The Next Time Will Be Better

This morning I was reading one of the dollhouse forums. One of the people on there was feeling blue that her first dollhouse was not coming out the way she pictured it in her head. It got me to thinking about some of my first tries. I have saved a few of them simply because they were my first go at doing something.

When I look at some of the first minis I made they just make me smile now. Back in 1979 I went into a drugstore to look at the craft magazines. At that time there were dozens. In the far corner something caught my eye. It was a magazine with a really cute little brown house on the front. I think it was simply called "The Miniature Magazine". The house was called the Pepperwood Farm. They had the floor plan and directions for that house right in the magazine! I scooped up the magazine and poured over it for weeks. Before then I had no idea that it was OK for grownups to play with dollhouses. I would have loved to build that house but it was beyond me.

That Christmas I took the second step. My daughter had turned 5 in July and I got the bright idea that she needed a dollhouse for a present. I went out and bought a slot together kit for a tiny 3 story house. At the time it seemed huge. I think it must have had rooms that were about 8" square, if that. There was a kitchen and living room on the first floor. On the second floor I made a bathroom and a bedroom. The third floor was an attic. I made it a playroom. I knew absolutely nothing about making miniatures but I was pretty good at other crafts and had an art background. I figured "What have I got to lose?".

I had no idea that there was such a thing as a miniature shop in town. I didn't even think to look in the phone book.

When I was about 10 my dad handed me an exacto knife and showed me how to do chip carving. That was the only lesson I had. I decided that I surely could make dollhouse furniture.

I went out and got some blocks of balsa. That was the cheapest and softest wood I could find. I carved a passable bath tub and sink. The furniture that I made was crude and block like but I was proud of it. My daughter loved it. I think that was more because I went to the trouble of making it than because it was beautiful. It definitely wasn't!

I wish I still had some photos of that house. My daughter played with it a couple of years and then lost interest. I didn't.

I started finding everything I could about making minis in books and magazines. I have never looked back. I wore out a few library books.

I don't have the first piece I ever made but I have a few very early pieces.

I tried my hand at some of the furniture in miniature books and magazines. I wasn't satisfied.

I decided to strike out on my own and make furniture from real plans. This was my first attempt. I was going by a photo of the bed and the measurements of height, width and length. All I had was an exacto knife and an emery board.

You will see that the right side of the headboard is noticeably lower that the left where it meets the posts. The finish is pretty much nonexistent. The mattress was about a half inch too big all around and has to be stuffed inside the frame for it to fit. That's OK tho. The thread that I did the rope with stretched out even before I finished. You should have seen the original blanket. This one came off of our sweet, lovable computer. How did we ever get along without these machines?

Next I had a go at dolls. This is my very first mini sized doll. I tried for an Elizabethan lady...... I got a pug nosed, beady eyed lady with boxing gloves for hands. Notice the shoes. My daughter's Barbie shoes somehow kept disappearing that year.

The dress was made out of men's ties that I bought at the thrift shop. At that time they were selling for 1.00 a bag. I bought lots.

My husband guarded his ties with his life.

The last one I will show you is the wicker. I had a try at that in 1989. No directions at all. I didn't know that you could buy linen thread. Remember the Penelope canvas in the basket making segment? Yup. I sat and unraveled yards and yards of that stuff because I thought it looked like wicker.....

My hands were raw by the time I had made a couple of chairs. I was smart enough to use covered wire. I was not smart enough to use it for the larger corner posts. I used bamboo skewers and bent them by wetting them and gently putting pressure on them.

This chair lives in the third floor of the Witches' Warehouse. The spinner sits in it now. She is very happy with it. It is a bit small but then so is she.

I hope that you enjoyed the "Dummy's Guide on How Not to Make Minis". I could show you a whole lot more but I won't.

The point is, no matter what you do, it is all valuable experience. So go out and do something mini. You might just like what you do next time. See you tomorrow.

Sooner or later I am going to figure out how to keep the spacing between paragraphs in these entries.