Mini-knitting

I totally had forgotten to talk about my New Years resolutions on crafting projects :)
After one failed attempt a couple of years ago, I'd decided that this would be the year to finish a knitted miniature o.O
Instead of the Venne Shetland wool I used the first time, I now choose Venne cotton (34/2), in the hope it would go better with my dry, rough skin, which it did.
Of course me being me, I started the first weekend of January with a very difficult pattern. So that didn't work out well (a)
A simpeler one, with just knits and purls, worked better and I thought it would make a nice cushion cover.

Because I had 'plans', I went ahead of myself and ordered some new Venne cotton in colours matching the (Harry Potter) Hogwarts Houses ;)
The plan was knitting something else for the birthday of my friend Kim the next month. Hardest part was not to tell her about my progress and pretend I kept failing and trying again and again ;)

But the next miniature knitting went even better - probably because of the lighter colour. I found a tutorial and taught myself how to maze, so it would look like a Hufflepuff scarf in progress. The wrapper reads 'Never-tangle wool', and was designed by me.

Because there was still plenty of time before I had to send the parcel, I wanted to try the ultimate (for now at least); a sock.
It's kind of a joke between us that Kim would ask (nag :P) for socks and I would tell her that would never happen ;)
I'd found a pattern in an old Dutch P&M dollshouse magazine for socks, using only two needles, so I tried. And succeeded! Yay, So proud of myself. And excited, but of course I couldn't share for another couple of weeks :')

It all arrived exactly on her birthday and I was so happy with her surprised and enthusiastic respons! :)

Bits and bobs, or, what I've been up to in Oktober.

It has been a bit hectic the previous weeks. As well inside as outside of my head :')

I'd started on the first piece of furniture for the living room; the
bookcase from the first book of Julie Warren.
(Though I have my own crafting room with everything I could
need, I do most of my crafting here in the living room ^^)

After I was almost done with the base I needed
to take a break because unfortunately wood-
working is a bit to straining physically atm.

So, mainly, I've been cross stitching and made a couple of new cushions.

I wanted to make a couple of Halloween related cushion for my
Etsy store, but I started a bit too late and only got to finish this
one. Maybe next year I can do more to sell :)

Last year I've made a series of Santa cushions, and this year
I'm working on three snowmen :)

I also finished the three geometrical cushions I've scross
stitched in September. I need to make a few pretty pictures
and then they be listed in Etsy.

  

But, I didn't have a couch that I could use as a prop for taking those photo's, so needed to remedy that ;)

This tutorial got me started on a simple couch but I didn't like
the straight sides, so I carved and sanded untill the arms had
a rounded shape :)

I covered the back part and the arms (partly) with fiberfill,
and tried to figure out how to go from there.

I used flat head pins and texile glue to attach the fabric. They
easily went through the Balsa wood and I could snipe
them off before covering that part with fabric.

Three extra pins gave my couch the tufted look I wanted.

Hopefully I can finish the couch in the next couple of days, but I had to tidy my diner table this weekend because we had a little party last night. As soon as I'd put the half finished couch away, Harry claimed it to get very comfortable. Before the first guest arrived he had already started on a bottle of elf-made wine!
I guess I can wait another day before I continue with the couch ;)

A bunch of things

Life has been so chaotic this last month that I've spend nearly as much time in the mini world as I would have liked.
But still, I've managed to work on some crafts, so I thought I just squeezed it all in one blog (a) Maybe that way I can finally get back to the cottage ghe ghe

After I'd made the Hogwarts trunk I had some fun with these marbles from De Knikkerprins (word play on the frog prince) and made some fisherman floats.
 

Then I started making cushions, which turned out to be a new addiction ^^
First I made some Halloween themed cushions for my Etsy store. To my surprise they were sold within 48 hours o.O
 

  

  

I started making a dress for Sophie from the Quill shop ...
 

... but got distracted by the mold I'd bought at Georgia Marfels' at the fair in Rijswijk. So I had an enjoyable afternoon making Gingerbread Man Cookies ;)

Being in the Christmas mood by then I made some cute Santa cushions, on even finer embroidery mesh, which are in my Etsy store since yesterday.

Switching back to Halloween, I've made  a smoked filled globe with spider. Total length 8 cm.
It's based on this 1:1 tutorial.
 

And last but not least; we've had two afternoons with our crafts group. We started a macrame cushion the first time, and worked on walls and window last wednesday. I finished the walls the next days on my own. The next time we will work on something new for this roombox together.

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it ... :D

Today I have some exciting news to share :)
I told you yesterday when I showed the mannequin that I needed it to show some shawls, but that was just part of it. Though it was fun laying with miniature and make nice photo's, it actually had a purpose.

I've been working towards setting up an Etsy shop for some time now (and have done a lot of procrastinating ^^) and yesterday I was finally ready;

Very nerve wracking, but it also made me a bit proud (a)
I decided to wait a day before I would share it, so imagine my surprise when I found two orders already when I woke up today. 

I hope you'll visit my shop and let me know what you think of it <3

Here's the link: 

https://www.etsy.com/nl/shop/AvanasMiniWorld

Mannequin challenge

Because I wanted to show off the new shawls, and I still haven't a fully/nice clothed doll, I decided to make a mannequin.
A Youtube tutorial from AkameruKawaii helped me getting started.

Instead of using fabric I covered it with bits and pieces of the Daily Prophet ;)

I looked in my boxes with wooded pieces and put some together for the stand.

After the glue had dried, I stained it, using the walnut wood dye I got from Jolinda for the first time. I loved the result! There will certainly be some walnut stained furniture in the cottage, I think! :)

And here it is!
To make some nice photo's I put together all kind of things in an empty roombox. Even the cottage wall with the almost finished door (a)

Of course I needed to take some with the shawls as well ;)

And because I had so much fun playing, I took some more photo's of other items, like some cushions and planthangers.

More waffles :)

I've just learned to crochet the waffle stitch. It's fun to do and much easier than it looks :) I already showed you the first things I made but they were not done.
Since then I sewed a faux sheet to the bedcover and finished the cushions.

I really should finish the matrasses for the beds (a)

One of the lovely fabrics I bought at the fair in Rijswijk last week. This one is from Jan van den Doel. Bianca now has two cushions for the price of one ;)

Yesterday I tried to make another very tiny cushion with the last of this brown embroidery thread I've been given, but it just wasn't enough. And so I came up with the idea to make a cosy candle holder instead :D

This may be a good way to use every last bit of thread I have. So ... ;)

Bedroom mini's

After the non-sewing quilt and beds for both Penny and Bianca, I wanted to make more bedding. I accidentally found some great fabric, and even this great tutorial from Judy Ferguson. I decided to make a quilt for a double bed.

In the latest P&M magazine was a tutorial about a crochet stitch I didn't know, but looked great imo :) And since I had gotten wonderful Anchor perle cotton threads not long ago, you can probably guess what I have been doing the last weeks ;)

Not only have I made this bedcover/throw, but also two small pieces I'd like to turn into cushions. The two striped pillows are something I did in between xD

And this morning I've made some matching pillow cases, before I took some photo's (a)
Since I don't have a double bed, I had to put both the single beds together.

This weekend I hope to find my Penny at the fair in Rijswijk, so she can test her bed ;) And also, I hope to show some progress on the cottage soon :)