Tutorial - Drapes or Curtains from Vintage Hankies

Can you sew on a button?  Then you can make these curtains.  Don't let my wordiness or the pinning and steaming deter you from trying this.  It is much easier than it looks, especially since old hankies are so soft and easy to gather.  It was hard to photograph these drapes installed because I put them inside a glass sided lantern display and had to shoot through the glass (you can see my phone in the reflection).

Supplies:  For the pinning board: Ceiling tile from Home Depot or Lowes (the acoustical type made of some sort of pressed cardboard, ask to buy a single tile), graph paper with 1/4 inch squares (here is a link to print if you don't have it on hand: http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/gp/c-i-14.pdf), wax paper and masking or duct tape.

For the curtain panels: antique hanky with lace trim, twist jump rings about 1/4 inch or 8mm diameter, needle, matching thread, steam iron or clothing steamer (or spray bottle of clean water, no soap!), silk pins or bug pins AND T-pins or heavy sewing pins, a bamboo skewer or section of coat hanger (rod) that will go through the rings, 5 or 6 large plastic beads (double the ring size), Deft spray sealer or unscented hair spray.

Make the pinning board:
First, if you don't have one already, make a pinning board.  Don't use the tiles with a impressed pattern or frame pressed on it - you need a flat surface.  The textured type (with lots of irregular holes) should be OK.  Cut the tile if necessary to 1 or 2 feet square.  Place a piece of graph paper on the tile lining it up with two edges.  Cover the graph paper with wax paper wrapping it to the back and secure with tape.  Here is what mine looks like after years of use (the white shapes under the wax paper are left over pattern pieces from some past drapery project).

Prepare your Hanky:
For the drapes in the photo I used two very old hankies.  Both had wide lace around all four sides. 

If they are really discolored you can try to wash them.  I suggest you try it first on one hanky that you don’t care about – just to make sure it doesn’t ruin the lace.  I washed several hankies in Oxy Clean powder.  Just run hot water into a bowl and sprinkle the oxy-clean (about ½ scoop) into the bowl so it dissolves.  Then I just soaked the hankies overnight.  It might not get rid of all the discoloration but it will brighten them somewhat.  I found it to be very gentle on the old lace.  When done soaking, rinse them in cold water and squeeze them gently (don’t twist or ring!).  Then roll them up in a clean towel and squeeze the towel to absorb most of the water. 

Make sure your iron is clean.  Even if you THINK it is clean, use a presscloth (I use an old pillowcase).  It's OK to iron them when they are damp as long as you're using a press cloth.  Iron the hankies and the lace on low to medium heat.  Choose the direction you want them to hang (or cut them down to avoid stains, holes, etc).  

For one of my panels I removed the lace from two opposite sides leaving lace only on the top and bottom.  On the other I removed only one edge of lace leaving it on three sides, including the swagged side.  You can see the difference in the photos.  I just cut very close to the hem where the lace was attached keeping the original folded hem intact.  The lace you cut off can be reused for tons of projects (towels, pillow edging, photo albums, etc).  DON'T THROW IT AWAY! (That would be a sin!).

Sewing the Rings
For the top of my panels I folded the lace over to the front of the panel (since my hankies were much too long for where I wanted my curtains to go).  I just tacked on rings  with 3 or 4 stitches each, spaced about 3/4 of an inch apart along the top fold.  I knotted between each ring but didn't cut the thread, I just put the needle through the top hem to the next ring location. I ended up sewing on 11 rings per panel.  My rings sometimes had a gap where it didn't come together (see in photo by my thumb) so on these I rotated the ring so the gap was at top and put some glue on the stitches to keep the ring from rotating back down and coming apart from the stitches.

Pinning the Drapes into gathers:
Next, put the rod through all the rings of one panel.  Put the large plastic beads on the skewer (rod) at the outer edge of the panel to hold the rod away from the pin board so the rings won't smash against the board. Using T-pins or heavy sewing pins, pin the rod to the board along the grid lines so that the panel is lined up close to the edge of the pin board and far enough up from the bottom to allow the panel to stretch in length when pulled down.  Pins should be angled up so the rod doesn't pull off when pulling down on the lace.  You need the heavier pins to hold the rod up since you will be pulling on the bottom of the drapes while pinning. (Sorry I didn't take a photo when the bottom hem was pinned in place - below is after steaming and some pins still in place)

Slide the rings and the beads to one side until the panel is the width you want for your finished curtain.  Pin the outer rings so they won't slide apart. Keep the beads near the T-pins to hold the rod away from the board.  Now gently GENTLY pull on the bottom lace and pin it in place using thin silk or bug pins.  Don't worry about the swag or curved side yet!  Just try to get both sides to look natural as if hanging straight.  Pull pins out and re-adjust them as needed easing the fabric so it looks evenly gathered.  Put pins top, middle or bottom as needed but at least at the bottom.  This is trial and error and I usually remove and repin a lot.

