Finished the handbags

I finished the Valerie Claire handbags on Saturday.  

I put a very small pencil sharpener in the photo to give you some idea of scale.  The bags look excellent in real life.  The little odd gold bit doesn't show very well here.  It is a teeny finding that you can use a 'tiara' sort of element for someone's hair or maybe for a wedding veil.  I just added a crystal when I was doing the ones on the bags.  It will find a place for it in the shop somewhere.

I bought a few more Valerie Claire bits at Miniatura yesterday.  How do you resist?

Shop shelves

The shop shelves aren't in any way outstanding but they are sort of filled and that will do for now.  I am sure things will get replaced and added to as I live with Bentleys and find little gems to buy for it.  I just didn't want them standing semi-empty waiting for future treasures.

The corner shelf has a little favourite of mine that was almost the first thing I bought when I was dreaming of Le Tout Paris.  It is a fox fur complete with beady little eyes and fuzzy ears.

The glove box beside it contains a lovely pair of kid gloves - what a shame only I know they are there!

You might recognise the glove display below them  as one of the recent Craft-pack items I made up.  I have taken apart five of the six I made and re-jigged them for various places.  Handy tip - try to figure out precisely what you want to do with something before you glue it together.  I am nothing if not awkward. Happily they have all re-assembled quite nicely thanks to using the tiniest spots of glue in the first place. I am always frugal with the glue.

The double shelf has very few things that will remain as time goes on.  

For example, I am not too sure about costume jewellery being sold this way in 1911.  I need to look again at Selfridge's which, along with Everywoman's Encyclopaedia, is my model for the shop.

Similarly with the single shelf.  

As I keep saying all the shelves need thinking about, but for now they'll do.

 If I can subsume all my historical doubts, this display shelf at the back of  the shop (left side) can stay as it is.  I know that I need to persuade myself that I am not making an historically accurate 1/12th model.  Even though Bentleys isn't literally a doll's house for a child to play with, it isn't a museum piece either.  If I can just stop being so pernickety about every detail, I shall be able to bowl along happily with it - warts and all.

This particular piece of furniture is very nicely made.  It has nicely decorated mirrored doors at the back which open to allow you to fill the shelves.  In reality it would have to be in a place where you could have access all round.  I couldn't make that happen in my layout so here is a prime example of my simply ignoring one/one reality.  I wouldn't want to have to drag this away from the wall every five minutes to get into it if I was working there.  I could add castors (?) or just pretend the sides open!

 The counter has silk ribbons on the top which the customer has been ordering.  The top glass shelf is completely empty because I want to fill it with fabric and lace which would be sold for trimming hats.

I am unsure about a cash till. I think I might have one of those wooden box types they had.  This shop doesn't really depend on a drop in cash sort of trade. It is more about ordering, delivering and running accounts.

The bottom shelf has a bundle of boxes which contain all sorts of bits and bobs for hats such as silk roses, buckles, beads etc.

It was commonplace for (not so well off) ladies to have a couple of basic hats which they re-trimmed according to the season or the occasion.  

I have a lovely print of a poster from 1911 advertising 'The New Velvet Hat - The Shirley' and showing ten different ways to trim it for all occasions.  Magazines and the encyclopaedia I mentioned were always full of pictures and instructions for trimming your hat.

All the boxes used throughout the displays, I am pretty sure, are totally wrong.  I was born thirty odd years after 1911 and I don't remember items being sold in fancy printed boxes in shops in my childhood. They would be a basic, usually brown, cardboard box.  They might have some names or numbers on to identify the contents and maybe some sort of picture or logo in black print.  Like most people doing this hobby I am reluctant to stock my shop with these things because I also want the end result to be pretty.  Yet another mini dilemma.  To be thought about another day....

Window Displays

I have no idea why I kept putting off doing the various displays for the shop but I did.  I convinced myself I hadn't got enough, or the proper, stuff to do it.  Finally I got cheesed off looking at the box of bits and pieces sitting on my work table and thought - I'll just see how far they go towards the job.  I have pretty much finished most of the displays!

The right hand window display was assembled on my nifty removable shelf which I made a while ago and then, when everything was tacky waxed down, it was slid into the window space. 

