Fabric Gauge: Thank you to who ever suggested using an index card, with a 1 inch square hole cut out of it, when buying fabric. I did that and it works. Many prints looked small enough, but when put in the frame, they really were not. I also drew a line on the card and marked inches and half inches on one side of the line and quarter inches on the other side if it. I keep it in one of those plastic recipe protectors. They have been hard to find, but I notice that Current Inc., had them again, in the recent catalog.

MAP in Puyallup

Silk Gauze: Jo Berbiglia just left and she told me that you use 2 strands in 30 count silk, only 1 strand in 40-48. If you absolutely must use the 3 strands for the coloring ( I think she used the word "tweeding") then go to a thinner thread. For 60 count silk you need to use something totally different like Mettler 60/2.

Jan Haring

Turning Mini Animal Limbs: I made some mini teddy bears recently (I did a batch of 12) - I used a 23 piece pattern, scaled down (on the photocopier) till the finished bear was about an inch tall. They were made the same way as full size bears, stitched & turned. Then thread jointed. The arms were the hardest to turn. TIP - leave arms & legs open at the top, not the back as you may do for full size bears. If you position them sitting with their arms out the closing stitching is at the back. (and a seated bear looks smaller than a standing one).

Now I hope this bit makes sense ...

The best way I found to turn them was to hold the limb in a pair of fine pointed tweezers, positioned so the tweezers run up the length of the limb with just a tiny bit of the open end of the limb protruding beyond the tips of the tweezers. Then I pushed with my fingers till I rolled the open end of the limb back over the tips of the tweezers. Loosen your grip on the tweezers and move them back a bit then keep on pushing and rolling. Keep on doing this and you'll end up rolling the limb mostly right side out over the tweezers. When you are mostly done you can poke something in the limb to turn it fully, but watch you use something blunt as it is easy to push thru the stitching. It is not easy but can be done!!!

Sandra Monk

Quilt batt: I wouldn't use anything foam. I opened an old box of dollhouse furniture and found the the seat cushions to be empty...used to have foam but it turned to dust over the years. Stick with the traditional quilter materials. If you have something in smaller scale, use flannel for stuffing. It is a traditional quilter material also

Laurie

A nice idea for quilts, bedspreads and blankets... sew a fine wire into all the edges, makes bending them down to simulate gravity much easier! Works well on hems and edges of sleeves too. And glove leather is WONDERFUL for working in miniature! Glues like a dream!

Alice Zinn

Salt in pillows; possibility of the salt (being hygroscopic) that it may attract sufficient moisture to dissolve, stay with lint or sand to be on the safe side.

Bob in Hollywood, FL

When trying to "iron" wrinkled silk ribbon, dampen it and then run it back and forth across a (dust free) light bulb! Works like a charm in an instant!

Alice Zinn

knitted bear pattern: http://www.craft-club.com/creativedir/index.htm - go to Character Bears.

Paula in NJ

Fabric on Walls: To use fabric on walls you can use a bonding film like wonder under. Cut out from poster board the pattern of the wall and iron the wonder under to the fabric. Remove the backing and iron it on your wall patter, Then you can safely glue the whole thing on your wall without damaging the finest fabrics. We have done this in Brooke's classes and I have even seen silk used this way with no bleeding of glues.

Anita MH

Stitching on Silk Gauze: A couple of things I discovered about stitching on 40-count silk gauze: Wear dark clothes or work over a dark surface. It makes it a lot easier to see the white gauze. Also, I decided to take my work outside one day because it was so nice out and found that I can see much, much better in natural sunlight than I can with incandescent light from a lamp, no matter how close that lamp is to my work or how many lamps I place near by.

Pat M

About stitching on 40 count gauze -- if you are a x-stitcher first and then try 40 count gauze, just be sure you remember NOT to make the full cross "x", just the stitch that looks like "/"-- a full cross stitch is just too bulky for the silk gauze -- and, of course, just use one strand of embroidery floss.

