New Work.

All my latest work.

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The Making of Queen Jane.

My new Queen Jane Seymour miniature doll.

Hello! As some of you might know, I have been gradually re-designing all the miniature dolls in my Henry VIII collection. I have also introduced two new dolls into this collection in the form of Young Henry VIII and Young Katherine of Aragon. Introduing new dolls or re-designing existing dolls can be a very slow process, as it has to be fitted around my every day doll orders and my order book is always very busy.

However, recently I was delighted to be given the chance to redesign Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, as an order. This was a wonderful chance to work on a character doll that tends to be far less popular than some of Henry’s other wives (such as Anne Boleyn for example!) 

My original miniature Jane Seymour doll.

When redesigning an existing character doll like Jane I had to take into consideration how close to my original doll she needed to look to be identifiable alongside the other wives. I needed to see how much I could improve her over-all look, how acurate I was able to make her costume with the skills I have improved over the years and also to make sure that she was still attractive as a doll. 

First of all, I wanted to make sure that I kept as close to the original colour scheme as I could, because in my mind, this was part of the doll’s identity. The original doll I made several years ago was based on a painting of the real Jane Seymour (below) and at the time, I decided to soften the main colour of the gown to make the doll less dark and more appealing as a doll.

Painting of Jane Seymour by Holbein.

Chosen fabrics and trims for Jane's dress.

As with the first version I made, I chose a doll with a pretty face. Many of the paintings of Henry’s wives are not the modern day idea of pretty or attractive. With a doll however, it is most important to have a face that will appeal to collectors……nobody wants to buy an unattractive doll! So I chose a doll with a pretty face and, very importantly for this costume, a lovely long neck to display that complicated head dress!Next was the choice of colour and fabric. The type of fabric was always going to be pure silk…..only the best is good enough for a Queen! With the colour, I decided that I would find a silk that as close as possible to the colour in the painting, without being ‘heavy’ or over-bearing on such a small doll. The use of contrasting fabric and trims would play a large part in the over-all look and success of this costume. In the end, I settled on a lovely two-tone silk in a pretty shade of pale brickdust teamed with and ivory and gold silk brocade, metallic gold net and a mixture of black and gold braids. 

Patterns and costume parts cut ready to make up.

Jane with underwear and totally armless!

Close up of Jane's leather slippers.

Once the underwear and shoes were on, I could move on to the skirt, false centre panel and bodice. At this stage, I had already constructed all the parts of the main costume and trimmed as much as I could.
You may have noticed that Jane has no arms at this stage. Sometimes with a miniature doll, the arms get in the way and it is easier to add them later.  As some of you may know, the costume of the miniature doll (as opposed to a larger scale doll) is often full of illusions. On such a small doll it is of great importance to avoid as much bulk as possible in order to keep the line of the costume smooth, without lumps and bumps! So, first of all I secured a narrow frill of lace around Jane’s neckline. This would eventually give the illusion that she was wearing a lace-triimed shift underneath the gown as a real Tudor lady would. Once the lace was secure, the centre panel was secured into place, followed by the main skirt and then the bodice fitted and stitched into place. Front and back plackets were secured to the bodice front and back to give an authentic Tudor look.

Jane with skirts, bodice and lace frill.

 Next came the intricate sleeves after giving Jane her arms at last! Lace cuffs were added to the doll’s wrists. These would look like the the frills from her (imaginary) shift.  Then the gown sleeves were added in three parts: the upper main sleeve, the lower main sleeve and the fancy false under sleeve. The lower main sleeves were lined with gold net and folded back to reveal the padded gold silk brocade false under sleeves with their mock slashing edge. Here is Jane with arms and sleeves:

Jane, almost fully dressed and no longer armless.

The next stage was to add her necklace and head dress. The necklace was made up of tiny faux pearls, filigrees and crystals, each individually applied. This is a very time-consuming (but enjoyable) job and requires much patience and precision to make sure each tiny item ends up in exactly the right place. Once the necklace was completely set, I could move on to the head dress.

Close up of Jane's necklace and jewelled billiments on the coif.

Jane wears a short English Gable Coif with pinned up lappets and split veil, pinned up on one side. The English Gable Coif was originally seen at the end of the 1400’s with the lappets worn down and a full veil at the back. It gradually became shorter until it eventually went out of fashion in favour of the smaller crescent shaped French Hood. Below is a  picture showing its longer form with Henry VIII’s mother Elizabeth of York.

Henry's mother Elizabeth of York.

Below is a picture of Henry’s first wife Katherine of Aragon in middle age wearing a slightly shorter version with the lappets pinned up but still a full veil at the back.

Henry's first wife Katherine of Aragon.

 Below is a picture showing my new Jane’s Gable Coif. The main parts of the head dress was constructed in silk covered card. The lappets were made in silk brocade and secured to the top of the coif where they were then folded back onto the top of the coif and secured in place.

 

Close up from above showing the gold silk brocade lappets folded on the top of the coif.

Next to be applied were the black silk veils and box back of the coif. The jewelled billaments were secured at the front before one of the veils was  folded onto the top of the coif…….phew! Such a lot of work for such a tiny piece!

Back of the coif showing the two black veils (one folded up onto the top) and the box back.

All that remained was the finishing, first with crystals, filigrees and pearls added to the centre front of the gown to form the jewelled belt.

Close up of the jewelled hanging belt.

 

Further decoration was then added to the mock slashing on the false under sleeves plus rings were added to Jane’s fingers.

Detail of false under sleeves and rings on Jane's fingers.

Once everything was in place the last thing to do was to drape the front skirt and the back skirt train to make them look more realistic.

Back view of the costume.

Jane Seymour was finally finished and ready to go to her new home. This was a hugely enjoyable project even though it took a long time but miniature dolls simply cannot be rushed.

Full length side view of Jane.

Until next time.

Best wishes, Louise.

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Some Of My Favourite Commissions of 2011 (part one).

Hello Everybody!

Doesn’t time fly? One minute I’m writing about young Henry and Katherine and Christmas is only just on the horizon and then, before I know it, we’re into February!

