Showing my face...

Hello everyone!  Just like so many other bloggers lately, I have been guilty of being very quiet the last few months.  We have had an exceptionally beautiful summer and as this doesn't happen too often in Holland,  I and many others have been spending a lot of time outside.  

Of course on the hottest weekend of the year I was inside laying a new floor in my work room...My work room is really the garage, but what a waste of space to hand over such a big room to a car, right?  It is much better as my work room/studio.  

Work in progress.  Now the walls look like they need plastering.  I won't be doing that though, yet ;-)

Laying the new floor meant that everything had to be either taken out of the room or moved from one side to the other.  An enormous amount of work!  After the floor was laid I had to wait several weeks for my new cabinets to arrive and be fitted.  

But it is all finished now and I am in the process of putting everything back and weeding out the necessary from the superfluous.   Another huge task.  But an enjoyable one.  I am very happy with my newly decorated room and I know how lucky I am to have such a great space!

A silk embroidery doodle.  Getting a feel for fibers and stitching.  

The only miniature work I managed to do over the summer (apart from taking the 'bone chest' class I wrote about in my last post), was to finally try out some miniature embroidery.   I did a bit of freehand doodling, trying out some silk floss and stitches.  I enjoyed doing it and think I will be doing some more of this.  A bit neater, of course. 

The 'bone chest' I made in Bill Robertson's class two months ago had some work left to do at home.  My search for some tools and materials I needed took me days (yes really!) behind the computer screen.    On  Facebook my friends Hellie Durans and Elga Koster helped me out in my search, and I was so grateful for their input!  It would have taken me much longer to find everything I needed.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not a huge fan of Facebook, but in this case it was perfect.

Miniature Material & Resource Exchange   (click to go to the page)

My friend Hellie (of Durans Dutch Designs) has recently started a Facebook group:  Miniature Material & Resource Exchange.  The sole purpose of this group is to help miniaturists find anything miniature related (tools, materials etc.)  they just can NOT find.  Another miniaturist might know where to find it or have something left in their stash themselves.  

I think it is a great idea.  As a group we know so much more!  Any miniaturist can join the group, hobbyist or professional, doll maker or builder...as long as you're a miniaturist, you're welcome!  Of course we hope many people will join, because again, as a group we know so much more!

Comments

  1. hello and WOW!

    I knew nothing of miniatures fascinating!!... wil be following along with you to learn more

    ...bestest to you
    Daisy j x

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    1. Welcome Daisy! Oh there's a whole miniature world out there you knew nothing about ;-) Maybe you'll be tempted one day to do some miniature work yourself. In the meantime I hope you'll enjoy what you see.

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  2. hi josje,

    lovely workshop, I hope you spend many productive hours there... speaking of miniature embroidery, I think you might need to pop over to my blog, there ay be something of interest for yo! ; )

    jonquil

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    1. Wow Jonquil, I had no idea I was near the correct number of differences. I am so happy I won though, what a great prize! Perfect for me as a tea lover. Thank you very, very much!

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    2. Glad you're happy! I hope you find a special place for it. Could you send me your postal address via my blog so I can get it in the post for you?

      Thanks!

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  3. Je werkkamer is helemaal geweldig Josje. Wat een heerlijke ruime kasten heb je gekregen.
    En je borduurtje is niets op aan te merken hoor. Ben benieuwd naar het vervolg.

    groet, Heleni

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    1. Dank je Heleni! Goed he, die kamer zo. Ik ben er zo blij mee. Het is natuurlijk wel een werkkamer dus er gaat ook gezaagd, geschuurd etc. in worden, maar het voelt toch heel anders dan voorheen. Het borduren vond ik leuk, ook omdat ik geen patroon hoefde te volgen, je doet het min of meer op gevoel. Nou ik moet echt nog wel wat oefenen hoor, maar dat er een vervolg komt is zeker!

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  4. Hoi Josje
    Mooie ruimte heb je nu,en zeer ruime lade,s kan je alles mooi opbergen hahaha
    groetjes adrie

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    1. Hoi Adrie, met dat opbergen ben ik nu al een week bezig. Wat mag blijven, wat kan weg...

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  5. Oh, good, glad to see you tried some embroidery, it looks very good too!