Now if you wanted both sides to be straight move on to the next step.  If you want one side to be swagged -- as if held up by a tie back follow these steps:  Remove the pins from the outer 4 or 5 pleats while keeping all the others intact. (If you think you need more 'swag' then you can remove more pins).  Pick a place, a little higher than 1/2 way down and put a pin in the fabric on the side you are pulling back.  Pull that pin, still poked through the panel, slowly up and angled away from the outer swagged edge.  Stick it in the board.  Now using fingers or a tweezer, pull on the fabric above where the pin is and shape the folds into gentle curves. Keep arranging and re-pinning as necessary until all folds in the curve are smooth and follow the line of the swag. 

Now for the area UNDER that pin (the one that will be the tieback).  These pleats should hang STRAIGHT DOWN from the tieback (photo below, RIGHT side), not bounce away from the panel (like the photo below LEFT side - it needs to be re-pinned and re-steamed).  Re-pin the bottom hem where you removed the pins to swag it.  They should look something like the photos.

RIGHT side looks more natural; LEFT is too wide

 Steaming and Spraying:
When you have your panels how you like them us a steam iron or clothes steamer to steam the folds in place.  If you don't have either of these you can wet the panels with a spray bottle (clean water) and let them dry totally.  When dry spray with Deft (brand) Matte varnish or UNSCENTED hair spray (Aquanet works).  This is a tip I learned from Judee Williamson.  Thanks, Judee!!

Below is a photo of the finished curtains inside the lantern display. One panel is longer because that hanky was a little bigger so I just let it 'puddle' on the floor.  You can see the difference between the one with lace on the swagged side (right) and the one with lace only on the top and bottom (left).

Draped Tablecloth from Vintage Hankies

Here is another vintage hanky project (I can’t seem to stop using them!!).   The undercloth I used was a very old hanky with a wide (about 2 inch) border of very delicate lace.  The overcloth was one with an appliqué design, probably linen or very fine batiste cotton.  For both I had to cut the square hankies down to fit the height of the table. (I didn’t photograph these steps)

background shows lace hanky before cutting

Supplies:
Vintage hankies
Table (I used Chrysnbon round oak table F-270)
Round tube or carton (like oatmeal or bread crumbs come in) the same size as (or a little smaller than) your table
Cardboard
Saran wrap
Sewing pins
Glue
Flat paintbrush, ½ inch or smaller

Cut your hankies to fit the size of your table with some length to drape down on all sides.  On the undercloth I cut off the lace border on part of the hanky and re-glued it to a smaller central linen square so the finished cloth still had the wide border all around but a smaller inner square.  You can’t even tell I made it smaller since the border lace was kept intact.

On the overcloth I just chose the best corner of the design to be the front point and cut off the excess to make a smaller square.  I glued a double hem on both the cut off sides (you can see this in the photo of the back of the tablecloth).

cardboard form and table

If your cardboard can is smaller than your table top then cut a circle of cardboard the same size as the table top and glue it to the bottom of the can.  I used a Progresso bread crumb can (upside down) and a slightly larger circle of cardboard for the Chrysnbon table.  Cover this with saran wrap and tape it down so it is below where the tablecloth will fall.


Find the center of your tablecloth and place it on the center of the cardboard.  Secure it with a pin through the cloth and cardboard.  Dip a large paintbrush in glue then in a few drops of water to make a diluted glue solution.  ‘Paint’ the lace with the glue solution (it shouldn’t discolor the lace especially if it is already dingy or yellow from age).  I hardly had to pin the undercloth to the carton because the glue just made it drape nicely.  I kind of arranged the folds and pulled down on them so they looked natural.  Let dry overnight.

When dry, remove the center pin and position the overcloth on top and arrange it so the nicest side is aligned with the nicest side of the undercloth (always keep this as the front).  Glue the overcloth to the undercloth on the top circle of the table.  Now you can gently coax the folds of the overcloth into the folds of the undercloth and glue with a little glue.  I find a glue syringe helps to reach up under the last few folds.  Let this dry again (overnight is best).

