aim mag issue 9

Contents… February 2009: Issue No 9 Cover Image: Coombe Crafts

Regular Features… 2 Editor’s Note: An introduction & welcome to this new edition of the Artisans In Miniature FREE ‘downloadable’ magazine! 3 The Miniature Grapevine: Catch up on all the latest news from the international miniature world. 5 Showing Us The Way: Celia Thomas, organiser of the famous Thame Show explains how this fantastic show came about. 10 Well, It Happened To An Artisan: Read about the often strange lives of AIM members 11 In The Dock: AIM member Colin Bird is put into the dock, read his fascinating answers to our in depth questions. 15 Fairy Celebrations & Festivals: Louise Goldsborough explains more about February’s celebration of Imbolc. 24 Crafty Tips: Learn the tricks of the miniature trade. 28 Tales From The Toy Cupboard: Sandra Morris brings you another instalment of her regular column. 39 AIMology: When genealogy and the world of miniatures meet... 40 The Miniature Kitchen: Mags Cassidy opens the door or her virtual kitchen ‐ Check out the fantastic fimo projects and other helpful information. 45 Antique & Vintage Corner: Celia Thomas takes a closer look at 1930’s Dolls House Furniture Manufacturer – “Pit‐a‐Pat” 49 Mini Aimers: Written by Margaret Pitts especially for younger miniaturists and the artisans of the future.

Special Features… 15 The Queen Of Hearts: Doll maker Louise Goldsborough shares her interpretation of this classic character. 16 Wood Or Wouldn’t: Sue Newstead’s poem, teaches us more about the delightful dummy boards that she loves to paint. 25 Muñecas, Títeres y Teatros desde España: AIM member Cristina tells us more about her amazing work, in her own language. 29 Home Front: Find out more about this eventful period of British history. 33 Uniform Gallery ‘On Parade’: AIM members share with us their veritable parade of miniature military personal. 47 Make Do Or Mend: Julie Campbell takes a nostalgic look back in time.

Free Projects… 8 The Magic of ‘Bufoam’: AIM member Arla Johnson teaches how to create these fabulously realistic ‘stone effect’ steps. 14 Knitting Project: Buttercup Miniatures provide us with a fantastic seasonally inspired ladies snood pattern. 19 Modern Kitchen Project: Written by Glynis Webb of Jasmine By Design. 27 Art Deco Picture Frame: Enjoy Jane Harrop’s wonderful 1930’s inspired 1:12th scale project. 36 1940’s Utility Slippers: Margaret Pitts shares her perfect wartime accessories.

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Artisans In Miniature 1

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…

Copyright LUMO Publishing 2009

Dear Reader It is no good, I can’t deny it: I love new year! For me it has always been a time of new beginnings, fresh starts and most importantly; a time of clean, blank, pages. Personally, the flip of a new calendar has always marked the beginning of a season where all that has gone before is ancient history and the present marks a time of year that seems to feel so much more ‘hopeful’ than that of any other…

Since the last cork of the festive season popped, here at AIM we have been up to our eyes in preparation for the unveiling of this new February edition. Revitalised by the Christmas break and hot on the heels of Big Ben’s chimes, the change of year has signalled a ‘re launch’ of the AIM magazine. Indeed as the rest of the world collectively reached for the infamous fizzy tablets, we were instead hard at work putting the finishing touches to our ‘new look’ downloadable miniature magazine.

I am hopeful that you will agree with me when I say that all the hard work has paid off. The new format has allowed AIM members to bring you even more detail, even more content; all available to keep, store or reprint for FREE, simply at the touch of a button!

Issue No 9 now comes to you, complete with a fresh new format together with many exciting developments, all of which the AIM magazine team and I are sure you are going to love!

So, worry not… if your resolutions have started to fizzle out and you feel caught in the new year’s headlights or simply that 2009 has charged into your life with all the grace of an adolescent Labrador, relax… forget the diet… Instead seek solace here at AIM and take time out from the stresses and strains of real life to enjoy this very special and very exciting new issue of the AIM magazine!! Enjoy!

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


The Miniature... GRAPEVINE

New Look Directory on AIM! It isn’t just our AIM magazine that has a new

look but our Members’ Directory on AIM’s main

website too has a completely new look ‐ much more

compact and easier to use. Do go and take a look if

you haven’t already, you will find the link on the

navigation bar at the top of AIM’s website. We would

like to express our special thanks to the following

AIM members who have given us permission to use

their wonderful images as thumbnail links on this

directory page:

Our Aim members are featured constantly in many magazines of varied disciplines all around the world. For example: American Miniaturist Issue No 103 Gina Gagnon, AIM member from Montana, tells us that some of her dolls are featured in American Miniaturist Issue No.103 The latest issue (March) of Dolls House & Miniature Scene Magazine is certainly a bumper packed issue with contributions/photos/features from AIM members including a piece on AIM itself!

Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine

– March Issue No. 177

AIM has a super write up on page 36 of this

magazine! Thank you to Janet Kirkwood the editor,

who has given us half a page with information about

who we are, our ethos and all about our AIM website

plus this, our very own AIM magazine. Word is

beginning to spread!

Several AIM members have been given a mention in

the Kensington Dolls House Festival Christmas Show

report, on page 34 and again in the general news

section, on page 40 that features the same event,

and includes photos of items from Deb Jackson

(Deb Jackson Designs), Debbie Dixon Paver (Debbie

Cooper Dolls), Marcella Perodo (Minicaretti), Jain

Squires (The Giddy Kipper) & Bea Broadwood

(Petite Properties).

In fact contributions by AIM members are scattered

throughout the magazine including several AIM

members “how to make” projects; Kathryn Gray

(Templewood Miniatures) has Part 5 of her “Period

Flower Arranging” on page53. Celia Thomas (KT

Miniatures) has Part Two of her “1940s Hallway

Room Box Scene” on page 48.

Louise Goldsborough (Angelique Miniatures) has

part two of her “1940s Night Wear” project on page

74.

STOP PRESS! Congratulations to our very own editor Bea Broadwood who has now become “Nanna Bea”, for the very first time. Her daughter

Mo gave birth to Grace Mary Elizabeth on January 21st and everyone at AIM wishes them well. They now have their very own little miniature to treasure!!

2009 Greater Cleveland Miniature Show and Sale ‐ To Help Raise Funds For

Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland

AIM member Wendy Smale from the USA, tells us that she is involved in the 2009 Greater Cleveland Miniature Show and Sale which will be benefiting the Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. It is being held on Sunday April 26th 2009 at Willoughby Hills Community Center, 35400 Chardon Road (Rte 6), Willoughby Hills, Ohio 44094, USA. This is an eastern suburb of Cleveland, just off I‐271 and I‐90.

For more information contact www.wendysminiatures.com or see www.clevelandminiatureshow.org

Holly Jo Beck Nicole Walton Marble

Catherine Davies Troy Schmidt Celia Thomas Ellie De lacy Christine Berry

Jennifer Elliot Janine Crocker Frances Powell

Josephine Parnell Liz LePla

Pat Carlson Deb Jackson


We Have A Winner Of 'Guess the Name of the

Doll' Competition! AIM is proud to announce that

Roberta Emms from Halifax, Canada has correctly guessed that the little toy doll's name is Belle. So congratulations Roberta.....your prize of a gorgeous tiny toy doll will be making its way over to you shortly from Diminutive Dolls’.

A huge thanks must go to Sandra Morris of Diminutive

Dolls for her kind donation of the prize. Sandra tells us that during February, she is offering kits to make this tiny toy doll, (dressed in the style of the Jumeau dolls of the 1890s) and in

pink at a special offer price on her website:

www.diminutivedolls.co.uk

1940s Hallway Room Box – Now Up For Auction For Breast Cancer Campaign

Several artisans and people within the miniatures industry have donated miniature items or materials in order to create this room box which is now up for auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer Campaign. The reserve has been set @ £75.00 and you can bid now by post or on the day at Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair. Full details of auction can be viewed at www.ktminiatures.com/Auction_BreastCancerCampaign

Could You Be A Winner Of The Mini‐Aimers Competition?

The winner of the Christmas competition for young miniaturists is announced in the Mini AIMers column of the AIM magazine this month on page 49, so if you sent in an entry, perhaps you have won one of the lovely prizes on offer – go and take a look now!

Winner!!


AIM TO HAVE THEIR VERY FIRST SHOWCASE TABLE AT THAME DOLLS

HOUSE & MINIATURES FAIR For the very first time, AIM will be displaying their talents at the charity Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair, taking place on Saturday 21st February 2009 at Thame Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire, UK. There will be a varied selection of AIM members’ work to showcase the members’ wealth of talent plus we will have one or two volunteer members on hand to answer any questions that the public may have. At 3.00pm on the day, several super pre‐designated exhibits created by AIM members, will be donated to the Breast Cancer Campaign Sales Table and sold to raise funds for

the charity. So do come along and say “hello” to us if you get the chance and see for yourselves our fabulous work.

New Website For Shepherd Miniatures

Aim Member Chris Shepherd (Shepherd Miniatures) has a brand new website, where you will find a wide selection of recognisable and nostalgic products to fill your house. The web address is as follows:

www.shepherdminiatures.co.uk

New AIM Members A big WELCOME to new members Kiva Atkinson and

Thomas Saunders who have just joined AIM.

A New Look For The Miniatura Website 2009 has not only brought a new look to the AIM website and AIM Magazine, but changes have also been underway on the Miniatura website too. The organisers of Miniatura are proud to unveil their newly updated Miniatura website, which follows the launch of last year’s new Miniatura Newsletter. The ’new look’ website is now even easier to navigate and is packed full of helpful information about their

forthcoming world famous shows and the fantastic array of exhibitors who can be seen at them. So why not visit their new look website today and book your tickets for next month’s S p r i n g M i n i a t u r a s h o w

www.miniatura.co.uk

NEW!


When and why did you become involved with miniature fairs? To be honest this is a long story but the very brief edited version is that I was involved in organising Thame’s local dolls house club’s first two charity exhibitions/fairs in 2004 & 2006 and as I

had already been trading as KT Miniatures for several years by then, was given the job of pulling in the artisans using my contacts, to attend as stand holders in order to help fund each event.

Then during the latter part of 2006, the club’s structure went through big changes and its future began to look un‐certain. It was whilst attending autumn Miniatura that same year that well known artisan Tony Knott, who had supported the first two club fairs, insisted that we just had to keep the Thame event going as it was so special and suggested that why not run this event on my own? My initial reaction was shock, horror and absolutely no way!!! But then husband Dave (ever an optimist) who runs oxnews.co.uk, an Oxfordshire commercial website, came up with the brainwave that if he backed it financially, we could then run it as a joint concern and still keep it as a charity fund raiser for Breast Cancer Campaign. By the end of that Miniatura weekend, I had 14 artisans verbally booked ......and the rest is history as they say. So in the February of 2007 we held our first official Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair, then again in 2008 and will be running the third one next February 21st in 2009.

Having lost my mum when I was just 18 months old and my maternal grandmother to this awful disease when I was a few years old, for obvious reasons the Breast Cancer Campaign is a charity that I am passionate about. Also because our fair is predominantly about raising funds for this charity, it makes it very different from any of the ordinary dolls house fairs and something special indeed. Sadly more and more people are being touched by this disease directly or indirectly, so we never seem to be short of people wanting to get involved in some way. Is this a full time occupation for you and what did you do or still do before you started in miniatures? No, being a fair organiser is most definitely not a full time occupation as we just organise the one big charity event a year, although it does take up a huge amount of my time to organise. Basically I am a full time professional miniaturist and have been trading since 1997 under the name of KT Miniatures. Originally, I embarked on a career in nursery nursing before my life evolved into miniatures, working in and around London in various establishments including the Princess Grace Hospital.