As some of you know, I write for one of the UK’s leading miniatures magazines ‘Dolls House And Miniature Scene’ (DHMS). I write ‘How To Dress’ miniature dolls articles. For this aspect of my job, I work closely with the editor who commissions me to provide articles on a specific costume theme. I then design and create a doll dressed appropriately for the given theme which will be photographed by the magazine as the finished article, so to speak. I also provide all the pattern pieces needed and the full making up instructions.

As you can imagine, this is no mean task as the doll on its own will take many hours of designing and creating, let alone all the instructions on how to do it!  But I regard this aspect of my work as most important because, for me, it is very satisfying to know that I am sharing my knowledge of this subject with others. It would be so easy to keep it all to oneself but in all honesty, what would that really achieve? Far better surely, to feel the pleasure of sharing.

I have always enjoyed the total doll creation process. But my favourite part has to be the actual costume creation. There is just something about working with fabric and turning it from a flat piece of material into a perfect miniature outfit. It tickles my senses!

My favourite commissions from DHMS last year were the Edwardian dolls based on styles from the popular TV series ‘Downton Abbey’. I was thrilled to be asked to provide articles for a lady and gent in day wear and a lady and gent in evening wear. The late Edwardian period was such an elegant era and, until recently, was nowhere near as popular as it should have been!

Lady and Gentleman in day wear. circa 1914.

 The year I chose was around 1914,  as I was commissioned before the second series began. At this time, ladies clothing was changing rapidly. Gone were the wide, full-legth trailing skirts of the early Edwardian era and the new fashion for slim-line skirts showing shoes and ankles was all the vogue! Bodices were also far more relaxed a less fitted, allowing the wearer much more freedom of movement.

For the lady’s costume, I chose to use a pretty mint green with toning stripe silk as I wanted to portray both youth and those wonderful heady Summer days just before the 1st World War was announced. Here are a few closer pictures of the lady:

1914 Lady on her own.

Close up of her matching shoes and lace stockings.

Close up of the purse.

Close up of the parasol (and lace mittens).

Hat, collar and dragonfly brooch detail.

 This lady’s gentleman friend is equally trendy in his tweed sports suit. Mens’ clothing was also changing to reflect the needs of the more sporty man. Clothing for him had to be comfortable enough to be able to go golfing, shooting or even driving the new motor cars!

The late Edwardian gent showing off his sports suit.

Close up of his real leather, laced shoes.

 Evening wear for gentlemen was still quite formal and hadn’t really changed since Victorian times. A full tail suit was still an absolute must for all formal dining and evening socialising.

Gentleman in full formal evening wear.

Close up of silk waistcoat and jewelled watch chain.

 Ladies evening wear was very elegant and echoed the simple Grecian lines of the Regency era. Skirts were drapy and soft, above ankle and often had tulle or chiffon over-dresses. Hair was dressed softly with fancy combs and feathered brooches and long evening gloves were always worn for formal occaisions.

1914 Lady in evening wear.

Close up of shoes.Close up of jewelled hanging belt.

Hair and necklace close up.
 
This was a wonderful project to work on and to be a part of and I expect you might be wondering what actually happens to the dolls that are created for the ‘How To’s’. Well, thay are kindly returned to me by the editor so that I can find them all new homes. I then put them into my E-bid store. They are all in absolutely pefect  condition but because they have been made for photographic purposes, I often list them at well below their normal retail price.
 
So if you think you would like any of them to come and live in your dolls house or display cabinet, you can see them in my store here.

 Until next time,

Best wishes,

Louise.

 

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ANOTHER BRAND NEW DOLL. YOUNG HENRY VIII: A NEW KING FOR A NEW ERA.

 

On 21st April 1509 the elderly King Henry VII died and his eighteen year old second son became King Henry VIII of England. Young Henry was taller than the average Tudor man, athletic, creative and handsome with a love of music and a keen interest in the latest fashions; quite a change from his dour, dull and penny-pinching father.

Thus started the reign of a most memorable and famous King who, through his decisions and actions

would determine the course of English history……….the turbulent Henrician era had begun.

The young Henry VIII. The eighteen year old fashionable dandy of his time.

 Having created my Young Katherine of Aragon doll first (see previous post), I wanted to match and tone the colours of Henry’s costume to those used for Katherine. I also wanted to give the feeling of youthfulness and hope which is why I kept the colour scheme light and fresh. It is also true that at this time (1509/10) the dour and dark colours of Henry VII’s reign did briefly go out of fashion for younger people. However, darker colours did return to fashion within the next few years although they were mainly used for accent rather than for a whole outfit.

(After the frugal Court of the elderly King Henry VII, the older courtiers must have had quite a shock when the vivacious new teenage King spent a fortune in brightening the ‘old place’ up for himself and his young, exotic Spanish bride. Henry VIII would become known for his lavish spending! )

In deciding the style of Young Henry’s costume, I designed it using a mixture of styles found in costume reference sources in books and on the internet . I also found the the following portrait of a very young Henry:

Portrait of a very youthful King Henry VIII.

 Henry’s hair style is typical of the very early Tudor era, worn long and straight; very different from the much shorter styles of the mid-Henrician era that we are more familiar with. The hat in this portrait is still quite Medieval in style being round with a turned up brim, decorated with brooches. The robe with its heavy and wide fur collar would continue for many years although in this early period, it is not as padded and large as it would become mid era. Below is a close up picture  of the top half of Young Henry:

Top half of Young Henry showing detail of hat, hair, 'fur' robe collar and jewellery.

 I chose to make a slightly different version of the hat with a more pointed crown but still with the turned up brim. It is difficult to see in this picture but the brim is also notched as was the high fashion of the time. As described in many contemporary descriptions, Henry has the auburn hair that he (and his children) were so famous for, styled loose and shoulder length as described before. You can just see the top of the fine silk shirt with its fancy gold band, over which there is a jewelled gold necklace with diamond shaped peridot pendant. I chose to make the V-necked doublet in pale almond green silk brocade to tone with the colouring on Katherine’s under-gown. The heavy jewelled chain around Henry’s shoulders is made from a metallic gold braid with flat backed pearls and crystals added to each section and joined at the centre front with tiny golden jewelled filigrees. Below is a close up of the lower half of Henry’s costume:

Close up of purse and (nervous cough!) the required codpiece!