Front of tablecloth

Back of tablecloth

Carefully remove the whole tablecloth by pulling it away from the saran wrap.  Glue to your table.

While the tablecloth was drying I reinforced my table underneath with lots of glue so it wouldn’t slide apart (it is meant to slide open so you can insert leaves).

Reinforce with glue so it won't separate

Here is a photo of all the projects I have made so far with vintage hankies.  I hope to write up how to do the curtains and linen rack soon.
 

Several vintage hanky projects in 1 inch scale

Throw Pillows from Embroidered Hankies

I wanted to put on my blog how to make these lovely throw pillows.  I have already written about making bed pillows and pillowcases out of old hankies so here I will just give a few notes about these smaller pillows that are made much the same way.

Close up to show lace detail

Below are some of the pillows shown with the cut up hankies used to make them.  Mostly I used the lace from the hankies but also embroidery and cutwork designs.   Silk ribbon, 2mm and 4mm were woven into the lace or just glued on top of the finished pillows for embellishment.

Here are a few notes on these throw pillows:

Backing:  Hankies are usually very old and frail and don’t hold up to sewing and stuffing by themselves (especially stuffing with sand).  So I make the pillow from a solid color or tiny check fabric.  Then the hanky part is overlaid on the solid and sandwiched between the colored fabric layers (much the same way you would sew on a ruffle or piping).  This just means you have to position the piece of hanky between the right sides of the pillow before sewing so that when turned inside out the hanky will show.

Sewing: Just like the bed pillows in my previous blog, I sew all around the pillow without leaving an opening.  Then I cut the thread in the center of the bottom seam (where it won’t show when closed) and remove a few stitches to turn inside out.  This allows all four corners to look consistent (refer to that same link for trimming corners and turning).

Filling: I use a small funnel and white craft sand, “Scenic Sand” to fill the throw pillows.  The sand makes the pillows sit up like a real feather pillow.  I put a small line of glue inside the folded opening (see photo) then press closed and hold a minute or two.  You have to be careful to completely close the opening so no sand leaks out.  Most tightly woven cotton quilt fabrics should hold the sand OK.

Scenic sand, funnel and how full to fill it!

Put a line of glue inside the opening fold

Press, hold, finished!

Embellishments: I used silk ribbon, 2mm and 4mm width to make tiny silk roses and bows.  Where ribbon wraps around the entire pillow I put the glue only on the back since glue soaks through silk ribbon very easily and makes a stain.   I have a bowmaker I made many years ago from nails and a piece of wood that I use to tie tiny bows (similar to this link but using two nails in a block of wood).  The tiny buckle is a vintage doll buckle I purchased many years ago.

There is a very good tutorial on Cynthia Howe’s website on how to make silk ribbon roses.  Click here.

I hope my blog may inspire you to try to make something from all the beautiful embroidered hankies you can find on Ebay.  Enjoy!

Tutorial - Miniature Pillowcases from Antique Hankies (Part 2)

In my last blog I gave instructions for making the inserts for these pillows from old sheets or men's hankies.  Here I tell how to make the pillowcases from the antique embroidered or lace hankies using a sewing machine.  Some of this is duplicate of the previous blog because some of the same materials and instructions apply here also.

General Supplies needed:
Glue (Crafter’s Pick Ultimate works best and doesn't soak through fabric)
Metal ruler
Mechanical pencil
Sewing Machine
Fray Check (found at fabric and craft stores for sealing raw edges)
Index card (for patterns)
Tweezers or an orange stick for turning pillow inside out

Antique hankies with small design appropriate for tiny pillowcase
Polyester fiberfill stuffing
Ball headed sewing pin
Matching thread
Ribbon for trim (optional)

General Hints:
Fabric – old hankies are beautiful for mini linens.  But they are very thin.  Use caution and see tips below when sewing on your machine.  I used the embroidered or cut work hankies for the outer pillowcases.  These can be found on Ebay in lots for sometimes $1 each.  Look for “cutter” in the description (indicates holes or stains so they are cheaper).

Preparation – hand wash antique hankies in gentle detergent to remove musty odors or stains.  If hankies are very dark you can try to soak them in one of the ‘oxygen’ type cleaners.  I did this with mine and they all remained intact.  If ironing them use a press cloth (I didn’t below because I knew my iron and surface were clean).  Spray them with water before ironing and work out the lace or embroidery so it is very flat.

