The International Dolls' House Show

Imagination, The Sharpest Tool In The Box.

Patience and a steady hand are often seen as essential pre-requisites for making miniatures. Experience and a relevant skill set are also perceived as a massive advantage. Arguably, however, the sharpest and most important tool in any craftsman’s workbox is their imagination. Whilst newcomers to the hobby might expect to see dusty workshops with Geppetto-like figures reverently working away in a pedestrian manner, it is far from the truth. Craftspeople come from a massive variety of backgrounds, have the ability to think differently, to see life from new perspectives and have a driving spark of creativity that makes this wonderful hobby so dynamic and exciting.

Three excellent examples of this are three new makers you will see at the next Miniatura. One is a doll artist who takes an ethical stance when creating her dolls, the other two are dolls’ house makers, one who has converted his experience and attention to full scale detail to making bespoke Tudor houses, the other a lady who wants to bring houses into the modern age with a contemporary edge.

All three of these makers are pushing the boundaries of miniatures to make a difference to a hobby which applauds creativity and rewards imagination. I hope that when you visit Miniatura you will enjoy seeing their work as much as they clearly enjoy making it.

Radical Miniatures

Sahaya James has many interests: miniatures, clay modelling, sewing, animals, environmental and ethical issues, eco-friendly materials, designs, fashion being just some of them and, for her, making dolls is the best combination of all of these.

Her dolls are all individually handmade without moulds, and are in 1/12, 1/24 and 1/48 scales. Most of them have 6 to 8 joints and are therefore posable. All are made of paperclay, terracotta stoneware, organic unbleached cotton and kapok, except for some that are made from recycled materials such as packaging, waste paper and tins.

The range includes anthropomorphic animals, aliens and fashion. The anthropomorphic animal dolls include cats, badgers, foxes and other animals, especially endangered ones. Each doll is one-of-a-kind, and she is happy to consider commissions.

Sahaya’s commitment to ethical issues extends to the clothing and accessories for the dolls. She uses non-toxic eco-paints, organic cotton fabric and yarn, and plant dyes for the fabrics. All the materials are sourced from ethical companies and, as far as possible, from within Europe.

The dolls are an excellent example of how committed miniaturists are to ‘getting it right’ and the beauty of the miniature phenomenon of minimum impact causing maximum effect.

K.J.Dollshouses

KJ Dollhouses is run solely by Kevin Jackson, who has spent the last 20 years building real houses at exhibitions, such as The Daily Mail Ideal Home Show, and the BBC Good Home Show, and over that time has built fully finished houses for some of the most well known names in the country, ranging from house builders and High Street stores, to well known interior designers and architects.

Being that these houses were built for exhibition and sales purposes, the exacting standards to which they had to be finished were to the highest demands.  Kevin retired in 2009, and decided to turn what had been a hobby, building 12th scale Tudor dollhouses, into a full time interest, to which, out of his own choice, he builds to his own very high standards, which has become second nature to him during his career.
 
Over the years Kevin has shipped houses to numerous countries, including America and several countries in Europe.

He is focusing on making bespoke Tudor houses by way of commissions only and is already building a reputation for great service and quality workmanship. Good work needs to be seen at first hand to be truly appreciated which is why so many dedicated collectors attend Miniatura.

Each house takes 4 to 6 weeks to build so you will only see Kevin at 3 or 4 shows a year and we happy to say that Miniatura will be amongst these.

So make sure you pay a visit to K.J.Dollshouses at Miniatura where you will get to see The York, a large house with 12 rooms and 12 lift off panels.

The Contemporary Home in Miniature

Leanne Bartlett has been involved in the dolls’ house hobby for the last five years and has built and decorated countless ‘kits’. Leanne’s fascination with the modern era, inspired in part by the growing number of modern furnishings and accessories, eventually led to frustration when she couldn’t source the styles of building she really wanted to house them all in.

So Leanne came to the same conclusion that all creative people reach when faced with such problems, she decided to do it herself. Leanne’s combined her passion for design, many years experience of making Tudor, Georgian and Victorian dollshouses and even her father’s aircraft engineering background to set about bringing a new and exciting choice of modern miniature houses to the dollshouse collector.

Leanne has been an avid visitor to Miniatura over the last few years and has been in awe of the standard and choice of miniatures on display.  She is very appreciative of the advice and encouragement from both the craftsmen and women, and the show organisers alike. She says “my transition  from visitor to exhibitor seems like the next step on the ladder to becoming part of what already feels like a large family."

Designing and creating her own small range of modern houses has been a labour of love and the enthusiasm she brings to the business is infectious. Speak to Leanne for just a few minutes about her houses and you will be left with no illusions as to why she is doing it, she simply loves miniatures.

These and thousands of other incredible marvels of ingenious creativity are there for you to appreciate at the next Miniatura International Show held at the NEC Birmingham on March 19th & 20th 2011.