 You can see from the picture above that the doublet finishes just below the waist and there is a fancy cord belt tied over it to hold the decorated leather purse. During this early Tudor period, the hosen (leg coverings) were still very Medieval in style and full-length, very much like our modern day tights (panty hose). (Later on the hosen would become more like stockings). During the 1500s it was still very fashionable for younger men to display their shapely legs fully. Although quite a delicate subject nowadays, the codpiece was also very important part of the gentleman’s costume. At this time it consisted of a triangular flap laced to the main part of hosen and was not padded or emphasised as in later fashions. It was merely practical to cover the privates but convenient enough to undo in order to pee.

I used a fine silk jersey fabric for Henry’s hosen and hand-dyed it to tone with the colour scheme used for Katherine. At first I dyed it to match Katherine’s under-gown but felt that the paler colour was too feminine for Henry so I decided to re-dye it a few shades darker. The codpiece caused me quite a lot of trouble regarding trying to make it look right and not ridiculous! Without any form of ‘filling’ in it, it looked wrong and with too much, it looked equally wrong. Having tried tiny amounts of cotton wool and then toy stuffing, I was about to give up when I noticed a little scrap of the silk jersey on the floor that had missed the bin. A few minutes of rolling, scrunching and hand stitching later, Henry’s annoying codpiece was annoying no more! Below is a close up of Henry’s leather shoes:

Close up of Henry's fashionable wide-toed leather shoes.

Once the problems of the hosen were overcome the shoes were quite simple to make. At this time, the slim, more pointed shoes of the Medieval period had given way to a new German-style fashion of very wide-toed shoes. These shoes were very flat and could be worn either with or without a strap across the instep and were often slashed to reveal a different coloured leather through the slashes. The width of the square shaped toes was often highly exagerated and much wider than the foot of the wearer, often being padded out inside………something that would also become popular with the robe and doublet of later times. Below is a close up of the robe and doublet sleeves:

Close up of Henry's slashed doublet sleeve and split hanging robe sleeve.

 I chose to make Henry’s robe from cream silk jacquard as I wanted to emphasise the freshness of youth and also not have him clash with the fabric used for Katherines gown. The length of the robe is fashionably short to just above Henry’s knees and the cream ‘fur’ trim (made from chunky chenille yarn) extends into the typical Tudor fur collar around the shoulders (you can see this better if you scroll back up to the full-length picture at the start of this post). I also added a fancy cream and gold braid for more opulence.

At this time, the sleeves of the robe were often very long (past knee length) and unpadded. If worn long, they were slashed about half way down the length for the wearer to put his arm through comfortably. Henry’s robe sleeves are also lined in a biscuit coloured silk which you can just see in the above picture. Slashing was an extremely popular German fashion and continued to be much favoured for most of the Henrician era. It was often seen on doublet fronts, shoes, sleeves and also in ladies sleeves later in the period too. You can see that Henry’s doublet sleeves are fashionably slashed at the elbows to reveal the silk of his shirt underneath.

Whilst Henry took a very long time to design and complete, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of his making. It is with poigniancy though, that I look back over the reign of this most memorable of rulers. For me there are so many ‘what ifs’ about Henry’s life. For example, what if his first son with Katherine had not died in infancy……..would that have made Henry different, I wonder? The start of Henry’s reign and also the start of his first marriage seemed to hold such promise for the future, such triumphs and victories. I have always felt that it was very sad that this particular love story ended so sadly and bitterly.

Henry and Katherine (together again if only in doll form)

 Until next time, bye for now!

A match made in Heaven?.....sadly it was not to be.

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Brand New Doll: Young Katherine Of Aragon.

Hello! In between orders, I have been working on the latest doll to add to my Tudor miniature dolls line. Please let me introduce to you my ‘Young Katherine Of Aragon’:

Young Katherine of Aragon, dressed circa 1509/10.

 I have always felt rather sorry for this grand lady, whatever her faults may or may not have been and wanted to be able to portray her in her youth, in happier times. As many of you may well know, Katherine of Aragon was the first wife of the infamous King Henry VIII of England. However, Henry was not her first husband as she had been first married to Henry’s older brother Athur. The match between Katherine and Arthur was arranged by their parents Ferdinand and Isabela of Spain and Henry VII and Elizabeth of England when both were just toddlers. When Arthur reached the age of 14, Katherine, shortly before her 16th birthday, travelled to England for the marriage in 1501. Sadly the young prince died less than six months later, leaving Katherine a widow. Unable to return to Spain, the young teeneager was stuck in England under the protection of her miserly father-in-law Henry VII, who by all accounts, left her barely able to clothe her ladies in waiting, let alone herself.

During those difficult years, Katherine formed a strong friendship with Arthur’s younger brother, the robust and lively Henry and, by the time the old King died in 1509, that friendship had turned to love. The 18 year old Henry, now King Henry VIII of England, married the 23 year old Spanish princess and it is well documented that he was most taken with his young bride. It seems fair to say that the early years of their marriage were very happy with the young King being most attentive and openly romantic towards Katherine.

So, when I created this new doll, I wanted to try and capture the youth, hope and happiness of that early married life. In researching the young Katherine, I came across the fact that, she had pale auburn hair, NOT as I had always assumed for a Spaniard, black or dark hair. I also found this lovely painting of her, painted between 1501 and 1509 by court painter Michel Sittow:

The Young Katherine of Aragon.

 Since this portrait was painted before she married Henry, she is wearing more sombre colours than I have used for the doll. Henry VIII’s Court was very lively and vibrant, like him. Very unlike the dour seriousness of his father’s Court. Therefore I chose a rich gold silk jacquard for her over-gown with a paler, more youthful green for the under-gown, both popular colours for Royalty and the elite at that time. The style is that of around 1509/10, with the Medieval influence still visible alongside the more typical Henrician Tudor style. I have kept the head dress or ‘coif’ similar to the style in the painting and this would more than likely have been black for most married women.

Here is a close-up of the coif, jewellery and gown bodice. The tightly fitted over-gown bodice is open to reveal part of the green under-gown. Around the neckline, you can just see the edge of the lace from the shift she would have worn next to her skin. The lace is gold-edged, (Yep……..I painted that by hand!…….time consuming but worth it). There is also some more gold-edged hand-painted lace around the front of the coif and at her wrists.

Showing the individually applied jewellery, bodice detail and coif.

