What a response!

Thank you for the comments and awards. I want to try more small how-to's. You know the vintage kitchen has all sorts of how-to's if you are interested in that era and I did a shell lamp somewhere around the first of the blog entries.

I am starting a red chaise for Encore-Elegance today. Hope to finish it by first of next week. Need to go to Menards to find a red mahogany stain for the legs. If you don't have a Menards building materials store you are missing out. It is so much better than Loews or Home Depot. Can't explain the difference but it doesn't feel like the warehouse stores. It's big too, really big and the sales people don't run from you! Ours is an hour away but it's worth it.

Piping

(I don't know why this picture keeps being loaded sideways, sorry)






This is how I do piping for my pillows and around the furniture cushions.

First of all you need to cut your fabric on the bias, this aides in bending around curves and corners. I have used piping cut on the straight or cross grain in a pinch or if you like the pattern better on the straight grain, but it's a little harder to handle. That's in pictures 1 and 2.











I use Coats and Clark Knit Cro Sheen for the inside of the piping. It's a crochet thread, I think a pretty standard size. I am sorry I can't tell you a size number. Just remember, you are in miniature don't go too big. Cut the crochet thread a little longer that what you need. I use a fabric glue, tacky would be all right to use. Picture 3.









Apply glue to the bias edge of the fabric. Spread out to about a quarter of an inch. If you get any on your table, wipe off. Press the crochet thread into the glue on the very edge of the fabric. Picture 4.












In picture 5 you see that I have turned the fabric around to roll the edge towards me. Make sure you keep the crochet thread at the edge, don't let it move forward. Roll the fabric and thread just so the edge touches the other side of the fabric, don't overlap. Picture 5.













Turn the fabric over and use your thumbnail or fingernail to press very close to the crochet thread. Pictures 6 and 7 show this.

























Cut with sharp scissors very close to this pressed edge, snuggle up close to the roll. Lay the piping onto scrap fabric to do the next step. We want to piping to be round. DON'T roll it in your fingers, this will sometimes make the seam spiral around the crochet thread. I will admit on some fabrics this wouldn't matter, but on most it does. I want you to lay it on the fabric, the fabric is for friction to get the piping to roll. Use a couple of fingers or the heel of your hand and roll the piping back and forth only for a half of an inch, just short strokes or the seam will spiral. Press the fabric into the glue. Pictures 8 and 9.













That's the piping. I have used cloth covered florist's wire for the inside of the piping, too. You can bend the piping to stay in place while gluing.




The next pictures are of how I make a pillow.




I cut a piece of card stock the size of pillow I want, this was 1 1/4". I trace around the card stock. Pictures 10 and 11.























I then cut out the fabric adding a seam allowance, don't cut on your drawn line or your pillow will be smaller. Cut a front and back. The drawn line now becomes the guide line to sew on. Picture 12.











I sew my pillows by hand, I think the machine goes too fast for miniatures. I leave a little opening on one side. Don't knot off the thread. Run your needle through one layer of fabric to that it comes out between the two sides of the pillow. Picture 13.












I trim the sides and corners. I apply a dot of glue to each corner on each side so the corners won't blow out when I turn the pillow to the right side. Picture 14.







I apply a line of glue along the sewing guide line on the opening, both sides. Fold the seam allowance down to seal. Picture 15.

Turn the pillow out to the right side, I use forceps. Pull your corners out, you can do this by inserting your needle between the layers of fabric, catch the sewing thread and work the corner out. Don't catch the fabric or you might blow the corner. I am sorry I don't have a picture of this, I was alone when I photographed all of this.

Now for the big secret, are you ready? Nobody is looking over your shoulder are they? I fill my pillows with polystyrene balls. Tiny, tiny, as small as the head of a pin or smaller. A couple of years ago pillows filled with this were popular, they were usually covered in a very, very stretchy knit. When you felt these pillows you couldn't keep from squishing them. I don't see these pillows around anymore. I found one at the Goodwill store. I haven't gone on the Internet, yet. Depending on the fabric you use, pillows filled with these balls can get pretty scrunchy. You can fill your pillows with stuffing, some people use sand or seeds to get them to "set" right. Sew the opening closed.

Apply a thin line of glue in the pillow seam and press the piping into the glue. Picture 16.




The last picture is of the pillow setting on a sample of the last custom piece I made. Picture 17.