Sewing on the machine - Adjust and your tension on your presser foot so your thin fabric doesn’t wad up.  Test stitch on scrap sheet or pillowcase fabric.  Also if you are having trouble with the leading edge getting pulled into your machine while starting or reverse stitching, just don’t reverse.  Hold the threads back behind the edge before starting and sew a little past where you want.  You really don’t need to tie threads because the seams will be fray checked and you will be clipping the seams anyway.  Use a stitch length of 1.6 mm if you have a setting for millimeters. If not, test stitch on some scrap pillowcase or sheet fabric to get very small stitches. 

Sealing edges – I used Fray Check (found in fabric and sewing stores) on clipped edges but you have to be careful when using it on very thin, delicate hankies not to get it past the seam line.  It will make a line (sort of like a water line) on sheer fabrics.

When sewing on delicate hankies don’t cut the work out until AFTER all seams have been sewn.   This will allow a larger sewing area and hopefully prevent it from being pulled down into the bobbin area or wadding up under the needle.  If you MUST sew a tiny seam, try a piece of tissue paper under it (remove later after perforated by the needle).

OK- Let's make a pillowcase:

1. Set up your machine with a small stitch length and tension/pressure (see “General Hints”).  Read the hints relating to sewing on thin hanky material.  You will not cut out the hanky until after you sew the seams so that is why the pattern does not have a seam allowance – the dotted lines are where you will sew; NOT where you will cut!
   
2. The pattern above is just 1/16th inch wider and longer than the pillow in the previous section to allow for inserting the pillow.  Cut the pattern above out of index card cutting on the BLACK solid and dashed lines (the red dotted line shows how much excess is allowed for extending beyond the pillow).  
3. Fold your hanky RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER so that the design /embroidery is centered how you want it.  Place the pattern on the folded hanky aligning the fold mark of the pattern with the fold on the hanky.  Trace LIGHTLY around the pattern on the two black dashed lines with a pencil so it doesn’t show through to the front but is dark enough to see under your sewing machine (these lines are your sewing lines).
4. If you have trouble seeing the pencil line because your eyes are 50 years old, you can use a piece of blue painter’s tape to mark where to sew then remove it later.
   
5. Remove the pattern and pin the folded piece together just to hold it while sewing.  DO NOT CUT THIS FROM THE HANKY YET!
6. Sew on the lines you marked, keeping just INSIDE of the lines if possible so the pencil marks won’t show.  On the decorative edge you can back stitch (if you trust your machine not to pull it down into the bobbin area) OR just leave the threads long and tie them off. 
7. Now cut the pillowcase from the hanky allowing about a 1/8 inch seam.  Trim, Fray Check and glue the corners as described in steps 6-12 of my previous blog (click here to go there).  Turn inside out and work on the corners getting them pointed (previous blog again).
8. To insert the pillow without messing up the stuffing inside and making it lumpy, simply pinch the pillow in half lengthwise and push into the pillowcase.  Use your tweezers or orange stick to get the pillow corners to match up tightly against the pillowcase corners.
   
9. Optional: Tie a 7mm wide silk ribbon bow around both pillows for display in a linen shop.

You’re Done!  Sit back and admire all that pretty embroidery you didn’t have to do!

Tutorial - Miniature Pillows & Pillowcases from Antique Hankies (Part 1)

Recently I purchased some lots of vintage hankies on Ebay and was amazed at how nice the embroidery and cutwork can be – nicely scaled for miniature pillows, tablecloths, pillowcases!  How these ladies of bygone eras were able to make such delicate designs on such wispy fabric is beyond me.  It was so hard to cut them up, too.  Just think, how many tears were dried on these hankies – maybe by someone who lost a loved one to a war or buried a child.  One hanky I found among my grandmother’s things after she died I just couldn’t cut up.  But it’s nice to know these old hankies can be made into another type of heirloom – miniature dollhouse pillows and pillowcases!


Part 1 - Make the Bed Pillow Inserts (pillowcases in a following blog)

General Supplies needed:

Glue (Crafter’s Pick Ultimate works best and doesn't soak through fabric)
Metal ruler
Mechanical pencil
Sewing Machine
Fray Check (found at fabric and craft stores for sealing raw edges)
Index card (for patterns)
Tweezers or an orange stick for turning pillow inside out

Old pillowcase or man’s hanky (for bed pillows)
Polyester fiberfill stuffing
Ball headed sewing pin
Matching thread
Ribbon for trim (optional)

General Hints:

Fabric – I used men’s hankies (solid, no embroidery) or old cut up sheet or pillowcase for the bed pillows.  I used the embroidered or cut work hankies for the outer pillowcases.  These can be found on Ebay in lots for sometimes $1 each.  Look for “cutter” in the description (indicates holes or stains so they are cheaper).