 The long hanging sleeves of the overgown are lined with a rich brocade of cream and gold. These long sleeves were typical of the late Medieval and early Tudor era and eventually developed into the wider, turned back sleeves of the middle Tudor period. 

Close up of the over sleeve lining detail.

 At this stage the sleeves of the under-gown were still tightly fitted but these developed into the large padded and fancy false under-sleeves more commonly associated with Tudor costume.

Close up of the end of the tight-fitting under-sleeve, also showing the gold edged lace cuff from the shift.

During the early 1500’s, ladies could wear either a tied belt around their waists or the more elaborate jewelled hanging belt. Since Katherine’s gown is rather an elaborate Court gown, I felt it looked better with the more formal hanging belt. The pearls and crystals were all individually applied to fancy black and gold braid with the addition of jewelled gold filigrees at the waist and at the end of the belt.

Close up of the jewelled hanging belt.

 I thoroughly enjoyed designing and creating this new doll and she is proving very popular, with collectors placing orders for her already. Of course I shall now have to work on a young Henry VIII to accompany her but for now it is only right that she has the centre stage and spotlight all to herself.

Until next time, bye for now!

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Summer Solstice Is The Time To See All Things Fairy.

The Fairy Harpist miniature doll with hand customised fairy harp.

Hello everybody!

Each year around the 21st June is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year when the sun is nearest to the earth, here in the Northern Hemisphere. It is supposed to be the true start of Summer…..although with all the rain and lower temperatures than April here in the United Kingdom, I am begining to think that Summer has been and gone earlier this year!

The Summer Solstice is also supposed to be a very magical time  according to ancient legend and folklore. On this day at dawn or at dusk, if you are very lucky……you may just be lucky enough to see……….wait for it……….fairies! It is said that at these special times the veil between the world of humans and the world of The Fae  is very thin and you may just be able to glimse them dancing and celebrating, for fairies love to party. And if you see any fairies that need some shoes, please tell them that they can buy some from me in any colour they would like!

Miniature Fairy Slippers, just an inch long. Made in silk, with cotton lining and little leather soles. Shown with an English penny and a US five cent piece.

But just in case you don’t get to see any of them this year, I thought I would share some pictures of some of my own fairies with you instead. But before I do, you may remember a certain little Baby Fairy who donated herself as a prize in my competition in May. Baby Fairy is now enjoying a life of leisure in Wales and if you would like to hear all about her new home and new friends, let me know and I’ll see what I can do……….I’m sure she would be thoroughly delighted to tell you all about it!

I have loved all things FAIRY for as long as I can remember and I really love making them as miniature dolls. Below are some of my favourites made over the last few years.

I once came across a gorgeous artificial rose stem that leant itself perfectly to a mother and baby fairy snoozing together. The baby didn’t need any clothing so she had some tiny dried flowers and greenery in her hair instead. The mother I dressed in little chiffon petals.  The mother fairy just about fitted onto the lower, larger rose while the baby fitted easily into the small bloom:

Mother and baby fairy sleep soundly on separate flowers in 'Rose Dreams'.

 One of my favourite and most recent fairies was ‘The Fairy Flower Seller’, detailed in a previous post. This one took a very long time to make with all the tiny flowers to secure in place but was a very enjoyable project. I chose lavender over pale pink silk for this fairy and dyed the flowers to go with these colours. 

The Fairy Flower Seller with her pet unicorn who carries all the flowers for her.

 One of my most popular fairy ensembles has to be ‘Holding Court’, a miniature Fairy Queen with floral crown, sitting on a golden flower-decked throne. For this fairy I chose a shot (two tone) silk sold as ‘Blackberry’, quite a bold and dark purply pink with black cross weave. To contrast, the under-gown was made in pale pink silk with metalic gold fancy braid and gold criss-cross on the bodice. Again, all the flowers were hand-dyed to match and tone.

'Holding Court' miniature fairy ensemble.

 The throne origianally started as a plain stained wood, high-backed chair. It was hand crafted and bought on an online auction. I customised it by painting it with gold paint and glitter and then decorated it with filigrees, crystals and tiny hand-dyed dried flowers. I then added a little silk cushion (to match the fairy’s dress) with fancy braid and tassels. Here is a picture of the throne on its own:

The 'Holding Court' customised throne.

You may have noticed the ‘Fairy Harpist’ at the top of this page. She came about mainly because of some favourite music on a cd that I love to listen to when I am designing and creating my fairy folk. This is a cd of the beautiful (in my opinion) Victorian harp music, recorded by an equally beautiful harpist, Elizabeth Jane Baldry. The cd is called ‘Harp of Wild and Dreamlike Strain’ and is a collection of fairy-themed Victorian music never before recorded until Elizabeth Jane recorded it in the 1990’s. I believe it is still available and can be obtained from Elizabeth Jane’s web site (see link in blogroll or at the end of this post).

I chose the colours of bluebells for the Fairy Harpist’s gown as it was bluebell time when I created the first doll. Here are some other pictures of her silk dress:

Side view of the miniature Fairy Harpist.

Back view of the Fairy Harpist's gown.

I already had a miniature harp in my dollshouse so this was quickly ‘borrowed’ and customised with gold glittery paint, golden ribbon, filigrees, crystals and tiny dried flowers to match the Fairy Harpist. It took a long time to carefully secure all those flowers into the right places but was worth the time and effort.

Front view of the miniature Fairy Harp. The harp stood about six and a half inches tall.Back view of the miniature Fairy Harp.

 Well that is all for now, but if you have enjoyed this post please leave me a little message as I would love to hear from you.

If you would like to see Elizabeth Jane’s web site please click here.

If you like miniatures please do take a look at the latest AIM (Artisans in Miniature) online free magazine here.

 
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AND THE WINNER IS……………..?

Hello everybody, it’s me again, Baby Fairy! And just in case you wanted to see another picture of me….which I know you do, here is a new one:

Me riding on Esmerelda's head.....she really enjoyed this and so did I!

