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The Day After
So where was I ? Yes, the day after....Day 213, a balmy Sunday afternoon with me trying to weave a basket crib.
The picture above was what the Living Room looked like in the morning. I was staring at it when FaiZ walked past and told me that crib has to be sized down to 2/3rd of what it was.
I had made the crib from the basket on the left by cutting the top part off. Obviously that was not good enough.
So I took out my book on basket making and some paper strings and started weaving. Yes, I was trying to make a miniature basket using life size technique and it was very very hard. Truth is I didn't even understand the instructions in the book half the time and the other half, I didn't have the right tools.
Weaving was painstaking and I was at this point (see left pic) when my sister walked in and asked me what I was up to. I told her I was trying to make a basket. SuZ had learnt how to weave baskets in school and assured me that I was doing the weaving right. Then she looked at the original basket I used and asked me what it was for. A crib, I said. You mean, you wanted it this way? I looked up and saw that she had held the basket and squeezed it at the edges so that it looked like ....
Alright, this is what it looks like now, after all the bells and whistles. Literally. It's the same basket I had used but squeezed. SuZ made this crib for me by tying the basket at the bottom to make this shape. She also added the bells so that when the baby wakes, mama can hear her wriggling in the basket. She also picked the blanket.
Inside the crib, I have included the doll made for me by Mercedes. This doll is wearing a sari. The rattle toy is a metal finding painted by me.
Inside the crib, I have included the doll made for me by Mercedes. This doll is wearing a sari. The rattle toy is a metal finding painted by me.
Today, SuZ came by again and I asked her for help with the curtain. So this is the latest version and my favourite so far. Anyway, with that, the living room is completed for now. Except for the rug which is not suitable as it is a prayer rug. I am stitching one now for this room and hoping it will be finished before the end of the year.
52 comments:
Clever idea to have the crib basket hanging from the ceiling. Love the idea of adding the bells..xxx
Your basket crib is very authentic, Sans! I love it! And the lovely toys and the blanket complete it. The real material you took makes a total realistic look. I believe that the making was very, very hard. But the result is worth every minute you invested in.
What a luck for you having such a nice and competent sister.
I have the materials to weave a basket...but I never tried it. When I look at your pictures I think that I can't do it. It looks very complicate.
You did a great job, Sans! Congratulations!
Hugs and greetings
Marion
The crib is perfect, looks so cute with the bells, rattle and doll. I like the rug too but know you will make the perfect rug.
Victoria : )
Love the "palna". Love the little bells and rattles...........love the way the home is beginning to look more "homey". You think of everything...it's all in the details!
Sans, siento tener que decirtelo pero entre tu canasta y la de tu hermana....voto por tu hermana jejejeje.
Dale mi enhorabuena, le ha quedado preciosa, la mantita queda genial y esos sonajeros muy originales.
Me encanta esa habitacion, se ve tan bonita.
besitos ascension
Te quedó una cuna muy hermosa, aunque te haya costado trabo.
The crib is absolutely perfect Sans! Hmmm, I could use a Suz in my home once in a while, LOL. Like what GB said, it IS all in the details, and you are one of the best in that area!
Beautiful crib, Sans! The room looks just great! And I can't wait to see the rug you are making! :D
What a nice room, Susan. I really admire your work, you have a fantastic eye for both the details and the whole. It is allways a feast for the eyes to visit your blog.
Love, Susanne
Otra pespectiva de las cosas ayuda mucho :) ¡Bien por tu hemana!
Besos Clara
Ha!! The passing comment of another person can be eye-opening, sometimes surprising, and usually cause changes which are unexpected.
And the simple act of squeezing the basket was brilliant!
This room is a feast for the mind and spirit :)
Sans, Been a fan the entire time I was blogless!! The palace is drop-dead gorgeous, magical. Love escaping to your blog :^)
I really like the atmosphere in this room ...
beautiful, really beautiful!
have a new look to your blog? the music is very beautiful, sweetly accompanies reading ...
but I do not see a translator, here ... : (
thanks for your always kind comments on my blog!
kisses, Caterina
love looking at ur works!
It's wonderful Sans, what a great idea, and thanks to heaven for clever sisters ;)
*Sigh* SO Beautiful! That basket crib is just GORGEOUS! Oh, what a sister you have! Isn't it wonderful when they give just the right nudge in the right direction? I have to confess, I had NO idea what you were going to put in this room... after the upstairs rooms it seememd impossible to improve them! But you have imagined everything they would need and made everything so beautifully! I have never tried to weave a basket.... you are very brave to make your first basket a mini!! Really, Sans, that crib is gorgeous!
