My Mind full of Miniatures

 At the end of May, the son of a very dear friend celebrated his ‘groeifeest’ (literally translated as ‘growth celebration’) . This is a typically Belgian phenomenon. It is a secular confirmation ceremony, organized for children who do not participate in a religious confirmation. Both celebrations take place at the end of primary school, in the year the child turns twelve. It was quickly decided that the gift for the guest of honor would have a miniature theme, since he has a soft spot for anything small and cute. Finding the right subject, however, proved more difficult. That changed when I bought a copy of Dollhouse Nederland and came across a 1:12 scale natural history museum featured in the magazine. Perfect for a twelve-year-old boy. Inspiration struck! Because I had only seven weeks to create the entire museum, I had no choice but to keep its dimensions modest. I bought a tea box with six compartments, each measuring approximately 7 × 7 cm and 5 cm deep. Each compartment...

Last year, 1zu12 was the very first dollhouse fair I ever visited. It is a biennial fair in Germany, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from where I live (so I turned it into a little weekend getaway as well) . As a newcomer to the world of miniatures, I hardly knew where to look first. The fair is large and, fortunately, spans two days. It felt as if I had stepped into paradise! There was never any doubt that I would return this year. I even added an extra day to my trip: on Friday, I signed up for the “Little Cook” workshop led by Silvia Leiner. We started with a doll body frame, which we first wrapped in cotton wool to give the body some structure. We then sewed all the clothes, starting with the underwear and continuing through the underdress, the dress, hat, and apron. Along the way, we also gave our little cook some hair. Honestly, it was quite a challenge to keep up! I am not a quick seamstress, and because the instructions were always given in German first and only afterward...