Pottery class!

The piano runner is coming along nicely (I'm almost half way) and that is taking a lot of my mini-time. I am trying to stay up to date with all of your posts! With all of the RL stuff, the boys, the garden, the house and work, I haven't had much mini stuff to post about. Just too busy.

I made RL bowls for my sisters (and one for myself) just before half term, but the last few weeks have been a bit of a production line with the miniature pots. There are still a few that haven't been bisque fired yet. No idea where they are, I had so much to decorate that I didn't even look for them.  I still have one more class before the summer holidays to finish decorating them and then glaze them all.

The 4 on the left are decorated, although I'm not sure about the plate, the rest have had a wash applied and it works much better for the final decorating session if the wash is bone dry.  By the way the pink decoration will turn a slightly lighter blue than the black decoration which is cobalt and will also turn blue.  So lots of white and blue china.

Just for fun we tried one of my pots out on the almost finished lamp base Beverly is making in the same class.

That puts it in perspective, doesn't it. To make the small ones takes just as long as the really big pots and the decorating takes a lot longer.

It's finally summer here so here are a few pics from my garden...

The scented rambler rose

A climbing old English rose 

This is a hybrid tea rose rescued from the very overgrown rose bed that was in the garden when I moved in. It was very old but actually seems happier in it's new spot!

AND I have cherries!!!

Only two more weeks until the end of term (not that I'm counting down, of course) and then I will definitely have / make more time for minis!

Idske

A new(ish) blog and a 1970s RL piano runner

I'm not quite sure how I came across this blog, but I think his work is fantastic! 

www.madnessinminiatures.blogspot.com 

His work is so detailed and a lot of it in metal. It's worth going back to his previous posts as there are lots and lots of photos of how he makes things. Love his guitar cases, mics and chairs, oh and the tools of course (in an older post).









I keep forgetting to take pictures at pottery class. Must do better! There is another class in 2 weeks and I'm hoping some more miniature pots will be fired then.

I haven't got time for any other miniatures at the moment as I'm embroidering a RL piano runner for one of my nieces. Her new home is all about 1970s design and colours. She has a beautiful orange sofa and she now has her grandmother's piano (carried up 3 flights of stairs!). The original runner embroidered by my sister was a bit worse for wear. So a new one in orange and brown was in order. The runner will be about 16 cm x 130 cm to cover the keys. It's taking a lot longer than I thought, but am enjoying it!

                                          I'm just hoping she'll like it!

Happy mini-time,
Idske

Did I really say I didn't have time for miniatures???

Well, I'd forgotten about these pots...

and I did the outside (most of it) of the box file shop a couple of weeks ago, it only took a few hours...
Still a lot to do as well as figure out what to do with the top or roof and whether it should have a carry handle of some sort...

oh and I finished the oriental style rug...
Now I just have to decorate the room...

Not bad for someone who thinks she doesn't have time for miniatures....

Happy mini-time,

Idske

Almost finished!

It has been such lovely weather here, although a bit cold, that I've spent more time in the garden and on RL house things (such as preparing for a new settee and chairs in the sitting room) than on miniatures. The only exception being the Oriental style rug.

The main job of filling in the cream background is done! I then started on the edge and promptly forgot that I still have to do the stitching for the bamboo style edge. I had hoped to finish it this weekend, but I'll need a few more hours. 

The inner edge still has to be 'bambooed' and then I have to finish the edges and the back. Still, I'm quite happy with it.

This half term my sisters are visiting and we have planned to see Sissinghurst gardens and I hope to take them to Hever Castle as well, to show them the Tudor, Georgian and other miniatures in the permanent exhibition. Not sure if we will have enough time to do both, but I can try to show them what can be achieved in miniature (by top makers) and why it is such a fantastic hobby!

Happy mini-time,

Idske

Leather

Welcome to my new followers and an apology for having nothing to post about  for some time. Life's just getting in the way of making minis.  I'm experimenting with new tools, but I've only got a few pictures of how far I've got with learning to decorate leather.

I bought the 'preeg' set (I can't find a translation for this word so if anyone knows, please let me know: it is embossing set! see the comments below) of 20 metal stamps with all the other bits you need, at the Apeldoorn show in the Easter holiday as well as the very thin brown leather.

I've made a table top even though I'm not quite happy with it. The edge is too fussy and I can't decide on how to finish the sides of the table top. Still working on a better design, so I'm using this one to work on some gold or silver decoration around the edge of the leather.

Some of the paper patterns are scattered around. I had to try all of the different stamps (they probably have a different name, but I can't think of it) as well as some combinations. Not all of them look good together. The table top, that might or might not turn into a table, is made of mahogany and a boxwood string, ebonised string and tulipwood inlay.








I'll try the decorating out on the black leather, even though it is much coarser than the brown leather, we are talking 0.8mm thickness for the black leather and paperthin for the brown leather, less than 0.1mm.

The Fleur de Lys in gold on the triangular bit of leather were my first tries. Not quite sure of the pattern yet, but as the edge is quite fussy, it will be quite simple. The pattern is done on paper first, so that is the next step. If I had had the opportunity, I would have done a course with Tine Krijnen, who was kind enough to show me the basics at the show!

This is the set I bought at the show in Apeldoorn and the outside of the box on the right, very pretty I think.

In the meantime, I am working on some full size pieces at pottery class. As they are meant to be presents, I can't show them to you until about the end of May, assuming they can be fired by then!

Happy mini-time!

Idske

More pottery

I really haven't forgotten about posting, but sometimes life gets in the way and other things take over for a while. Nothing unpleasant, but there just wasn't any time left for minis. Weeeell, except for a visit to the show in Apeldoorn, where I bought some tools. A milling/drilling machine and a 'preeg' set from Tine Krijnen for tooling/decorating leather for books or a leather inset in a desk. I'm still experimenting and will post if and when I have something to show you!

In the meantime I have had a very productive run of making more pots!
This is what it looked like when I left the pottery class and I can tell you I was really pleased with the results, even though it doesn't look like much yet.

That still looks pretty messy, and as I filled the moulds again just before I left, these pots had to stay in the mould overnight.  After some serious cleaning up I now have these ready for the bisque firing.

With all the bits of clay coming off the moulds I made a few more plates, but they aren't out of the mould just yet.  The open bowl was originally the same as the one on the right of it, but on the edge of the pot it was too thin, and so I have the makings of a fruit bowl as well as the vase!  I'm still trying to decide whether to stay with blue and white or experiment a bit with other colours...

Happy mini-time!
Idske

Congratulations!

I never thought I'd have 61 entries (many twice for putting it on their own blog). Thank you for participating!

And the winner is Josje!

Please send me your details to idskeh @ gmail.com, so I can put the tiles in the post to you.

Thank you all for following my blog and entering the draw for the giveaway!

It won't be very long before I have another draw, either for one year on Blogger or for reaching 100 followers!

Happy mini-time,   Idske