Needlepoint Rugs: Regarding needlepoint rugs, have you considered using a small count linen or aida cloth and getting a design you like from a counted cross stitch book. You can use a piece of the pattern and make an edge then put a pattern in the middle. Instead of doing cross stitch, do your needlepoint stitch. Fringe the ends of the cloth and seal the sides with that stuff that stops fraying or fringe all four sides. If you do a round rug, make a tiny fringe by fraying some cloth leaving a couple rows in tact to glue or stitch on. I was always going to do this, but never did. I crocheted some oval rugs for my dollhouse and was going to stitch or paint a design on them and haven't done that either, but I think these are inexpensive ways to make some rugs.

Linda

Rugs: Dolls & Miniatures magazine (Fall 98 issue) has instructions for a beautiful 7" x 12" rug. Please e-mail me for more info about purchasing. To learn more, go to my web page and click on the picture of the magazine: www.dollsminiatures.bigstep.com

viola

Needlepoint Kits and Charts: I have needlepoint kits and charts on MY web site too:) Not only for darling children's rugs and others but pillows, purses, doorstops and a bunch of other stuff! http://www.micro-stitchery.com

Bobbie Schoonmaker

Towels: Your local dollar store is a great source for mini towel material. Just go to the baby items section, and see if they have baby wash cloths. I recently found a package of four in various colors for one dollar. They are so soft and fine, and can be used for bath towels, baby rompers, bibs, even bathrobes.

Anita Myers, Arnold, MD

To 'iron' thread or silk ribbon: dampen it slightly, and slide it across a CLEAN light bulb! Works great!

Should the light be on or off...well, ON would be hot, off would be cold! lol Hot irons work better! I'm sure what you must have meant was, should you turn it off first...only if the brightness bothers you, and let me also mention, be careful! You CAN burn your fingers! As to the wattage, I don't think it matters, I've done it on bulbs from 60 to 100 watts.

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Ironing with light bulbs: Please be very careful with hot bulbs. When I was a teen (and yes, I can remember back that far) I read in a magazine about making one's bedroom smell good by spraying cologne on a hot light bulb. I tried it--it exploded, and I was standing there barefoot in a suddenly dark room with thousands of glass shards on the floor around me, screaming for my dad.

Judy in northern Michigan

Tip for tension while mini needlework: Thought I would share this tip with this group as well as the mini knitting and crochet group. I didn't have a bubble gum machine bubble so I found an empty pill bottle--put a hole through the lid--put the thread through the hole and put the lid tight on the bottle with the spool of thread inside. This has worked great for putting tension on the thread. I've been working a crochet pattern and have noticed a big difference in the rate of crocheting! Cool. Great tip !

Nursemini

Rug Design: Thought I would add a tip I just learned myself. After all the talk about making French knot rugs I decided to get my needle work stuff out and make one. Very easy to do but where to find iron on designs I like was a problem. So here is what I decided to do. Went to the yardage store and bought fabric pieces with the design already there. All I needed to do is go over the printed picture just like a paint by number set. They came out great. I have made a rooster rug, a bumble bee rug, a two toned heart rug and a lamb rug. These are just the right size for a mini nursery room setting or?

Diane the Alpaca Lady

Patterns for French knot rugs: I find a lot of my patterns in the rubber stamp section of the craft store. I've used them for rugs, footstools and cushions.

Jo-Ann

Finishing French Knot Rugs: I wanted to add that to make the miniature French knot rugs look really nice when you're done all you need is a tiny piece of Wonder Under (found at fabric shops).

Take a matching piece of fabric and put the Wonder Under between the two pieces and iron. Now you have a finished rug without the threads showing under it. :)

Diane

Transfer patterns for rugs: I do a lot of my transfer designs by looking through color books or design books. I find a pattern I like, scale it down on the computer to size then copy it on plain copy paper and go over it with a transfer pencil and iron it on my fabric. It works really well. Also you could find lots of patterns in your clip art program.

LaVon

Tiny prints: little tip-a really good source for tiny print fabrics are the fabrics that they sell with the patterns already printed on it, like for making full scale doll clothes or something. You usually have to buy a yard (or one panels worth) but they have the tiniest prints on them and everything coordinates so you can make an entire matching set from one piece of fabric! I found a good panel at JoAnns and made up a cute little lavender "ribbons and roses" picket fence bed.

Kelly

How to split threads. I am not real well coordinated. But I tried the method that was suggested where you lay the threads down and pull out how many you want. I tried this several time and always end up with a mess. In case there are others like me I am going to try to explain the way I do it. I hold the thread and anchor the number of pieces I want between the middle finger and my palm. I anchor the rest between my fore finger and thumb. With my other hand I insert my fore finger in the Y of the thread and anchor the rest with empty fingers. I then pull my finger down through the thread till I reach the end, It is now separated. Hope this makes sense.

Lee Ann in Roanoke Va.

Glove Pattern: There's a full-size glove pattern online at http://www.glove.org/site/default.htm, which you could probably scale down and use (or just use the thumbnails). I'd cut it out, not cut out the thumb hole, fold and glue together, then cut out the thumb and glue its two sides together and glue it on the body of the glove. The double thickness of the leather or cloth would make the glove look real.

Alternately, you could glue thin leather to itself, then cut out the gloves and thumb pieces and assemble. Of course be sure to make the right and left gloves different ;)

Maura Bass

Saving your sight: When I work on the really small silk gauze I put a dark or black piece of fabric on my lap. This allows me to see the holes in the gauze much easier.

