HOBBY BUILDERS SUPPLY HAS THE NEW KITS

Hey, I'm a brand!  Yes, that's right, Hobby Builders Supply has my new kits and I am under "SHOP BY BRAND".  Is that cool or what?
1/12 Scale Minis by Kris Compas.

Hobby Builders Supply or
www.miniatures.com if you want to shop online.  Their link also appears on the right side of the blog.






Above is Kit #010 French Country Sofa.  I like the slouchy look to the sofa, very relaxed.  I've designed new legs and the seat cushion is a "T" cushion.

You get all the supplies needed EXCEPT the fabric.  That's the fun part.  You get to choose your own 100% cotton fabric to make a custom chair or sofa for you, nobody else has one like you!

There's a change in the kits this year, the instructions are DIGITAL and are downloaded onto your computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone.  Super easy to do and the pictures are in color and very large to make it even easier to finish your new piece of miniature furniture.

And remember, I am ALWAYS available if you have any questions, my e-mail is in every kit.

This is kit #011 and is the French Country Chair.

If you want a coordinating chair for your sofa here it is.

The chair has the same relaxed look and a "T" shaped seat cushion.

I love this chair.  I saw this a number of years ago at Penney's and knew I had to make this in miniature.  I've made it several times for myself.

This is kit #012 Country French Wing Chair.  This will also coordinate with the French Country Sofa, it will give you some height to your arrangement.  The legs match the sofa but are a little taller.

Kit #013 is the Lindsey Sofa.  I've designed new legs for the sofa and used a little more contemporary arm style.
I could see this covered with a faux leather and put into a library, couldn't you?


By the way I have a tutorial on how to make faux leather to upholster with. 

 

This is the Lyndon Chair, #014.  The arm style matches the Lindsey Sofa but this chair could go anywhere.

The chair mimics a swivel/rocker with it's tilt.  (Sorry, I didn't conceive a mechanism for this kit.)

Last but not least is the Rose Chaise, #015.

The back has faux button upholstery.  I include my button press so you can make your own buttons.  You can use the press to create buttons for your other pieces of miniature furniture.

All the kits come with the parts and pieces, batting, crochet thread to make the piping and micro beads if you choose a kit with pillows.

The instructions are digital but that doesn't mean you can't print them out for yourself.  

#001, Lisa Sofa.  The back has 3 loose pillows and there are 2 accent pillows.  The sofa has bun feet.

#002, Lisa Chair.  The back on this chair is a little shorter than the traditional wing back chair that you would see in a period room setting.  The Lisa chair is more contemporary because of this.

 (back height from floor 3 1/2")

Hey, this is my Retro Sofa, #003.  Many of you have already made this sofa, thank you!

This is fun and funky, you can have all kinds of fun shopping for the fabric for this kit.  I found this fabric a my local Walmart a few years ago.  They had it in a range of colors and wouldn't you know it I bought a 1/3 yard cut of each!

Need some chairs to match the Retro Sofa?  #004 is the kit number for the Retro Chairs.

Now, you wouldn't need the sofa, these chairs could be used in the living room or the bedroom as the chair that you drape a night gown over.

Two chairs come in this kit.

I love this settee, #005 Winged Settee.  This could be used in a period setting but change the fabric and you have a surprising contemporary piece of miniature furniture.

The settee could be used in the living room, hallway, the dining room instead of two dining chairs at the side of a table.  If you have an eat-in kitchen the settee can be used as a bench seat at your kitchen table.

Kit #006 is the Estate Chair and I think one of the most versatile pieces in my collection.

Yes, this is the chair I am talking about that was in the last post.  The miniaturist added wings to it and made a chair for the Mad Hatter!

These chairs look good as a pair beside a doorway or china cabinet.  They can be used at the head of a dining room table.

If Santa needs a chair, this is it.  The Estate chair makes a great chair for Halloween or a spooky witches house.

The Estate chair makes a statement, for sure.

And, I use it for a coordinating chair for the Knole sofa.

If you are wanting that traditional piece of furniture for a period room #007 Queen Anne Sofa is the right kit.

