Tag Archives: tiny world

more tiny worlds, fantasy islands

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I would really like to be on one of these right now-

This was the first one I got started on. The blue-green swirl glass was obviously perfect for a water scene, but the clear cup was a challenge to design around.

This second one is made on a cup I found at the Goodwill on Wednesday. Liz and I went there after the meet-up. Now, I know that you need to approach thrift shopping with an open mind. If I am looking for something in particular, I can be sure I will never find it. Something else wonderful, but never that thing I “needed”. As I walked into the store, I said to Liz, What I really need is some more teacups that don’t have flower designs because I am working on water scenes. Well, that should have killed any chance of finding what I need. So, imagine my surprise when I found not one, but two of these pretty celadon cups with a goldfish embossed into them. Perfect, and a thrifting miracle!

And one more-

These are going into my shop now.

another tiny world, books,

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and some other notes.

One more tiny world done-

Another meet-up this morning and it was fantastic! Thanks for showing up ladies- Liz, Crystal, Louise, Linda, Lisa, and Kerry! Next one is April 14. Hmm, the day before taxes. Wonder if anyone will show up?

And, a book report. I bought myself a book about the circus. It is gigantic!

I’m not sure how I first discovered it. Maybe an Amazon search? I discovered that one local library has it as a reference book so I went to look at it. I literally gasped when I opened it. 600 plus pages of inspiration. But… wow, it cost SO much. It took me over a month to decide to buy it. First I thought I’d wait to see if I lost interest. When I didn’t, I checked out all the used book sites, watched on ebay, and then discovered there is another book of the same name by the same author but smaller… That was when I finally decided to just go for it and buy it on Amazon. I am not sorry.

and like I said, 600+ more pages!

And another book- this one I got out of the library, but I think I’ll be looking for a used one online.

Someone posted about it on their blog a while back- sorry but I don’t remember who. When I saw the book, it brought back a flood of memories. This book was the one I was using back in 9th grade when I made this sampler-

It is so much fun to page through the book and see how it influenced me. It is inspiring me once again – this time I am using the stitches on my tiny worlds.

a class yesterday

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well, I think I have all the proof I need. Working messy is contagious. People catch it from me-

first hour-

later-

We had a great time and here is where everyone was at the end of the day-

There were 2 last minute cancellations so there were 6 instead of 8, but we managed to fill the table. I love seeing the different ways that people approach the same project. Endless variations.

I want to do a fish class next but have to find a venue for it. It needs a bit more space since it involves sewing machines and a larger finished project. I will try to figure out a date for a next class- whatever it turns out to be- in the next week, and post about it. I am thinking late April.

and a whole lot more!

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I’ve gotten very distracted with these- I think I am up to a whole town now!

town

It was one of those, I just need to do one more, type of situations!

TW1

This one looks very fantasy suburbia to me-

TW2a

Of course I needed a few more snow scenes-

TW3a

TW4a

TW4b

And then this last one- it makes me laugh!

TW5

yes. Of these 5, this is the one I want to live in.

TW5b

That is all the tiny worlds for now. I’ve cleared all the felt off my desk. I will be getting these into my Etsy shop soon, hopefully tonight. So many things to finish, so little time before SOWA Holiday Market!

practically a village

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I am trying to crank out goodies for the various seasonal things I am doing. These past few days have been busy making houses in between clearing off beds for the ones that are going to be coming home.

tinyworld1a

tinyworld2

This one has the prettiest cup-

tinyworld2b

tinyworld3

tinyworld4

tinyworld5

My biggest challenge is finding decent tea cups at the thrift shop. Not so easy when my price limit is $2! Luckily, some of my friends know what I use in my work and drop off goody bags.

I hope you’ve all checked out Salley’s blog!

make-dos and my tiny worlds

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So what are these “make-do” things anyway?

I first heard about a make-do when I got interested in doll-making and was immersed in learning everything I could about vintage and antique cloth dolls. The same people who were talking about the dolls, were interested in all kinds of historical needlearts. The definition I came away with was- a make-do is a pincushion made from a household object that is no longer functional for it’s original purpose- Like a sugar bowl without a lid, a damaged candle stick, a goblet stem with no bowl, or a chipped or cracked cup.

I have been making mine, which I call tiny worlds, in teacups, most of which come from the thrift store. I am also lucky enough to have friends who think of me before they throw out something that I might use- Lucky me! My tiny worlds are made on wool balls, covered with wool fabric and then most of the detail work is done with embroidery and wool felt. It is a wonderful way to use up little pieces and scraps around my studio. And it is so much fun to imagine who lives on the miniature landscape.

I didn’t start out with teacups though. My first make-do was made from a broken goblet. Excuse the photo please- that blog post was from my early blog days, more then 5 years ago! Here are some links to other ones I’ve made and also to a basic tutorial on how to make one for yourself. If you’d like to try your hand at a tiny world make-do, the pattern is available here in my Etsy shop.