The tacky wax may have to be replaced with glue at some stage, I hope not.  I'm not sure how robust it will be at withstanding the continual opening and closing of the front of Bentleys.

The gold painted shelf in the centre was a bit of inspiration on my part.  I bought a kitchen dresser months ago at a show and when I came to use it I realised it had a badly fitted shelf top which made it curve away from the wall. It looked dire as it had to go on the side wall where it just screamed ''wobbly'' at me every time I looked at it.  Also, it had been bought for the original, tiny, Le Tout Paris (remember that?) and was too small for Bentley's kitchen and so it got replaced by a much nicer, larger piece.  

I sawed the top from the bottom as I thought the table part of the dresser might come in handy and stuck both the pieces in a 'projects' drawer.  Mooching around for something else whilst thinking about making some display shelves for the window, I came across the dresser shelves.  I turned them upside down, painted them with gold acrylic paint and they were just what I needed.  My favourite craftpack kit just fitted the top shelf - no adjustments needed and in it went.

The handbag, pinned to the wall in this photo, was to test an idea.  At some stage I am going to make curtains to go two thirds up at the back of the window displays.  Ellen has taken her cue from Selfridge's and has removed the old wooden backboards that closed in the windows and used to be crammed with as much stuff as possible and has gone very modern in her style of window dressing.  Quite a shocker in sleepy little Erdington.  Hence her increasing success.... Back to reality?.... I thought I might hang a couple of handbags from the brass rail when it goes in place and I wanted to see if that would work visually.  

The handbag, therefore, isn't in the window because the curtain isn't there yet.  That aside, one window display is pretty nearly done.

The left window will be more of a challenge.  I am going to be draping some silks and lace for display, dressing a mannequin and making a couple of collars and stands to display them.  I may even save this window as a project to do while I am in Naples (Florida) this winter. I hate the thought of just abandoning my hobby for six months.  I can see it might be a pain to do that because I'll have to transport so much stuff to do even the simplest of jobs.  Hey ho.

A little how to... a cushion

I thought I might add a little one to my 'How to make it' list.  I haven't done anything on things like the Valerie Claire and the Craftpack stuff that I just made up, as they come with instructions and are pretty straightforward.  I did think you might be interested in how I make cushions and pillows.

The printed silk cushion pieces are from another favourite supplier - Sylvia Rose.  She is the lady who made my beautiful rugs (see 8 June post).  She sent it as a freebie with another order for some pale blue cushions. They might turn up in Chocolat in the future.  I thought I would make up this one as it would be useful in the workroom for the chair (not even made yet) which will be near the desk.  Check out her site as she has beautiful rugs, curtains as well as these cushions and will make to order.

Fold over the edges on each of the two little squares.  I am too lazy to get out the iron and I find that pressing silk with my fingers does the job OK.  The back square is folded down just a fraction smaller than the front so that the seam edges are behind the cushion when it is finished, rather than right on the edge where they can be seen.  I put the smallest amount of glue possible just under the fold on the creases on the back of the cushion and press the edges down.  Trim as near as you like up to the line when it is dry.  I actually don't take a lot off as it doesn't show and silk doesn't make up too thickly.

I don't stick down the edges on the front of the cushion as I don't want any stiffness there.  I then make an envelope by sticking the back piece to the front piece along three edges.  Just be very tidy with the glue and use as little as possible but get it right on the very edge of the crease or it won't look like a stitched seam.

I (under)fill the cushion with micro polystyrene beads.  These were bought from a dollar shop in a one dollar neck pillow. You'll find the beads in soft toys and all sorts of stuff - just get the cheapest/smallest you can get your hands on.  This is a largish coffee jar full of them which will last me several life times and I have about three times more than this left in the original cushion.  I have struggled with all sorts of ways of trying to fill cushions/pillows.  I have used small teaspoons with and without tin foil funnels etc., but, as usual, the most obvious is the easiest.... wait for the glue to dry and scoop up what you need from the pot using the cushion itself!

Tuck in and glue the fourth side and Bob's your Uncle!

