No comments about Simple Country Furniture Projects in 1/12 Scale.

1 comments about Creating Wooden Villages: Designs for 18 Miniature Buildings.

1. I returned both the books I ordered because they were not what I needed. I was looking for patterns and there weren't any that I could use.

4 comments about Hats In Miniature.

1. Lyn Waring takes the reader through the process of making original hats for dolls, including basic and sports styles through fancy and historic styles that can be embellished however one likes, to oddball styles like top hats and chef hats. A real find--there are a few books on doll hatmaking but they tend to focus more on embellishing a single style, like the ubiquitous (and quite ugly) Breton bonnet. This book gives all the construction details one needs to get started designing and making gorgeous little hats.



2. This book is wonderful! It has a broad selection of hats to choose from (17 different hats); patterns for each hat type and ideas for variations; great color photos of the step-by-step instructions, as well as photos of the beautiful, completed hats. There is a section on making and using patterns and even a section on making piping (a type of trim). In the back of the book, there is a pattern for a very simple hat display stand and a useful conversion table (inches to metric & yards to inches). Also, instructions are given for enlarging or reducing the hat patterns. I do feel that the instructions should have been included for making the wood hat stands that were utilized throughout the book for displaying the finished hats. The pattern given is for a different type of hat stand and does not make the better hat display. I also feel that the book overlooked giving the "completed size" of the various hats. It only gives a one-size completed "collar size" of 10 ½" (this is where the hat meets the head, the circumference) for all the hats, but doesn't detail the completed measurements any further for the finished height, or crown top and bottom width (which does vary by style), nor the depth (how wide) each of the various brims are at completion. This would have been very valuable in choosing which hat pattern to make for a particular look, and for making sure one maintains the size ratio when enlarging and reducing patterns. Still, all-in-all, this book is still one of my cherished favorites.



3. I did not think making doll hats could be this much fun and by copying and enlarging on a copy machine you can make hats for any size doll or even little girls. This book showed me exactly how to do each step and from there it was easy. Now I am busy making hats of all sizes. What fun. Great book and I highly recommend it expecially if you are not sure on how to get started. I sew a lot but this just gave me the extra confidence I needed to get started.



4. Lyn Waring has given us a wonderful "beginning" millinery "how-to" book for dolls. She lays out creating miniature hats in a simple step-by-step process that anyone who has general knowledge of sewing can follow.

   Lyn presents 17 styles of hats sewn with just a few basic pattern pieces. She includes some creative ideas for embellishing the hats as well.

   This book is great for beginning miniature millinery. Once one learns basic hat-making, one may continue on to period hat-making and others.

   Happy hat making!

3 comments about The Dolls' House Gardener: Featuring 8 Garden Designs in 1/12 Scale.

1. At last Lionel Barnard has written a book on how to build your own beautiful gardens in miniature. Step by step he guides you through the process, giving the reader the best feeling that you too can complete wonderful projects with ease. Everything you need to know is in this book ~ the tools and materials are all clearly spelled out for you, and the photography is excellent. Cleverly, Lionel has written this in "English and American" for those of us that live on one side of the world or the other ~ a handsome touch! I have been buying and building my own miniatures for years and now there is a book for folks like me written by an expert ~ well done Lionel Barnard. I heard at one of the shows that there will be another book by Lionel and his wife to be published in the next year or so.... I can't wait. Get this one ~ you'll love it!



2. Don't let the name of the book fool you. The book only shows you how to make the specific designs of the various gardens in the book. The directions aren't entirely clear and you may get frustrated easily. The book does not show you how to make things like flowers, trees, and other various things you would think to find in a garden. Instead it tells you more about how to make things like the furniture, how to make realistic looking sidewalks, etc. If you want to make a more unusual outdoor setting that isn't flowery or traditional garden looking this is the book for you....



3. I loved this book! It describes in detail the eight designs featured as the cover states, but it also covers the elements of landscaping for a dollhouse. It gives instructions on how to create hedges and topiaries and has a few pages on how to create plants. With the beautiful color photographs and the detailed plans, I would suggest this book to miniaturists looking for landscaping inspiration.

No comments about Making Upholstered Furniture in 1/12 Scale.

1 comments about The Period Rooms of Ruth McChesney.

1. This book was very interesting to read and the pictures were very nice. I gives great ideas for interior design.

5 comments about Dolls' House Needlecrafts: Over 250 Projects in 1/12 Scale.

1. I expected the tiny samplers & rugs, but tiny crocheted & knitted clothing?! Excellent, excellent, excellent from beginning to end! Too many wonderful things to name.



2. This is a wonderful book, but I'm a little wary of giving it too good a review. The projects all look great, but I found a mistake in the first project that I tried. If you work the Turkoman rug exactly as the chart, it will not turn out the same as the picture. The border, in fact, will not even be symmetrical (as the picture is). As an experienced crafter, I picked up on this and was able to correct it, but I was disappointed to find the error in the first place. I look forward to trying other projects and hope they are error-free.



