Would you believe this is my 300th blog post? I've shared a total of thirteen different miniatures projects with you over three years and (about) a month to reach this milestone. This is an achievement that sort of snuck up behind me while I wasn't looking or I'd hold a giveaway to celebrate. As it is I have nothing organised, so no giveaway this time. I promise there will be one when we reach 200 followers. I don't know what the prize will be yet, so feel free if you want to make a few suggestions . . . .
The last room in the Georgian house to be furnished was the Nursery. Searching the internet for information and images of appropriate furniture turned up very little of use. So I cast my memory back to an article in Dolls House and Miniature Scene (I think) magazine from a few years ago. Being too lazy to plough through several years worth of old magazines to find the article I worked from the vauge memories I could summoun up. It was a Georgian nursery with blue walls and instructions to make a range of appropriate furniture. The child's bed was enclosed, but more open than the usual cupboard bed. It was more of a "cage" bed. I'm sure there was a reason why the bed was enclosed like that, probably something to do with keeping evil spirits out or maybe it was just the more practical purpose of keeping the child in.
My version looks nothing like the one I remember seeing in the magazine. To start with, the one in the magazine had hinged doors, but I decided to use a sliding door as this fits better in the room I have. As ever, the bed is made from balsa wood and at least one post is crooked, so let's just pretend that it's had a lot of abuse from a lot of active children who didn't want to got to sleep.
In the front corner of the room is the cradle/crib. This was a bought item to which I added the overhead canopy. I added a balsa wood post skewered with half a toothpick at the top to the head end of the cradle to support the canopy. This was wrapped in the fabric I used to make the canopy so it blends in. The canopy is made from the same fabric you saw in the bedroom last week trimmed with some lace and a few pre-tied bows.
Different parts of the same floral fabric used to trim the child's bed sheets were used to make a small pillow and blanket for the cradle. I decided it would be easiest to make the bed with the baby already in it, so I dressed a Heidi Ott baby in a gown and cap made from a few offcuts of lace and glued the sheets in place around her/him(?).
I collected all the scraps of fabric I made dressing the bed and cradle and folded them up and glued them onto the shelves of the cupboard along with a few extra white sheets (etc). This is the cupboard that was previously in the Laundry. I moved it up here to make room for a large press in the Laundry.
And here is the Laundry complete with a somewhat rickety press. It needs a bit of manipulating to straighten it out. In theory, you turn the handle at the top to lower the top plate to the lower plate to squeeze the wet sheet/dress/etc between them to remove as much water as possible to speed up drying. Unless the servants of this house have learned to levitate, I'll need to change the top handle into some sort of crank on the side where it can actually be reached by 6" tall people.
The other new addition in the laundry is the "lead lined" double sink and water tank of the back wall. These were done the same way as the kitchen sink and tank.
This is (I think) all the key pieces of furniture for the house built. The next step is to finish those items that are still unpainted, not yet fully finished (note to self, buy legs!) or simply in need of a few improvements. Then I need to sit back, look at what I've got so far and decide if a room needs an extra or simply a different piece of furniture.
The desk is back at the front of the Study this week . . . . . Where it will be next week, who knows?
The nursery is fantastic. I like the bed and the cradle.
ReplyDeleteKiss Faby
I remember that issue with the bed but I think you've done a very good job without the instructions.
ReplyDeleteYou're making really great progress with this project. It doesn't seem that long ago you were creating the staircase.