Do you own a dolls house or collect miniatures, if you do what is your most treasured piece? Several of course....much to my family’s annoyance! My most treasured dolls house though is my vintage 1930s Hobbies House which I renovated and now take great delight in filling with old treasures, and the occasional more modern reproduction.

Do you ever get any strange requests regarding the fairs? I have not as yet but there is always a first time for everything!

Do you have any hobbies? If you do what are they? I love gardening, decorating, antique fairs, auctions and rummaging at car boot sales but of course never seem to have time to do any of these! Do you read books and magazines on Miniatures? If you do what is your favourite? When I first embarked on miniatures as a hobby I used to buy all the magazines monthly plus accumulated a large quantity of books. I do tend to peep at the magazines on the shelf in the newsagents nowadays and occasionally if something catches my eye will buy one. One of the very best books I can recommend if you are into the 1930s/40s era, although not a miniatures book as such, is the 1939 Army & Navy Stores Handbook.........may be difficult and expensive to track down but there are still copies out there to be had. This contains a huge wealth of information on all kinds of household furniture, equipment, clothing, products etc. that were available at that time… just fantastic!

SHOWing Us The Way Celia Thomas of Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair/ KT Miniatures

"Two lovely volunteers on the Breast Cancer Sales Table"

Showing Us The Way: Continued…

If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in miniature making, what would it be? Find your own style, try and be different.

Do you think there is much if any, rivalry or jealousy between traders? Not that I am aware of....(she says with a discreet smile on her face).

If you were told you could go back in time to visit a certain era, what period would you choose? Well that’s an easy one.....I am absolutely fascinated by the 1930s era...I suppose because I have grown up hearing wonderful stories from people around me plus my childhood home was a 1930s Cotswold stone cemetery lodge. I just love the style of clothes, architecture, music etc. of that time.

Are there any bad things in the Miniature world that you would like to see put right? Oh most definitely yes....... plagiarism! This is one of my pet hates, where some unscrupulous person blatantly copies a miniaturist artisan’s own unique piece of work and then sells it as their own creation, undercutting on price......not nice and “just not cricket” ...as they say! I have heard some real shocker stories from fellow colleagues on this subject plus have had a bad experience myself. Sadly the way the law is, it is very difficult to take these people to task and they know it so yes, I would like to see changes in the law to make it easier to stop this disgraceful practice.

Do you think the Dolls house hobby needs more publicity? Yes I do, as there is still this “geeky” misconception about the dolls house hobby and that it is mainly for eccentric elderly ladies & gentlemen! In fact as the hobby encompasses all ages and sexes, plus it is actually quite a very creative hobby which envelops social history too, we in the industry need to get this message across more.

Re the previous question, if you do, what do you think could be done to enhance its popularity? Hey...how about miniaturists own TV channel on SKY? (lol)

What do you think to the mass produced imported items now available? I think there is definitely a place for them but like most things, too much is a bad thing.

If you were told you could come back in a second life, what would you change? i.e. would you still want to come back as who you are now and would you still want to be involved in miniatures? I don’t think I would want it any other way!

Do you consider yourself lucky to be able to do what you are doing? Absolutely........I feel very lucky indeed and privileged that I can help raise lots of money for Breast Cancer Campaign from organising Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair in a way that gives so much enjoyment to so many people in the process. Plus of course the rest of the year making miniatures for a living!

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment that has occurred from running a fair? I suppose we did have a moment at our first event, when Dave in his haste of laying out the stand holders tables, managed to rip his jeans on a rusty nail from his crutch right down to his knee cap almost, exposing parts of himself that he would rather not have done plus wishing he had put on his best underpants that day! He tried to make a discreet & quick exit (from the Leisure Centre main doors) to his car to get home and change, however sadly the very moment he chose to make his move, he was greeted by about 30 excited young children and their parents (mostly young mums) who were coming in for their swimming lesson! Resulting in much laughter and finger pointing....and that was just from the mums!!

What was the first record or CD you ever bought? I am so embarrassed now to have to admit it but it was a little single by the Tremeloes called “Call Me Number One”....a very long time ago & will give an indication of my age now!!!

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? I do think that 1/24th scale in particular is becoming increasingly popular.

Considering how long the 1/12th scale has been going, how do you think the smaller scales will do in the long term? I could be here all day talking about scale and the variations of them over the years, because as a seller and collector of vintage/antique dolls houses too, I know there have been huge differences of scale with these miniature pieces from different generations and many people don’t realise that the smaller scales (as well as larger scale dolls house miniatures) have been around for decades. But generally I can see scale getting smaller and smaller with adult miniaturist collectors from now on, maybe one of the reasons being the logistics of having enough space to dis‐play and store them?

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? The book is a hard one......not a big reader so would have to be on a practical subject that I would need help with such as cookery! CD....just love Coldplay...any of theirs, and DVD...Sleepless in Seattle...is one of those few films that I can watch over and over.....as it is romantic, funny and has a happy ending. (If I could cheat and take two DVD’s ...the other would be Dirty Dancing)!

Are you involved with fairs for any other hobby? No.

Do you think there is anything that cannot be produced in miniature? Most probably not as our industry is full of such creative and imaginative people.


Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Show

Saturday 21st February 10.00 ‐ 4.00pm

Thame Leisure Centre Oxford Road, Thame, Oxfordshire

OX9 2BB

Admission: Adults £2.50 Children £1.00 (Under 5’s free)

Showing Us The Way: Continued… What is the strangest question you’ve had since running a fair? Is Thame (Oxfordshire) near Glasgow???

Do you exhibit yourself at Dolls House/Miniature fairs? I have done so for years in my capacity as KT Miniatures at several of the larger shows, but not quite so many nowadays due to a number of reasons.

Do you get a buzz from running a fair or is it a nail‐biting affair? It is terrifying and very stressful beforehand but really satisfying when the fair is in full swing to see people enjoying themselves and know that I have had a hand in that! Then of course utterly rewarding when it’s all over when we count how much money we have raised for the charity. I also feel terribly responsible for the artisans and want them all to do well as there is nothing more soul destroying for an artisan to go to the expense and effort of attending a fair and not making any money!

Do you know if anyone famous has visited or still visits your fairs? If they have I was too busy to notice! Do you think you have any advantage over your com‐petitors, if so what is it? Possibly one advantage is that being a professional miniaturist with years of personal experience of fairs behind me now, I do have a pretty good idea of the kind of things that artisans dislike and find irritating whilst attending miniature fairs, so do try to put those things right if I can. What do you think the world of computers and the Internet have brought to the Miniature world? I think the Internet has opened up huge, fantastic trading opportunities & possibilities for both artisans and the public alike. We all now have instant access at a touch of a button to literally all corners of the world. Excluding the last question, have you seen any major changes since you became involved in miniatures? Since I began in 1997 as an artisan, there are certainly more professional miniaturists around these days with a much wider variety of items on offer. Plus there are far more miniature fairs taking place now than ever before, some people say there are too many. I see no problem with the quantity providing there is the quality. Have you noticed any change in the number of visitors attending your fairs since you first started out? Yes so far each time we have been lucky as the attendance has increased.....so we are hoping that our third fair will see an even bigger increase but anything can happen on the day and just a simple factor such as inclement weather conditions (totally out of our control sadly) can have a huge impact on attendance.

Do you visit other fairs your‐self? Occasionally Miniatura and Kensington, if time & circumstances permits.

What would you consider to be your greatest achievement, in your real life and in the miniature world? In real life, it has to be my three lovely children, two grown up lads and a teenage daughter. From the minia‐ture world indirectly, a wonderful moment has to be when Dave & I were invited to a reception at the House of Lords by the Breast Cancer Campaign as a thank you for monies raised over the years – a totally humbling and amazing experience. We met some lovely people from all walks of life with fascinating and inspiring stories to tell. Do you have any plans to increase the number of fairs that you organise? No, I think by having just this one special event each year, will help keep the uniqueness of Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair to stay fresh ‐ particularly now, as we are all in very strange economic times and people just don’t have lots of spare cash to spend in general, let alone on miniatures.

Do you actually foresee a time when you will stop being involved with miniatures? I sincerely hope not and obviously wish to go on doing what I love for as long as possible, which also includes the Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair. And finally, if someone wanted some advice on exhibit‐ing how would they be able to contact you? They can contact me Celia Thomas by email or phone: [email protected]

01844 212520 or go to the Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair

promotional page via www.ktminiatures.com


The

Magic of “BuFoam”

By Arla Johnson, AIM Member

In this project Arla will show you how to make some fabulous stone steps out of “Builder’s Foam” or “BuFoam” as she calls it.

You will need Builder’s Foam Paint: Hippo Grey & Quaker Grey by

Delta Ceramcoat (or similar) Any light and dark should work.

Small Piece Of Dense Sponge X‐Acto Saw X‐Acto Knife Dual Tip Stylus by Fiskars or Kemper (or

similar) Fine Turf Green Grass by Woodland

Scenics (or similar) Small Stiff Brush White Glue Hair Dryer


Builder’s foam is available in Blue, Yellow and Pink depending on who the manufacturer is. I have only worked with the blue, purchased at large building suppliers in a 2 inch thickness. That’s easy, and the price is right, but here comes the rub! One must purchase a 4 foot by 8 foot piece.

Remember the original use is to insulate homes and buildings in full size. Gather some friends or be prepared to have a lot of foam on hand.

The term “BuFoam” is a pet name that came from a silly situation where I almost got myself and a friend arrested. Be sure and ask for builder’s foam at the store.

The foam is smooth on both sides and there is no use for that, so once you have a manageable piece using your saw slice this off. Saw slowly for a rough texture, sawing too fast will tear the foam.

Continued...

The step shape is created in levels with the saw.

Any depressions will be welcome to form irregularities in the stones.

Gesso is shown in the picture for the initial painting and I have now found that paint works as well with less mess.

Using the X‐acto knife, carve the shape of the stones and then drag the stylus through these lines to widen and create space and irregularities.

Corners should be trimmed off and shaped into round edges with the top of your fingernail.

Scratch some deep lines along sides and edges of rocks with your knife; even a few stabs here and there will be wonderful.

Apply dark grey paint with a stiff brush to tops and sides of your work being sure to scrub it into all crevices hiding all signs of foam. Paint on the bottom is only necessary should you want to hide the material from curious folks. Allow to dry overnight or if in an impatient state to get on, pin to another piece of foam and dry with hairdryer. Be sure to pin down, otherwise you will be chasing an object of wet paint.

Once the paint is dry, proceed with the light grey paint and dab this on with an almost dry sponge. Touch the paint and then dab off most paint on to a scrap of paper. Less is better to show the deeper color in the crevices. A light touch and a dense sponge work best.