Yes, I know this is available all ready made but you need it in your fabric to get the look you want.

But, don't count this out for a contemporary room, again I mention the faux leather.  Mix the faux leather with fabric for unique piece for the library.

This is kit #008, The Queen Anne Wing Chair.  This is the tall wing chair, measuring from the floor 3 7/8" tall.

Good all around chair to use just about anywhere.

Have you ever thought of a Mr. and Mrs. set using this chair and the #002 Lisa Chair, hmmm.

Kit #009, the Knole Sofa.  Now this makes a statement.  There's a lot to do here and I go through every step with you, trims, tassels, fringe and twisted braid.  Skills you can use on future pieces of miniature furniture.

As I mentioned earlier I use the #006 Estate Chair as the coordinating chair or chairs.






The kits #001 through #009 have printed instructions for now.  They will be changed over to digital instructions over time as Hobby Builders Supply reorders.  Saving paper, saving shipping.

If you want a preview of how to put the kits #001 though #009 together I have pictures of the instructions on the blog.  At the top right of the blog, KIT'S PICTURES PAGES, click on a kit and the pictures will come up on the screen.



Thanks for spending time reading the blog.  I hope you enjoy making the tutorials, send me pictures at camceiling@frontiernet.net.

I'm getting the March blog ready, see you then.

Have fun, Expand on it, Make it Better . . .

Just Keep Making Minis and try a kit!

Kris

Mad Hatter's Chair!

I had to show all of you what Marilyn did with my Estate Chair Kit, #006.

She's making an Alice in Wonderland room box and the Mad Hatter needed his chair at the head of the table.

Marilyn added the wings to the chair and made THE chair for the Mad Hatter, don't you think?

I love what she did and I wanted all of you to see it, too.


Good Job!

Kris

February Tutorial is now up at 1 inch minis.

Lynn has written a tutorial for making miniatures with the Cricut Maker.  Please come over to read about how to cut up 3/32" basswood with saws for your miniatures!
Kris

LYNN'S CRICUT MAKER TUTORIAL

 At the end of last year Lynn sent me pictures of her Potato Bin and told me that she made it with her Cricut Maker.  I was very interested to hear more about this Cricut Maker.  I asked if she would like to write a tutorial for us.  Her tutorial gives us an idea of what it takes to get something designed and cut out.
If you don't like saws this little machine might just be for you.  Lynn goes through the steps to design on your own or to use a prepared pattern.  You are working on your computer for the designing and the steps seem pretty straight forward.  At the end you end up with all your pieces cut to size and ready to glue!

I hope your enjoy learning something new that you can apply to your miniature making.



PART 1

Here's Lynn . . .


Kris has asked me to give a tutorial on using the Cricut for making minis and I’m happy to share what I know. I have used the Cricut for scrapbooking and paper crafting since the very first little machine came out and have upgraded every time there was a new version. In the past, there were many things I didn’t like, and many times I said I would never buy another Cricut. You had to purchase image and font cartridges that could cost around $30 on up, you could not design your project on your computer, it only cut paper, and the cuts didn’t always turn out right. But all that changed with the development of Cricut Design Studio, which is free and accessible on your computer, phone, or tablet. (You don’t even need to have a Cricut to use it if you are curious to try it out). You can now use not only any cartridges that you already have, but you can upload your own images and fonts, or purchase only the design you want at a cost of about 99 cents. You can also design from scratch using the shapes provided, and this is how I use some of Kris’s patterns to make my minis. The newest Cricut, The Maker, is a total game changer since it can cut wood. (You will need to purchase the knife blade separately.) The Maker is also Bluetooth enabled so you don’t have to have that USB cable running across your work area. I had been considering a laser cutter but the cost is prohibitive for my budget. The Maker does everything I need as far as making minis. And I still use it for my paper crafts, as well as small sewing projects as it cuts fabric now too. The Maker costs about $400 and the knife blade is about $40. You can usually find a bundle with extras on the HSN or QVC websites. These also allow you to make monthly payments so you can start right away!

