Denman College Sad News - But New Plans For KT Miniatures Workshops

Sadly, it seems that financial implications caused by Covid 19 has resulted in the wonderful WI's Denman College to announce an intention to close permanently. My July workshop had been cancelled, but now it seems that my workshop for November is unlikely to happen too. 

Details have been a little confusing, and I had assumed that everything had automatically been cancelled. But now I understand that they are undergoing a consultation process and the culmination of that process should happen shortly. I have everything crossed that a miracle can happen, and that they can find a way to keep going, but we shall have to see. 

It is such a lovely and happy place, with amazing facilities and wonderful staff, plus such rich history, that I sincerely hope that it can be saved. 

However...if the worst happens and Denman College does close this summer, I hope to reverse back to my original plan of running KT Miniatures workshops here in Thame (Oxfordshire), next year - Covid 19 permitting. In which case, the first workshop project would be "The Old Potting Shed" scene. Due to the complexity of the project, it would have to be run over 2 days if possible. 

Click on following link to see more photos of the potting shed project, as it stands at the moment:  KT MINIATURES WORKSHOP PAGE

Fiona's Completed Miniature Workshop Projects - Absolutely Fab!

The other day I got a lovely surprise when a certain email dropped into my inbox from Fiona, with photos of two workshop projects that she did with us a while ago now, and which are now completed. I was so bowled over from what I saw that I asked Fiona if she would allow me to share her creations with you all on here, and she has kindly agreed. So here we are...

Here are the workshop project prototypes of the Early 1900s German Style Shop, a workshop that took place back in 2016. As you can see the project was offered in both 1/12th and 1/24th scale. 

Our "Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops" was a joint venture which I ran with Robin Britton for several years until we closed in the summer of 2016, due to Robin's retirement from miniatures. The very last project we made was an early 1900s German style shop, and it was at that last workshop that Fiona made this shop project. 

Fiona's Hat Shop

 As Fiona wanted to make a hat shop, she decided not to make all the drawers and some other bits & bobs that were provided with the kit, as she wanted to make more space for the hats. It made complete sense and by omitting them, has enabled Fiona to have a lot more display space to show off a real variety of lovely hats. 

Fiona was very taken with the way the cabinets were decorated with flowers cut from paper doilies and then painted - she felt that one did not need any artistic ability for that technique. It may be a simple technique, but we think Fiona did a brilliant job and they look very pretty indeed. 

Most of Fiona's hats were made following instructions which she bought from Cynthia Howe's website, and Fiona told me that she has been working on the hats during lockdown. Apparently she still has a few left to make. 

Fiona goes on to say that the handbags were made at a class run by Jamie Carrington at CMW, and the hat boxes and other small boxes she bought from Art Of Mini. I love the grey and white painted floor which Fiona created here. (You will see below that she used the same floor painting technique in her kitchen using different colours). 

This is the prototype of the Early 1900s German Style Kitchen workshop project that took place in 2018, offered in 1/12th scale only. Many of the vintage bits and pieces seen in this photo belong to my own personal collection and were used for advertising purposes in order to illustrate how one could fill the kitchen once complete. 

In 2018 I started up the workshops again, but this time just under the banner of KT Miniatures, and Fiona attended one of them. The project we made was an early 1900s German style kitchen, with some accessories...and here is Fiona's brilliant creation!


Fiona's Early 1900s German Style Kitchen

Fiona said that she had been meaning to send a photo of this ages ago to show me but then decided to wait until she was able to hang the warming pan and grill rack on the wall, which finishes it off nicely. Doesn't this look super!

She says that she really enjoyed working on this German style kitchen. She used the same painting technique on the floor as she did with the shop and says that it is such a thrill when the time comes to peel off all the masking tape to find one's painted checked flooring looking rather lovely underneath. On this floor she used a combination of terracotta and cream paint, and it does indeed look beautiful!

Some accessories were part of the workshop project so were handmade by Fiona. The rest are a mixture of both vintage and "modern" bits that Fiona has bought at fairs. She fancies having a go at making either a peg or Fimo doll to go in her kitchen (she has a mould which she can use) but says that is for some time in the future. 

I think you will agree with me that Fiona's creations are utterly brilliant. Thank you Fiona for letting us all take a peek! The original antique German kitchens and shops are becoming so hard to find these days, let alone affordable so it is great fun having a go at creating reproduction German style room settings such as these.