When you are satisfied with the application of the lighter grey paint, run a small amount of any clear‐drying white glue in some of the crevices. Holding your work over a box you have spread the fine turf in, take a pinch and place over the glue. Tap to settle some in and tap remaining off into the box. Continue in this manner to fill more crevices, but not all. Moss usually starts at the base and continues up. Copyright Of Text & Photos On This Project Belongs

To Arla Johnson ‐ IGMA & AIM MEMBER Arla can be contacted by email: [email protected] See http://www.picturetrail.com/photos/arlamj

for more of Arla’s work



Many moons ago we were, with a very

young family, living in a rambling house that had never been completely cleared out by the previous occupant. Consequently, it took quite a long time to work through, renovating and decorating. Finally we began to tackle the large living room. It was a room full of doors – actually it was a house full of doors – and the only one with a fitted cupboard, alongside the fireplace. The cupboard was the floor to ceiling variety so held great promise, except that the door remained resolutely stuck. We kept leaving it for another time while we carried on with other work in the room and burned old wallpaper and such‐like in the fireplace, but eventually decided that we should have to force it open as no amount of gentle persuasion had any effect. So we did……force it open.

“A very bemused policeman hopped in his van…”

It was full – top to bottom – of WW2 ammunition! Live ammunition! To say that we were flabbergasted was an understatement, swiftly followed by panic! This was late l960s ‐ babies and toddlers in the house – no phone! Impressively quick‐thinking husband ran up the road to the convenient nearby police‐station, which of course in those

Well, it Happened to… A Miniature Artisan

AIM member Robin Britton of Coombe Crafts shares her hilarious family tale...

days was manned, and explained our predicament. A very bemused policeman hopped in his van and came to see what was what. He couldn’t quite believe it either.

His very sensible answer to the problem was that he would immediately telephone the army, based about five miles away, and call for assistance.

“It was total madness!...” My husband had other ideas – the first being to remove the lot as fast as possible. Taking absolutely no notice of the poor bemused policeman, and ignoring his protests, he dragged the boxes out of the cupboard, through the nearest door, out to the busy street and loaded them into his van – which the, by now, very nervous policeman, then drove very slowly away. Quite where he drove them to, we never found out. When we think about it now, which we are unable to do, all these years later, without laughing – it was total madness!

And, the explanation for the hoard? The previous occupant had been an officer in the Home Guard and the cupboard had been the local contingent’s ammunition store!

Copyright Robin Britton www.coombecrafts.co.uk

No part may be reproduced without expressed permission


Questions by AIM Member Dave Williams

When and why did you become involved with miniatures? I’ve always liked model making and using my hands, and became interested in miniatures in the early 90s through my father Kenneth Bird who painted miniature watercolours.

Is this a full time occupation for you and what did you do before you started in miniatures? I don’t have another job. I was previously a BT (British Telecom) Engineer and took advantage of their very generous voluntary redundancy scheme in 1995.

Have you ever had any special training for what you do, or are you com‐pletely self‐taught? I’m completely self‐taught

If you wanted to completely change what you make now, what would you like to make in miniature instead? Maybe something involving working with metal.

Do you own a dolls house? No, I haven’t got room for one at the moment

Do you collect miniatures? No

What do your family and friends think of what you do and do they encourage you? I find most people are fascinated when they see what I do.

Do you keep anything that you make? My Lath and Baluster chair that won the gold medal at the 1993 National Woodworker show, plus a few things from when I first started that aren’t good enough to sell.

What do you most enjoy making? I enjoy making new things when I have the time. Half the fun is working out how to make something new.

Is there anything you make that you do not enjoy making and why? My folding high chair. Now discontinued because it takes so long to make and is so fiddly.

Do you ever get times where you think of giving it all up? Not giving it up, but there are times when I’d rather be doing other things. Such as when I’ve got loads of orders or busy preparing for a fair and it’s a lovely hot sunny day outside. I try not to let miniatures take over my life though.

Do you read books and magazines on Miniatures, if you do what is your favourite? I don’t regularly buy any magazines. I have a few books on making miniatures and quite a few reference books on full size furniture.

Do you keep a notebook of ideas or future projects, or is everything you do, done on an impulse? I keep a lookout for ideas when I am out. I like browsing antique shops and museums, and taking photos if they’ll let me. When I first started I got a lot of my ideas from the High Wycombe Chair Museum, the staff there were very helpful.

Also I find eBay is now a good source of ideas. Do you have a purpose‐made workshop? Yes I’ve turned my back bedroom into a workshop. There’s definitely no room for a bed in there now. Is your workshop full of very expensive machinery? I have collected quite a bit of machinery over the years.

Do you work completely on your own, if not who helps you? Completely on my own, although my cat tries to help me sometimes.

If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in miniature making, what would it be? Don’t expect to get rich and don’t give up a full time job unless you have an alternate income.

Do you think there is much if any, rivalry between makers? I haven’t come across much rivalry. Certainly with furniture there is plenty of scope for everyone to make something different, so there doesn’t need to be rivalry.

Hour for hour, do your sales warrant what you do? In financial terms definitely not.

Is there anybody from the miniature world whose work you really admire? Alan McKirdy who made the most immaculate musical instruments, I don’t know if he still does, and of course the late Barry Hipwell.

AIM Member Colin Bird

If a competitor came to you for advice, would you give it freely? I usually give advice freely, although if I thought someone was going to be competing directly with me I might hold a bit back.

Are there any bad things in the Miniature world that you would like to see put right? I can’t think of anything bad. Do you think the Dolls house hobby needs more publicity? More publicity would certainly be helpful. A lot of people still seem to think of dolls houses as just for little girls.

Re the previous question, if you do, what do you think could be done to enhance its popularity? More press and TV coverage maybe.

What do you think of the mass‐produced imported items now available? I think there is a place for it, not everyone can afford hand made miniatures. The design of some of the furniture amuses me though.

Do you consider yourself lucky to be able to do what you are doing? Yes, very lucky. What was the first record or CD you ever bought? Probably something by the Shadows, I used to save up my pocket money and buy Shadows EPs. I’ve still got them some‐where. After buying from you, do you get many customers come back for more? Of course they do. I have many satisfied regular customers.

One inch to a foot (1/12 scale) is the accepted standard, but 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 favour‐ite scale? My favourite scale is 1/12, but I do make some items in 1/24 scale when I have time or when people ask me.

Considering how long the 1/12 scale has been going, how do you think the smaller scales will do in the long term? I think there will be increasing demand for 1/24 scale, simply because it takes up less space.

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: Pink Floyd – Pulse. DVD: Home DVD of my dad’s surprise 80th birthday party. Book: the complete Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Do you only sell to the Dolls House fraternity, if not where else do you sell? I did make some miniature cricket bats and oars for a company making teddy bears once.

Do you think there is anything that cannot be produced in miniature? Given time I think anything could be produced in miniature. Whether it would be worthwhile finan‐cially is another matter.

What is your favourite tool or material for working in

miniature? My favourite tool would have to be my thirty year old, original Austrian Unimat 3 lathe. When I first started this was all I had, but with all its various attachments it could do most things. I now have dedicated tools in place of the attachments, but still use the lathe for all my turning. My favourite material, well I only really work with wood. What is the strangest thing you have ever made or been asked to make? Oars for teddy bears? Do you exhibit at Dolls House/Miniature fairs? I exhibit at Miniatura and the Kensington Dollshouse Festival. Do you exhibit abroad, if not, is it

something that you would like to do? I don’t exhibit abroad. I’m a bit apprehensive about that.

Do you get a buzz from exhibiting or is it a nail‐biting affair? I quite enjoy fairs and try not to get too stressed. I don’t believe in working right up until the last minute. I make what I can and leave myself plenty of time to pack and get ready. Why do you think customers should buy from you instead of someone else? I probably have the widest range of chairs. I pay great attention to scale and detail and try to make my furniture look as realistic as possible. I also provide a friendly personal service to customers with particular requirements.


Have you ever sold one of your products to someone famous? I don’t think so, unless they were in disguise.

Do you sell through the Internet? Yes, you have to nowadays.

What do you think the world of computers and the Internet have brought to the Miniature world? Computers have made a tremendous difference and I would be lost without mine. Email makes it so much easier to communicate with customers the other side of the world, and anyone without a web site is definitely losing out in my opinion. I also use mine as an aid when building new pieces.

Excluding the last question, have you seen any major changes since you became involved in miniatures? More fairs and more magazines. Probably too many for them all to survive.

What would you consider to be your greatest achievement in the miniature world? Winning a gold medal at the National Woodworker Show was an achievement at the time I suppose.

Where do you see yourself in the miniature world in one year’s time? Hopefully with a few new items. Do you actually foresee a time when you will stop making miniatures? Not completely, I will probably just slow down?

And finally, if someone wants to commission you to make something how could they contact you. Email: [email protected] Phone: +44 (0) 1304 214211 Web: www.colinbird.co.uk


Abbreviations: st‐stitch; k‐knit; p‐purl; dc‐double crochet; p3tog‐purl next 3 stitches together to make one stitch; ( )‐repeat instructions between brackets as directed. Materials required: Size 16 (1.5 mm) knitting needles, ½ skein 1‐ply wool (or small amount of No 80 crochet cotton which will make the work more open see green snood), shirring elastic or thin elastic cord, 0.75 mm crochet hook (optional)

To make snood: Cast on 30 sts. Knit 1 row. 1st row: k 2nd row: k1, (k1, p1, k1 [all in next stitch], p3tog) to last st, k1. 3rd row: k 4th row: k1, (p3tog, [k1, p1, k1] all in next st) to last st. k1. 5th row: k Repeat rows 2 ‐ 5 until work measures 1¼‐inches (3 cm) or suitable length. Cast off, but do not break yarn. To make up: Holding the elastic against the knitting, work a row of dc (US single crochet) over the elastic into the edge of the knitting. Work round 3 sides of knitting, leaving cast off edge plain for front of head. If preferred the elastic can be oversewn onto the edge of the knitting. Draw up elastic to a suitable length and sew neatly to beginning and end of crochet or oversewing to fasten.

Project: miniature knitting

Ladies Snood (c.1945, but also commonly worn during Victorian times) 1/12th 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


Fairy Celebrations 9 Yxáà|ätÄá By Louise Goldsborough, AIM Member

g he celebration of Imbolc or the Festival of

Torches, takes place on 2nd February. The alternative Christian festival is called Candle Mass. Imbolc is at the time of the year when the longer, lighter days are becoming more and more obvious. Traditionally, the goddess has recovered from the birth of the god and is beginning to wake from her long winter sleep. The god is now a young ener‐getic child eager to bring warmth and fertility to the Earth

\t is an Imbolc tradition that at dusk, every light

in the house should be lit, if only for a few minutes. This symbolises the return of the Sun.

fuitable food offerings for the fairy folk include

all dairy produce as Imbolc also marks the festival of calving; also spicy, peppery foods (including curry!!!) and dishes containing onions and garlic. Spiced wines and raisins are another fairy favour‐ite. Imbolc is also a festival of purification and clean‐sing after being shut in for the winter. A good time for clearing out cupboards!

Text & Photos: Copyright Louise Goldsborough, AIM Member www.angeliqueminiatures.co.uk

“The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts, all on a summer’s day.

The Knave of Hearts he saw the tarts, And stole them right away!”

Lewis Carroll.

