Silk Gauze: You can also get silk gauze from DHARMA Trading. - the web address is http://www.dharmatrading.com And from THAI SILKS in california. Dharma has one weight which is 3 mummy and Thai has several depending on which works best for you. Don't have the number for Thai right here - but they are listed with 800 directory. I'll get it and post it later. Working with Silk Gauze (especially 2mm) is like working with fog)

James Peacock

Silk Gauze: "For example a 6" x 6" piece is nearly $14Cdn plus tax and" and even though I try not to use the digest for "advertising" I have to write and suggest that anyone looking at gauze at these prices might want to check out my web site http://www.angelfire.com/wv/minipix where I have 32, 40, and 54 count gauze - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised :)

Mary Lynne in Huntington, WV

Silk Gauze: I checked out WHUI's silk gauze sites. Then just to refine the search, I tried 'silk gauze 40 count' and came up with a bunch. A couple of the first sites listed 40 count silk gauze at about $100.00 a yard! So, these fabrics vary quite a bit--evenweave would be the word to look for. I found one site that had 11 different thread counts--up to 112-count! That sounds like a challenge, and only $400.00 a yard. They do also sell them all by the inch, thank goodness. Check it out: http://www.needlestack.com/inventory/fabric-misc.html#SilkGauze

Lynette in WNC

1-ply yarn: You might want to look at DMC Perle Cotton #5. It might be the weight you're looking for. You need to be careful about the bright colors (reds & such). As someone else pointed out, DMC has reformulated some of its dyes to be more environment-friendly, and because of that some of the colors run. If you're using a bright, you can try hand-washing it in cold with salt to fix the dye.

Joanne

Knitting threads: Check out www.jklneedles.com for your knitting threads I have ordered from her and was really pleased. She used to be into miniatures, before she went back to "real" size. There is a section on miniatures now on her site, with some neat books and several threads to chose from, along with the smallest needles I have ever seen.

Dori in Kentucky

YARN: Joy Parker in Canada from Swallowhill Dolls has really lovely yarn. Her address is in the ss directory under dolls. One other place is The Knitters Underground, mail order - They have lace making yarn - lovely stuff. Go to: http://marketplace.shopsite.com/yarnshop I have purchased yarn from both places. If you want to know the type I bought from Knitters Underground, please e me. You will be happy with yarn from either place.

Carol

Finishing edges of dollhouse floors and ceilings: I used those strips of wood (Basswood, I think) about 2-3ft long that are sold at dollhouse stores, Michael's, AC Moore etc. The solution was critical for my house because I used the round wire method of electrifying it and a bunch of wires were running down the open back of the house. These strips come in all different shapes, thickness and widths (most less than one inch). I used a two sided strip that met at a 90 degree angle. I glued it to the floors/ceilings so that the angle where the two sides meet left a channel for the wires. I'll send you some pictures via an attachment to an email which are pretty poor but good enough to illustrate the point. I painted mine white to match the woodwork etc. but you can stain them also if your house has dark woodwork.

Harriett - Framingham, MA

Tung Oil: Regarding the use of tung oil on mini wood products, it depends on the kind of finish you want to achieve. For furniture, I personally prefer Danish oil, such as Watco. To me, it seems to give a less sludgy look. Neither will give you a glossy sheen, so if you use either one and want a high gloss, I'd recommend using shellac afterwards. (Not polyurethane -- from what I understand, it's not compatible with oil products.) You might want to try experimenting with a variety of finishes on scraps of wood. Watco comes in smaller containers and shouldn't cost a whole lot. If you have a Woodcraft store in your area, they carry it. If not, they have a web site. I don't know if most garden-variety hardware stores would carry it.

Rosemary in Cleveland

Stucco: Although I used StuccoMate for the outside of my lighthouse, I really like using Skid-Tex as it is so durable. It's the stuff that you put in paint to use on steps, boats, etc, to keep the surface from being slick. You can mix in as much Skid-Tex to the paint as you want to get it the texture you want. It doesn't flake or rub off. It's great for textured ceilings!

Carole Pierce in TN

Finishing: Let's keep the finishing discussion going for a while. There are lots of cool methods people have developed in this area. We use a water stain which Pam loves and I use a first coat of lacquer sanding sealer then one or two top coats of satin lacquer thinned 1:1 and sprayed with an airbrush in a Badger spray booth that is vented outside by dryer hose. The lacquer dries fast enough that there is little dust problem and the finish is soft enough to rub easily and is reasonably repairable. I can control the pressure to spray really tiny things. An external mix Paasche air brush works fine and is easy to clean. I usually spray a couple times a week. In the really hot humid weather there can be blushing. I use a water trap in the air line to keep moisture out of the spray. We rub down between coats with Beartex gray which is a synthetic steel wool without the little particles of steel. Lacquer smells bad and is extremely flammable but it dries very quickly and has the advantage of dissolving into itself so you don't need the tack cloth most of the time. You can thin it down as much as you want. I use one nitrile glove, safety glasses and a carbon respirator when I spray. Sometimes I wear a Walkman too. Pretty scary, huh. Correction on tung oil: I was reminded that tung oil doesn't dry, itpolymerizes. I don't know why multiple coats sometimes don't get hard but this can happen. My source, Flexner, says it "turns white if left to cure in any thickness" and that "it is seldom used as a finish in its own right." It is used in many high quality varnishes.

Pete Boorum