I hope you all make some piping! Let me know if you need any help. TTYL Kris


P.S. This does not work on all fabrics, you have try them out. I was making a couple of chairs from plain old cotton broadcloth and thinking that I was going to use the piping. Piping generally works on plain old cotton broadcloth, I don't know if it was me, the fabric or the moon and stars, but I was not going to get piping from that fabric. I had to use the old stand by, twisted embroidery floss. Another thing, when you are finishing the piping, rolling it, try rolling it just towards you or away from, which ever is comfortable for you. Sometimes you need to just roll in one direction to keep it from twisting too much. You can't keep it from twisting. Kris

Finished another custom project

I have finally finished the custom project for the miniaturist in Nebraska. He is creating a rustic cabin retreat. It sounds very relaxing doesn't it? One of those projects you can sit in front of and dream.

Kris

Looks Great Nina!

Hi Nina, Got the photo of the settee. I think it looks very much at home in the Tudor castle, something like a bed and breakfast in a castle in the countryside in England! Your walls looks fantastic, how long did they take to do? You have got to be getting a history lesson doing this project, so far you are getting an A+, Nina.

I've got more followers. Thank You for signing up, I hope I can keep up, keep you interested. Have a short project on how I make and put piping on my pillows, I hope to get that out to you soon.

TTYL Kris

P.S. Now I am raising a little baby raccoon. He fell down in the wall in my workroom and my husband had to cut the drywall to get it out. This is the second time, the first raccoon was big enough to go back to MOM, this one is just about a week old and we don't hear MOM. We are afraid she won't come to get him if we put him back. This year after they are gone He Is going to close that wall up for me. No more raccoons! We raised one before that the kids found in the bark of a tree. Yes, that one was in my workroom, too, along with the silky chicken, named Fluffy. Fluffy passed at 13 years old a few year ago. I live in a zoo.

WOW!!

O.K. Ladies, I've been visiting blogs. You ladies are knock-out miniaturists. I've always been one to stay out here in the boon-docks. I try to tell people about miniatures and, well you all know the reaction. You are all so accessible with the internet. I would just read the magazines and dream about seeing more beautiful things. It is a community isn't it? I know I sound silly, but this is all new to me. I just put my things up on CDHM in November and was blogging a little bit to commune with like minded people. I am so impressed with all of your talents. I have one friend that also makes minis and she lives an hour away and we find it hard to get together. I am glad I've joined in on the fun.

And goats! We had goats for 16 years, our last wether died about a month ago, Reggie, he was 16 years old. I made saddle bags for them and we would all go hiking together with the goats carrying our meals. They loved it, and so did our 3 kids. Our nanny had triplets one night, doubled our herd, that's when Reggie went to the vet! Six was enough for us. We had so much fun. People would stop us on the trail and ask where we rented the goats from to carry our things. Ofcourse they were carrying heavy backpacks! Al, my husband had a hard time when Reggie passed, we all did. He came up with the idea to adopt some donkeys from the Missouri Humane Society. We went and he fell in love with Riviera and I came home with Casper. We want to train them to haul for us. We heat with wood and being 54 and 60 years old the woods are getting farther away and the wheel barrow is getting old. We had been doing it since Reggie retired a few years ago and we need help.

Well, I am signing off now. Just wanted to say I am truly impressed with all of your talents, and thanks for taking the time to comment.

Kris

Room Boxes, So Far

I thought I would put up the date on the room boxes I have had pictures of so you don't have to go searching.
Starting from the first, my Vintage Kitchen, date 7.29.09, there will be several pictures around that date. First Apartment, date 12.29.09. Watering Can Potting Shed, date 2.16.10. Carl's Room, date 2.16.10. My current project, put on hold, date 2.25.10.
Thank you for visiting my blog, Kris


P.S. Just learned something new: After you click on the picture to make it larger you have a magnifier and you can click on an area of the picture to make it larger. How cool is that?

Thank You!

I want to thank everyone for their kind and generous comments. I love hearing from you, it's fun to communicate with all of you. Miniatures are so much fun to do, but sharing is the best part of all.
I am working on some custom furniture and will be busy for about a week. I have some news things I want try. I keep saying that, but I am going to make some new furniture.

This is a picture of my new donkeys. Casper, the white one is 3 years old and Riviera is 16 years old.
I finally have the chicks moved out to the chicken house. They are 6 weeks old and fully feathered. Now, Ginger, my rabbit can stop playing "bowling for chicks". The chicks were jumping over the top of their pen and would get out and walk around the work room. So Ginger would charge after them. So much fun!
TTYL Kris