Some ceramics and pottery for your viewing pleasure

No current minis to put up a post about - at the moment I'm finishing orders and working on a swap with the lovely Sans, so instead I thought you might enjoy some eye candy -

Miniature ceramics are one of my very favourite things. I can't make them myself, but I admire the skill of those miniaturists who can. So I collect them, and simply enjoy them. Most are destined for my various houses and settings not yet made.
Clockwise from top left:
Pottery bowls by JDWolfe at Etsy
Group of four fine art pots by Jon Almeda , bought on some of his rare eBay auctions.
Nesting bowls, also pitcher and beakers by Marie-Luce Pelletier at SP Miniatures
Large bowl from Merry Gourmet Miniatures
Green teapot by Sam Dunlap at SP Miniatures
Three mugs, decorative plate, candle holder by Jane Graber at SP Miniatures
Jugs from the French pottery collection at SP Miniatures
Cider mug and pottery inkwell by Butt Hinge at SP Miniatures
Three Tudor slipware items from Duncan White at Small Wonders Miniatures
Five pottery bowls by Alex Meiklejohn at SP Miniatures
Small bowl and very large garden bowl by Carol Mann , Carol's work is also at Ann High, a fabulous site for medieval items!!
Green pottery by Jason Feltrope - sorry I can't find any links for Jason.
Crocks and stoneware bought at the Sydney Miniatures Show - sorry I can't remember the makers.

And lastly, here's a colonial walk-in fireplace and fire tools by Braxton Payne - this is going to be in my hobbit hole.
Hope you enjoyed these!

Life before minis - weaving

Warning - no minis here - just me wittering on about my past craft lives!!
Weaving is a craft which I was pursuing before the miniatures bug claimed me - I haven't done any for some time now! I have two small portable rigid heddle looms, and have made a lot of scarves, most of which I gave as gifts. My favourite yarn is Noro silk and wool mix, which is so beautifully dyed, and the texture is yummy!! The three scarves at top left are of this yarn. The shawl is a moebius shawl, made as a rectangle and twisted once before joining the seam. This works so well as a shawl or scarf, as it sits so comfortably! This was made from rectangles made on a hand-held 6" x 4" Weavette loom, and crocheted together.

The white shawl at the bottom left is a true piece of retro!! I made it in the 1970s 'back to the land' era - I kept the sheep, I did the shearing myself, spun the wool and crocheted the shawl. Totally hand-made!! The sheep was part merino, so the wool was extremely fine and soft. And because the fleece was so dense, it took me ages to shear the poor sheep - it fell asleep while I was doing it!!!

I love thread and textiles - and I wasn't surprised when I did family history to find that one branch of my family were in the textile industry in Bradford in Yorkshire in the mid 19th century. It just feels right to me when I work with thread or yarn.

Life before minis - bobbin lace

Another craft dealt a fatal blow by the nerve damage I sustained 14 years ago - I was heart-broken, as this was my absolute favourite thing in the world!! I had just started in earnest to design my own lace, and was flying high when I was halted abrubtly.
I gave away a lot of lace, so I haven't got much left.
I started as most lacemakers do, with the more traditional lace techniques - point ground (that's the one with the typical fine hexagonal background stitch), torchon (the easiest, on a square grid) and tape lace.
Detail - the horseshoe shaped collar took over 100 pairs of lace bobbins at the widest part. It took over 100 hours to make.

Modern lace - my favourite, especially the lace designed by Jana Novak at Moravia Lace, and Eeva Liisa Kortelahti in Finland.

Above is a lace picture of leaves, adapted from a design by Jana Novak.

Are there any other lacemakers who also make minis out there?

Life before minis - embroidery

While they're accessible, I'm cataloguing some of my past craft works - I'm putting up some photos here if anyone may be interested. (If you want details of the designers, e-mail me.)
These are some of my better efforts at cross stitch, needlepoint and embroidery, very few of them designed by me - the raven and occult symbols is one.

These have remained out of sight for over 14 years now since I damaged the nerves in my arms, one event and your whole life changes!!
I can't afford to get them framed, and I've considered making a patchwork out of them, but I think that would look too 'patchy', lol. Has anyone done this with similar work? Did it work well?

A deer design by Jan Messent in fine wool in Bayeux stitch. I love this !!





The blue/green needlepoint at top centre is my own design.
The free embroidery in the middle is from a kit by Stef Francis, whose website is well worth a visit if you like beautiful threads - check out the kits!! The dyed silk cocoons below are from her, they were such fun to embroider!! Or you can search for 'Stef Francis images' for a quick colourful pick-me-up!