13 March 2011
Happenings | 03 April 2011 | 20 February 2011

General Course March 2011

15/03/11 12:04

Our second General Course this year and it was SUCH fun. We had 4 new people which is always enjoyable for them and for me too. They soon became part of the group and learned so much, not just from me but from the other, more experienced members of the group too.


My niece, Linda
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was first on the course as she came on the Saturday so we had an extra day in the workshop. That was good for me as we could sort out what Linda was going to do without taking up time on the first morning. Linda had had some conservatory furniture as a present and liked a room box I had for sale, so we decided that she would make a conservatory. The roombox was a little high so Linda put in a false floor with the idea of having a small garden area outside. She put in a bay window, using the power saw and with lights added, the conservatory looked beautiful.

Aud
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rey has been on many courses and has done many different projects. She followed them to the letter - the finished pieces looking wonderful. She made an aga, fridge/freezer, microwave oven and a long unit which will house a deep pot sink. Audrey had an already finished kitchen unit and she managed to stain and finish the new pieces to match.

Beverley was one of the new ladies. She had never done anything in miniatures before so was understandably more than a little nervous. She decided to do one of my corner scenes which is a very good choice as it involves many useful techniques which can
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b e used in other projects. Beverley handled everything superbly and her nerves relaxed a little when she learned that there is no right or wrong in these techniques - just different interpretations. She finished her scene with night sky but unfortunately, Steve, with his photographer’s hat on, missed a picture of it - I am hoping that Beverley will send one which I can then add to the gallery.

Doroth
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y is a friend who lives in Tickhill. She bought a dollshouse for her daughter when she was a tiny girl and is herself now a mother of a 4 year old daughter. The dollshouse had been played with by many children over the years and was in a sorry state. I was sure that Dorothy could transform the house in a few days although she was not too sure herself. After stripping the house down, Dorothy was amazed at how much she had done in the first day. In 3 days, the house was transformed and would never had been recognised as the same house which she brought a few days earlier. Although she had done nothing before, Dorothy managed to renovate the house like a true miniaturist.

Julie was a
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fellow member of the dollshouse club in Sheffield and has been on many courses in Tickhill. Unusual for Julie, she brought a Petite Properties 1/48th Toadstool Cottage kit but soon I realised that the kit would not be as Petite Properties had visualised it - it would be Mr. Mole’s house and made from grass and twigs. Strange as this may seem, Julie, being quite meticulous, made it into a charming little cottage and is now looking for Mr. Mole himself. My only worry is that she may try to find Mr Toad too and have him arrive by helicopter on the roof of her next project.


Pat br
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ought her 1/24th house again. It has been wonderful seeing this house develop from a shell to the elegant house it is today. This time, Pat was making some ornate Georgian fireplaces using mirrors with lace which when painted looked just as a Georgian fireplace would. Hearths were made for surrounds to the fireplaces and a screen was decorated to make an ornate room divider. Pat had bought furniture from Masters furniture makers - so delicate - the rooms look absolutely delightful with lights on and furniture in situ.

Two sisters. 1 had done miniatures previously, the other nothing - I’m talking about Hilary and Pauline. H
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ilary knew what she wanted to do on the course and had brought a roombox with her. She would like to make a shed but it needed to be old and scruffy - something she had never tried before - everything she had done had been pristine - how scary is that? Pauline had little techniques she wanted to try but no definite idea of how she could combine them into a finished project. In the event, Pauline decided to do my ‘washing line’ corner, but in 1/12th scale rather than 1/24th. Like Beverley’s project, there are many techniques in the corner box and some of them, Hilary also used in her shed. Both projects turned out really well and both sisters went home to dig some earth out of the garden to bake in the oven to make changes to their projects at home!