Queen of ‘s By Louise Goldsborough, AIM Member

Two one‐twelfth scale miniature porcelain dolls dressed in Tudor style costume. The Queen of Hearts wears a red silk over‐gown, decorated with golden braid. Her under‐sleeves, front skirt panel and bodice insert are made in crisp white cotton printed with tiny red hearts and from her waist hangs a chain of tiny sparkling crystals. Underneath, the Queen wears white lace‐trimmed pantaloons and matching petticoat. Her painted red shoes are trimmed with frills of lace, black bows and red crystals. Around her neck is a ribbon choker with a tiny golden heart with red crystal centre and on her pretty blonde hair she wears a golden crown. The Queen carries a plate with two heart‐shaped jam tarts (where there should have been four!). The Knave of Hearts wears a smart suit of fine red silk, richly embel‐

lished with gold braid and trimmed with a ruff and sleeve frills of white lace. His shoes are made from real leather and have beautifully detailed golden buckles, set off well by his ivory cotton hose. On his head the Knave wears a black felt hat with a white curled feather and in each hand he holds a stolen jam tart…….he has even taken a bite out of one of them!

Text & Photos Copyright ‐ Louise Goldsborough www.angeliqueminiatures.co.uk


AIM members Stephen and Sue New‐

stead make 1/12th ‐ and now ‐ 1/24th

historical replica dummy board figures

for the dollshouse.

To chime with the current magazine theme of

‘costume’, read on for some thoughts about

dress depicted on dummy board figures,

large and small.

Or Wouldn’t ?

By Sue Newstead, AIM Member

You know, at least you ought to know.. for I have often told you so.

‐A thank you to that august poet One Hillaire Belloc, for ‘twas he that wroteit…

( IN “Jim” )SORRY *

...About those clever Trompe L’oeil boards, those painted cut out wooden folk,

Those cats and dogs made for a joke. *

Back in the time of Lord and Sir In Good King Charles’s golden days

Those dummy boards were ‘de rigueur’ which every wealthy home displays.

* The clever Dutch, first had them there.

The English being crafty, follow And cry “ St. George! this isn’t fair...

Let’s make’em too and beat ‘em hollow! *

And so we see, those in the know Creations from that far off day,

Expensive, rare and just for show‐ But are they really what they say?

* How do we tell....they could be fake?

As anything that’s valued could Anyone at all could make

An ‘antique’ board of painted wood. *

And now we have to think again For, yes we know that boards are seen Of Armoured Knights and Merry Men Of Raleigh and the Virgin Queen.

*

1

2

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In corsets, ruffs, with men in tights With lace and ruffles, jewels and bling You couldn’t help but guess to rights That they just aint the Real Thing

* There’s Cavaliers from 1820 And Walt and Liz from 1902

And there’s 17th century lads a plenty With the twentieth century hairdo!

* And passed off as the genuine piece By those who were out to deceive.

And many’s the punter they managed to fleece

Whilst sniggerin’ into their sleeve. *

They copied costumes out of books They made them flowery, frilly, fey, Expressions knowing, modern looks, The face reflecting their own day.

* All far too early for the art

But made to look as old as trash With dints and cracks to look the part

To make us spend our hard earned cash. *

And then they copied famous men Like Rembrandt, with his style so clear And made them look historic when, They were really only made last year!

*

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8 9

10 11


1) PastMastery figure of “Lady Sheffield” dummy board of an unknown lady modelled on a painting by Gainsborough. 19th c. Private collection in Canada. 5 inches. 2) PastMastery figure of Luigi Boccherini ‐Music Mas‐ters range‐ signed and numbered limited edition. 4 3/4 inches 3) PastMastery Cat in a Box after a 17th century painting. Private Collection in the U.K. Cat‐ less than half an inch. 4) PastMastery Drouot Pair ‐ children from 1680 based on the English pair now in a Paris collection. 2 3/4 inches high 5) 19th century Elizabeth 1st and Sir Walter Raleigh American Unknown owner or collection. 4 feet high. 6) 19th century ‘16th century figure’ possibly made for the theatre. U.S. Collection. 4 feet high 7) 19th century Cavalier after a 17th century painting by Honthorst. Private collection in the U.S. 60 inches high 8)16th century boy ( 1930) Museum of Childhood Edinburgh. 36 inches high 9) PastMastery 1/12th figure of the Chateau de Malle

girl with blue gloves.‐based on a dummy board from the very beginning of the 18th century. The Real Thing. 3 1/2 inches 10) 19th century ‘fake’ of a similar girl of the 17th century pairs of children ‐ the most commonly found dummy boards. Woburn Antiques Centre. 36 inches 11) Maria Tripp after a painting by Rembrandt ( 19th century ) Private collection in the U.S. 5 feet tall. 12) PastMastery figure of the Rotterdam sweeper 1720 Rotterdam Museum, Holland. 5 inches 13) PastMastery naive figure of the Wilberforce House gardener ( 18th century ) Wilberforce House Yorkshire. 6 inches 14) 1930’s French boy. An obvious fake? Paris collection. 3 feet high. 15) Pair 19th c. “cavalier” children in private collection in the U.S. Another just like it is for sale in London at present. 4 feet high

So watch it when you see a figure A sweeper or a little laddie A baby or a garden digger

You could be looking at a baddie. *

How to find out what is needed? Costume is the easiest test. If our information’s heeded

Then we’re sure to find the best. *

Is the dress correct in places? Are the colours right and proper? Does the painting of the faces Do it right or come a cropper?

* Have the makers followed fashion

Of the age, the details glam? Is your Cavalier too dashin’? Is your lady’s frock a sham?

* Still we’re doubtful? Ring no bells? Help’s at hand... save all your strife.. No longer stretch those ‘little grey

cells’ Sue will help....Read “This Quiet Life”

*

Sue Newstead November 2008 www.pastmastery.com

12 13

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15


Materials Required: 5mm plywood: Mount‐card: Thin Cardboard: Glue: Tissue Paper: Paint: Floor covering: Kitchen Furniture Pack: Wall covering for exterior: Accessories to dress room: Characters

The Room‐Box From the 5mm ply cut the following pieces,

Base 16cm by 16cm, Back 16cm by 11cm . Sides 16.5 cm by 11 cm Following Plan A, glue the sides to the base, then the back section to

the sides and base and hold together with an elastic band until the

adhesive dries. (Picture 1 and 2)

Whilst this is drying, you can make the false wall for the pantry.

Plan B From the mount‐board cut a piece of board 17.5cm by 11 cm. Mark 3

cm in from each side edge and mark a doorway 7 cm in from each edge

and 8 cm high. (Picture 3)

Score carefully along 3cm lines marked in red on your plan, fold gently

back, then cut out door hole, marked with diagonal lines on plan B.

(Picture 4)

Now taking the tissue paper, paste it to the walls of the box and both

sides of the false wall. Do not correct rips or tears and

leave creases, as these will form your plaster effect.

(Pictures 5 and 6) Check false wall for fit (Picture 6)

Do not glue in yet!!!!

Again whilst this is drying you can make the

shelves for the pantry.

“There’s no place like home”

1:24th Scale Project

By Glynis Webb, AIM Member

1

2

3

4

6

5


Project Continued…

Plan C Taking some thin card (cereal packets are ideal for this) cut a piece 11.5cm wide by 18.5 cm long. Draw lines horizontally across the card at the following intervals starting at the top. 2cm: 1.25cm:1.25cm: 2cm: 1.25cm:1.25cm: 2.5cm: 1.25cm:1.25cm: 4.5cm left at the bottom. (Picture7). Carefully score along these lines (in red on your plan) and fold the 1.25cm spaces to form the shelves.(Picture8).Glue and clamp the shelves until dry. (Picture 9) At this point you should check your shelves for fit and trim to size if necessary. Try your false wall also. (Picture 10). You are now ready to start painting. Take your paint and cover all the walls of the box and both sides of the false wall. Paint your shelves once the adhesive has dried and you have removed clamps. Patchy painting adds to the effect of this kitchen. Paper and paint the outside of the box, (Picture 11). I used wallpaper and painted it, but you could choose your own effect. Now add some floor covering. (Mine was scrap‐booking paper, from a craft shop. (Picture 12) Of course there is a good range of 1/24th papers available to create floors and walls etc from craft and dolls house shops. Now you can dress your pantry shelves. There are many free printie sites on the internet that you can download for personal use, failing that you can buy bits and pieces for your shelves from the many suppliers across the country or make your own. Once you are happy with your pantry shelves you can age them using tea dye varnish or a coffee wash. (Pictures 13 & 14). Glue the shelves into place on the back wall, leaving a space for your false wall. (Picture 15). Now glue in your false wall and you have a completed pantry with not too much fiddling!! (Picture 16)

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8

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13

14

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Kitchen Plans: AIM member Glynis has also provided these helpful work plans to assist you

in the building of your 1:24th scale project...

Please note this image is shown on its side & is NOT to scale...


15

16


The Kitchen Planning

I took an imported kitchen readily available from Dolls House Shops. I wanted the sink in the corner hence why the pantry does not fill the whole wall, this also adds interest to the shape of the room. Try your furniture first and decide on your layout.

Picture 17 Picture 18 Picture 19

My method for creating the “lived in look” I created the look in my kitchen, by sanding the pieces first where wear and tear would occur, next I gently rubbed over the edges with treasure silver or umber paint, then tea dye varnish or coffee. The cooker top I removed and replaced with the back of dressmakers snap poppers to form the rings, I sanded these and added treasure brass to get a rust effect. (Pictures 17.18,19) Remember to discolour the glass in your oven door too! I painted the sink silver and sanded it back whilst wet to give a lived in look. The tap snapped off whilst I was sanding but I left it hanging off after all we all know how hard it is to get a plumber these days! I un‐hinged a couple of doors so items could tumble out of the interiors. I also rubbed treasure silver sparingly over the walls to add a dirty effect followed by the tea dye varnish. Ash works just as well if you don’t have treasure silver. Now you can fix into place your units and start to dress your kitchen! This is the fun part. Let shelves lean, fill them as full as possible, use dirty tea towels…..go on you know you can do it!!!! Put things where they should not be, knitting in the middle of food, cats on work‐ tops, mop bucket spilt. Use scenic water to add realism in the sink and bucket. Don’t be afraid to try fimo, this was my first attempt with it, but I made all the food and the crockery and in 1/24th. Finally add your characters, mine were made by Robin of Coombe crafts. When I first saw them I knew the very kitchen they would inhabit and they are the gems of this piece!

I hope you enjoy this project and if you cannot bring yourself to distress your work, it can be just as successful as a “normal” kitchen, but not as much fun…trust me!!!

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Please note diagram C below is shown on its side. Diagrams are NOT to scale...

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Sid

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© Glynis Webb. AIM Member www.jasminejunction.tripod.com

Suppliers and Materials Plywood: Wood merchants/Hobby Shop Wallpaper : Kitchen Flooring: Tissue Paper: Adhesive: Dolls House Shop/ Craft Shop Kitchen:Dolls House Shop Dolls: Coombe Crafts (AIM Member) www.coombecrafts.co.uk Accessories: Various Dolls House Shops and home made Fimo:Fimo Book by Angie Scarr Miniature Printables Free Print sites on the internet. (Most of these are for personal use only). I also found pic‐tures in magazines and books. Always check the copyright before you start!

AIM’s Crafty Tips… Next time you have corn on the cob, save one of the wrapping leaves and let it dry. When you are making carrots and parsnips from polymer clay, rolling them on the dry leaf before baking, textures them perfectly.

