Sylvie's Nursery - Soft toys by Jean Boyd

Sylvie needed some soft toys for her nursery so I introduced her to Jean Boyd who is one of the most skilled needlefelters that I know. Jean creates the most gorgeous miniature pieces and she made these two lovely toys for Sylvie to add to the nursery when it's completed. You can see more of her work at http://www.jean-boyd.blogspot.com/

Sylvie's Nursery - The Child's Bed

Well it must be obvious to everyone that I'm just not organised enough to blog and work...work and blog. I had the idea that I would keep a record of the progress of the nursery as I went along but I got so involved in it that blogging went out of the window :)

Anyway, apologies for my absence and welcome to all the new people who have joined recently...thankyou for your patience!

Back to the nursery...Sylvie loved the samples that I sent her and decided on a very pale cream silk charmeuse with hints of caramel and tan added into the decor. We looked at some prints but they were all quite pinky and 'new' looking so I decided to make up a toile pattern and print my own onto a silk sheet. The print is tiny but the effect is very antique looking and combines beautifully with the cream silks.

I started on the child's bed first as that was the first to arrive. This is a quick reminder of what it looked like

Although the bed has raised sides we decided to remove one of the rails to show off the bedding and I used a padded panel on the head and foot of the bed to cover the marks left and to make the bed cosy. I had planned to keep the toile print to a minimum so that it wouldn't be too overpowering and it just peeks out from behind the mattress and pillows. I also used the toile to trim the quilt, which is mainly silk charmeuse...soooo silky soft! I still want to add a couple more pillows and drape a throw over one post but this is the bed so far...

 I found the teddy on Ebay and couldn't resist giving her a silk hat and silk and lace dress to match the bed.

I had nearly finished the bed when all the Bespaq furniture arrived. It is so much more delicate than it appears in the photos and is such a beautiful colour with lovely carvings and little details.

I managed to get started on the changing table and have nearly finished the crib.

 This lovely piece of furniture was just crying out to be filled up with little piles of muslins and tiny silk babyclothes    




You can see the toile de joue a little more clearly in this photo.

I hope to have some photos of the completed crib by tomorrow

Oyster Silk....and a touch of leather too!

I've just put these two on Ebay auction. I think I'm finally getting the hang of Auctiva...wish I'd tried it years ago.



Oyster Silk 12th scale Hat and Hatstand
http://cgi.ebay.com/Miniature-OOAK-Oyster-Silk-Hat-Hatstand-Miss-Amelia-/200542051684?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb13cdd64



Leather Steampunk Aviator Cap
http://cgi.ebay.com/Miniature-Leather-Steampunk-Aviator-Cap-Miss-Amelia-/200542054236?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb13ce75c

Victorian Girl's Hat and Hatbox on Ebay

After ages of not putting anything on Ebay I decided to put this little set on this week to see how it goes. The silk velvet of the hatbox is such a lovely rich colour and matches the tiny rosebuds on the hat.

I spent ages messing about with Auctiva in an attempt to find a better template than the one I used to use but I'm still not happy with it. At least Auctiva seems to make it easier to upload photos and I will be able to schedule listings if I want to.

Anyway if you would like to take a peek the link is
 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200540925980&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

and I started it at a low price (which I will probably regret :) ) so you might grab yourself a bargain before Christmas!

Children's Millinery

Every week I have this vague idea that I am going to post something every couple of days but here we are...Monday again!

I have been gathering together ideas, fabrics and things for Sylvie's nursery project and realised that I have never really made any hats for children. I have some wonderful photos of little Victorian and Edwardian girls in huge floppy hats and over the weekend had a couple of late nights to put together the following...

Ideally I would love a sweet little girl mannequin with ringlets to show them off properly but I'm afraid that my first ever attempt at wigging this mannequin head was a bit sloppy :) Anyway, you get the idea and I'm sure there is a sweet little Victorian miss in 12th scale out there just waiting for a new hat. 

Regency Millinery 1802 - 1822

 Although the Victorian era continues to be a firm favourite amongst miniaturists I do receive a lot of visitors to my Georgian and Regency millinery pages and they have sadly been neglected in past months. I decided it was time to add some new pieces and have been working for some time on the following 12th scale collection. There are still a few items waiting to be completed but I will be adding these first bonnets to my website this evening. I have tried to include some of the more diverse styles that were around in the period...do let me know what you think. http://www.missameliasminiatures.com/georgianhatsbonnets.html

1819 White silk bonnet with black and white striped ribbon. Black silk lining. 12th scale



 

1808 Honey silk bonnet with black trim



  









Lace lining with 'Miss Amelia' label











1802 'Ashes of Roses' silk and tulle bonnet with jewel and feather





1811 Blackberry taffeta and silk bonnet







1802 Emboidered silk bonnet with feather



Lemon silk lining



1821 Chocolate silk bonnet with pink organza and trim

 

Sylvie's Nursery - Furniture

Well, after having looked at all the possibilities in walnut nursery furniture, Sylvie has chosen a lovely little child's bed by Eurominis and the most gorgeous set by Bespaq called the 'Sweet Home' collection. Although I enjoy dressing  all sorts of furniture, whether they be 99p Ebay bargains or handcarved artisan pieces, I really do love Bespaq. This set in particular is very delicate with ornate carvings and Sylvie has chosen the crib, a rocking chair, changing table and a lovely armoire which I plan to fill with clothes and accessories for the children. It all looks a bit stark and cold in the photos but hopefully that will soon change :)

I plan to remove one side of the toddler bed to be able to show off the bedding as much as possible in a similar way to the way cot bedding is displayed in real life.

Now I'm just waiting for the fabric samples to reach Sylvie and the furniture to reach me... I can't wait to get started!