Strawberry Basket Ideas:
- Take the fence idea further and use basket pieces as trellises.
- Use them as Arts & Crafts/Frank Lloyd Wright style porch trim.
- If you're making a display for yourself and not something that must be playable-sturdy, with a mat board floor, the long skinny ones make a balcony or fire escape.
- The small square ones make grille work for those infamous Michaels hutch doors.
- Another idea for the square ones: cut three rectangles the same size (about 1 x 3 inches) and two squares (about 1 inch per side). Cut the crossbars off the grid on two of the rectangles so they look like jail-cell bars. Glue these to the uncut 1 x 3 in a U-shape. Glue the squares on the open ends. Paint and glue over your sink for a spiffy English-style hanging plate rack.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Hanging baskets: Easiest way to make hanging baskets is saturating a square of needlepoint canvas or other open-weave fabric in fabric stiffener (or diluted white glue) and molding it over an egg-shaped vending-machine prize container (cover egg in plastic wrap or spray with cooking spray so the canvas won't stick). Let it dry in place, peel off, trim edges neatly, and add chain, wire, or cord hangers.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Retro furniture: Those of you who prefer 20th century styles to Victorian should also check out that wood crafting site mentioned earlier (

Loretta.Sniarowski

Bargello: The earliest known examples of Bargello aka Florentine/Hungarian point/Irish embroidery/Flamestitch work were found in Lower Saxony as altar frontals in the 14th and 15th Centuries. It became all the rage in Colonial America in the second half of the 18th Century. Therefore, you're all set for just about any period.

Bobbie Schoonmaker, IGMA Fellow

Mini Plans - Mini designs - mini books: I am taking a few minute break to catch up on my e-mail and have a few more to climb up on my soap box Why does everyone seem intent upon finding plans for MINIATURES?????

Our goal (except for the fantasy contingent) is to represent reality in miniature. Right? I do appreciate articles, posts, books, and such that offer materials, techniques, and tooling that helps us to create our miniatures. As for plans, however, I far prefer to use authentic items or published plans for full sized authentic items. There are several advantages.

(1) My finished pieces are authentic and authenticated. I can show photographs of the original from which I modeled my miniature (or a copy of the article) In authenticating, my description is not what mini book the plans came from but, rather and for example, "Based on a 1937 Crosley, single band table radio in the collection of Mister Robert Page of Ventura, Ca. Number 3 of 12 miniatures by MCK"

(2) I have the fun of research and design plus the prestige of prototype ownership

Research from the real thing can be in private collections, antique shops, second hand stores, museums, or your own Grandma's attic. Research from plans can be from woodworking/upholstery/metal smith books and magazines including library micro film editions of OLD Popular Mechanics, Fine Woodworking, etc. Further research from photographs may be from old magazines, "captured" scenes from movies, or background glimpses in old family photographs.

(3) I enjoy a mini fan club beyond our miniature circle. It includes owners of the full sized prototypes who are very flattered when I ask to measure, sketch, and photograph one of their treasures for miniature reproduction. #1 certainly is my own. #2 usually has an immediate buyer (I throw in a display dome for good will)

(4) I am not limited to what others have discovered, downsized, and deemed worthy of drafting. The world is much larger than that.

(5) Real antiques frequently have stories. Miniatures carefully crafted after those full size prototypes automatically "own" the story also - for no extra charge.

'Nuf soap box for now. Some other break time I will get a bit into research measuring and drawing.

Mel K.

Furniture Book for Beginners: for beginner furniture patterns and instructions, try Venus and Martin Dodge's The Dolls' House Do-It-Yourself Book or Joan McElroy's Dolls' House Furniture Book. Both may currently be out of print (Joan definitely is) but are usually available at the library and through second-hand booksellers. If your club member is interested in learning to improvise with found materials, she can't go wrong with anything by Andrea Barham or Patricia King.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Basic Dollhouse Furniture: There was a request a few digests back for a book with directions for simple dolls' house furniture.

I like "The New Dolls House D.I.Y. Book" by Venus and Martin Dodge ... and for a little more advanced work, "Making Miniatures in 1/12th Scale" by the same authors.

The first book keeps the tools to a minimum and covers using them well. I think the second book is excellent on tools. I tend to buy way too many gadgets. I guess this is sort of chronic ... lol! But these books seem very sensible. And all the projects are attractive looking.

Annie

Basic Dollhouse Furniture: I would suggest that a fine series of books for patterns for mini furniture are those written by Peter Westcott. He did a lot of work for the Scale Cabinet Maker and has put out a series of books about various styles. The prices have recently gone up because he printed a new batch with all new photographs. They are the Miter Box series because they can be made using a saw and miter box. There are one or two in each of the following categories--colonial, southwest, mission, contemporary, and Art Deco. Also a book of porch and patio furniture. Yes, I carry them.

Dottie in Tucson

Comfortable furniture: A couple of digests back, someone asked about a couch-chair, aged in the deco era....you might try Jo Dewane miniatures, she describes her things as 'well-Used furniture and accessories' at josminis@itol.com I love her things.

Gayle at Gayledolls