Oh what HUGE excitement here because we had lots of lovely competition entries to try and win me! Some of them were absolutely correct and some were……ummmm……… how can I put it?…….very good but……..ummm…….not quite right! But of course I am DELIGHTED because all of you who entered wanted to win ME!…..I knew you would! Oh yes, I knew that you would all recognise a good thing when you saw it!!!!….Yes I did!!! And I told all my friends so and they all agreed with me too! And I was jumping up and down so fast about it that all of a sudden I went all funny and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor flat on my back with all my friends looking down at me………but they all thought it was very funny…. so that was alright.

So, without further ado, onto the subject of the competition. Now because I will be going to live with a new mummy, my present mummy, (who was a bit cross at what I had done…but she has well forgiven me now because I am just too cute to be cross with for long) has appointed a per…….permin……perman………an ‘all the time’ competition secretary. Mummy was actually very impressed by my fantastic idea to hold a competiton and has decided that since there were quite a lot of entries ( even though not all of them were right…heeheeehee!) she would quite like to run other competitons from time to time and help people to have fun and enjoy themselves.

 She has chosen the resident House Gnome, Holdsworthy to be in charge of all further competitions as he is very old, very wise and very trustworthy and Esmerelda said she would help him too….so that’s all sorted out now. Anyway, we couldn’t find a suitable hat to put all the correct entries in and Holdsworthy’s hat wasn’t big enough so I suggested we used Mummy’s best Minton porcelain bowl as it is so pretty. The only trouble was, it was full of pot pourri but that was no trouble as I suggested we tip it all out and then try and pick it all up later and put it back without Mummy noticing……..so far…so good….she hasn’t noticed that half of it is missing and the rest is under the settee.

Now you all remember the question you had to answer was: WHAT DOES A DRAGON HAVE TO DO WITH THE MONTH OF APRIL? And then you had to look on the previous post to find a clue to help you get the right answer and the clue was: 23RD OF APRIL.

The correct answer was either ST. GEORGE or ST. GEORGE’S DAY and all the people who mentioned either of these were entered in the draw. Holdsworthy wrote all the names on little pieces of paper, folded them up and put them into Mummy’s lovely bowl. Then I was lowered into the bowl by my ankles and I had to grab one of the pieces of paper before I was pulled back out again……..I felt quite dizzy being upside down but don’t worry because I am fine now….and I am touched by your concern for my wellbeing.

So I suppose you want to know whose name I pulled out don’t you? Well here it is………drum roll: drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…………trumpet fanfare…….tatattatatatatatatataaaaaaaa!!!!

I bet you've never seen a unicorn, a gnome, a baby fairy and a dragon all in the same place before, have you??!!

 Congratulations to ………..PAUL SMITH! You have won ME!!!!!!!…..your very own Baby Fairy and I’m going to come and live with you really soon……..how lucky are you!? Now even though I’m only a Baby fairy I can see from your name that you are not a lady human so I can’t say ‘Hello Mummy’ to you. So instead I will say HELLO MR. MUMMY! I am so looking forward to living with you and bringing absolute joy into your life. You and I are going to have so much fun and I just know that you’re going to love me.

So, my mummy will be contacting you very soon so that I can be sent to you as soon as possible.

Big hugs and lots of kisses to everyone who entered the competiton and I hope that you will sign up to mummy’s blog so that you will know as soon as the next competiton is announced.

It’s goodbye from me now and I hope that you have all enjoyed yourselves and had lots of fun and giggles.

Bye bye.

Love Baby Fairy x.

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WIN A BABY FAIRY!

 

Well hello there!

Let me introduce myself………I am, as you can see below, a baby fairy. I bet you’ve never met one of those before, have you? No?……Well no time like the present then, is there?! Anyway, just so you can see what I look like, here I am riding on my unicorn friend:

‘Hey look at me! Aren’t I clever?!’

 Now you don’t see a sight like that every day do you? But we have a lot of unicorns in Fairy Land. They are quite a common sight there.

 I know I look a bit silly on such a large magical horse as I’m so tiny….less than an inch tall but one day I might be big enough to ride properly….without falling off all the time!

I don’t know if you saw my mummy’s last blog post…..the one about the wedding gowns….and before you say a word, yes I know that Louise is not my real mummy……my real mummy was a fairy. But fairy mummies have a bad habit of leaving their babies amongst the flowers while they flit off to do their work, then they forget where they have left us….so we end up being rescued by kind human mummies……I just wanted to straighten that out before we go any further.

Anyway, about the last blog, you may have noticed at the bottom of it was a picture of a lovely dragon (my best friend and she’s called Esmerelda) and a question about what do dragons have to do with the month of April. It is just a fun question but nobody has answered it yet…….. and my mummy is rather miffed about that.

So, I have stepped in and am offering myself as a prize to the lucky winner who gets this question right. Before I tell you how to enter the competiton to win me, here are some more pictures of me having fun. This is me relaxing after rock climbing on this lovely piece of ama…….amy…..ame…… ameth………purple crystal.

These pointy bits are a bit uncomfortable in the you-know-where!

 I promise that I will be a very well behaved baby for the person who wins me and that I will no trouble at all to them. And bye the way, it is totally not true that fairies are very vain…….that was just a nasty story put about by a group of goblins a very long time ago. Now, I bet you are just dying to see another lovely picture of me….yes you are…….you know you are! This is me looking absolutely beautiful in some lovely cris…..crys…..crysan…..thimm….mummmmies…….pretty flowers:

I know.......I am an absolute sweetie....but please.....don't praise me too much or it will go to my head!

 

Now about this competiton to win me. This is what you have to do: Below is a picture of my friend Esmerelda the dragon. The  question is WHAT DOES A DRAGON HAVE TO DO WITH THE MONTH OF APRIL?

Esmerelda.......a very friendly dragon....and the only one we could find to be photographed.

If you think you know the answer, click on ‘leave a comment’ under this blog and a box will appear for you to put your answer in. Please also leave a little message with your answer and if you wish, your first name so that my mummy can tell you apart from other people and contact you if you are lucky enough to win me! You must leave your answer BEFORE THE END of May Day (1st May).

All the correct answers will be put in a hat and the winner will be drawn on the 2nd May….when Mummy has had a chance to recover from the shock of what I have gone and done!…….I am hoping that Mummy will want to do more competitions in the future as she is a very nice lady and loves to make people happy.

