Book Review of "Making Doll's House Miniatures With Polymer Clay" by Sue Heaser

For anyone new to dolls house miniatures and polymer clay, "Making Doll's House Miniatures in Polymer Clay" is a clear, easy to use resource for making detailed accessories to add to your collection. The book covers basic polymer clay techniques, including color mixing, and shows how to make a range of foods, kitchenware, plants, furnishings and accessories for a range of rooms in 1:12 scale. Actual measurements are not given, just the amounts of clay needed to make them and templates sized in 1:12 scale. Easy to make projects include foods and plants, a bath, sink and toilet, working lamps and a kitchen range.

Polymer clay is a popular material for dolls house miniatures and Sue Heaser, a miniaturist, and a polymer clay specialist has combined many popular basic techniques and projects in this well thought out book. The techniques cover a wide range of basic handling and forming techniques for polymer clay, including simple blends for wood textures, and basic information on color blends. The tools and equipment are basic materials, no specialized items or hard to find materials are necessary. The book was written in 1997 so clay 'baking' temperatures, and handling properties may have changed slightly, but the techniques used remain foundation techniques for working with any polymer clay.

Projects Included in the Book - The book is broken down into sections based on where the miniatures are most often used for display. I list the project chapter headings below with the projects found under each chapter.

Kitchen Miniatures

• Vegetables - potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, onions, vegetable sacks
• Baking - bread, pies
• Accessories and Tools - bread board, knife, baskets, mixing bowls, rolling pin, spoons, storage jars and crocks, copper pots and pans
• Furniture - Kitchen range and kitchen sink (with pipes and faucet)

Living Room Miniatures

• Accessories - clocks, candlesticks, coal scuttle, fireside tools, books (with opening paper pages or fixed), desk set
• Furnishings - footstool, bookshelf Tiffany style lamp (working)

Dining Room Miniatures

• Dinner service - plates, cutlery, serving pieces, cruet set, fruit stand
• Food - profiteroles and eclairs, roast lamb dinner (leg of lamb, roast potatoes, green beans, sliced carrots, gravy), Blancmange (demonstrates simple technique for making a mold), fruit (apples, grapes, oranges)

Tea Time in the Conservatory

• Plants - pots, geraniums, hydrangeas, ferns, lilies, trailing plants
• Food - fruit cake, scones, iced sponge cakes (layer cakes)
• Tea Service - teapots, teacups, plates, cream and sugar.

Bedroom Miniatures

• Accessories - dressing table set of mirror and brush, tray, simple jewellery
• Flowers - vases, maidenhair fern, roses, carnations, freesias
• Furnishings - bedside lamp (working or not), sewing box (with hinged lid, scissors, buttons, thread spools , darning mushroom), range of picture frames

Bathroom Miniatures

• Plumbing - Victorian footed bathtub (made in a simple mould) with faucets, drain plug, drain, overflow, sink - with plumping pipes, drain, overflow and faucets, toilet with hinged lid - with or without high cistern
• Furniture - 'wooden' stool with 'turned' legs
• Accessories - art nouveau tiles, delft tiles, mirror, towel rails, soap, back brush, toilet roll holder

Nursery Miniatures

• Furniture - hinged 'wooden' toy chest, shelves
• Toys - dressed doll with movable arms and legs, teddy bears, hobby horse, sand pail, 'wooden' train

Price and Availability Making Doll's House Miniatures With Polymer Clay by Sue Heaser, Hardcover published 1997 Ward Locke UK, Paperback published Cassell 2000 ISBN-10: 0 3043 5570 4 ISBN-13: 978-0 3043 5570 9

Price currently (2010) paperback version is available new for $13.50 Harcover is available used for $12.00