker, Gamekeepers Table, Delicatessen Counter, Kitchen tables. There will be period items ranging from Tudor & Georgian, through to Victorian, WW2 and the 1950’s. Most of these are OOAK pieces. Also in 24th Scale, there will be Filled Sinks and

Ranges plus much more, so come and see us at Miniatura!

www.mags‐nificent.co.uk

And Finally… A Pat On The Back To Us!

It seems you liked the new look to our AIM online magazine, here are a few comments we have received…

"what a great magazine - I've had to drag myself away from it and get on with real life ...."

“I find the magazine really interesting - better than the paper ones at the moment! I have to resist the temptation to print the whole lot off!!

Well done to all who contribute to it.” "Probably the best online magazine for miniaturists that I have seen!!" Andy Hopwood, Miniatura Organiser

Please keep your feedback and suggestions coming it, as we love

to hear from you all!

We hope you have enjoyed this edition of the AIM Magazine - See you next month!

Feed Back



COMING NEXT MONTH...

A Spring Time Bonanza!

Don’t Miss A Thing!

Catch the latest news from all around the miniature

world…

Loads more fantastic projects, written in ALL

scales!!

All FREE and fully downloadable at:


Written by artisans Enjoyed by miniaturists!

NEW FEATURE!!! Ask the Artisan…

Do you have a miniature related question, small scale dilemma or general enquiry?

If so, then why not ask the artisans here at the AIM association? Simply email your question to:

bea@petite‐properties.com and let our collective expert knowledge help you out!

Please Note: The projects included in this publication are not suitable for children under the age of 14*

The miniatures featured in this magazine are collectors items and therefore unsuitable for children under 14*. All projects are undertaken at your own risk. AIM does not accept responsibility for any injury incurred.

All articles and photographs used in this magazine are copyright of their authors.

The AIM magazine’s content is for private use only and it must not be reproduced in part or in full for commercial gain in any form. Each artisan contributor is responsible for their own work / contribution to the AIM magazine and retain

full responsibility for their published work.

The authors/self publishers cannot be held legally responsible for any consequences arising from following instructions, advice or information in this magazine.

*with the exception of the Mini AIMers feature which is written especially for children under 14.


See you again next month…!

Robin Britton Bea (Fiona) Broadwood

Kay Burton Julie Campbell Pat Carlson Mags Cassidy

Debbie Dixon‐Paver Louise Goldsborough Kathryn & Alan Gray

Vicky Guile

Jane Harrop Deb Jackson Holly Jo

Julie Kendall Carol Lester

Jennifer Matusek Marsha Mees Debbe Mize Sandra Morris Terry Neville

Sue Newstead Kate Pinsent Margaret Pitts Frances Powell Eileen Sedgwick Anya Stone Celia Thomas Philippa Todd

Anne Walden‐Mills David Williams

This issue would not have been possible without the generous contributions of the following AIM members…

Many thanks therefore to...

Documents

AIM Mag Issue 10 PDF