The winning entry/message will be posted on the blog (along with a picture of me again). The winner will then be contacted by Mummy (or asked to contact mummy if she can’t contact them!) and she will ask them for their address privately so that I can be shipped to them as soon as possible (I am getting very excited!!!……….and I’m jumping up and down ever so fast!!!).

(Deep breath)….In the meantime, if you would like a little clue for the competition then you can visit the  post before this where you will find one.

I am looking forward to meeting my new Mummy and seeing my new home soon. Until then, bye bye from me.

Baby Fairy xxx.

PS. NONE OF YOUR COMPETITION ENTRIES WILL BE DISPLAYED ON THE BLOG SITE UNTIL THE COMPETITION IS OVER……..SO YOU CAN’T CHEAT BY PEEPING AT SOMEBODY ELSE’S ANSWER!!! HAH!!!

WARNING: THIS BABY FAIRY MINIATURE DOLL IS MADE FROM BISQUE PORCELAIN AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN TO PLAY WITH.

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THE BELLS ARE RINGING FOR HIM AND HIS GIRL (PART TWO)

There see!……..I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?

 It was just impossible to fit in all the wedding gowns that I wanted to share with you last time in one post, so without further ado, here are a few more:

Remember I told you about Tracie, the lovely lady who has commissioned quite a few very interesting wedding gowns in miniature from me. She is the lady who owns the miniature church and holds exhibitions in it on her blog. (I hope that you were able to go and visit Tracie’s blog and see the wonderful miniature church and exhibits in it). Anyway, amongst Tracie’s interests is the Regency period, (the early 1800’s) that most elegant era at the end of the Georgian period but before the Victorian. Amongst the miniature Regency costumes that I was asked to make for Tracie was  the wedding gown of Lady Byron. I made this costume on a mannequin.

Miniature version of Lady Byron's Regency wedding gown.

 Tracie was lucky enough to be able to visit the costume museum in Bath in order to have a private viewing of Lady Byron’s wedding attire and was even allowed to touch it and take close-up photos of it!!!!!! I don’t usually feel envy but I have to admit I was almost emerald at that one!!

Despite being in quite delicate condition, Tracie was able to take some wonderful photos and the above interpretation in miniature is as a result of the pictures that she took. The real dress was made from light-weight cotton trimmed with cotton lace and is very plain compared to some of the celebrity wedding gowns that we are used to today. However, it was indeed bang on trend in it its simplicity for those times. My moniature version is also made from very fine cotton trimmed with narrow cotton lace that has been cut down from a much too wide lace.

Whilst at the costume museum, Trace was also able to see…….. and touch(……….excuse me while I just flush emerald again!!!) Lady Byron’s wedding pelisse (a pelisse is a type of ladies Regency long coat). The pelisse was made in creamy coloured silk and was apparently quite dirty, especially along the hem. This is probably not too unusual as the Byron’s were married in Winter. The real one had quite a warm lining which of course Lady Byron would have needed for a Winter wedding over that thin little cotton dress.

Here is my interpretation of the Lady Byron wedding pelisse, this time on a miniature doll (faceless to resemble a shop model) This miniature version was made in lovely pure silk satin, in a delicate beigy/creamy shade and made to look as if it is being worn over the dress:

Lady Byron miniature wedding pelisse.

Still on a Regency wedding theme, Tracie also commisioned some general wedding attire of this period including another pelisse, this time on a hanger and also two wedding gowns on mannequins and two Regency wedding bonnets. Here is the other pelisse, made in a beautiful cream silk jacquard edged with tiny braid:

The other miniature Regency silk wedding pelisse on a hanger.

 Here is the first of the wedding gowns and this one is quite fancy with a train and trimmed with plenty of lovely lace. This was made in ivory silk dupion:

A fancy miniature Regency wedding gown and matching bonnet.

 Below is a close-up picture of the matching wide-brimmed bonnet showing the detail on the back:

Close up view of the back of the Regency wedding wide-brimmed bonnet.

 This is the other Regency wedding gown…..much plainer in style but typical of the times. The gown was again made in pure silk dupion with an over-dress of silk jacquard:

Slightly plainer but still as charming miniature Regency wedding gown.

 But for me, one of the most favourite of miniature challenges was the little Regency veiled wedding bonnet, based on the one worn by the character Elizabeth Bennett in the 1990’s BBC TV production of Pride and Prejudice. The base was made in silk-covered card with tiny hand gathered silk tulle along the length of the bonnet, ending in a tiny veil at the back. Decorating the bonnet were bands of narrow braid and tiny hand-dyed dried flowers. The inside of the bonnet was also lined with silk and trimmed with lace:

The miniature Elizabeth Bennett Regency wedding bonnet.

 Not to be left out of the wedding dress fiesta, here are a couple of the larger dolls modelling theirs. First up is the Spring Bride wedding gown and veil modelled here by 16 inch Tyler Wentworth. This gown was made in ivory silk dupion ruched at the hem with little cream and yellow rose buds and worn over a petticoat trimmed with delicate cotton lace. Underneath was a stiff net petticoat to hold out the skirt.

 

Spring Bride modelled by Tyler.

Next is Clea Bella the 16 inch ballerina modelling a One Of A Kind long tutu called ‘Wedding Belle’  This one was made using a small remnant (a lucky find!) of embroidered and beaded organza and was placed over the net tutu layers. I managed to find a lace trim that was very similar to the border of the fabric and this was used both to trim the dress and the tulle veil. 

Wedding Belle modelled by Clea Bella.

Last but by no means least in the wedding own fiesta are two miniature dolls. The first one you have seen before in a previous post last year and this is the Late Victorian Summer bride. Dressed in ivory silk trimmed with cotton lace, this bride’s costume is typical of the 1870’s /1880’s.

Miniature Late Victorian Summer Bride.

Below is the other miniature bride and this time she dressed in a much earlier style based on the crinolines of the mid 1800’s. This is the Winter Bride wearing a coat of ‘fur’-trimmed cream silk jacquard with large bell-shaped sleeves and a matching cream ‘fur’ muff. The coat is worn over a full ivory silk skirt with a deep frill of delicate cotton lace along with a lace-trimmed blouse, embellished with timy crystals. On her head is a small matching bonnet with a dainty little tulle veil that drapes over the back of her hair.

Miniature Winter Bride.