Elise in Va

French knot rugs: There was a nice pattern and notes in an earlier Nutshell News about 5 years ago of a cat lying down with a border of flowers and a vine. Very nice indeed.

Trace a line drawing onto calico, put into a circular frame to hold the work firm and then stitch and stitch...your French knots until the whole surface is covered!!!! It will take time!!! I borrowed books from the library of rag rugs which gives some good ideas.

The Beatrix Potter books give some nice animals to try. A pattern from a tile catalogue can be used...make the rug 2ins x 3ins max. otherwise it will take forever, and use only say 5 or 6 colour of dmc One thread at a time.

Judith from wet Carterton, New Zealand

French knot rugs: I unfortunately do not have any patterns to offer, as I just draw on a piece of muslin with colored pencils and start knotting. I Usually looking at big people size rug to obtain the pattern. I would be happy to do custom orders if anyone was interested, (e-mail me privately tnt2075@prodigy.net ) just keep in mind they take a few weeks to complete.

For finishing I use an iron on embroidery backing after I fold in the edges, this also makes for a nice non-slip backing, so we have no doll accidents. There is nothing worse then a doll tripping and falling on one of my rugs. lol

Tasha in MN

French knot rugs: what I used in my rugs.... In the turtle rug I actually used silk embroidery ribbon, 4mm size. I wrapped the 4mm twice around the needle, if using larger 7mm size of the ribbon wrap only once. (the latter is tough for me as I get wrap happy) For the peapod rug I used DMC floss and generally I use two strands and wrap it twice. It all depends on the size of the "pile" you want. If you want to do something smaller like seat cushion I use one strand of floss. I find ribbon faster to work with but more spendy, it took about 16 cards of it for Mr. Turtle. You can't really tell the difference but the dolls tell me the silk is softer on their bare feet. (hehe) http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view? username=ministitchery

Tasha

Smaller scale linen:   this has got to be one of the easiest ones to make yourself. **

Why don't you buy a pretty handkerchief at a garage sale; or the dollar   stores? If you can, sew a tiny hem on all 4 sides, or else use some fabric  glue and glue a tiny hem on it. The delicate nature of the fabric used in   handkerchiefs is perfect for tiny linens. You could get both the sheet and   the pillow from one handkerchief and you'd have a lovely set. Also, You could  use a man's handkerchief (they are larger)for the bottom sheet and a lady's   one that uses a more delicate fabric for the top sheet. There is iron-on  hemming tape too that you could use if you don't sew at all as well as fabric   glue.

For a coverlet, measure your bed (or mattress)and then cut out a template   from that measurement (plus an inch or two for overhang) from a piece of  light cardboard or plastic. Using a hankie or lightweight fabric scrap that   has a tiny motif  or pattern on it, and a piece of soft flannel and another  piece of plain fabric, Stack & Iron the 3 pieces of fabric one on top of the   other. Draw around the template with a sharp pencil  on the top fabric and   cut out all three fabrics at once. Make sure that the fabric is stacked this  way: right side of fabric with pattern on it, facing right side of backing   fabric, then these two fabrics are stacked on top of the flannel. Sew (or   glue) all 3 pieces together around the perimeter about a quarter inch from  the cut edges,   leaving a small opening on the last side for turning. Start  your stitching or gluing in the middle of one side, not the end, as it makes  for easier turning this way. Then, trim the edges and snip off the corners so you minimize the bulk at the edges. Reach in and turn the piece right side out so that the pretty fabric is on top, flannel in the middle and backing fabric on the back. (makes sense doesn't it ?::G::) If you reach in between the two fabrics that are facing one another right sides together and grabbing middle of opposite side with a clamp or fingers if you have tiny hands and pull gently the turning will be easy. Then using a chopstick or the end of the clamp gently push corners outward, your "sandwich" will have nice sharp points. Don't use scissors or a sharpened pencil to push out corners though, as you can poke a hole that way. Slip stitch the opening closed. (or glue it closed with fabric glue). Then use a ruler to make evenly spaced dots across the top about a half inch apart or whatever suits you, and just take a tiny stitch up and down through all three layers.   tie a square knot with the thread or floss and snip off leaving a tail . You could use regular thread doubled or embroidery floss to do this.. Zip,zip, you've got a coverlet. I would not suggest you iron it after you've turned it as it takes the "puffiness" out of it if you do.

When you put it on the bed, you might want to take a tiny stitch in the   corners to keep it the sides down or put a bit of funtak underneath on the  bed so the sides stay against the bed and don't "stick out" - using the soft   fabric helps to drape it nicely. A light silk scarf also works well for this  as well. Esp., if you own a serger and can use it for the stitching. If your   fabric sticks up anyway, you might try washing the fabric before you use it  to remove the "sizing" that they put in fabrics to keep it smooth on the   bolt. With mini's the thinner the fabric the better it drapes. You can always  starch it for ease in sewing after you've washed out the sizing as that will   still allow the draping later on.

Ruthanne

Crumpled Lingerie: There's a modern lingerie pattern and instructions in the Projects section of http://miniatures.about.com   Pretty simple to make, and so is crumpling.   Cover the bed or other furniture where you'll display the garment in plastic wrap or wax paper to protect the surface, then follow package directions to saturate the gown in fabric stiffener.  Arrange it in the crumpled shape you prefer, perhaps partly draped to flow over the edge, and leave it to dry.   Then gently remove the plastic and gown from the bed, peel away the plastic wrap, and replace the shaped wrinkly garment on the bed.

Loretta.Sniarowski