Thank you Debbie :). The idea of hanging the crib from the ceiling is not mine :). I have seen a basket crib done this way in a photo of a village house in India. :):)
I found this one on the net:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66201174@N00/33368054/
Even here in Singapore, my siblings and I slept in cloth cradle that was hung from the ceiling :) . I am shocked to see that they are now exhibiting this kind of cloth cradle in a museum : http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fwucYn2fgCRZYc93ZdvlIA. I feel as ancient as my living room now :)
I think it is still a common practice in India though and there's this temple where one goes to wish for a baby by tying a mini cloth cradle at the temple tree :). Pic here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/sankars/2724577516/
Marion, :):) thank you for thinking I made the basket crib but I am afraid, that was not the case.:):)
My sister modified the basket that I had used originally by squeezing it and then tying the bottom to keep the shape. I bought this basket at the S$2 store and you are absolutely right about how realistic it is. It is made of reed and they definitely used the traditional method of weaving to make this. I found this out when I was cutting the basket. So unless they have machines to help you weave these baskets which I don't think they have , I believe it was handmade, probably in India or China, even Thailand.
If you want to see how mini baskets can be made this way, you should check out Casey's Minis at http://caseymini.blogspot.com/search/label/baskets. Her baskets are awesome.
Marion, I think we both can probably eventually weave a basket. We just need to invest the time and maybe a teacher ? :):)
Yo Vic :):). I am making a decent progress on my current rug. But this week is a hellish one for me so I will have very little time for miniatures.
So is it a rattle toy or rattler? :):)I think you are right. Rattler is a snake. :):)
Is palna "cradle / crib"? What language is it? I can't get it translated in Google except it is a polish word for firearms ..haha ! :)
You know I wanted to do a room tour in this post but I got tired. Everytime I think of room tours, I think of you, Gagan :):)
Hi Sans, I join the choir. I'mback from Paris and been at home for 15 min but I knew that you might have written something! The Rollas love the crib and only wish there might be a baby inside sooner or later. Tell SuZ that when I'll need any advice I shall write to her, bening the basket was a stroke of genius. Hugs Rosanna
Gagan, when googling "palna" I found this documentary called "Palna's Daughters" . Palna is an orphanage in India and the documentary revolves around this little girl called Devi who was adopted by a Finnish couple from the orphanage. 2/3 into the documentary, Devi explained that palna means "crib" and how there was a basket crib outside the orphanage where mothers and fathers who could not take care of their child can leave their child there.
It was a very moving documentary and you can watch it here : http://www.lidf.co.uk/lidf09/films/palnas-daughters/
It's a lovely crib. Will you put a baby in it ?
how wonderful that your sister is seeing the way in your mini world also Sans!! I love the bells- I always click your pictures bigger so I can take in every fabulous detail :)
Were you able to add an extra touch of poetry in this room already so intimate and evocative ... The crib is beautiful, it seems that I had prepared for Elisa (just was not hanging from the ceiling) ...
A wonder :-)
Flora
Mi Ascensión querida, tengo que felicitarlo por su excelente sabor.)
Si había elegido mi cuna, yo hubiera sabido que sólo ser amable :):). Yo amo a mi hermana, aunque ella me ha dicho que mi cerebro izquierdo no está funcionando bien .. jajajajajaja!
Seu trabalho está fascinante, adoro as cores vivas do ambiente e a forma natural que dispõem as miniaturas. Parabens.
Beijos
Gracias, Rosamagarita para dejar un comentario. Gracias también por el cumplido. Voy a dejar que mi hermana sabe que le gusta su cuna:):)
Kristy, I am not bragging about my sister (ok, of course I am :) ) but I have a sister who's left brain is so superior, some Chinese may want to make soup with it to enhance their own brain power :).
I am lucky that I have creative people around me to give me ideas. Sometimes even more interesting that they are not into miniatures so that their perspective is like a breath of fresh air.
And plzzzzzzzzzz! How can I possibly be that much more into details than any of you. Show me a miniature lover who's not into details and I will show you a real life mouse who can sew and read :):):)
Ewa , it seems that's all I am doing this past few days. I started it when I went to Sri Lanka and like a good book, could not put it down. I have make big mistakes with it and am thinking of ways to come up with designs to cover up the mistake. This made me think maybe I will come up with my own design for the next carpet..jajajajajjaja! I may be working mini but my mind and ambition leaps in giant steps that my hands cannot keep up :).
And you weave too! It's absolutely amazing, more so with each new element. It's like watching a play, new characters, new entrances, and the story progresses so beautifully. I'm entranced, you know!
Wonderful and you are so lucky to have a sis to share all of this with. All my sister wants to do is shop for shoes lol
¡Listo Sans!!!! Ya pude entrar ( =
Que canastos mas pero mas maravillosos!!
Un abrazo
Flor
Susanne， thank you from the bottom of my heart :). Those compliments are precious and will keep me going even when I am not feeling very creative.
I love cold weather seeing as I live in the tropics but my left brains don't work so well in the cold. I wonder why .