Don’t forget your button box! ‘Glass’ buttons make bowls for fruit and sweets, larger ones, dishes and platters, and embossed metal ones can often look great on a wall. Many pretty buttons made for children’s clothes work well as tiny toys on nursery shelves, and in toy-boxes and toyshops.

Silica gel crystals found in the little paper packets in new handbags and shoe boxes, work well as sweets in jars and dishes. They also make effective ice-cubes.

If you want to paint a small, shiny plastic or metal item with acrylic paint – give it a thin coat of water-based varnish or thinned-down P.V.A. glue first and allow to it dry. This will provide a ‘key’ for the paint.

We have all used envelopes with a pattern on the inside, for miniature carrier bags and wrapping paper – an A4 envelope can be turned into pretty wallpaper for a 1/24th room. Coloured envelopes are useful if you want to have a go at making miniature flowers and plants.

Enjoy and happy mini-ing!

Mi nombre es Cristina Albertí. Soy aficionada a las miniaturas, concretamente a escala 1/12, desde hace unos siete años. Hago miniaturas diversas: plantas, juguetes, teatros de papel, dioramas de papel, decoración de Navidad, libros y muñecos de carácter. Os presento mis últimas escenas que son un poco como un recopilatorio de distintas cosas de las que hago. Se trata de unas mini escenas con teatro de títeres. Cada muñeca es una pieza única ya que trabajo sin moldes. Están modeladas a mano con Super Sculpey y los cuerpos son estructuras de alambre. Los teatros están realizados en madera y pintados a mano. Los títeres están modelados en Fimo y también son piezas únicas. Cada muñeca esta leyendo un libro a sus muñecos y los títeres del teatro corresponden a los personajes del libro. Hay sido realizadas para regalar a mis compañeras del grupo de miniaturistas catalanas como regalo de Navidad. Espero que os gusten tanto como a mi me ha gustado hacerlas. un saludo,

Cristina Alberti www.totpetit.es.tl

Muñecas, Títeres y Teatros desde España ‐ Dolls, Theatres & Puppets From Spain By AIM Member, Cristina Alberti


AIM is a truly international association, so when AIM member Cristina Alberti wanted to tell us more about her amazing work, we were delighted when she did so in her own words and language...

My name is Cristina Alberti. I have been a fan of miniatures, in particular 12th scale, for the past 7 years. I make a wide range of miniatures: plants, toys, paper theatres, paper dioramas, Christmas decorations, books and char‐acter dolls.

I would like to show you my most recent scenes which serve to demonstrate the different things that I create.

These are puppet theatres used in miniature scenes. As I work without moulds each doll is unique. They are hand modelled from Super Sculpey and the bodies are constructed from wire. The theatres are crafted in wood and hand painted. The puppets are handmade from Fimo and are also unique. Each figure is reading a book to her dolls and the puppets represent the characters in the book. The scenes were designed as Christmas gifts to fellow members of a Catalan miniatures group that I be‐long to. I hope you enjoy them as much as I en‐joyed making them.

Cristina Alberti www.totpetit.es.tl



Art Deco

1:12th Picture Frame

By AIM Member, Jane Harrop

The Art Deco movement influenced the interior decoration and furnishing of many homes in

Britain during the 1930s. The mass production of small, practical and decorative Art Deco themed

items such as clocks, picture frames and crockery meant that the style was available to everyone.

After the outbreak of World War Two and up until the end of the 1940’s, everything was in short

supply, so many homes remained decorated and furnished exactly as they had been during the

previous decade.

1. Take the shoulder components and round off one corner on each piece using fine grade sandpaper. Take the high and medium shoulders and taper the long edge that follows the rounded corner. Lightly sand the remaining wood pieces and then sparingly apply wood stain to all of the pieces and leave to dry. 2. Position and glue the back and shoulder pieces together as shown. Turn the construction over and glue the back support on top, the bottom edge of the wood piece is flush with the bottom edge of the construction. Once dry, lightly sand the bottom edge smooth. 3. Download and print the photograph on to satin photo paper. Glue the photograph on to the picture frame back. Position and glue the construction centrally on top of the base wood piece. Note: the back edge of the support wood piece is flush with the back edge of the base.

© Jane Harrop 2009

www.janeharrop.co.uk

This Art Deco picture frame displaying a photograph

from the 1940s, that is available for you to download, is

the perfect accessory for any home of this period.

You will need…

1/16in (1.5mm) obechi sheet wood: 5/8in (16mm) by 13/32in (10mm) for picture back 15/16in (24mm) by 1/4in (6mm) for base

3/32in (2.5mm) by 3/32in (2.5mm) obechi sheet wood: Two 9/16in (14mm) lengths for high shoulders Two 3/8in (9mm) lengths for medium shoulders Two 1/8in (3mm) lengths for low shoulders 11/16in (17mm) for back support

Satin photo paper Wood stain Tacky glue

2

1

Right: (Cut out) Photograph provided for this project...

By AIM Member, Sandra Morris


Welcome to the regular monthly column of artisan Sandra Morris of Tower House Dolls…

I have a very ambiguous relationship with time.

My working year is broken down into ‘bite‐sized’ chunks of time, related directly to fair and workshop dates.

Regular readers of my Tales from a Toymaker blog will know of my penchant for countdown timers which I optimistically install on my laptop computer screen to inform me of the number of days, hours, minutes and even seconds till a particular event.

For example, I can say with absolute certainty that at time of writing, there are ex‐actly 314 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes and 48..no 42, sorry 35…….(well, you get the gist) seconds till the Kensington Christmas Dollhouse Festival in November.

This obsession with time can be both encouraging, as in the case of the oceans of time remaining before the November fair, or paralysing terrifying, as in the case of my next fair, in a mere 42 days.

The fair in question is the Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair, on Saturday 21st February. It will be my first time and even a cursory glance at the list of exhibitors illustrates the exalted artisan company I’ll be sharing,

Tales from the... Toy Cupboard

including the largest number of AIM members at any fair in the history of ever. So no pressure there then.

As I always aim to unveil new and unusual miniatures at fairs I am now in a race against time to complete several new toys which have been on the drawing board since last year. These include some exotic new pullalong toys as well as a new range of boxed toy games and magic sets.

But somehow, despite my very best intentions, time is always against me. Tasks which should only take a few hours if everything goes well, will inevitably go seriously skew‐whiff and end up spreading out over several infuriatingly frustrating days.

Conversely, on the relatively rare occasions when everything goes perfectly tickety‐boo, time absolutely flies, and the hours tick by like minutes. Still, as they say, there is no time like the present……..so I’m off back to work. Hope to see you at Thame!

Sandra


THE HOME FRONTTHE HOME FRONTTHE HOME FRONT In Miniatures…

By AIM Member, Celia Thomas

The Home Front is the terminology given to describe life in general at home during the Second World War in Great Britain, an era which was one of the most dramatic and turbulent times of the 20th century. This time in history is becoming an increasingly popular subject for miniaturists to recreate. In this feature you will find some wonderful wartime creations available from several of our talented AIM members

(the artisans’ contact details are at the end of the feature).

It was a time of great hardship, with bombings becoming commonplace, the men folk going off to fight the war and families being torn apart. Identity cards were compulsory and had to be carried at all times along with a gasmask in its carrying box/case.

Life In The Wartime House Food rationing came into force in January 1940 and Ration Books were an essential part of life. Housewives would have to queue daily for food and use their imagination. Gradually as the war progressed, more and more foods disappeared off the shelves completely.

Air Raids were part of many people’s daily lives for much of the war. At home, people would take shelter in their cellar if they had one, under the stairs or in purpose built shelters such as an Anderson that would have been constructed in the garden or back yard. Many households kept a stirrup pump and buckets of sand handy to cope with incendiary bombs and small fires. The ARP warden would be on hand during bombing, whose main role was to report damage, assess local needs for help and organise air raid shelters. Blackouts were compulsory and it was a great misdeed if you did shine the tiniest of a light at night, even inadvertently, and could be heavily fined. So another duty of the ARP warden would be to ensure that the rules of the blackout were adhered to and one of their phrases would be “Put that light out!” or “Cover that window!”

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Continued... The wireless played a big part during the war and many house‐holds had one. People would listen to it to keep abreast of the nation’s news as well as for entertainment. Of course the news would be carefully controlled by the government as it was important to keep the British morale in good spirits.

By 1941 it was apparent that there was a drastic shortage of materials including timber for furniture manufacture. The Utility Furniture Committee was set up in 1942 using some principle designers of the time, to create furniture that used the scarce resources in a

shrewd way. New furniture was rationed and was available basically for just newlyweds setting up home plus people that had been bombed out, as decreed by the Domestic Furniture Order 1942. Designs were based on traditions of the Arts & Crafts Movement, simplistic and devoid of embellishment. There were about seven hundred different companies throughout the country manufacturing utility furniture hence the quality varied a great deal. Beds would have layers of thick blankets and probably an eiderdown in order to keep warm at night. No luxury of central heating in those days! Furniture would tend to be from generations gone by unless you were one of those who were able to purchase utility furniture.

Clothes Rationing

As the war began to progress there became an obvious shortage of clothes and those that could be found in the shops were extremely expensive. Cloth could no longer be obtained from abroad and the British factories had to manufacturer items for the war effort such as uniforms and parachutes. So clothes rationing began in 1941 and everyone was given a book of clothing coupons in order to buy new clothing. As the war progressed, the quantity of coupons per person gradually decreased. However second hand clothes were not rationed and families, neighbours etc. tended to manage with “hand me downs”. The Government introduced the “Make Do & Mend” campaign (one of many campaigns during the war) to encourage people to patch up their clothes and make do with what they had. Leaflets and posters gave people advice and information on how to do this plus even classes were set up to teach people how to make new clothing from their old bits of worn out ones instead of just throwing them away.

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Continued…

Childhood Generally it was a tough time for children during that era, with shortages of practically everything imaginable plus in many cases huge numbers of children had to be evacuated away from large towns or cities, which were targeted for heavy bombing. Mothers with children under five years of age and school children along with many of their teachers were moved out to the countryside where there was less risk of bombing. The children suddenly found themselves more often than not being looked after by complete strangers. Although a few viewed it as a big adventure, for many it was traumatic as they would be separated from their family, often siblings were split up too.

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Photograph key: 1. Wireless, Utility Drop Leaf Table, Gas Mask With Box & Wartime Magazine 2. Wartime kitchen with pantry. 3. A 1930s kitchen cupboard. 4. George is reaching for his ARP helmet as the siren is sounding and he is needed for duty. 5. Stirrup pumps with buckets of water or buckets of sand would be handy for putting out incendiary bombs or small fires. 6. This sideboard was a throwback from the early 1930s, actually based on a real design from the 1930s Army & Navy Stores Handbook . 7. A classic utility fireside chair. 8 . A utility chest of drawers.

9. A lovely example of a 1940s quilted eiderdown. 10. Wartime book of clothing coupons. 11. A felt pillbox hat &a linen hat, two typical style hats of that era. 12. A young girl. 13. Two rather handsome twin evacuee s, one with a rather posh gas mask box clutching his tiny case of belongings. 14. Aerial Attack is a typical child’s game from that era that was based on the topic of “war”. 15. What an emotional occasion it must have been when daddy arrived back from the war! GOD SAVE THE KING! 16. Some wartime mementoes in an old attic. 17. A group of old medals beautifully set in a frame.


Continued…

VICTORY- DADDY’S HOMCOMING!

