The Guild Show 2022....

 

I Found Some Treasures...

Well, Dear Readers, I was able to make it to the International Guild of Miniature Artisans Show which was held last weekend not too far from my home. And I came away with some Lovely Treasures! Above, you can see a perfectly Gorgeous tiny silver Reindeer and Sleigh! It is made by Pete Acquisto...yes, I could not resist this tiny wonder. But it was not the only lovely treasure I found.

 

 

 

At the very next table I found an amazing ceramic vase

by Van T. Potter (Susan Van Tubbergen)

 with tiny sea turtles climbing around the outside....

and a delicate blue crackle glaze.

 

 

A Tiny pair of shoes by "The Shoe Cobbler" had to come home with me....

 even though I don't know who they will belong to.

Holiday pies.... much better than any I have made...!

by Jan Petrie of Autumn Leaf Studio

 

 

Beautifully bound books.... from The Little Dollhouse Company, 

with fully printed pages (I dare not crack the spines!).

One is a Medieval Herbal,

 another is Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"

 (Illuminated Huntington Library version), 

and the third is Blake's "Song's of Innocence and Experience",

 again, the illustrated original engraved edition!

 

 

A metal treadle sewing machine...

An old fashioned style resin radiator....

A needlepoint sampler kit by Annelle Ferguson... 

I got a couple of different ones.

A needlepoint kit of the Icon in a local church, 

designed by Phyllis Stafford.

And the Most Amazing Treasure .... 

(and the most expensive!)

a genuine hand knotted miniature Persian carpet, 

made with silk threads on a real loom.

Kaye Savage Browning, 

who founded the KSB Miniatures Collection,

 a museum in Kentucky  was selling these

 and I neglected to write down the name

 of the man who made them. I need to do some research!

This carpet is just too beautiful to believe!

Of course, I also bought many run-of-the-mill little items

 like cloth and laces and small "silver plate" dishes and....

Well, you can guess, Dear Readers, I overspent my Budget! 

But I don't regret a single item!

And in case you wanted to see the stitching update on the latest project....

The Baktiari carpet by Phyllis Stafford...

I am making good progress!

And for those who wondered,

 I did start the stitching in the exact middle of the design....

 but I scooted it over to one side of the gauze

 so I could have a good amount of

 the gauze left over for more stitching!

Yes, Dear Readers, 

I found some Lovely Treasures

 at The Guild Show!

 

Another Little Thing...

 

 Not Quite Done...

As you Might know, Dear Readers, I have spent a Lot of time during these Covid years soothing myself by stitching tiny things. I usually take pictures of my progress so I can show the steady development of each project. But I am shocked to discover I can't find any pictures of the making of this little Sampler! Why would I neglect to take pictures? Or remember when it was that I was working on this? I can only plead the usual Covid problems of stress and anxiety and disruption of normal habits. So, I am sorry to say I can't show you the development of this lovely little project. It is another one of Janet Granger's kits, and it was quick to stitch. Perhaps that is why I didn't take pictures! Above you can see the nearly completed piece of stitching. It sat in my sewing box for a long time and since I am trying to finish these little things, I pulled it out, ready to put it in the frame that is part of the kit. But then I realized that I had always felt that the windows of the house were a bit too "empty" feeling as the kit left them bare with no curtains showing. In the above picture you see only one of them still empty... I remembered to take a picture at the last possible minute! Just imagine all the windows empty... and perhaps you can see why I wanted to add that detail.

I did manage to find the kit package

 to show the house with blank windows!

 

And here it is with the final window curtains stitched.

I think it looks so much more... inhabited!

 

And I didn't take the step of putting it in the frame yet

 because I decided I wanted to paint the frame

 and not leave it the stained wood color.

 

And that's all I have to show, Dear Readers, 

Just another Little Thing not Quite done!
 

Not Much To Show...

Tiny Progress.... Or The Fabric of Life...

There really is not much to show you this week, Dear Readers, because it was the first weekend of Garden Season, and I needed to get outside and clean last year's dead leaves off the flower beds in my RL Garden! But that doesn't mean there is Nothing to show... because I did manage to work on a couple of Tiny things! The first is the petitpoint cushion in the Tree Of Life pattern from Janet Granger. I know, you are saying I showed you that last week... but that was the one made from her kit! As with the first cushion, there were leftover threads, and I decided to make another one using the 28 count canvas I had, which does make a slightly smaller cushion. You can see it in the photo above, nearly finished... and nearly at the point where I RAN OUT of the thread supplied with the kit for the background! We All know how Impossible it is to match the color of different batches of thread, even when we know the brand and the name of the color... neither of which I knew! But I decided to dig in my embroidery basket and see if I could come up with something close... and then I would "explain" the color change with a story about an Old Pillow that had tea spilled or some such tale! I found a skein of ivory floss.... but the skein no longer had it's color and number label, (I have had these embroidery threads for at least thirty five years!!!) but it looked to be a close match with the ivory supplied with Janet's kit... so I finished the stitching.....

And I don't know about you, Dear Readers, 

but I CANNOT tell where the new thread begins!!!

Can you imagine how unlikely it seems 

that I would have the Perfect threads for so many years?

So this is the second in the Tree Of Life cushions... 

all I need to do now is the backing and stuffing.

I do Love this pattern!

And because I am now having so much fun with the needlepoint kits, 

I needed to start another one right away!

Fortunately, I had another of Janet Granger's kits ready to sew....

This is a "sampler" done on 32 count canvas with a single strand of floss,

 so it is another step smaller than the cushions, 

even the 28 count ones I made.

(I used my magnifying glass!)

It is relatively quick to stitch, and as with real "samplers" 

the background is not stitched.

(And I only made one notable mistake!)

It is designed to be an "antique" with the stitching date of 1806.

I think it is quite charming,

 and like many things in the mini world,

 I have Always wanted to make one!

The kit even comes with a frame... 

I will have to show you when I get that step done!

I have a few more of Janet's kits ready to sew, 

I have bought some of her smaller count projects....

 I will be sure to show you as I get them done. 

I am now a confirmed petit-point addict.... 

when I finish one project, 

I need to start the next one right away!

(Even if it means running out of the right threads 

or using a different count fabric!)

And the last Tiny thing I worked on a Tiny bit, Dear Readers, 

was the settee for the Tiny Room-box!

I had already made the seat part last week....

But I have not been able to find the right fabric to use as upholstery!

Yes, I know you can barely see the pattern in this light.....

And then I thought I should add the legs now, 

even though they would be delicate 

and might make it harder to add the fabric later....

Just the tips of toothpicks, 3/32nds of an inch long.... 

but I think they are too tall and will need to be trimmed.

And with the legs painted too....

Isn't it Adorable?

But I am still not settled on the fabric to use...

This is the same fabric as the carpet in the roombox...

And I think it makes the seat disappear when it is put in the roombox.

Which defeats the point entirely!

So I have not decided whether to use it of not.....

I still might change one or both of the fabrics....

And because it is so Tiny, and so Incomplete....

I didn't take any pictures of it IN the roombox to show you!

Just this picture.

None of these belong together...

And they come from such diverse sources....

Old Threads and new.... 

Fabric from my former mother-in-law....

Kits from overseas and cardboard from work....

Coffee stirrers and toothpicks....

Somehow, Dear Readers, 

These Tiny Things become the Fabric of My Life!