Estoy de acuerdo con usted, Clara, 100%! :)
El envío de besos de mi hermana y yo:)
Glenda, when I finish the rug, I will show the room in some details. There is something of yours I use in this room that I am extremely pleased with and I just have to show it off :)
I love passing comments especially when they are compliments ..hehe! But I really treasure and appreciate feedback on how I can improve although I will be lying if I say they always make me happy! LOL
Thank goodness for my sis or I will be tearing my hair out for not resolving the crib. The curtain is still bugging me a bit -not really Indian tribal enough and the way it's hung is a bit too contemporary.....sighhhh. lol
Alison!!!!!! Thank you for visiting! I can't believe you had been here before and wow, such sweet words. Maybe you mistook me for someone else..LOL! :)
Don't take this wrongly but you nearly made me quit minis !! I saw what you did on Kiva's then visited you at your blog and read that you had only started mini last year. I showed my house mate your work and told him, shit ,I think I will quit mini now. And do you know what he said? Take heart, my dear, stop comparing because you are both so different. Just stay with the "untidy look" and you will be ok! hahaha. :):) He is right of course, I am even untidy in person.
You inspire me , Alison :)
Caterina, I am not sure if you know of this bug where you visit someone's bog and a red page comes on and warns you that the site is a phishing site. A phishing site is one where information of visitor will be captured and then misused.
My blog was flagged as one of these sites. I found out that this is because of the translator widget (the one with the different flags) so I had to remove it and it is now alright. I will find an appropriate translator soon. In the meantime, if you cut and paste my blog address in a Google Translate box, my blog will be translated.
Thank you for your sweet comments, Caterina and your feedback. :)
Hey Ms /Mr Pineapple :):)! Thank you for visiting :)! I just popped over to your blog and am inclined to think that you are a Ms :):) -compliment of course and because you are whimsical, a little crazy and very funny :) in a very good way !
Good to see you here !
Hallelujah,Norma! :) And I have 2 -double happiness indeed:)
Betsy, THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!!!!! :):) I just had to shout that out ! You cannot imagine how glad I am that this week is over! Hooray!
I also want to thank you for the sweetest compliments. I love it when I spend time like this with my sis. It's so much better than the smoke breaks we used to have when all we could feel was stress stress stress. Now that I have quit smoking and taken up minis, I am always a little surprised that SuZ would spend time just sitting down with me to create something for the house. :)
The day I really weave a basket, I will pat myself on the back and be sure I will be bragging about it here..hehe. Until then, my weaving is at best elementary and at worst, a disaster! :):):) Until I am in the mood to weave again, that piece of base that I had weaved will have to stay in the basket of strings and be forgotten. Now what shall I make today?....
Dear Rosanna, I haven't populated the house yet. Truth is I did want to dress up a baby (haha for the Freudian slip) for the crib but I could not remember where I had put my baby dolls. The baby was supposed to be a boy . Do you think he will like the doll?
Anyway, I hope to eventually populate this house with at least 2 children :) if the baby is to be a girl because in some way, I built this crib to display Mercedes' doll. So my baby must like the doll.
I still don't believe you haven't met SuZ. You have met the rest of my family, haven't you? And of course, she will gladly help you, Rosanna :).
Hey Poppets, I definitely want a baby in there. :):) Hope he /she will fit :)
Thank you Kim :). I use my photos to see where I went wrong as well :).
I always enlarge pics on minis and am disappointed when they don't enlarge to at least half my screen :):). So I always make mine at least 15 by 20 :) which mean they are screen saver size (most fo teh time) :)
Arghh, I meant most of the time! Does anyone else always type "teh" instead of "the"? LOL
Haha, Flora, did you really have a similar life size one? Dare I be bold and say "great minds think a like?"
Roberto, eu sempre estou tão emocionada de ver você no meu blog. E estou ainda mais quando você tomou o momento de me deixar palavras de incentivo.
Beijos
AMYYYY!!! You are here! Wow!
I wish it is not 4.15am in the morning right now so that I can organise not only a coherent but eloquent reply. Alas, all I can do is gush :) and say Thank you , Amy.
By the way, Amy, as I was typing my reply to you, Chet Baker's Time After Time came on. I thought that is appropriately an Amy kind of song :). Just curious if I am right :).
OMG Jayne! I think you have just echoed what my sister thought of me! hahahaha. I think for a short period of my life , shopping for shoes was my favourite past-time :)
Me alegro, Flor, muy contento de verte por aquí:). Ahora tengo que encontrar un botón de traducción que es bastante lo suficiente como para que usted pueda comprender lo que he escrito:)
No tengo mucho tiempo ... pero NO PUEDO dejar de entrar a decirte lo maravillosa que te está quedando esta habitación , todos y cada uno de los detalles ,estan magnificamente pensados y hechos ... me tienes absolutamente fascinada. Prometo volver en cuanto tenga un poco de tiempo ... Mariajo
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