And If You Don’t Have a Wartime House?

If your miniature house is set in a later decade of the 20th or 21st century, you could always incorpo‐rate a bit of the wartime era into your miniature attic or spare bedroom/junk room e.g. some old medals, photos, books or even an old uniform hanging out of a trunk!

And Finally... A Wartime Hallway (See Below)

This room box and its entire contents is up for auction and you can bid now for it. All proceeds in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign. Several artisans, including some AIM members, have donated items to this scene. For full details and information on how to bid see

www.ktminiatures.com/Auction_BreastCancerCampaign

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The copyright of all photos on this page belongs to each individual contributor. For a full list of contributors, please see below. Text belongs to Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures.

Thank you to the following AIM artisans who kindly allowed us to use images of their items:

Photos 1,3,7 & 8 by Jane Harrop ‐ www.janeharrop.co.uk Woolton Pie Preparation Board in Photo 2 by Mags Cassidy of ‐www.mags‐nificent.co.uk Photo 13 & ARP Doll in Photo 4 by Robin Britton of Coombe Crafts ‐ www.coombecrafts.co.uk Monarch Of The Glen Painting in Photo 4 by Ellie de Lacy ‐ www.elliedelacy.co.uk Photo 9 Christina Berry of The Dolls House Bedding Company ‐ www.thedollshousebeddingco.co.uk Photo 11 Margaret Pitt of MiniMilliner ‐ www.minimilliner.co.uk Photo 12 Teresa Thompson of Costume Cavalcade ‐ www.costumecavalcade.co.uk Photo 15 Kate Pinsent of K Designs ‐ www.kdesignsdolls.co.uk Photo 17 Carol Lester of The Dolls House Mall ‐ www.thedollshousemall.com Photos 2,4,5,6,10,14,16 & Wartime Hallway by Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures – www.ktminiatures.com


As the word ‘uniform’ implies, we are talking about dress that

conforms to an unvarying standard that is readily identifiable – when this is in miniature, it does present a few tricky problems… the first being accuracy! The one part of a uniform that instantly identifies it is usually the headgear and the first general rule is, ‘do the research’! This can present problems, but thank heavens for the internet! It is also worth hoarding useful books and photographs and likely pictures from magazines and newspapers – especially any with details of badges and trimmings. The details are what ‘makes’ the uniform; so, although an old, retired sailor might be fine in navy trousers and a nautical looking cap, a Royal Navy Captain does require the right badges and bits of braid! Military and occupational uniforms also have a habit of changing over the years – which might seem an obvious statement – but you can bet your life that a collector will pick you up on the difference between a 1940s and 1960s policeman, so it’s worth a careful check. As far as fabric is concerned, the two most important aspects are the colour, of course, and the weight of the material, with a fine weave. Nothing looks worse than a postman dressed in what appears to be navy sacking! Khaki can be a most difficult colour to source in the right material, and it is often worth dyeing your own, but Royal Air Force blue and navy are much easier to find. A useful tip, if you want to create a uniform or cap‐badge, is to spray a small piece of the appropriate material with hairspray and when dry, paint on the insignia with a fine brush and acrylic paint. The hairspray will stop the paint ‘bleeding’ into the fabric. Cut out the shape and glue it on ‐ much easier and less risky than painting directly onto the finished costume. A good enough, raised, metal cap badge can often be achieved with blobs of PVA glue, painted when dry, or a tiny scrap of lace, painted gold or silver as appropriate. All kinds of commercial packaging feature embossed details, which can often be cut out, trimmed and painted to produce super badges. We were spoiled for choice when it came to choosing the photographs to accompany this feature, so do take time to look at the work of the artisans featured, on their websites.

Our special thanks to Teresa Thompson, Janine Crocker and Lorrie Harvey.

HATS AND UNIFORMS

By AIM Members. Robin Britton & Margaret Pitts

Above top: Cavalier’s Hat

Above: Bicorne Hat

Below: French Naval Officer - C18th

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Above: Captain Cook C18th Navy

Below: Policeman

Above: Admiral’s Hat

Above: 1800-20 Major Sharpe, 95th Rifles and Naval Officer

Left: Police Constable’s Helmet

Above: 1/24th scale postman

Right: 1800-20 Private, Light Dragoon

Below: 1918 R.F.C. Flying Officer and 1940 R.A.F.

Below: U.S. Confederate and Union Army Officers 1861- 65


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Above: U.S. Naval Cap-tain’s hat

Right: 1940s Nurse Top Right: 1940s Royal Navy Officer and Able Seaman. Below Right: Modern Naval Officer Below: 1940s Army servicemen, Land Army, and R.A.F

Below: U.S. Officers’ caps All parts of this article are Copyright and may not be reproduced without expressed permission. The text is the Copyright of Artisans in Miniature and the photographs as follows:

No. 13 Janine Crocker – www.missameliasminiatures.com

No. 18 Lorrie Harvey – www.minilorrie.2itb.com

Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 8 – Margaret Pitts – www.minimilliner.co.uk

Nos. 3, 6, 10, 11, 15 and 16 ‐ Teresa Thompson – www.costumecavalcade.co.uk

Nos. 4, 8, 9, 12, 14 and 17 – Robin Britton – www.coombecrafts.co.uk

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Economy Slippers Economy Slippers Economy Slippers

Project...

By AIM Member

Margaret Pitts

True to the ‘Make Do and Mend’ campaign, most families did their bit by making the best use of every scrap of material they could lay hands on, including hand‐me‐downs from other family members, second‐hand clothing or the famous parachute silk that was highly treasured if you were lucky enough to get your hands on some. My mother always told me that the undergarments for her wedding were all made from locally salvaged parachute silk. So it was no real surprise when Robin Britton (www.coombecrafts.co.uk) sent me a picture of an original pattern for these Economy Design Slippers, which I’m sure would be made by many housewives during the war. I thought it might be fun to make them in miniature… and an unusual addition to your mini 1940s scene!

Here’s what you need: I used felt and fine cotton fabric with a small pattern. To get the approximate foot size, I drew round a 1/12th scale doll’s feet to make a card template for each foot.

I cut a strip for the back approx 2” long and ½” wide at centre back, decreasing to 3/8” at the sides. The slipper front is 1” wide and ½” deep at the highest point. Cut two fronts and two backs.

These measurements are just a rough guide and are on the large side so you will probably need to trim and adjust as you go… just as you would do in real life.


Slipper Project Continued…

Step 1. Cut the foot shapes from thin card, glue to a piece of felt (I used a light shade as these will be the inner soles) and cut out when dry.

Step 2. Cut two backs and two fronts from the patterned fabric. Fold over a narrow, single hem along the top (curved edge) of each slipper back and glue down. From now on, I suggest you finish one slipper completely, then make the other one. (This is the hardest part, making two to match!)

Step 3. Make tiny snips along the straight edge to help it to curve round the sole. Put glue all along this edge and also round the edge of the sole. Make sure the centre back is positioned at the heel of the inner sole and press into place round the edge of the sole and underneath. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t go all the way round as you will make a separate front piece.

Step 4. Take the slipper front and fold over a narrow hem across the straight edge. Glue in place. Snip all round the curved edge.

Step 5. Decide how high you want the slipper front to be and mark where you will attach it to the sides. Put glue round the curved edge of the slipper fronts and glue them at the sides and under the sole. Finish off by gluing the base of the slipper to a scrap of dark felt or leather and trim neatly to form the outer sole.

Now make the slipper for the other foot. I thought Granddad might appreciate a pair too, so I made a pair in plain, dark felt!

If you are feeling ambitious, you might like to have a go at making the patchwork ones, as shown on the original pattern.

Slipper Project Continued…

Draw the pattern pieces onto a piece of plain, cotton fabric. I used a bright colour so that it wouldn’t matter if it showed between the patchwork pieces….it just looks like part of the design.

Cut up a variety of tiny scraps of cotton fabric in different colours and patterns. Stick them randomly onto the pattern pieces before cutting out. Avoid sticking them near the edge or the pieces will be too bulky. Make up the slippers as

before.

Text and photos copyright of Margaret Pitts

www.minimilliner.co.uk

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 informa‐tion 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


By AIM Member, Dave Williams

‘AIM’ology, or Genealogy as it’s known in the real world, is a great way of combining two hobbies; researching your family tree can be very rewarding for the miniaturist.

Photographs, information, job roles are just a few items that can give the miniaturist valuable information; fashions and architecture are ones that immediately spring to mind. A miniature copy from a family photograph or memento can add a bit of reality to your dolls house or collection, an added bonus is that you would have no copyright worries. The first photograph shows a desk with a photo of my grandmother, a photo of my grandfather, miniature birth certificates and census returns. The photo above the desk shows my Grandfather with his regiment in WW1.

Where to start is without a doubt the question newcomers to family history ask, so first port of call is a notebook; write down as many details as you can about your family, full names of your parents, addresses, places of birth, churches where marriages and christenings took place, write down everything you can find out, you may think now that some little fact may be irrelevant, but as time goes on and you get older you may come upon that note one day and be glad you wrote it down. I know I have.

Any certificates you can get hold of are priceless, as are photographs; any photos you can get hold of, beg steal or borrow springs to mind. Photographs shown are of old family photos including the local family church circa 1900.

The large, single photo is of my grandmother Jennie Smith. She was born on October 10th 1986, married March 10th 1928 and died 13th October 1934; my estimate of the photograph date is circa 1932.

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From parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends and neighbours, gather whatever information you can and write it all down in a notebook. A wise move is to have a large, indexed book to add all the information to as and when you get it.

A good move is make the effort to contact members of your family, the older the better, even distant relatives, talk to them about the old days, ask if they remember members of the family. I have an aunt who is now 94 and although she doesn’t remember so much nowadays she has been a valuable source of information. If you cannot get to see some relatives, write to them, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you may get back. Again, whatever you may learn, write it down and file it.

The internet is a great source for research, there has been so much information digitised that it is hard to keep up with it all. Census returns, birth, death & marriage indexes, are all now available online as well as some very valuable free resources. Even just typing an

ancestor’s name into a search engine can yield some exciting results. Census returns are available up to 1901 so any information you can build that leads to before and up to that date will give you a head start in any further research. Photograph shown of Birth, Death and Marriage certificates and also a page from a census return.

A visit to your local family history centre is a must, once you need to learn anything before 1837,as this is when registration more or less came into force. Anything before this date was recorded by your Church and is available on microfilm at your county record office or family history centre. Be warned, this can be a very addictive and time‐consuming hobby.

The next article will take a bit more of an in‐depth look at certificates, how to obtain them and what importance they have for a historian.

Dave Williams www.harvington.com



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…

With Valentine’s day just around the corner.

Pamela Nicholson has been ‘baking a cake’ and making beautiful Valentine mini‐scenes.

“Whilst some of us dream of a card, a rose or maybe a ring....

in reality we bake a cake and eat it".

(Well I don’t know about anyone else but that cake looks tempting to me!! Mags)

Photographs copyright Pamela J. Nicholson.

www.pamelajminis.com

Welcome to the Miniature Kitchen

This month, we have Valentine Cake, Turnips and Carrots Projects and a piece about Food Rations during WW2. I couldn’t possible ‘dig for victory’ in my garden at the moment – we have clay soil and it is frozen solid!!

Enjoy! Mags

Food during WW2...