3. simply wonderful. I spent hours just looking at the pictures showing the samples. i'm looking forward to begin my first work. Great expectations for tiny masterpieces



4. This is a book every miniaturist/needlework lover should have in his/her library. It's full of great projects for every room of the dollhouse. I highly reccomend it.



5. Just like her other books this is a great book. If I had any problem it not being able to find some on the canvas counts (23 ct coin net.HUH? I'm just going to use 22 ct (hope no ones counting) But seriously this is a great book. Easy to understand with beautiful pictures

5 comments about Dollhouse Furnishings for the Bedroom and Bath: Complete Instructions for Sewing and Making 44 Miniature Projects (Dover Needlework).

1. Most of the content of this book is common sense. If you care enough to search out a book about building miniatures, you've probably already given it enough thought to figure out that you can cut a robe shape out of terrycloth and sew it together for the bathroom, or use sandwich bags for shower curtains. I was very excited waiting for this book to arrive, but wound up returning it.
   
   The ideas aren't BAD, but they're not worth paying for. Vaunted as being written by an individual famed for museum displays in miniature, I expected more details than the rather crude interpretations in the book. Certainly one loses detail in working with 1/12 scale, but even the photos of the samples in the book show poorly chosen, out of scale trim. (The eyelet on the edge of the towels is a prime example.)
   
   Surprisingly, the old children's book "Boxed-In Doll Houses" [...] is a better source for innovative ideas. Certainly you would not want to actually USE a stryrofoam cup for a chair, but given the idea, you could use said cup as a base for forming a polymer clay or woven reed one. All the projects made with cardboard boxes could easily be converted into wooden ones with minimal woodworking skill. See if your library has it, or consider picking up a used copy.



2. This is one of the best books I have purchased as a beginning miniaturist ever. It covers the "nuts to bolts" on how to create just about everything in the bedroom and bath...my only regret...I haven't found a book for the other rooms! I would recommend this book to anyone from the beginner to the pro's.



3. This book would be good for someone just starting out in the miniature "world." Most experienced collectors figured these things out as a child. Great book for a child! Or, if you're just starting out, you need this to get very basic information.



4. If you're looking for something to guide you through the basic steps of sewing a bedspread, mini quilt, 1:12 scale pillows, etc., this book will be a great help. If you are one who is very much into seeing color photos of the finished projects, you may be disappointed. This book definitely lacked in the picture department. There were so few pictures and I think instructional books ought to illustrate the steps of each project, not just the overall finished piece. Anyway, I would rate this one as good, but I can't say great. Also, it's a bit dated for my taste. You can sort of tell it's an older book just by looking at the cover. It would be nice if this book was re-published in a revised edition.



5. Upon receiving the book, I was disappointed. One, I paid too much for it, two, it was on the level of a child. True I am an immature, but even I was able to create the furniture shown "when" I was a child. Alas, we live and learn.

2 comments about Miniature Worlds in 1/12th Scale.

1. I have made doll houses and miniature furniture and have used unusal things to create the furniture and furnishings. I borrowed this book from the library and couldn't put it down. Couldn't wait to get started and wasn't happy about having to return it to the library. I found so many inexpensive easy ways to create so many things to add to the doll houses. I couldn't wait until Mother's Day to get it as a gift. Went right to Amazon.com to get it NOW. Didn't even want to search in the stores. Thank you Amazon.com for having this available!



2. Susan & Martin Penny have written a fun book that is chuck full of projects for do-it-yourselfers. They show how to create miniature items from inexpensive materials (craft sticks, aida cloth, beads, pins, paper, clay, etc.), and/or things you might normally throw away (bottle caps, coffee stirrers, aluminum foil pie plates, etc). There is a wide range of projects, including a tea room inside an old teapot, a ladies hat & accessories store inside a hatbox, a whimsical fairy dwelling (made with twigs, dried cones, and other interesting things you may find in your backyard or the woods). There is also a wizard's room depicting an open book, which serves as the walls of the castle where the wizard lives. This is a book that will pay for itself in no time at all with the money you save by making your own accessories. It's a must for the DIY-er and I highly recommend it!

3 comments about Making Miniatures: In 1/12 Scale.

1. To start a dollhouse may seem discouraging for many people when you think about the time it takes to finish such a project. Here are the ideas how to do just one room box, but still create the atmosphere that you want in a miniature. This may inspire the beginner to really start with a project to try his/her new hobby, but it is also a great source for the advanced hobbyist to try for a real masterpiece. I can only highly recommend this book to everybody who is into 1/12 scale.



2. Venus and Martin Dodge have produced (what I feel) are the most beautiful books on the skills of making miniature scenes, dolls and accessories. My first project was the kitchen in this book. It turned out beautifully. I cannot stress enough how realistic their roomboxes are. Have a great time creating!



3. I've used this book as a reference on how to make clay tiles for roofing and flooring. It has other good tips on designing rooms, and information on making the furniture in the rooms. The furniture is way beyond my ability to make, but it's still a lovely book.