    Enjoy your new workroom and autumn, spring has arrived here, all the trees are sprouting new leaves, hmm, the forecast for this week says we are going to already have noon temperatures of 30 degrees, oh my ;-)

    And I must admit, I quite like FaceBook, especially when we are having real time chit-chat :-)

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    1. Yes I think this type of embroidery is more my thing. I can see what I am doing fairly well and I don't have to count the pattern.
      The workroom is great, it has a totally different feel now and I took out a lot of stuff which used to be in there. Now I still have to find room for those things...
      Yes I really enjoy the real time chit-chat, but I find the sharing aspect is going a bit far!

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    2. Oh, yes, there are one or two family members I would like to unfriend on FB, it is nice to keep contact but I dont want to know about family fights etc, you certainly won't see those kind of posts from me, I am way to private a person for that.

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  6. Hi Josje
    How great to hear from you, I have serious drawer envy right now ;-)
    The exchange sounds a wonderful idea, sadly I'm not on face book (I know!!!), so I'll have to keep asking questions in blog land!
    Have fun and don't over do it in the garage, err I mean workshop...
    Hugs

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    1. Hi Simon,
      I know a lot of people who are not on Facebook, I haven't been on there for very long either. A good friend of mine talked me into it and I must say there is a lot going on on there! I don't use it that much though, and all my miniature posts will still be on here. It is much more personal here and has a more private feel (I know that is nonsense as nothing out on the internet is private...).
      If you need something you could ask me and I'll put it on there for you.

      I'm sitting in my workshop now, the setting sun is streaming in...haha, so perfect!

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  7. Hi Josje! I'm glad to hear you had a Wonderful Summer!!! And your new work space looks Fantastic!!! (Now there are no excuses.. you will have to get a lot done...! LOL!)
    Your stitching looks very good for just "practicing"... it could already be a cushion... I look forward to seeing your "planned" work!
    That Facebook site sounds very useful... I will have to check it out... I know there are times when I want something someone from another country uses and swears by... but don't know what it is called over here! Thanks for sharing that!
    And your bone box looks Awesome! I especially love that the pieces are just cut up bones from the butchers.... hmmm I will have to give this some thought! I've been making some Medieval things recently.... ! Your work is always Inspirational!

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    1. Thanks Betsy! Yes you are right, with my new work space I don't have any more excuses... I'll be spending even more time in there than before ;-) I need to practise a bit more on getting the stitches regular and try out different stitches. But I had fun and will definitely be doing more of this.

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  8. I think the Miniature material and resources exchange is a fantastic idea. Shame I'm not on Face book...=0/

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  9. Ook toevallig, ik was ook met mn hobbyruimte bezig..... niet zo'n mooie ruimte als jij hebt, maar ik ben er tevreden mee ;) Erg mooie kasten heb je, praktisch al die lades. Je borduurtje is mooi geworden en dat uit t blote hoofdje! :D
    Ik hoop ook op n mooie nazomer, dan liever niet meer zo heet.
    * marlies

    Ps. Nog bedankt voor de link, n erg goed idee!

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    1. Dank je Marlies. Het is toch heerlijk om een aparte ruimte te hebben waar je in kan werken. Wat dat betreft zijn we alle twee geluksvogels hoor, dat realiseer ik me maar al te goed. Die lades zijn geweldig. Ik realiseerde me vooraf niet hoe groot de ruimte eigenlijk is, vooral ook omdat er van alles en nog wat in stond. Het is per slot een garage ;-)
      Ik hoop ook op een mooie nazomer, die hitte is niet aan mij besteed. Klinkt een beetje vreemd, maar gelukkig hebben we hier weer wat regen gekregen afgelopen weekend. Het was zo vreselijk droog! Het heeft in het oosten van het land wel geregend deze zomer, maar bij ons praktisch niet.

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    2. PS: de Facebook groep was Hellie's idee hoor.

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  10. Your new work space looks fantastic! I love the floor. All those drawers for organizing things will be wonderful. I know you are going to have to have a place to sit. I see that whole wall is all fitted with cabinets. Will you have heat in there too? My garage is huge but it is either 100 F. durning the summer or too cold in the winter.

    I love surface hand embroidery. Your flowers look great. What sorts of things do you want to use embroidery for in a dollhouse project?

    Ahhh Facebook... I may have to give in and join....