Now before I go, I have one quick question for you. Here it is: Whilst the following creature has nothing to do with weddings (at least I don’t think it has!) what has it got to do with the month of April 

What does this beautiful dragon to do with the month of April?

What does this beautiful dragon to do with the month of April?

 Would you like a clue?……….OK………..the clue is: 23rd April.

If you think you know the answer, just for fun, leave me a message at the end of this post.

In the meantime, you might like to visit Tracie’s blog page to see her lovely costume (and other) displays in her miniature church.

Please also take a look at the latest AIM (Artisans In Miniature) on-line magazine here.

Until next time……bye for now.

by

THE BELLS ARE RINGING FOR HIM AND HIS GIRL! (PART ONE)

Yes, I know I said it last time but I can’t believe we are already into another month…..just where IS the year going?! All sorts of things are popping up in my garden, including yet more daffodils, more pear blossom and damson blossom too, plus pretty little forgetmenots and cowslips. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing and Spring is definately springing now.

I recall a very old saying about Spring……. it is ‘when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love’ and with a Royal wedding planned for the end of April, what a good time to share my wedding gown-inspired miniature dolls and doll costumes.

On the subject of Royal Weddings, I had some lovely commissions to do for a very nice lady called Tracie who wanted me to create some royal weddding gowns in miniature for her. I was asked to supply them on  miniature dolls but without the faces painted so that they would look like shop mannequins.

 One of these Royal wedding gowns was Princess Diana’s. Tracie and I discussed the fact that the real dress and veil train was 25 feet long which of course would be 25 inches in one twelfth scale……….quite a challenge to display, so we settled on a little over 12 inches. The dress was made from silk dupion with teeny-weeny micro crystals on the bodice and a veil of pure silk tulle. Tracie has a miniature replica of Princess Diana’s tiara which is not shown in my pictures as I took these before the doll was posted but here are some pictures of the Diana wedding gown (without tiara):

Front view of the Princess Diana wedding gown.

I had to squash the train and veil up a bit to fit it all in the front vew photograph but here is a back view taken looking down on the gown:

The back view of the Princess Diana wedding gown train and veil.

I also decided to take a side view picture, again looking down on the doll from above:

Side view of the Princess Diana wedding gown, showing train and veil extended.

Another very famous and royal wedding gown that Tracie commissioned from me was that of Princess Grace of Monarco. I absolutely adored making this one! It took a bit of doing as there is even more work in this than in the Princess Diana gown but I had such a lovely time creating it.

Again, the main part of the gown was made in pure silk dupion with a tiny patterned embroidered lace over-bodice. The veil was made in pure silk tulle edged with tiny cotton lace, cut and applied to create the design. The headdress was quite an elaborate affair with lace and lots of teeny pearls, all individually placed. The whole creation took many, many hours (of wonderful creative bliss!!) to complete but was well worth the time. Here are some full length pictures:

Front view of the miniature Princess Grace wedding gown.

Again I had to squash the train and veil round to show it all in a front view picture but here it is:

Front view of the Princess Grace wedding gown with the train and veil in view.

Here is a back view taken from slightly above to show the back of the gown and  the lace fishtail panel in the gown train. You can also see more detail on the veil in this picture:

Princess Grace wedding gown from the back, showing the lace fishtail panel in the train.

 As I mentioned, the headdress was quite small but very fancy and required a lot of detail and time. Here is a view of just the head and shoulders showing the headdress from the front:

Princess Grace head and shoulders shot showing the bodice detail and the front of the headdress.

 And last but not least, a close up showing the detail at the back of the headdress:

Picture taken from above showing the intricate detail on the back of the Princess Grace wedding headdress.

 In the past, I have also made an adaptation of Queen Victoria’s wedding gown both in miniature and for a sixteen inch doll. The miniature version was made with pure silk dupion and cotton lace. The jewellery was made up of individually applied tiny crystals. This miniature doll was made quite some time ago so I apologise for the quality of the picture (it might be a bit ‘grainy’):

Miniature Queen Victoria in wedding gown.

Here is the one I made for the sixteen inch doll, modelled by Tyler Wentworth. This larger adaptation was made in ivory satin with tulle and lace veil:

Front view of the sixteen inch Queen Victoria wedding gown.

And also a back view of this costume:

Back view of the sixteen inch version. showing train.

 Of course, not all famous wedding gowns are made for royalty. Some wonderful examples exist that were once worn by celebrities on their special days.

Amongst the celebrity wedding dresses that I made for Tracie were also those of Joan Kennedy and her sister in law Patricia. I was asked to make these on display dummies. Here is my miniature version of Patricia’s silk satin wedding gown and silk tulle veil. Patricia’s dress was quite plain in style with a lovely fitted bolero jacket. The plain tulle veil was attached to a little shaped headdress:

Miniature version of Patricia's wedding gown and veil on display dummy.

  Joan’s veil and dress were more detailed. The dress had more fullness than Patricia’s and had sleeves and a fitted pointed bodice. The veil was also more detailed and had quite a bit of lace applied to the tulle so I will show this separately. Here is Joan’s silk satin dress together with the silk tulle and lace veil firstly:

Miniature Joan Kennedy wedding gown with veil on display dummy.

Here is Joan’s veil shown opened out to display the applied lace. Each of the lace motifs were cut and applied separately to the tulle, as was the scalloped (and the plainer) border:

Miniature version of Joan Kennedy's wedding veil.

 Although I was not asked to make Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress (oooh I would have LOVED to but Tracie already had this one), I was asked to make her veil and it was very detailed indeed. Here are two pictures of Jackie’s veil, made in silk tulle with applied lace:

My miniature version of the Jackie Kennedy wedding veil shown draped here.

Here is a picture of the veil shown opened up to display all the lace detail. Again, as with Joan’s veil, all the lace motifs and borders were individually cut and applied to the plain tulle to create this lavish detailing. The veil was gathered onto a little round lace cap. Although it took quite a long time to achieve, I hope that you will agree that the effect was well worth the effort:

Miniature Jackie Kennedy wedding veil in silk tulle and lace.

 Since this has been quite an epic blog posting, I have decided to come back with part two in a couple of weeks, since I don’t want to bore you all to sleep!

In the meantime, you might like to visit Tracie’s blog page to see her lovely costume (and other) displays in her miniature church.