You have a cushion or pillow that will tuck nicely into the corners of a seat and mold pretty much to any shape you want.  For example you can sit something or someone on them and actually make a realistic 'dent' in them.  You can't do this with the normal polyester filling.

The back is just as neat and not a single stitch in sight.  That's probably because it wasn't stitched.  Thank heavens for glue.

Valerie Claire Miniatures

I've just finished making some things  from another of my favourite suppliers - Valerie Claire Miniatures that you might like to see.

You will need to click on this image to actually see what's going on here.  I was keen to show you how teeny these items are.  The printed card has nine cards for silk ribbons.  It is a simple case of cutting out the cards and wrapping round some very narrow silk ribbon.  I only had eight colours so you'll see a repeat of the green.  They look terrific - very realistic and in excellent scale as is all her stuff.

I am in the throws of making four of her teeny handbags. She sells the findings and you sort out the fabric.  I'll share them with you when I've completed all four of them. This photo was to show you the difficult bit - opening the jump ring and fastening it through the handle and the bag clasp.  Do-able though and I think they will look lovely.  They might be hanging in my window displays somewhere.  I haven't decided yet.

As I said this is someone who's stuff I heartily recommend.  I originally bought from her at a show somewhere but have since ordered on line without any hitches.  She makes some really original things.  Check her out especially if you are working on a shop or anything Victorian/Edwardian.  That said there are other gems there too.

Last three craft packs

 I have finished my other three Craftpack company's kits and here they are.

The little blouse is really sweet and not too difficult to do if you turn off your dressmaking brain.  I spent ages trying to set the sleeves in the armholes properly as if I was making a real garment.  The blouse is actually cut out and constructed very much like the real thing but you have add in 1/12th skills and forget what you do in 1/1 dressmaking.  This is all about gluing and draping to make it look as realistic as possible.  I shall return to it when I decide where it is going and do some more pushing and poking to get it to lie realistically either over or in the box.

 I promise you that the long white gloves look better in real life than they do here.  I would like to have added some buttons at the wrist but I don't have any very, very teeny no-whole white beads.  I might see if I can snare some at the NEC for a few pennies to finish them off.

 Sorry this is a bit out of focus - I tried to get in too close, obviously.  It is a nice small piece of shelf dressing that will come in handy somewhere.

I thought I would show you my 1/12th suede gloves against a navy suede glove of my own to give you an idea of the scale.  Pretty impressive, hey?

....... such fun.

Mini nut returns

I am back from La Belle France, waddling from a surfeit of great food and chocolate and ready to crack on with Bentleys, but first I have a few domestic chores to conquer.

Fortunately these chores haven't got in the way of my moving my miniatures' workshop yet again!

You may remember that back in April I moved out of the spare room/my office and into the refurbished summer house.  It has taken me from April until now to decide it was a daft idea.  It seemed very logical to have a place where I could make a mess and leave it and not have to keep moving stuff off my one desk every time I switched tasks.  In this respect it was indeed fine, BUT I soon discovered the problem.  Because I didn't want to leave the dolls house in the 'shed' it meant that over the summer I walked a few hundred miles between the spare room, where Bentleys lived, and the bottom of the garden where I was working on something to go in it. This was even more challenging this summer as it often required being rescued by a husband bearing an umbrella; not to mention the difficulties presented when he delivered my tea and biccies in the rain!

Eventually I realised when I was working at my desk that I was still surrounded by miniature stuff. Bit by bit tools and kit had somehow found their way back to the house.

We rarely use the spare bedroom these days so it seemed more sensible to utilise it on a daily basis instead of preserving it for the very occasional sleep-over visitor.  We donated the posh futon to a charity and moved me and my stuff back in.  I now occupy a split personality room.

One corner is my writing and office area plus Bentleys.

The opposite corner is my new work area and the future Chocolaterie Maya. 

The white cupboard it is standing on was bought from Ikea on Sunday and is a great size for many dolls houses, being 31 x 15 1/2 inches.  It also offers loads of storage space.  At £20 I heartily recommend Epedit!  They also sell a set of castors for it, which might prove useful when I am doing the build next year.

The 'mess' you can see on the table is another of the Craftpack Company display kits that I was assembling before I went away.  I'll post pictures when I finish the other three.

Back soon....