Minnies Miniatures
I started making miniatures to help a little girl trying to fill up her dolls house and caught the bug! The very first thing I made was a rug, then another and another before progressing on to bigger things!
It didn’t take too long before her little house was full but I so enjoyed ‘miniaturising’ things that I carried on and very soon had made so much that I started doing shows.
The first shows that I did were in France where I lived for 21 years. Since returning to live in the UK, I have been doing shows here.
I so enjoy getting to the shows a little early and having a look around before opening admiring the skill and craftsmanship of other miniaturists. I am always amazed at the expertise of people. I love the camaraderie of other makers at the shows. More experienced makers are always so willing to help. I love meeting the customers and hearing all about their dollshouses. Met a woman who had 36!!
My work, small as it is, seems to have taken over the whole house! Cupboards and drawers have been taken over. I have a large entrance hall with a huge window which gives me lots of natural light to work in so I have a desk in there. If I am weaving I tend to be in the sitting room where I can relax on the sofa while I work.
It is difficult to estimate how long it takes me to make something (though it is always much longer than people think). I tend to chop and change between different makes. For example, my bulbs have eleven different stages in their construction so I am either waiting for paint or glue to dry or something to cure before I can go on to the second stage of a project so I will generally be starting something else in the meantime, which then gets left to dry or cure etc.