Fay in St. Louis

DMC Danish flower thread was originally sold to be used on XS samplers using linen fabric. The colours were designed to be muted and old fashioned. They were really nice but unfortunately not too popular so many stores, such as Michael's, don't sell it anymore. I know that The Sampler ( 416 255 4410) does sell it, or at least did the last time I was there. They also sell silk gauze. When Michael's was selling off the DFT I bought a lot for my mother and other friends who knit with it. They use one strand only and it results in a beautiful knitted item which drapes nicely, but not quite as well as Gutermann's silk thread which is great for mini knitting but is difficult to locate.

Cheryl from Brampton, Ontario

DMC flower thread. DMC is discontinuing this thread so guys...buy up what you see. There are some Needleworking shops that still have it and are able to still order for the time being...but when DMC runs out, that is it. This thread has a "twist" to it, looks like a micro-mini cording and gives a 3D effect on the mini needleworking projects. It is also great for doll dressing, ie glueing onto the edge of collars etc. to give a finished look. About as thin as sewing thread with ridges ;-}. Can't think of any other descriptions.

Jan in So Ca

Silk gauze and polyester; Problems seeing the surface. For about $10.00 buy a pair of clip on polarized sun glasses. Unbelievable what these can do for you.

DrBob

Silk Gauze: When working with silk gauze or with a dark colored fabric, I light it from the bottom. That way the light is coming through the holes and is easily seen.

Jo-Ann Riviere

Mini Needlework: There are some lovely cross stitch kits on Mary Lynne's site at www.angelfire.com/wv/minipix, and I'm sure there must be others elsewhere.

I work from regular patterns quite a bit and just do them over one on high count evenweave. I've done some from a book by Brenda Keyes called Exquisite Miniatures in Cross Stitch, and they came out really well. Just look at the stitch counts and use a count that will give you a good mini size. The smallest I've done is cross stitch over one on 48 count linen, with sewing thread.

As for quilts, I've only just started on that, but there is a super book called The Complete Miniature Quilt Book by Dinah Travis which has a couple of dozen doll house sized quilts in it in all kinds of different techniques -- she covers piecing, applique, and a ton of other things. She shows pictures of her own doll house. Both these books come from the UK, and I've bought them within the last year, so they should be readily available.

Kay

Silk: Try tracing your pattern on the silk in pencil, then go over the lines with a thin line of tacky glue. Let it dry, then cut out your pattern. The glue lines will "hold" the shape of your pieces and make them easier to work with. Also, try out different glues on scraps of the fabric to find ones that one soak through. I like tacky glue cause it is very thick. Do you have Fabritac in England? It is wonderful on fabric.

Alice Zinn

Silk: If I don't have a pattern I am sure will work, I make up the dress in cotton batiste first. The silk shouldn't be that much trouble to work with. Once you know how to treat the batiste, the silk should work too. I use a very light weight fusible interfacing on those pieces of silk that are NOT to be draped or gathered, like sleeves sometimes and the bodice pieces (for stability). If you are using a pattern and want to cut the silk from that, perhaps the best thing to do, rather than using pins, is to place your pattern piece on the silk and make "dot marks" all around the pattern on the silk and then cut it out. I usually sew my silk by hand so I have control of it. If you need further help, e-mail me and we can work it out together.

Carol Griffith

Silk: I make porcelain dolls and have dressed about 100 so far. I too have purchased silk scarves, blouses, etc. to make clothing for my mini dolls. I love the old fabrics. It is difficult to work with at first but you will improve with practice. You are correct, it does drape beautifully and make up into lovely garments. Sometimes I back the silk with iron on backing and that makes it easier to work with. I usually don't back the skirt of a dress because it doesn't gather as nicely. Silk tissue taffeta is a little easier to work with, it has more body. If you decide you want to try another fabric,100% cotton batiste is wonderful for minis.

Nancy Wantiez in NJ

Silk: A very basic thing to do with silk use a wax based glue stick special for no sew basting. A good trick for the bodice and the lining of a tiny garment and yes I line all my tiny garments is to cut it out in a block full laid out and then find a fine line pen or chalk pencil and trace around the pattern piece transferring all the markings. Another tip is to baste everything and then sew use larger than normal mini stitches and then machine sew in the tiniest stitch you have. Also with slippery fabrics like silk use a tear away stabilizer like some people use for machine embroidery. The stabilizer helps give your feed dogs on the machine something to grab. That is assuming you are crazy like me and machine stitch your mini clothes.

Tiny Clothes Sue, Portland, OR