My good friend, Barb, makes amazing miniature turnings. These are wood vases and bowls made by spinning wood on a lathe and using a tool to shape the wood as it spins.
I tried turning once … it was hilarious if you think trainwrecks are funny! It was a simple cabinet drawer knob. Mine looked like a piece of wood that had been chewed on by a beaver!
So I have IMMENSE respect for people who make turnings. Barb gives me turnings for my birthday and other special occasions (ssssh – this is really why I’m friends with her)
I have so many that I made a roombox to display them.
While I’m terrible at turning, I apparently have some upholstery skills because I made both armchairs. The leather chair on the right – I made in a class taught by Nancy Summers.
Then the chair on the left is a kit I bought from her and made on my own. The fabric is from my one trip to Mood Fabrics in NYC. (If you watch Project Runway, you’ll know what Mood is.) The fabric is a gorgeous brocade silk I got from their selection of necktie fabrics. You can find great small scale prints when you look for necktie fabric – remnants, etc. I’ve actually gone into menswear fabric stores in NYC and asked them for the ends of bolts. It used to be that you could find great ties at thrift stores but nobody wears ties anymore- at least where I live in super-casual Austin!
The table in the middle is a Layne Halliday piece as well as the coffee table on the right.
Kim's Miniature Scene 