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    1. Hi Catherine, Yes it is a great space. It is really part of the house (I don't have to go outside to go there), a brick garage with an insulated cavity wall, and yes it is heated. I had to get a new radiator as the old one was against the wall where the cabinets are now. My new radiator is one of those modern upright ones which fits right between the door and the cabinets. Very fancy for a work space.
      Pity you can't really use your garage as a work space. Do you have a room in the house where you work?
      My desk is now free standing which I like because I have a view of the whole room while sitting at my desk.

      I know you like surface hand embroidery, and you are good at it too! (When will we see you doing some miniature embroidery?) There is a suite of full sized Louis XVI furniture which has surface embroidery on the upholstery which I loved and which I thought would look great in my Blue Salon. I still need to figure out how to make the furniture but I could start with trying to practise my stitching. Also I have always wanted to make period clothing in miniature, so I need embroidery skills for that as well.

      Well Facebook, love it and loathe it...I think it is fun and OK as long as you don't share too much personal stuff. There are a lot of miniature related things going on on there. And as Elga mentioned before, the real time chit-chat you can have is really fun and helpful.

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  11. Hi Josje! Your workroom has lots of room and lots of storage! Therefore it is Perfect! I did a garage clean out this past summer myself and now I have lots of space for the car and the BBQ and used cans of paint etc. etc..... as you say, wasted space!
    About your embroidery.... You call that " a Doodle"!??? Listen; if I could do any embroidery as beautifully as what you have just done, I would be framing my doodle, in solid gold and hanging it on the wall!:D

    elizabeth

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    1. Ahh thank you Elizabeth! But I do hope to improve the stitching, get it more regulare, more variety in the type of stitching etc. On this piece I tried out different types of silk floss, using wax on my floss, how long should my thread be, tried a little shading, even some frech knots.
      As for my garage, all of the things you mentioned (and many more) now have to live elsewhere at our place. I think I am more important than the car, haha. And anyway, there are many, many people who don't own a garage and whose cars live happily outside, always.

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  12. Hai Josje! Zo, jij hebt echt niet stilgezeten!!! Dat is nog eens een werkruimte, geweldig zeg, geniet er maar fijn van :D! Heb je er ook verwarming in dan, of is het net als bij mij: in de winter te koud en in de zomer te heet ;)?
    Ik vind je borduurtje bepaald niet slecht, dat heb je vast vaker gedaan. Zo niet, dan ben je een natuurtalentje :D!
    Groetjes, Ilona

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    1. Dank je Ilona. Ja onze garage is geïsoleerd en heeft verwarming. Het is dat er garagedeuren in zitten (met raampjes), maar verder lijkt het een gewone kamer. Ik zit daar prima!
      Dit borduren heb ik nooit eerder gedaan, maar ik ben wel een ervaren naaister (de laatste twee decennia wat minder, ahum) en heb eerst veel boeken bekeken. Zoveel prachtige inspiratie! Natuurlijk is het in miniatuur weer een ander verhaal, maar ik denk dat daar ook wel mooie dingen mee te doen zijn.

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  13. Tienes un taller envidiable. Disfrútalo.

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  14. Josje your room looks so fresh and inspirational I am sure you will be doing lots and lots of embroidery as well as other things. I keep looking for what you said was not neat and I have not found it yet! Keep up the great work!

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    1. Thank you! Well lets just say there is room for improvement. But in my new room I won't mind sitting and stitching ;-)

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  15. Your workspace looks verty inspiring :)

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    1. Thank you Linda. It is a great space and at the moment nearly clutter free, ahhh!

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  16. Wat een heerlijke hobby ruimte heb jij, mooie fijne kasten ook. Ben bang dat de garage hier vooral rotzooi ruimte blijft.
    Een heel goed idee zo'n ruil en tips site, ik zit alleen zelf niet op facebook, ook niet op pinterest want dan kom ik nooit meer achter de pc vandaan haha.

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    1. Het was ook een rotzooi ruimte bij mij hoor, ik moet nog steeds een plek vinden voor alle dingen die ik er niet terug in wil. Veel staat nu nog buiten maar dat kan ook niet te lang duren natuurlijk...
      Tja, het is wel waar, er komen steeds meer dingen bij op de computer, je moet echt een maximum tijd instellen anders zit je er inderdaad de hele dag achter. ;-)

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  17. I wish my workspace looked that good! I intended to build my houses in the garage, but it gets extremely hot out there, so my half-built bungalow is on a kitchen countertop (for now). I hope to fix that within the next few months.