Sewing on sewing machine:  You can get unbelievably tiny stitches using your machine (I learned this from Judee Williamson).  Here are my tips:

• Adjust and your tension on your presser foot so your thin fabric doesn’t wad up.  Test stitch on scrap sheet or pillowcase fabric.  Also if you are having trouble with the leading edge getting pulled into your machine while starting or reverse stitching, just don’t reverse.  Hold the threads back behind the edge before starting and sew a little past where you want.  You really don’t need to tie threads because the seams will be fray checked and you will be clipping the seams anyway.
• use a stitch length of 1.6 mm if you have a setting for millimeters. If not, test stitch on some scrap pillowcase or sheet fabric to get small stitches that look about like this:

 -------------------

• Sealing edges – I used Fray Check (found in fabric and sewing stores) on clipped edges but you have to be careful when using it on very thin, delicate hankies not to get it past the seam line.  It will make a line (sort of like a water line) on sheer fabrics.

OK, now comes the "How-to" part:
Bed Pillows (pillowcase inserts)

1. Cut a “Bed Pillow” pattern out of index card – 1-1/2 inches by 2-1/8 inches.  You will use this pattern to mark the sewing lines in the next steps.
2. From an old sheet or pillowcase, cut a piece of intact fabric about 5” x 5”.  Fold in half.
3. With a light pencil mark, trace two pillows onto the folded fabric using your pattern.  Space them as in the diagram below. (make sure marks are dark enough to see them while under your presser foot but light enough they won’t show through when turned). 
   
   
4. Dotted lines show where you will sew (wavy lines are loose thread ends).  Sew on your pencil lines (don’t leave an opening for turning).  No need to back stitch or knot (you will see why later - using glue and Fray Check).
5. Cut between the two pillows.  On one of the short ends of one pillow, clip sewing thread near the center of the 1-1/2 inch sewn line (for turning).  Remove about 3 or 4 stitches either side of where you clipped but leave the thread tails.  This is the opening where you will turn the pillow later.  DON’T GLUE THIS OR FRAY CHECK THE THREADS.
6. Trim all sewn seams to 1/8 inch (yes, this is very small but do it!). 
7. (Trust me on this step – it seems like you are clipping too close but it will work and make a very sharp turned corner).  ON THE TWO CORNERS WHERE TWO sewn SEAMS CROSS: cut diagonally across each corner leaving only a few fabric threads next to the seam (photo below).
   
8. Clip again narrowing the 1/8 inch seam near that corner you clipped (next photo below).  This is to eliminate bulk so your corners will be nice and sharp.   KEEP THE FULL 1/8 in WIDTH OF THE SEAM IN THE AREA WHERE YOU WILL BE TURNING IT INSIDE OUT!  YOU WILL NEED THIS TO CLOSE THE PILLOW!
   
9. On the other two corners where there is a fold, clip close to the seam right at the corner removing the bulk from the seam (like the above photo except the one side would be a fold ).
10. Put Fray Check on the cut edges of the fabric (both layers) all around the pillow (if you don’t have Fray Check you can use a thin line of glue VERY THIN!)  Try NOT to let the fray check spread past the sewing line, into the inner part of the pillow where it might show.
11. Put a tiny dot of glue on the two corners where the two seam lines cross.  Put dots of glue also on the other two corners where seam crosses the fold (put glue on the line of sewing on both front and back of pillow – 8 dots of glue total on each pillow).
12. Now QUICKLY BEFORE GLUE DRIES turn the pillow inside out through the hole made when you removed those stitches.  If you have to make the hole a little larger that’s OK.  Just try not to go as far as the corners so they will not be messed up.  Use tweezers or an orange stick or anything EXCEPT your scissor points (you will cut the fabric) to poke and shape the corners sharp.  It will work though it seems impossible.  While that glue is still wet you need to get your corners fully turned and as pointed as possible.  Use a ball headed sewing pin if necessary to pull the folds near the corner on the outside.
13. Stuff with a LITTLE stuffing (they should be fairly flat like an old pillow).  Push some stuffing into each corner, including the two by the opening.
14. Neatly fold the edges of the opening to the inside creasing where the seam used to be (you might be able to see the old seam from needle holes).
    
