Finished! The sofa.
IT’S FINALLY DONE! 🪑✨ Meet my newly finished sofa.
I didn’t want to leave the original design — so I changed the proportions completely. Less depth, shorter length. I wanted it to feel lighter, smaller, but still nice and cozy. 
The weaving of the seat took FOREVER.My eyes are tired, but I loved every second of it! Look at that texture! I love the feeling of the finest silk texture.
Now? Deep breath. And then… on to the next project. Because I already have too many ideas floating around. 😅 Tell me — would you dare to weave a whole seat by yourself? 🙌👇
Французский игровой столик – закончен.
The project I needed to finish two years ago. A French Game Table, the first one went to the auction at IGMA school. I was going to make two of them actually, but I didn’t have enough time to finish it. Besides, I realized that I needed to improve the overall design of the brass mounts, my porcelain painting skills needed an upgrade as well. The inside mount is designed and stitched by me on a 72 count silk gauze. The insert of such a complex form made me cry several times while mounting it, I’m still not very happy about it, but here it is. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed with the whole thing to be honest. I’m happy it’s done. Time to turn the page and move on.
It’s been a long time…
It’s been two years since my last post here. This year was full of events. Events that were so unbelievable, that I couldn’t get back to my workshop again. All my thoughts, concerns shifted to a real life, my family. Through all these years I was making posts in other social media platforms, it seemed at the time that it would be always like that. I’d go to the shows in April-May, then IGMA school, maybe another show in autumn, or even exam to pass. Anyway, most of my plans don’t matter anymore.
But I still make miniatures and intend to do so in the future.
I’d love to show some of my miniature projects that were finished quite some time ago, but weren’t shown here in my blog.
Let’s start with these two Italian footstools, you can find a process of making them in one of my videos on my Youtube channel.
The first painted lacquer cabinet, that was made for PIMA awards at Kensington Dollshouse Festival, the second one was made later.
Another Italian project, and armchair, quite complex carving, lots of gold and oil painting.
One of my favorite and one of the smallest projects:
Another favorite, lots of details, that I thought I’d never be able to achieve.
Another Italian piece, this time in scagliola technique. I’m really proud that I was able to make it in miniature.
A French side table, made for IGMA school auction.
There’s so much more to show. Till the next time!
IGMA Artisan.
Получила! Для тех кто не совсем в курсе – есть такая международная организация, которая объединяет миниатюристов по всему миру, называется IGMA – International Guild of Miniature Artisans, в гильдию можно вступить любому (однако нужно платить ежегодный взнос), а можно еще получить статус Artisan (еще выше Fellow), который подтверждает высокое качество ваших работ. Статус дается тем, кто отправил свои работы на рассмотрение и получил положительное решение гильдии. Каковы преимущества у тех, кто получил статус артизана? Можно преподавать в гильдийской школе, участвовать в гильдийском шоу, которое проводится каждый год в сентябре, ну и приятный бонус для ваших клиентов. Правда, преподавать я пока не планирую, да и гильдийское шоу мне неудобно по времени, но это уже совсем другая история.
Выше пять предметов, которые я отправляла на экзамен. Отправка, нужно сказать, дело весьма хлопотное. Из сопроводительных документов нужно было предоставить анкету, которую можно скачать на сайте гильдии. Я также приложила небольшую книжечку о пяти предметах, которые я сделала с фото и описанием процесса работы.
Начну с самого любимого предмета, пуф, для которого я вышила по своему дизайну обивку (это шелковая канва 56 каунта и Глориана Тюдор шелк). Деревянная часть – айвори, новая для меня порода. Прекрасна для миниатюры, ужасно дорогая. Довольно сложно резать правда из-за того, что очень-очень светлая, нужно определенное освещение.
A drafting table.
As I wrote many times I hate working with metal, but this is the only thing that interests me now. Funny enough, I love brass casting, maybe because the only thing I have to do is model making.
Anyway, one day I notice those wonderful vintage drafting tables and architect’s tables and fall in love with them. It’s a very unconventional item, not many people want them in their dollhouses, but it was a chance for me to try metal construction. It became so easy for me planning a piece for woodworking purposes that I thought metal would be something similar for me. Oh boy, I was wrong, big time.
The table I made is simple, but there are couple of things that maybe not so easy to make – gears for height adjustment, table top angle adjustment. The parts are quite big, so you cannot just solder them together (and of course I thought I could when I was making a 3d model).
Here are casted pieces
Chippendale Firescreen
After pretty successful experience with higher count petit point, I decided that I can make another screen, but this time on 90 count silk gauze. I found this screen in a book dedicated to Thomas Chippendale 300th anniversary of birth. It’s pretty tall 169.5cm high, the screen itself is pretty large too.
I should also say that the original screen is fully made of wood, in my version a pole and a finial are made of brass. The finial was traditional too, but I made a parrot 🙂
The screen is stitched on a 90 count silk gauze, with Chinese silk floss.
Adams Style Table.
It’s done!
The carved elements were gilted, the rest of the table is painted with acrylic gouache. Later during Chicago show I was lucky to speak to Robert Dawson, who suggested that inner parts of the table, a vase and the flowers were made of bronze. So I decided to make a new version of this table. With the real marble table top and cast bronze parts. But it’ll be a different color. I think that both table and marble top will be beige.
Adams style table
I’m a fan of on of the books on European furniture, almost every piece there is on my to-do list. This table happened to be the first one I actually made.
A bit of process below, I made several carved elements, all of them gone to my “virtual” trash bin. I wanted the carving to be more expressive.
French commodes. Part 2
I wrote about these commodes many months ago, I was hoping to be able to update my blog very often, but some commissions happened plus I was very busy for my Chicago show, so it’s my first time when I can finally get back to my blog.
These two commodes are, of course, are done. They went to Tom Bishop Chicago International show, one of them came back to Moscow.
Литье латуни.
После долгих метаний и поисков, литейщик нашел меня сам 🙂 Несколько дней ожидания и мой первый комплект из латуни для мебели уже готов.
Результат меня очень и очень порадовал! Попробую еще чуток доработать отливки, но, в целом, для первого раза все вполне даже ничего.
Я сразу пять комплектов себе заказала, полностью предмет покажу, когда соберу комод. Еще бы вот так найти умельцев, кто может делать каменные столешницы. Не хочется просить забугорных сотоварищей, если честно. Будем искать, что делать.
Но какие мысли меня посетили – этож сколько предметов я не хотела в свое время делать просто потому, что не знала с чего начать с этим художественным литьем. А на деле все не так страшно, немного мучений с воском, несколько неделей поисков литейщиков. И вот, результат. Теперь пора доставать с пыльной полки все те книжки, которые так вдохновляли, искать те предметы, что казались недоступными и начать уже делать и их.