More pottery and a castle...

The summer is well and truly over. Autumn has arrived with pretty colours and dampness. Not a lot of proper rain, but it's trying...

It almost a month ago that I posted. I've just had such a busy summer with non-minis things, it was lovely. I love Autumn too as long as it doesn't rain all the time and so far we've been lucky.

Yesterday the pottery classes started again and lots of pots have been fired over the summer, all but one in blue and white. The bowls are 25mm in diameter (1"), smallest is about 8mm in diameter (1/3").

I've started another tulip vase, the idea is to have more tiers and square pots rather than the round ones of the previous tulip vase. Not quite sure where it's going yet, but the idea is there. I'll update as it develops.

The other project I'm working on is for our school. The reception class (4 year olds) were let loose on this very well made castle. It's about 80cmx80cm and 40cm high at the tip of the church roof.

Within about 4 weeks their play with knights, horses and swords has wreaked havoc with the battlements, the drawbridge, portcullis and main door. Some are old 'injuries'. The rescued bits have been re-glued, but there is still a lot missing. One tower now has new battlements.

Still to do is the front of the castle, the tower on the other side and some bigger bits on the taller towers. And of course the drawbridge, portcullis and main door.  The pointy roof on the first photo also needs something, to make it a bit safer for 4 year olds. And then it needs painting and I haven't found the right colour yet. I really have to hold back from making some improvements and keep in mind that it is a children's toy and it should all be as child-proof as possible.  It sits on my coffee table at the moment because it doesn't fit anywhere else, so I will try to finish it by next weekend - I want my coffee table back!

I've also been working on a better work space. I spend so much time trying to find things or setting up the power tools, that there isn't any time left to make anything! Not good, so in the holidays when he is back from uni, my youngest will have to share his bedroom with my tools and projects. He knows and says he doesn't mind, if I don't mind if he makes use of it too.. I've got the plan and a work table and 90cm high kitchen table to put the power tools on, but they are all still in bits. These are the table legs for the work table in the corner where the higher table will go.

You'll have to wait a bit for some photos as the project has ballooned a bit. I'm now also painting the walls and possibly replacing the carpet with laminate. Possibly, because that is quite a job with a very heavy bed and wardrobe still in the room. Neither fit through the door. I might just give up on that one, or wait until the boys are both here at Christmas.  

Happy mini-time,

Idske 

Summer update

Hi everyone!

We have had a lovely summer here and have also been very busy! Sorry for the silence, I just didn't have time for miniatures. I have been reading many blogs, but commenting has also been a bit hit and miss. And yes, I did say I would have time for miniatures in the holidays,  but I'm back at work and nothing much has materialised.
I did finish the piano runner; it's on my niece's piano and it looks great. Just forgot to take a photo. This is the last photo I took when I had just finished the embroidery.

In the evenings I'm working on a full size quilt in creams, blues and pink roses to go in my younger son's bedroom, I started it over a year ago and it's time to finish it. I have too many UFOs both miniature and full size! I will keep the reverse in neutral, less girly tones, creams and blues only, so he can turn it over when he is here. He is going to university in about two weeks to study aerospace engineering. His older brother is moving to London next week. I loved having them both here for the summer and going to see the family together, but it will be quiet here when they have both moved out and even though I know they will be back, it is certainly something to get used to. Time to work on ideas for a proper work space...

Miniature wise, I will be concentrating on the pottery and the larger projects we are making with our club http://udhc-uk.blogspot.co.uk/. The pottery classes will be starting again on October 1st. The teacher told me there are some very nice pots from the last batch she has fired for me and I will get these back on 1st October, fingers crossed one of them is suitable for a giveaway...
I'm still sporadically working on the box file, because I haven't quite finished the exterior, but we are adding another project from September in the form of an attic for our exhibition next July.

Happy mini-time,

Idske

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