Woolton Pie This was created by, Francois Latry, Head Chef at the Savoy Hotel, London. The pie was named after Frederick Marquis, Lord Woolton (ex M.D. of John Lewis) Lord Woolton was appointed Minister for Food in April 1940. The pie was served at the Savoy and it was intended to encourage Housewives to prepare and serve it in their homes.

The Recipe: Dice and boil Potatoes, Cauliflower, Swede and Carrots in salted water. Strain the vegetables and save some of the cooking water. Arrange the cooked vegetables in a large pie dish. Add Marmite and oatmeal to the saved vegetable cooking water and boil until thick. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and add chopped spring onions. Boil and mash more potatoes and top the pie with the mashed potato and a little cheese. Heat pie in a moderately hot oven until golden brown (approximately one hour) Serve with gravy. Other vegetables may be substituted according to availability. (in those days, Marmite pots did not have yellow lids, as we see today!)

By AIM Member, Pamela Nicholson

The Miniature Kitchen Continued… Many people grew vegetables in their gardens, on allotments and even in window boxes and in boxes in the yard. Dig for Victory is a slogan that we are familiar with. People trapped and caught Rabbits as meat was rationed. Hedgerows and trees were raided for Blackberries and Windfall Apples, these all made welcome additions to the Family Pantry.

Photographs Mags‐nificent Miniatures – copyright 1998

Weekly Ration for One Adult. Bacon and Ham ……… 4ozs ( 100g )

Meat …………………… to the value of 1s.2d ( 6p today ). Sausages were not rationed but difficult to obtain.

Offal was originally not rationed but sometimes it formed part of the meat ration. Butter ………………… 2ozs ( 50g ) Cheese ………………… 2ozs ( 50g )

Margarine ……………… 4ozs ( 100g ) Cooking Fat …………… 4ozs ( 100g ) sometimes this would drop to 2ozs ( 50g )

Milk …………………… 3 pints ( 1800ml ) sometimes this might drop to 2 pints ( 1200ml ). ‘Household’ dried milk was available. This was one pack/tin every 4 weeks.

Sugar …………………… 8ozs ( 225g ) Preserves ……………… 1lb ( 450g ) every 2 months

Tea ……………………… 2ozs ( 50g ) Eggs …………………… 1 shell egg a week if available

Dried eggs ………… 1 packet every 4 weeks. Sweets …………………… 12ozs ( 350g ) every 4 weeks.

In addition to the above, there was a monthly points system. With the 16 points that you were allocated you were allowed to buy perhaps, a can of fish or meat or 2lb (900g) of dried fruit, for example. Babies, young children, pregnant and Nursing Mothers were allowed concentrated orange juice and cod liver oil from Welfare Clinics and extra milk (also available for invalids). School meals first became available in the war because mothers were working extremely long hours to help the war effort.


The Miniature Kitchen Continued…

Materials required. Polymer clay: white, brown, green, and translucent. Pastels: cream/beige, magenta/purple. Liquid clay/tacky glue. Craft knife. Small soft paintbrush. Plain paper and a baking sheet/ceramic tile. Step 1. Mix the clay for the stalks. Take a small amount of white clay, mix with a small amount of green to make pale green. Then mix in a piece of translucent clay about half the size of the pale green clay (this helps to lift the colour and give a more lifelike appearance). Step 2. Roll and Cut the clay for the stalks. (Roll out a tiny amount of the pale green clay mix into a log as thin as you can get it (smaller then 1/32 of an inch if pos‐sible). For each turnip stalk cut 5 short lengths under ¼ inch long, try to make each piece of a slightly different length. Gather the pieces together at one end in their bunches of five. Step 3. Shape the stalks. Very carefully, with the edge of your fingertip, roll the bundles of stalks at one end so that they are joined together. Place them on a sheet of paper on your baking tray/tile and bake in a preheated oven as per your polymer clay packet instruc‐tions. After baking and cooling, set the stalks to one side and begin making the actual turnips. Step 4. Mix the clay for the turnips. Add a small amount of brown clay to the white clay, enough to just colour the clay to an off‐white/cream shade. Mix in a piece of translucent clay roughly half the size of your cream clay. Roll into a log about a quarter of an inch thick and then cut into slices. Each slice will make one turnip so for best results make the slices of different thicknesses, you don’t want turnips of a uni‐form size.

Turnip Tutorial...


By AIM Member Vicky Guile


Step 5. Shape the turnips. Roll each slice of clay into a ball. Now pinch it at one end between your finger and thumb, repeat this pinching whilst turning the ball of clay, after some practice and a few turns, you will end up with a nice long pointed end on the ball of clay.

Step 6. Shade the turnips. On a piece of scrap paper grind some of the cream/beige chalks pastels. Pick up a small amount of the pastel dust with your paintbrush and gently brush all over the tur‐nips. This doesn’t have to be done perfectly; a mottled layer of colour looks more realistic than one flat shade.

Step 7. More shading. On a separate piece of scrap paper grind some of the ma‐genta/purple chalk pastels. Dip the tip of your paintbrush into the pastel dust and then tap off the excess, shade the rounded tops of the turnips. Again, this doesn’t have to be perfect, but try not to get any of the magenta/purple dust on the bottom half of the turnips.

Step 8. Add the stalks. Take one of the pale green stalks that we made earlier, put a tiny dot of liquid clay/tacky glue onto the end and then carefully push the stalk into the top centre of each turnip.

Step 9. Finishing touches. Using your craft knife, gently score short lines around the circumference of each tur‐nip, making the lines closer together at the root end. Then place your turnips on a sheet of paper on top of a baking sheet or ceramic tile and bake as per the packet instruc‐tions. After baking, leave to cool completely before handling. Step 10. Finished. Arrange your turnips as required. I have shown mine with a small toppled over vegetable sack, but you could use them anyway and in any display that you wish. Text and Photos copyright of Vicky Guile (NJD Miniatures)

www.njdminiatures.com


Carrot Tutorial...

Carrots Tint a 3/8th inch (9mm) diameter ball of translucent clay with a tiny amount of orange taken from a ½ inch (13mm) ball of orange clay. Divide off 1/3 of the coloured translucent clay and mix in another tiny amount of orange clay. Roll the remaining 2/3rd translucent mix to a 1/8th inch (3mm) diameter cylinder. Wrap this cylinder with the remaining 1/3rd translucent mix, butting the edges at the join; do not overlap the clay. Wrap the cylinder with all the remaining orange clay again butting the edges at the join; do not overlap the clay. Reduce the diameter of the cane to 3/16th inch (5mm) and cut it in half and put one half aside. Taper the end of the remaining cylinder to a point and cut off a ½ inch (13mm) length. Repeat the procedure cutting more carrots of slightly varying lengths. Rub a piece of brown pastel stick onto a piece of paper and dip a blade into the powder. Run the blade across the sides of the carrot. This will cut short lines into the sides of the carrot, and the pastel will colour these lines brown. If you inadvertently cut the carrot in two just put it back together again, pushing the cut sides against themselves. Pick up the carrot and gently squidge it up on itself; this not only consolidates all the cut edges together, but gives it an irregular indented appearance. Curve the edges of the top surface of the carrot, and indent a hole in the centre of the top with a ball tool. Tint a ¼ inch (6mm) diameter ball of translucent with leaf green and roll to a 1/16th inch (2mm) cylinder. Cut off a ¼ inch (6mm) length and taper one end. Place a tiny drop of liquid polymer clay into the hole and insert the green top. Pinch the translucent/green clay with tweezers to divide it into stalks. Bake the carrots, on crumpled foil, for the time and at the temperature recommended for your chosen brand of clay. Bake the remaining cylinder of clay and whilst it is still warm (be careful not to burn your fingers) cut it into slices. These can be used as vegetables on a plated meal or they add interest to a vegetable preparation scene. Use the same technique to make parsnips, but use white clay tinted with a small amount of beige clay instead of orange clay.

© Copyright 2008 www.toddtoysandminiatures.com



By AIM Member Philippa Todd


Pit‐a‐Pat circa 1933‐1940 This month I shall be bringing you information about another manufacturer of dolls house furniture from the 1930s. It goes by the unusual name of “Pit‐a‐Pat”. This company did not pro‐duce any dolls houses but just the furniture to go inside them. Eric Lehrman based in London manufactured under the name of the “Pit‐A‐Pat Toy Company” from about 1933 to 1940 and during that time produced at least 130 different items for the dolls house. The majority of his furniture was made from wood, with a painted finish or dark brown stain. In Photo 1. you will see two of the three different Pit‐a‐Pat labels that would be fixed hidden from view on the items, one square and one oval but both with the highly distinguishable red/black postage stamp type design. A third label not shown here was simply a red rectangle with black lettering. Also, some unstained pieces had just an ink Pit‐a‐Pat stamp instead.

Because I am passionate about all things from the 1930s, of course I absolutely adore these Pit‐a‐Pat pieces. However it has to be said that one annoying aspect of this range is that the scale is a bit of a mismatch and although I now sell it under the banner of antique 1/12th scale, it can be used in a vintage 1/16th scale house too.

In photo 2. you will see the most commonly found pieces of Pit‐a‐Pat, the rexine covered Chesterfield three‐piece suite. I now know that these came in two sizes (which totally confuse collectors even more).

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

It is thought that the larger size was the first to be produced and to give you an indication of scale, the settee would have measured 4 ¾” wide and 2” deep. Then there is a smaller version where the settee measures 3 ½” wide and 1 ¾” deep. Consensus of opinion seems to be that the first example was deemed a little too large in scale hence the smaller version was created. Other versions of the suite can be found in red or green velvet upholstery, see Photo 3.

In Photo 4. you will see an example of a more unusual piece, a bed settee or a “put‐u‐up” as some people refer to it. This has a little tag situated at the back of the seat that when pulled, reveals another bit that turns the sofa into a bed – ingenious. Ideal for visitors to sleep on!

The details on some of these pieces may be simple but are just delightful.

Here in photo 5 is quite a battered example of a Pit‐a‐Pat fireplace with missing beading on the right side. The holes are where a previous owner screwed it to their dolls house wall.

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Photo 1.Two examples of Pit‐a‐Pat glued on labels Photo 2. An example of a rexine covered Chesterfield three‐piece suite. Photo 3. A red velvet version of the Chesterfield three‐piece suite. Photo 4. A rexine covered “put‐u‐up” Photo 5. A battered example of a Pit‐a‐Pat fireplace Photo 6. Pit‐a‐Pat piano Photo 7. The Pit‐a‐Pat bookshelf & books, bureau and wardrobe. Photo 8. The Pit‐a‐Pat kitchen table & kitchen chair

TÇà|Öâx 9 i|Çàtzx VÉÇà|Çâxw‹

The piano, as seen in Photo 6. has paper keys, a lift up lid with the company name in gold lettering and a very attractive gold/ black transfer design above the lid. One can imagine the resident of the house tinkling away on here!

The wardrobe, as seen in Photo 7. is beautifully made, complete with two metal rails either side of the interior and hooks for hangers. Note the beading on the top of the wardrobe as this appears on several items of furniture and in the absence of a missing Pit‐a‐Pat label may help you in identifying your antique furniture. The bookcase comes with Pit‐a‐Pat’s very own books. The bureau has two opening drawers and a flap that opens out to reveal a rexine covered writing area.

The kitchen table as seen in Photo 8. has been constructed to portray a black and white enamel top table, so common of that era. The kitchen chair has a canvas‐covered seat.