Please also take a look at the latest AIM (Artisans In Miniature) on-line magazine here.

Until next time……bye for now.

by

MARCH IS HERE WITH SHAMROCKS AND DAFFODILS.

Gosh! Doesn’t time fly? It was only last week that I was writing February’s blog, wasn’t it?!!!  And yet here we are already in March.

Although the daffodils and crocuses are already out here, the wind is still chilly and reminding us the Winter may not have finished with us just yet. But lots of buds and pretty flowers and blossoms are starting up so Spring is definately on her way.

The season of Spring has inspired many a doll and costume for me, not least my Faerie Of Spring and New Life. This miniature one twelfth scale doll is dressed in the colours of Spring leaves and snowdrop white with flowers of daffodil yellow and forgetmenot blue. Her trusty steed, a snowy white unicorn accompanies her as she carries her little baby in a flower-filled basket.

The Faerie of Spring and New Life.

 On the subject of daffodils, it was St.David’s day on 1st March. St. David is the patron saint of Wales and the daffodil is the Welsh national flower. So in honour of all my Welsh friends and readers, here is a ballet costume that I designed and made several years ago for the 16 inch ballerina doll, Clea Bella. This costume was inspired by some lovely miniature artificial daffodils that I was lucky enough to find. I used them to decorate Clea’s hair and she is also holding some as she dances.

Clea Bella modelling the Spring tutu with mini daffodils.

 

Talking of patron saints, March also sees the celebration of another famous saint, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish national flower or plant is the lovely shamrock.

The shamrock has inspired many a doll costume for me but I have often found that obtaining shamrock fabric has been like looking for a needle in a haystack. One would have thought that it would be so easy to get hold of it here in England, especially with Eire being just over the water but, would you believe, I had to buy it all the way from America!

Here is a costume that I designed with some gorgeous shamrock fabric (from America!). It was well worth the search as it was just the perfect scale for Clea Bella again in this eighteenth century inspired dance costume called ‘Erin and the Magic Shamrocks’.

Clea Bella dances the part of 'Erin' in the shamrock fabric costume.

 

Whilst buying the shamrock fabric that I used for ‘Erin’ I came across some lovely shamrock trimming. It was a wide and a narrrower embroidered lawn that just happened to be the right length for a long tutu for Clea called ‘Shamrock Waltz’. The wide trim was about six or seven inches deep with green shamrocks dotted all over. The narrower trim was about an inch and a half wide with a scalloped border and matching shamrocks. I was able to cut a bodice front with a shamrock right in the centre. The bottom of the skirt had the narrower trim along the lower edge and this was also used for shoulder frills and a headdress.

Clea Bella modelling 'Shamrock Waltz' long tutu.

 

Not to be outdone, little Riley was in desperate need of a tutu but there was just not enough of the trimming left. So I used plain satin in white and emerald to make her her own little shamrock costume called ‘Shamrock Sweetie’. I desperately tried to buy more of that lovely trimming but sadly, to date, have never been able to find any more of it. It was such a shame as it was pure cotton and so lovely and fine….just perfect for doll work.

Little Riley Kish in her 'Shamrock Sweetie' tutu costume.

 

With all this talk of Ireland how could I resist talking about Irish dancing? I would have loved to have learnt Irish dancing but it was not to be. How lovely it would have been to be able to dance wearing some of those wonderful dresses that the girls get to wear. And those costumes take some making too. There is so much time and work in them.

I found making an Irish dance costume for Clea quite a challenge but I was not going to let it beat me and with a lot of practice, I was able to make a pattern to fit her. I used pure silk dupion for the dress, lining and cape and some pretty little foil shamrocks finished off the decoration just nicely.

Clea wearing her 'Call of Eire' Irish dance dress.

 

Here is Clea Dancing so that you can see the lining colour. The fabric on the centre front of the bodice and the ends of the sleeves is a patterned gold lame.

Showing the gold coloured lining of the skirt.

 

And here is the back view showing the cape.

Back view of Clea's Irsh dance dress.

 

Of course, it wasn’t very long before one of the Kish girls wanted an Irish dress so it was back to the pattern drafting table for me. Although the Kish girls are the same height as Clea, they are a totally different shape around! I used silk dupion again along with the gold lame but decided to use an ivory colour with an emeral green lining. Unfortunately the camera wouldn’t show up the richness of the emerald and washed it out a bit which was a great shame so you will have to imagine a real, rich emerald green.

Miss Kish models 'Kished in Eire'.

 

Here is Miss Kish showing off her skirt lining that you have to imagine is rich emerald.

She couldn't dance as well as Clea but how could I refuse her the dress?!

 

Here is the back of the costume showing the machine embroidery on the cape.

Back view of 'Kished in Eire' dance dress.

 

Another image of Spring, apart from the flowers, are some of the animals that are associated with this season. Not least are the little Spring lambs jumping around in the fields. So cute and funny to watch.

 Last year I was asked to make a Georgian lady costume pattern for the British miniature magazine that I write ‘How to’s’ for. I chose the Shepherdess costume. This was a fashion craze in the eighteenth century for rich ladies to dress up as shepherdesses. They apparently found the image of the lonesome shepherdess rather romantic and wanted to portray this in the way they dressed.

Many of them even kept little lambs on their lawns and pretended to look after them! Maybe this is where the nursury rhyme of Little Bo Peep came from……it seems that she wasn’t a very good shepherdess and was always losing her sheep! Anyway, here is the miniature Georgian Shepherdess along with her little lambs in a pretty counrtyside setting.

Miniature Georgian lady in fancy shepherdess costume, complete with decorated crook and lambs.

 

Of course I just couldn’t close without giving a little mention to the little Spring or Easter Bunnie (even thought Easter is so late this year!) So here is little six inch tall Riley Kish in her cute pink bunnie outfit.

One cute little pink bunny outfit, modelled by Riley.

 

If you enjoyed reading this March post please don’t be shy and leave me a little comment if you have the time please. I love to hear from my readers.

Also, don’t forget to take a look at the AIM (Artisan’s In Miniature) on-line magazine. It is full of lovely, lovely miniature things by some wonderful miniature artisans. Click here to go straight there or you can use the AIM link in my blog roll on the right of my What’s New blog page.