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    1. Thank you Anna. It seems that a lot of people have very hot or cold garages. Mine is insulated and heated, and living in a mild climate, it doesn't get hot in summer either. Of course this summer was the exception to the rule ;-)
      I hope the temperatures in your part of the world will come down to pleasant soon so you can claim your space in the garage again!

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  18. Dear Josje,

    What a nice hobby space! Mine is still waiting.
    I like your embroidery. That kind of embroidery is not my favorite.I always make a mess of that kind of embroidery. I like to count.
    I love FB. This way I meet other people without leaving the house.When I'm not able to make miniatures I can play games on FB.

    Hugs Dorien

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    1. Hi Dorien, Oh my hobby space has been an ugly garage for the past ten years. But even then I was quite pleased because it was dry, heated and I could leave all of my stuff as it was without messing up the house. Now of course I am really pleased! ;-) I hope you get a nice space for your hobbies soon!
      Well that's a good point for Facebook, you do get to meet other people without leaving the house. Although I think through blogging you also meet many people.

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  19. I'm with Elizabeth! That's a doodle? My best effort doesn't look nearly as nice....
    Your workroom is coming along nicely too!

    Véronique

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  20. Hi Josje, I'm glad I'm not the only one who took the summer off. I am so jealous of your garage/studio! I am working out of my garage, too but it is nor nearly so glam as yours! (Sigh)! Perhaps someday... I don't belong to Facebook, but your group might just push me toward it. I hope you enjoy what's left of the summer and look forward to your next post. --XOXO John

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    1. Hi John, good to see all those familiar faces returning, right? Summer is almost over here. It is raining really hard at the moment (which we badly needed in my region!), so much more time for miniatures.
      Ha, now I will always think of my new work space as glam although I don't know how glam it will be when I actually start to work in it. With all the dust and debris from sawing and such...

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  21. Your doodle is SUPERB! Thanks for the material resource link, I will have to look that up.

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    1. Thank you Sarah. Yes please do look up the link, I think the group is a great idea where we can help eachother out when we're looking for a miniature related article.

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  22. Hi Josje in the end your new workshop will be great! I understand that it's a lot of work, since I'm in the middle of changing rooms, one level up to a bigger new workshop.
    Even with miniatures there seems to be a lot of stuff in such a room ;D
    I really like your embroidery the flowers look really nice!

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    1. Up in the eaves Jeffry? Wonderful to have room to do this, isn't it? I agree, a lot of work, but worth it! I have still not finished, but I'm getting there. Like you said, even with miniatures, there's a lot of stuff in there. I was just thinking yesterday, putting all the stuff back into the house is like moving a real house, except for the weight. But just as much work. And trying to find everything!! Sometimes I don't understand what was going through my mind while packing all this...I thought I packed everything room by room, which would be logical, but apparently I didn't quite think that way then...

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  23. Your workspace is a dream! How wonderful to have that amount of room. I hope you really enjoy your foray into miniature embroidery. I love doing mini petitpoint - it's very addictive to see the project develop stitch by stitch. I'll look forward to seeing what you do in this area. Hugs,Sandie

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    1. Hi Sandie, Yes I am very happy with all that space I've got now. I still need to find room for some of the things I took out of there though.
      I have tried miniature petit point, but I find it very difficult to see what I am doing plus the counting is not really my thing. I like freehand embroidery so this is right up my alley. I hope to be doing some nice things in the future.

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  24. Hi Josje,

    What a fabulous new work room you have, look at all those draws!!!! Well, there is no chance your family will get you out of there now! I bet you found things you forgot you had when you moved it all around?? I'm sure it will make creating even more enjoyable now.

    Your embroidery looks lovely, yet another thing you can turn your hand too.

    I love the idea of the exchange, how clever to come up with that.

    Ml fi Xx

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    1. Ha yes, I did find things I did not know I had. Also found a lot of things which I really never use so I could get rid of. Now I am still getting used to where I have put everything, I am still searching at times! But I am very happy with my new room.

      The exchange was Hellie's idea, pretty good huh?

      The

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