 If you are thinking about buying one, I recommend joining one of the Facebook groups for the Maker and beginning Cricut-ers. You will get a wealth of information and people willing to answer your questions.

Let’s get down to making!

This tutorial will use the potato cabinet from Kris’s October 2018 blog post. Since this project is made of basic shapes, it can be designed from scratch using her measurements. Later, I will show you how to import shapes that need to be used from her original pattern.

Open Cricut Design Space. Click the Shapes button on the left side of the canvas and click on the square. You will see 4 icons in the corners of the square. The red X is to delete it. The blue arrow is to tilt it, the green compass is to resize it, and the blue lock it to lock or unlock the aspect ratio. In this case, we need to click the lock to unlock the aspect ratio so we can change it from a square to a rectangle. On the top of your canvas, you will see where you can resize your shape. Using the measurements that Kris provided, change the square to a rectangle. (Hint: keep a conversion chart close by for converting inches to decimals.)

The canvas now looks like this.

The legs are ovals cut out of the bottom of the side. Go back to shapes and click on the circle. Click the unlock button and also the green resizing button to make the right size. In this case, I just eyeball the measurements until it looks like the right proportion. To select both shapes, click one shape, hit shift, then click the other. Use the Align feature on the top of the canvas to center the oval and the rectangle.

 Now you should have two shapes like this.

This step uses the Slice function, which is a very valuable tool in designing. Click one shape, hit shift, then click the other, or use CTL A to select all. Click the Slice button on the bottom right side of the canvas. Click on the sliced pieces to move them away away from the rectangle then use the red X to delete these pieces.

                                                                                                                                           Slice Button

Click on the piece and use the edit button on the menu to copy, then paste so you have two of the same shape.

Using the shape tool again, choose a square and unlock it to make a rectangle approx. .75 X 2.25”. Copy and paste this rectangle and position them on one of the panels according to Kris’s instructions. (Hint: click on the icons in the right panel to change shape colors  for better visibility.)

Ignore the solid panel for now and shift-click on the large rectangle and one small rectangle. Click slice, then delete the excess shapes by clicking the red x. Repeat with the second small rectangle. You should now have one panel with the inserts cut out and one solid panel.

 Shift and click both shapes, click edit, copy, then paste.  You should have two of each shape.

Using Shapes again, add the remaining pieces using Kris’s measurements

Back 1.375 X 5.625

Shelves 1.375 X 1.188 (copy and paste to make 4)

Top 1.375 X 1.875

The drawer sides and backs are best cut after assembly to ensure an exact fit.

Use Shapes and Slice to make the drawer fronts using Kris’s measurements

You should now have all components ready to cut. The Cricut will cut each color grouping as a separate cut, so I have made all the pieces that I want cut from 3/32 basswood in one color and all the pieces I want from 1/16 basswood in another color. Since the sides are double layered, I used the thinner wood on those.

Before you cut, I highly recommend watching the Cricut video tutorial on cutting wood before you try it yourself. You will need the knife blade which may have to be purchased separately.

Helpful link:

https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009431394-Cricut-Maker-Cutting-basswood-with-Knife-Blade

Click Make It on the top right corner and you will be prompted to select your material. I have added some to my favorites so I don’t have to browse all materials each time. Choose basswood 1/16”. I have found that this setting works for both the 1/16 and the 3/32.

Important: Move the “star wheels” all the way to the right or they will indent the wood.

The wood needs to be taped down on all 4 sides once it is placed on the Cricut cutting mat. Load the mat then hit the flashing go button.

The blade will make multiple cuts but I find that on the 1/16 wood, you can usually stop it before it finishes as it has already cut through the wood. Once the pieces are cut, follow Kris’s instructions for assembly. Cut the drawer sides and backs after assembly to get an exact measurement.

The flashing "go" button.

My completed potato bin.

Link to my completed project in Cricut Design Space:

https://design.cricut.com/#/design/125153728



(I was having trouble with saving, preview and publish, I put in a "page break" thinking that would help, it didn't.  So, click READ MORE to see the rest of Lynn's tutorial.)