ABOUT
Alison Biggs
I embroidered and constructed this miniature harp (needle case), designed and kit amde by: https://jennyadin-christieembroidery.com/portfolio/the-wordsworth-harp-needlecase
Now in a miniature display with the suited Mr. Frog and his grand piano
For the past 40 years I have been interested in a wide range of crafts, from painting to papercutting and pottery to photography projects.
My interest in textiles also grew, such as knitting cakes and vegetables and crocheting King Charles and Queen Camilla. Miniature mice sleeping in teacups. Also, various sewing machine projects over the years, alongside cross stitch and more complex embroidery projects, such as gold work, white work, black work, stump work and drawn thread work, including Hardanger.
Gradually, my interest developed in making unique celebration pieces for friends and family weddings with increasingly smaller embroidered details, with the tiniest beads and embellishments, using a Hardanger border pattern from The Victoria Sampler.
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I then realised there was a world of miniatures out there.
Miniature wedding sewing being pinned for stretching and mounting. Two days, two venues, one in a woodland in a pale blue tulle dress (hardanger border colour). Raspberries on buttercream cake seen in the hearts!
Upon finding this world of miniatures in 2023, I went to the shows - Kensington Dollshouse Festival (KDF) and Miniatura.
I collected beautiful items and wanted to attend workshops to learn more but locating workshops in the UK has been difficult.
Thus building a platform and locating a venue from which to run workshops in central London has been my goal.
I designed many of the miniature cross stitched wildlife and iconic symbols of South Africa. Some are machine sewn with the traditional shweshwe fabric, with its intricate small scale geometric designs, bought during a trip to SA.
Wedding piece: Hardanger sewn border. Note the champagne tower in front of the sand and sea of Greece! White flower girl baskets and pink and cream roses. LOVE disco sign in lights at the top.
Wedding piece: Hardanger border with a tractor and bunting - marquee wedding on a farm. The hearts are the Peony colours. See the blue Delphinium. Groom wears a wig! Each thread and bead represents something from their day
Wedding piece: Red, black (see tuxedo) gold and sliver theme with white wedding dress and roses, to tunes on a violin!
The right "Royal Celebration" miniature 1:12 doll was made by Sam McKechnie, @themagpieandthewardrobe The others were made by me at her workshops - the middle doll I made at Sam's Marie Antoinette workshop (see the towering powdered "pouf" hair worn with a ship - a fashion of the time).
The beautiful chaise longue was intricately painted by Alison Horne @thepigstyle.
Instagram: @minimadeinitaly_ Minimadeinitaly is the brand and online handle of Manuela Michieli, an artisan who creates handmade 1:12 scale dollhouse miniatures in Parma, Italy.
MISSION
To facilitate Miniature Workshops in London accessible for UK and international tutors and attendees