Masking Tape Leather; I have the instructions for making leather from masking tape. I have used it for table tops and wastepaper baskets. It looks really good! I can't remember who I got them from, so I hope the owner will claim them - sorry!

Leather effect:

Take masking tape and tear into very small pieces and overlap them on whatever you want to look "leathery". Now rub in and on the paste shoe polish color of your choice. The more you rub on the deeper the color. Now seal it with dull or semi gloss and Voila ! This works as a "distressed" leather look. For things like leather table tops or book covers, don't tear the tape. (I had trouble getting the masking tape to stick to very smooth wood, so I rubbed a glue stick on the wood, let it dry and then it stuck just fine. I also used a stain stick instead of the shoe polish.)

Carole Pierce

Making Mountie Hats: I have not done Mountie hats, but have done the 1920's cloche hats which have a crown just as high. I use a thimble as a base - of course you need to go through your thimbles to find the best shape.

You need to use *wool* felt. I have never found the man-made fabric felts to do anything other than frustrate me. Wool felt will stretch properly. You shape the crown over the thimble - hmmmmm.... put something on top of the thimble first so the crown does not have a flat top. Sculpey (fired)??? Tie it tightly around the bottom of the thimble, or wherever the flare will start. Then work the brim flat.

I put a few drops of white tacky glue in my warm water to do the shaping but not enough to make a sheen on the finished felt.

Joy Parker

Hat tip: I don't make hats, but I know someone who'll make any hat at...the drop of a hat. I always like to learn a new 'how to' even if I'll never use it. To shape a hat, she wets her material, whatever it is, with runny wallpaper paste, like thin cream or thick milk. It never stains the fabrics, and when it dries, it dries nice and stiff - like a hat should be.

Helen from York, England

LAMPSHADES: The shade's shape determines if ribbon will work. If it's a drum (same width top & bottom), ribbon is ok. If it's tapered (narrower at top), the ribbon will bunch and look lumpy unless you make a gathered or pleated shade. To fit the taper, the fabric must be on the bias so it has some give to it. If that's the case, make a pattern. Remove the existing shade from the lamp and set it on its side on a piece of paper. Roll the shade in a circle along its narrower end while you trace the edge onto the paper with pencil. Repeat, this time tracing the wider end. Result is a circle inside a circle wreath shape. Cut out, slit from line to line and wrap over the shade to fit. Leave a small overlap and trim away the extra paper. Then pin this C-shaped pattern to your fabric, cut out, and glue to shade. Even easier, use a compass -- measure the small circle and draw it on paper with the compass, then measure the length of the shade and draw another circle that size, cut out wreath shape etc. A bias-cut shade will look best in solid color or allover print; stripes end up wandering off track and don't look right. For trim, now that the craft stores have their holiday ribbons and trims out, look for tiny self-stick silver, gold, and other metallic braids if you don't want fringe.

Loretta Sniarowski

Cross Stitch Stockings: Just wanted to let you know I have a kit with two different cross stitch stocking designs in the kit. It also has enough fabric to make several (well, actually, probably 6 if you wanted to!) stockings and supplies for completely finishing two. The supplies include backing so it can be an "actual" stocking, little candy canes, and pompoms and beads to make two little teddy bear "heads" to stick out of the stocking. The kits are pictured on my website. Just follow the link to Mary Lynne's Needlework Store and then the link to my kits. http://www.angelfire.com/wv/minipix

Mary Lynne in Huntingdon, WV

Another idea for miniature buttons: I use a hole punch (smallest size) - the kind that people use who work a lot with leather. I punch tiny circles from suede or coloured sequins. On the suede I use a very thin permanent marker to paint the holes of the buttons and then I glue those to the garment. When you punch circles from the sequins the material sometimes buckles a bit so it looks a bit like a domed gold button - very nice.

Heike Boam

Lettering on fuzzy ribbon - I did try the rub on letters myself some years ago and wasn't happy with the result. I know in Australia we can buy sheets of iron on felt that you can cut shapes out of and iron on but that would be too thick. The only success I had was to cut a silk screen - a really tiny one - and screen print with fabric paint (thick fabric paint). I did print with a white glue first to seal the ribbon and that worked. Maybe you could paint with white glue or similar then try your white paint. Good Luck..

Trace

Leather Chair Material: Pigskin might work as it is very light, thin and stretchable.

