Were you, like me, obsessed with the giant doll's house that used to be on display at Canterbury Museum - soaking up the teeny light fittings, tiny dinner plates, and little fireplaces with greedy eyes? How jealous am I of the Museum staff members who got to play with catalogue all its contents earlier this year as part of their inventorying project?
Miniature making has been having a real renaissance in the last few years, and I can't help thinking that some of it is mental health related. If you're at all familiar with anxiety - and what with earthquakes, terrorism, and Covid, who isn't? - then you'll understand how pleasing and calming it can be to dive, body and mind, into a craft, and one that allows you to create order from chaos is an added bonus. Real house a mess? There are now kits you can purchase which provide everything you need to make the kitchen, reading nook, or even coffee shop of your dreams. Everything tidy and oh so cosy. There are even petite bookcases you can buy that allow you to shake all the tiny books off the shelves just so you can have the undeniably pleasurable experience of shelving them and making them all tidy again. Bliss.
But if you prefer to make and plan your own miniature models there are lots of library resources that will offer inspiration, equipment, tips and more.
In the catalogue
Get ideas and tips on how to make perfectly formed miniature objects from the following titles:
And if dollhouses are your thing, there are resources specifically about them
At the library
We have equipment and software at our Auahatanga - Creative Spaces that can definitely be of use to the miniatures hobbyist. Laser cutters allow for precision cutting, useful for small, fiddly items. Vinyl can be printed with designs for flooring, artworks, book covers and more, and cut to shape by our vinyl cutting equipment. And our 3D printers can create a range of small objects.
The best way to find out just how you can use this tech is to come along to one of our Creative Time sessions and discuss your ideas with one of our helpful staff members or Book a Creative for a one-on-one introduction to our resources.
Add a comment to: Small but perfectly formed: The fascinating world of miniatures