    
15. To close the hole you can either slip stitch by hand or fold the raw edges inside and put just a little glue in the opening and pinch closed (my favorite method).  I think gluing is more invisible (In the photo above the top pillow shows a sewn seam and the bottom one has been sealed with glue). 

That's it!  They get much easier as you make more.  Your first ones might not be perfectly square or maybe the corners won't be very pointed but you learn as you go (as with anything worthwhile!)

Next blog - the pillowcases!

Vintage Dinnerware & Faux Table Top

I love scouring ebay for vintage miniature dishes.  I was so lucky to win an auction recently of a set of dinnerware by an artisan from the 1980s, Jo Parker.  Her dinnerware is very delicate, thin and the painting is very fine.  The china is very formal - 5 piece place setting.  I don't even own such a thing in full scale.  Sometimes it's hard to tell if it will match your room when looking at it online but see how nicely it matches my dining room chairs:

My dining room has only a table and chairs, no drapes (yet).  The table and chairs are cherry and were made by Jo Berbiglia.  She did the petit point seats also.

Since I now have nice china I just had to set a table.  But I didn't want to glue anything down to my nice table so I made a faux table top.  I made a box to go over the top of the table from illustration board- just a little bigger than the table.  Then I took an old pillowcase with nice, soft close woven cotton and cut it to cover the box and fringed all the edges.

Since I had all those pretty dishes I also had to make a turkey dinner to go on the table.

There!  Now the dining room doesn't look so bare!  When I am tired of the clutter I will just pack away the faux table top, dishes and food and put a nice centerpiece on the table.  But for now I'm just glad that someone was so talented in miniature ceramics and that I can have a piece of her work.

I have to put a plug in for another of my favorite artists: Sue Ayers (Sue's Little Things).  She made the tiered cookie server (shown on the dresser above and in the photo below).  She sells on Ebay and the detail in her cookies and food is awesome. Her prices are very reasonable.

More Belated Christmas - Diorama Ornaments & TUTORIAL

This blog is overdue.  In January I wanted to update my blog with some Christmas gifts I received and also some I made.  But, a grandbaby, miniature event and several other things have pushed this out so now I am getting it done (diorama ornaments follow below).

Christmas gifts from my sweet daughters:

Mixer from Chelsie & Brad

Ceramic vase from Cara (age 17)

My gifts to both of them were ornaments with scenes inside.  I was inspired by a friend who had shown me some she had made.  she had put cute quarter inch scale Christmas scenes inside a full size ornament:

Charlotte Serrold's Christmas Ornament

 So Charlotte inspired me to make some.   Here are the ones I made my girls.  They are not very traditional in colors but I made them to fit their tastes:

Chelsie's Ornament front

Chelsie's Ornament back

Chelsie's ornament has little dolls representing her (pregnant) self and her husband, Brad.  Also quarter inch scale cat and dog just like their own pets.  I reproduced her Christmas wreath and (loosely) the Christmas stockings Brad's mother made them.  The back of the ornament has a decoupaged scene cut from an old Christmas card.

Cara's ornament front

Cara's ornament side view

Cara's ornament in one of her favorite colors (purple) depicts her doing her favorite thing - sitting with a fire and a blanket with one cat on her lap and the other at her feet.  She also loves nutcrackers so I included a tiny one by the fireplace.

HERE'S THE TUTORIAL PART:

These ornaments were fun to make so I will just briefly tell how I decorated and filled them.  The papier mache ornaments were from Hobby Lobby.  I cut an opening in them.  The double round one was actually plastic underneath the paper mache so a little harder to cut.

I painted the inside with Gesso then two colors of glitter.  I cut a piece of foam core to make a base for the furniture to sit on.

The little figures were just pipe cleaner wrapped with silk ribbon and painted.  I used a small bead for the pregnant belly.

I used scraps of fabric to dress the 'dolls'.  Really just wrapped the arms and legs for sleeves and pants then cut tiny slits in another piece and worked it over the sleeves for the shirt.  Seams were glued down the back.

The sofa and chair were from a kit from Karen Benson

The little figures and chairs.  Quarter inch scale is not my specialty!

Here is a closer look at one of them.

These were fun to make.  I really want to do some more next year.  Hope you are inspired to try some too!