Brooke

Another source for very thin leather is the kind they use on Italian leather upholstered furniture. (I think the cheap kind - it is pretty thin). I found some very light upholstery fabric with a plasticised coating that looked just like real leather. It was not like naugahyde and it really looked good. I plan to use some for a leather chair, and possibly even a wall coating. You might check out something like that unless you need to use real leather. If you want to see it e-mail me with your address and I will send you a sample.

Thin Leather: Al Chandronnait who makes all those wonderful baskets sells very thin leather. Pieces are 3 inches by 6 inches and are 4.00 each in 11 different colors. He can be reached at: 19 Winnhaven Dr., Hudson, NH 03051 Phone/FAX (603) 882-6293

Ruth

Leather for walls. I have used rubber cement for gluing leather and it stands up to a beating.

Bob in Hollywood FL

Aging Leather: I rub mink oil into the leather and stretch it over something, fasten with a rubber band and put dirt ground into it. Makes great gardening hats. You need fine leather. I have a great source for really great thin leather, but I have to buy the whole hide. Anyone want to share, buy, trade?

Sue Thwaite

Aging Leather: I remember reading this tip in one of the miniature digests. I would gladly give credit unfortunately I don't remember the source. In a well vented area spray leather with oven cleaner. Let it sit for about 20 min.or so. Rinse well then scrub with soap and water. Let dry and stretch, cracks will form. I did try this and it worked well for some of my old Raggedy Tags clothes. I also brushed on a wash of India ink and alcohol for a well "soiled" appearance.

Lyn

How to make & decorate those beautiful old hats: On my web site under Books, Needlework is a book on making miniature hats.

Tom

Hanging plants: Make macramé or crochet hangers, or you can just take crochet thread #30. Take 4 lengths maybe 18", double, knot an overhand knot a small distance from the loop, then knot at the bottom end and insert your pot. Trim bottom ends.

Rhoda Conley

Miniature Embroidery for the Victorian Dolls' House: I just purchased "Miniature Embroidery for the Victorian Dolls' House" by Pamela Warner, and it's great!! I can hardly wait to try some of the projects

Sharon Begley

Needlework Books: Sharon posted that she had just bought a great book - "Miniature Embroidery for the Victorian Dolls' House" by Pamela Warner (ISBN number: 1 86108 095 6). I have to agree with her that it is a lovely book.

Pamela Warner has come out with another book "Miniature Embroidery for the Georgian Dolls' House" (ISBN number: 1 86108 136 7) and it is just as great. There are lovely projects in both books. I'm just about to start a needlework firescreen in the Georgian book.

Paula Foerder

New books (I have got three new ones this past couple of weeks to help me recover from surgery, ie to keep me in bed) THE DOLLS' HOUSE 1/24 SCALE by Jean Nisbett ISBN 1 86108 113 8 This is a 1/2 scale book and they seem to be rare.

THE COMPLETE MINIATURE QUILT BOOK - OVER 24 PROJECTS FOR QUILTERS AND DOLLHOUSE ENTHUSIASTS by Dinah Travis ISBN 0-87341-595-7 (This is a wonderful book for those who like to make the quilts, very clear and good advice).

MAKING MINIATURE GARDENS by Freida Gray ISBN 1 86108 058 1. This book has been mentioned and I believe it deserves a second mention, if you need to do a lot of landscaping (and I have been putting off outside scenes for years, i.e. greenhouse, gazebo etc) then this is for you. I started making the kits one flower at a time and they are lovely but expensive time consuming. I realized that I would never get a scene done. So I am going to mix the kits and this book. I got both the garden one and the quilt one from the library before I bought them. I bought all three at Amazon.com.

Kathleen in Colorado

Toolbox item: Haven't noticed any mention of Clotilde's Handy Seam Guide. It is sturdy plastic, has several measurement guides on it, that can be used for inside or outside 45* corners, and for measuring widths down to 3/8. It is 2-1/4 x 2-1/2 so fits easily in the tool box. My new Clotilde's sewing catalog (not mini) arrived today, so I thought of it. Check out www.clotilde.com

MAP Puyallup

Needlepoint Kits: For those looking for needlepoint kits, I have kits for needlepoint carpets on my website at :

http://sites.netscape.net/orientalsxpressd/

Michelle Fox

Needlepunch supplies; I've used this punch to create quite a few rugs. If you go to this site:

http://www.bright-star-promotions.com/dodie.htm

You can order 2 books by Dodie Claypool with needlepunch rug patterns and the needles, supplies you need to make them. There is also a free rug pattern on the site.

Paula in NJ