Definitely deedy handiwork

As you can see from my friend’s doll’s house work, Isla has always had a good eye, steady hands and an inexhaustible amount of concentration.

About 20 years ago, she decided to go on a 3 day basket weaving course. These are some of the items she subsequently made (not sure which were made on the course – perhaps all of them)

Egg basket of willow - note change in weave and fancy edges

Lovely shape to bottom of egg basket

Doll's Moses Basket with discreat increase in height for head end - sort of a gusset in cane

Great even plaited edging!

Cane chair for doll or teddy

Side view showing full outline

A dear friend

I’ve mentioned a few times that a friend set me on the path of doll’s house miniatures and construction, and I thought, with her permission, I’d like to introduce her to you.

Her name is Isla and I’ve known her for about 5 years now, I think.

She has always been superb at craft work across a broad field: basket work, embroidery, card making, patchwork, knitting – you get the idea. She was, at one time, a professional florist and won many competitions with her arrangements. She tries to keep me straight with how to prepare flowers, but I think I will need much more teaching before I get the hang of it.

For family reasons she needed to take up a craft that involved less travelling about, and 10 years ago or so Isla decided to build a doll’s house.

She selected a Georgian kit and wired the whole thing through, decorated throughout and made carpets, soft furnishings and some of the furniture. More recently she has been working on smaller projects involving room boxes and displays.

Her work is a mixture of “Isla designed and made” and bought in items, which she always blends beautifully.

I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do. I owe my friend a great debt of gratitude for introducing me to the miniature obsession.

Here are a few examples of her work – click on the pictures and ‘enjoy’

Georgian exterior and interior		Hand stitched stair carpet
Child's bedroom carpet	Crocheted kitchen rug	Rug in Cook's bedroom
Beautiful patchwork quilt	Siting room sofa and rug	and matching armchair
Bedroom based on magazine article - made in the last 12 months	Foot of bed and rug - Isla decided to design her own bedspread	and bolster cushions etc
and of course, the palm	Hat shop & haberdashery - last 6 months	Current work - a room box to be furnished with Isla designed sofa