Miniatures

Here's a clothespin doll costume for traditionalists. You can dress this clothespin doll in a kilt and jacket using scraps of tartan and velveteen ribbon. The costume is much easier to make than you might suspect and works as well for female dolls as it does for men. If you want, you can add sporrans, bagpipes or a sword to outfit your highlander.

Like the other clothespin dolls this one can be used to trim a package or top a cake. Combined with a bride doll, the kilted warrior can be used as a wedding cake topper. With a female head, the costume can be used for a highland dancing doll if you extend her arms in a proper pose.

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

While cutwork embroidery isn't feasible in small scales, you can mimic the effect somewhat using soft, draping paper and scrapbook embossers. Here are instructions for how to make miniature embossed placemats, doilies and serviettes (napkins) .

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

Balsa wood gliders were a key part of my summer. I spent hours flying them across the fields and down the driveway. I made this miniature glider in dollhouse scale to add to a dollhouse child's bedroom. I only wish they would fly like the toy versions!

This tiny glider is made from a surprising material, a wood veneer cheese box. I keep an eye out for these to use for wood plank floors, shingles and other miniatures where fine grain, light weight wood is an asset. You can straighten the wood from a round cheesebox by dampening it and then ironing it with an iron on a cotton or linen setting.

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

One great thing about dollhouse miniatures is that many can be made with simple handtools and a bit of imagination. That is certainly the case for this drinking glass and egg cup made from the cap of a discarded makeup brush. This project uses just requires cutting and sanding to make two useful miniatures.

The same technique can be used to make dollhouse vases and votive candle holders. Before you throw any useful material away, think about what you might be able to upcycle it into to support your hobby!

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

On Mother's Day, my children used to bring me breakfast in bed. In honor of that I've made a tiny breakfast tray. If you wish you can give one to your mom as a promise of things to come in full size, or decorate it to represent her favorite pastime and use it with a clothespin doll to decorate a Mother's Day Cake.

If you add a magnet to the back of the tray you can post it on your mom's fridge, to remind her of something good, redeemable when she wants it. Fill the tray with miniature pastries, a pie, or your mom's favorite meal. There are lots of choices on the miniature food list!

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

Continuing the theme of international costumes for clothespin dolls, I've added a tutorial to dress a clothespin doll in a kimono. I used a quilting cotton fabric for my kimono, but you could use a handkerchief, plain silk or scraps of fine lawn to make a kimono for your doll.

These little dolls don't take much time or effort to make. The Japanese doll joins the collection which includes:

• Clothespin Doll in Nigerian Dress and Gele
• Clothespin Doll in a Sari

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

You can use this tutorial for flaky polymer clay pastry to make all kinds of miniature and dollhouse pastries and strudels, items that would in real life be made with strudel dough, filo pastry or other 'laminated' doughs. The technique uses simple mold releases for your particular brand of polymer clay to keep the thin pastry layers separated while you shape your dough.

It may take a bit of extra effort to shape the croissants and pain chocolat pastries using this technique, but it means you can open your tiny croissants to detail lovely flaky centers much more easily than if you have to texture a glob of polymer clay. For those who prefer a simpler method, I've shown how to make croissants from simple rolls of clay, and included instructions for mixing the basic "dough".

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

If you are dreaming of better weather, make some of these miniature beach sandals and flip flops as earrings, props for a dollhouse scene, or as shoes for almost any size of doll. The ones shown here are on a 1:12 scale ball joint doll.

I'm tempted to make a few tiny pairs to glue on the logs at my local beach. I'm sure the bright colors would attract attention. Using appropriate materials you can make them easily for dolls as small as Polly Pocket and other roughly 1:24 scale dolls. They are designed to fit best on doll's with flat feet.

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

This African clothespin doll mother for Mother's day was inspired by the African Aid Angels project I mentioned in the blog before Christmas. African Aid Angels raise money to support African families affected by HIV/ AIDS. It is a wonderful use of miniatures to support a cause. This Nigerian version of the basic clothespin doll wears a Gele headdress made from wired ribbon to hold its shape.

You can find the tutorials for various clothespin doll costumes elsewhere on the site.

• Clothespin Doll Tutorial for Nigerian Dress
• Clothespin Doll Dressed in a Sari

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd

I've finished a tutorial for dressing a South Asian Clothespin Doll in a Sari. If you want to make sari's for other doll sizes or scales, adapt these instructions using ribbon or fabric strips or scarves which work with the size of your doll. The width of the fabric needs to be sufficient for a full length skirt on your doll.

I'll be posting more instructions for special costumes for dolls in preparation for Mother's Day. The clothespin dolls make great cake toppers or table decorations for a Mother's Day Tea! The next project this week will likely be a Nigerian doll.

Photo © 2013 Lesley Shepherd