There were a few exceptions of furniture and accessories that were not made of wood, an example being a porcelain bath, sink and loo which most probably had been “bought in” and sold under the Pit‐a‐Pat banner. Also, there was a cardboard linen bas‐ket and a cake stand made of wire and plastic. Need‐less to say these latter items are so rare that I have yet to set eyes on any and sadly I do not have any photos of any of them! Pit‐a‐Pat pieces are highly sought after these days and their overall value has absolutely rocketed! The more unusual pieces that are not so commonly found can command very high prices indeed. It is a fact that these old Pit‐a‐Pat items are now becoming so valuable and so rare that owners seriously might need to consider obtaining adequate insurance to protect them. Be warned...a few months ago now, I had a phone call from a distressed elderly lady who rang me in the hope that I could help her replace her entire Pit‐a‐Pat collection! Some unscrupulous and cowardly thief had stolen, surprisingly not her antique childhood dolls house (although I suppose it would have been too heavy & bulky to carry), but just the entire contents of her dolls house, of which the majority had been her childhood Pit‐a‐Pat furniture! The culprit obviously knew exactly the value of what they were taking. There are so many Pit‐a‐Pat pieces I would love to own but the nearest I have been able to get to them are either in a museum or in photos. There is a gorgeous green kitchen cupboard, a radiogram, a meat safe, a canteen complete with cutlery, a cooker, a cake stand and so on.......all so evocative of the era. Well never mind.....maybe one day....she says hopefully!? Next time in Antique & Vintage corner I hope to bring you more information of another 1930s dolls house furniture manufacturer. Meanwhile to see more about antique and vintage dolls houses go to www.ktminiatures.com Copyright of all text and photos on this page belong to Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures and must not be reproduced without her written and expressed permission.

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7

8


Make Do & Mend

By AIM Member Julie Campbell

The wartime period is becoming more and more popular with miniaturists. A lot of us feel very nostalgic about this era and have parents and grandparents keen to remind us of those wartime days and how they had to “make do and mend”! During the Second World War the government issued lots of jolly leaflets giving practical advice on how to survive rationing with thriftiness and a little repairing and recycling.

Although some of the advice seems quite amusing today, it can be used in your wartime dolls house to add a touch of authenticity.

“Food and Shopping…” Mum was advised to be very frugal here and a lot of ingenuity was needed to eke out the rations. Home‐grown veg was one way to make mealtimes easier and supplement the rations. “Cooking for Victory” was the theme of leaflets which told the housewife “when you think of the

sacrifices made by our fighting men, isn’t it worth the extra trouble “? In order to save as much energy as possible, the housewife was told to cook a whole meal on just one ring using a tiered steamer.

“With a little ingenuity” said the leaflets” you can cook a whole meal: steak pudding, vegetables and a sweet on one ring”.

For the poor housewife without a steamer then she must improvise with a colander fitted on top of a saucepan. Then according to the leaflets “a fish can be cooked between two plates on top“! ‘Beware the squander bug!’ proclaimed leaflets, telling shoppers to be careful what they bought and not to waste money.

Ration allowance for one person per week: see right...

2 oz Butter 8oz sugar 4oz bacon 2oz tea

2oz cheese 1 shilling & sixpence worth of meat

Instead of buying new items when things were worn there was plenty of advice on how to mend them. Worn sheets? Not to worry, housewives were advised to split a worn sheet in half and then join the outside edges to form a new centre. A cosy dressing gown could be made from patched pieces of old clothing. Warm slippers could be knitted or made simply from old carpet, canvas and cardboard. (See project to make Economy Slippers in this issue!) Women would knit all kinds of garments from scraps of wool “knitting for victory.”

The government leaflets featured “Mrs Sew and Sew” who knew how to repair just about anything with a needle and thread! Following her advice, mum would make sure the meagre clothing rations lasted, smartening up the man of the house by carefully darning socks and adding patches to elbows, collars and cuffs. If her husband’s clothes were too worn, not to worry; following Mrs Sew and Sew’s instructions she would cut them up and use the material to make clothing for herself or the children.

“Children growing fast?...” No problem with Mrs. Sew and Sew’s advice on lengthening and letting out clothes; those clothes coupons could be saved for another day. Even underwear could be mended with advice on making one good pair of pants from two old pairs!

“Keeping Clean…” It was important for morale that everyone stayed smart and well turned out at all times. People were expected to bath just once a week. Government advice was that no more than 4 inches of water be used in the bath. A mark was often made on the side of the bath at the 4‐inch level. Hair washing was a weekly treat too with ladies putting an evening aside for the event! As the nylon factories were used for the war effort, there was soon a shortage of stockings. Women would put gravy browning on their legs and draw a make‐up line down the back of their legs to simulate seams to keep up appearances!

“Looking after baby…” Today’s baby has everything money can buy, but the war time baby, although just as loved, didn’t need much at all according to the government leaflets. A typical layette for a newborn consisted of just: Mums were advised to make their babies clothes as large as possible to ensure plenty of wear. No need for a fancy cot ‐‐ a deep drawer made a cosy bed for baby as did a

laundry basket! Mums were advised to ask a local farmer for some chaff which could then be dried in the oven for an hour and used to stuff a pillowcase for a comfy mattress for

baby to lie on.

Make do and mend advice wasn’t always easy to follow but those at home really felt they were doing their bit for the war effort while their men were away fighting.

In fact a lot of the advice would be relevant today as we try to be “green “, waste less and save the environment, although hopefully we will never again have to survive on rations.

Copyright of text & photos belongs to Julie Campbell – www.bellabelledolls.co.uk

4gowns

2 shawls 4 vests

towelling nappies

3 matinee jackets

3 pairs of bootees


By AIM Member, Margaret Pitts

Hi Kids! Hope you are all hard at work with your mini-making (and homework of course!)

Have you made any New Year Resolutions for 2009? Here at AIM, the team’s resolution is to bring you the biggest and best on-line Miniatures Magazine….and all for free!

Don’t forget, we love to hear about the projects you are working on, or any comments or questions you have about miniatures. Just drop a line to Margaret – [email protected]

This month we can reveal the names of the winners of the Christmas “Spot the Difference” competition. We even had some ‘big kids’ join in, but hey, what’s wrong with being in your second childhood?!

So, congratulations to the outright winner, Annabel, aged 9yrs, from Oxfordshire Runners –up are: Sarah (aged 13yrs) Rachel Karpf Claire Hoper-Hogue

Prizes are on their way to you….enjoy!

Now, in case you are wondering, here are the correct answers (See right)

Thanks to all who took the trouble to enter and many thanks to the donors of the prizes:

Dave Williams www.harvington.com Robin Coombe www.coombecrafts.co.uk

Fiona Broadwood (Bea) www.petite-properties.com Margaret Pitts www.minimilliner.co.uk

Janine Crocker http://missameliasminiatures.com

Now for this month’s project!!

1. There is a slipper missing in photo 1.

2. Two of the Christmas cards hanging on the wall

have been reversed.

3. There is an extra green stripe in the rug in photo 2.

4. The book is missing from the chair in photo 2.

5. The Candle is missing from the table in photo 2.

6. There is a red bow missing on top of the box in

photo 1.

7. The box of crackers on the floor has a red one in

photo 2.

8. A green light‐bulb hanging at the front of the box is

missing in photo 1.

9. A red bauble hanging from the tree is missing in

photo 2. The Christmas carrier‐bag is empty in photo 1.

10 The Christmas carrier‐bag is empty in photo 1.

Make A Miniature Winter Scene...

This month’s project is to make a little winter scene, that could either sit outside your dolls house for the next few months, or be a stand-alone project.

For the snowman, I used two compressed paper balls – small and medium (usually available in craft shops in various sizes), cotton wool, thin black card (or felt tip/ paint on white card), scraps of felt, a twig and tacky glue.



Mini AIMers Continued…

Step 1. Cover the balls in tacky glue and press cotton wool all round them. When dry, stick the smaller ball on top of the larger one. Step 2. Make a nose, eyes and buttons from felt and glue in place. Step 3. To make the crown of his hat, cut a strip of black card and curl it round your finger. Decide how big you want it and overlap the ends, gluing them together. Step 4. Draw round the crown and cut out this circle for the top of his hat. Glue in place and trim when dry if need be. Step 5. Cut out a slightly bigger circle for the brim and glue the crown on top. You don’t really need to make a hole in the brim as the hat can just be glued to the top of his head. Step 6. Try to find a tiny twig for the snowman’s stick. I used the stalk from some grapes.

Winter Trees... Did you try making the Christmas tree from pan scourers last month? If you did, you will probably have some of the scourers left over which you can use to make winter trees. If not, look out for a packet at the supermarket. They are cheap and have 3 or 4 scourers in the pack, depending on which supermarket you go to. You might persuade your Mum to buy them, as one could even be used for scouring pans! Step 1. To make the easy tree, cut two tall triangles (isosceles triangles if you are a Maths student!) from a scouring pad. You might want to practise first on paper or card, then use it as a template. Step 2. Cut one of the triangles in half lengthways. Step 3. Glue the two halves on either side of the whole triangle, centring the pieces. The tree will be balanced enough to stand on its own, but if you want a ‘trunk’, push a piece of kebab stick into the base.


Mini AIMers Continued…

If you have forgotten how to make the other shape of tree from the pan scourers, here’s a quick reminder: Step 1. Cut a series of circles, decreasing in size. (Tip: draw round coins for the smaller circles and bottle tops for the larger ones.) Step 2. Paint a kebab stick green and push it through the centre of the circles in order of size. Push them closer together if you want a denser tree. Use a scrap of scourer to cut a triangle for the pointed top of the tree.

To add snow, there are various options: You can dab white paint on the trees and add a sprinkle of silvery glitter before the paint dries. This gives a lovely, frosty look. You can buy products called ‘Glitter Snow’ and ‘True Snow’. These aren’t cheap, but look very effective. For temporary snow, I used ‘Loose Snow’ which comes in a big bag from the Pound Shop. You justsprinkle on and shake off, so your trees can become Spring or Summer trees later in the year. It looks very realistic scattered on the ground too. Of course there’s always good old cotton wool! If you have any little rabbits or squirrels, they look cute playing in the snow under the trees.

Until next month…..have fun! Text & photos copyright Margaret Pitts

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!

Cristina Alberti Christina Berry

Colin Bird Robin Britton

Bea Broadwood Julie Campbell Mags Cassidy Janine Crocker

Louise Goldsborough

Vicky Guile Jane Harrop Lorrie Harvey Arla Johnson Ellie De Lacy Carol Lester Sandra Morris Sue Newstead

Pamela J Nicholson

Kate Pinsent Margaret Pitts Frances Powell

Teresa Thompson Celia Thomas Philippa Todd Glynis Webb David Williams

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

Many thanks therefore to...


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. AIM does not accept the responsibility for any injury incurred.

All projects are undertaken at your own risk. Copyright LUMO Publishing 2009

COMING NEXT MONTH...

Half the size, twice the fun!

1:24th scale / Half Scale

Special Edition!!

Miniatura Preview!

Catch the latest news from all around the miniature world…

Loads more fantastic projects, written in ALL

scales!!

All FREE and fully downloadable at:

www.artisansinminiature.com

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!

www.artisansinminiature.com Copyright LUMO Publishing 2009

See you again next month…!

aim mag issue 9

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