15 minutes into it

2013/06/112014/03/031 Comment

http://www.scarletsailsminiatures.blogspot.com/

large chart for a tiny rug

The “Animals” rug kit I got from Natalia Frank has been breached. It is intimidating. This is the chart, the map from which I will stitch. It is 20 pages. O_O The chart alone is a thing of beauty.

palette of silk and cotton thread, and silk gauze

The colors are gorgeous, subtle and rich. The silk gauze, sturdier than I expected, feels like it will hold up to the thousands of stitches it will eventually carry.

The first step (apparently) is to frame the edges of the gauze with a sturdier fabric, to both stabilize and extend its size to fit the 12-inch hoop I’ll be using (probably until the end of time).

a drop hollows out the stone

2013/05/262014/03/03Leave a comment

Exquisite miniature rug by Natalia Frank

Exquisite 1:12 miniature rug by Natalia Frank

I’ve ordered this needlework rug kit from Natalia Frank, a miniaturist and needlewoman of remarkable talent and skill. To try to get your mind around what she does — and what I want to do — know that the final piece measures 5.73 x 8.12 inches (14.5 x 20.6 centimeters). It is stitched on 49 count silk gauze, which translates to 49 x 49 tiny stitches per square inch of gossamer fabric (281 x 398 stitches do the math). With a single strand of DMC embroidery thread. (Regular embroidery floss is six strands twisted together.) I’m starting with the finger and eye exercises suggested on her blog.

I am excited about this project for so many reasons, like for instance you can only work on it for 20 or 30 minutes at a time or you’ll go blind, and that you don’t need a whole studio to do it in, and that Natalia has The Four Ps. That’s one more P than mine: Perfectionism, Procrastination, Paralysis. Hers are Practice, Persistence, Patience, Perfection. Her definition of Perfection is that no one is, which we all need to be reminded of from time to time. And she quotes Ovid, Gutta cavat lapidem (A drop hollows out the stone.) Thinking I like her Ps way more than mine. I’ll keep you apprised of my progress, and do check out her work.

time flies like an arrow through the heart

2013/05/122014/02/25Leave a comment

The loft in Loft No. 1961, with a poster of my mother the archer. Happy Mother’s Day, Louise.

tiny tissues to dab tears of joy

2013/05/122014/02/241 Comment

Maureen sent a box of tiny fun for the Spring swap organized by Cyd at Mini Mod Pod. We had decided on accessories as our theme, since we never seem to have enough little things to fully dress a scene.

Loft 1961 has a new tenant.

I took a whole morning off from slaving to get our big house ready to sell, to play with my new stuff. An eclectic assortment it is! Maureen sent two original watercolors, some wonderfully versatile beads (as she said, “I thought even the most modern woman has something like that that belonged to a grandmother or great aunt.”), a delicate green blown glass vase and a dolphin — or is it a porpoise? — two perfect tea mugs, the wire bicycle, a glass mirror (I put it in the hall and don’t think I got a pic of that), a straw hat and the most perfect box of tissues you’ve ever seen.

The new tenant has excellent taste.

Here’s a closeup of the watercolors:

Straighten these, please, or I won’t be able to sleep tonight.

With traveler’s ingenuity, she used stir sticks to frame them.

This was my first-ever swap, and it was so much fun I want to do one at least every month.

Hello Kitty is the new guardian of the loft. Would you like some tea? Yes, Dolphin — or is it Porpoise? — please. Milk, no sugar.

Thanks again, Maureen and Cyd.

walls of unbecoming

2013/02/272013/02/27Leave a comment

Finally occurred to me just what was wrong with this build. After staring at it for weeks and weeks, doing this and trying that, the “what” of it still eludes me. Turns out it was the very first thing I did: the wallpaper. I was experimenting, expanding on the scale boundaries of tiny space. The two facing walls were like an evolving collage of edgy patterns, florals, painted stripes. I’d think I was done, but later would add more bits to the pattern. I even put a bird on it. The walls got more and more interesting. I built lots of different furniture based on various ideas (bookmaker’s workshop, blood orange orchard office, remote mountain retreat, eccentric’s parlor). None of it was right.

I still don’t know what it is, but at least that damn wallpaper wont be distracting me.