| Terry Boyer (1860 Wood Company) has been making miniature reproduction log cabins since 1990, and just recently adapted his designs into dollhouses, 1 inch scale, so the project was a natural extension for him. This House was actually started in 1990, and finally came into being! All of the wood he uses is vintage, coming from structures in Berks and Lebanon Counties older than 1900, when square nails were still used. Terry also made the fence and bench on the front of the house. |
| Louise Mehaffey (The Glass Place) had to individually fit each window, since each opening was slightly different. She planned the design to match the country, rustic feeling of the house. She had recently expanded her glass crafts to glass beadmaking with an oxygen/propane torch, so she also made several tiny beads, which Barbara Horst made into Mama Bear`s necklace. |
Barbara Horst (Grumpie`s Corner) has made miniature jointed bears before, but not as a family. Papa Bear, Mama Bear (with beads made by Louise Mehaffey) and Baby Bear (with his own birth certificate) are made of German mohair, and fully jointed. Much of the stitching on these miniature bears is done by hand, and Barbara uses a forceps to stuff them. The legs are filled with tiny glass beads, enabling them to stand alone. |
 Wilfriede Axsmith, dollmaker, creates dolls using techniques she learned as a child in Germany. To make Goldilocks, she sculpted the face, hands and feet from polymer clay. The face was then covered with cloth and painted to give her a unique personality. The body has a wire armature also covered by cloth so she can stand. Her dress was specifically designed to match her personality! |
Teddi Matz, fraktur artist, decided that Goldilocks would look at the walls and wonder about the `people` who lived there, so she made framed frakturs, or folk art paintings. Of course one had to be "Home Sweet Home", and Baby Bear needed a birth certificate, seen hung over the trunk. Each Goldlocks Project edition will be dated with each Baby Bear`s birth date.  The tiniest frame is made from match sticks, and gluing it together rather than to her fingertips was a challenge!Steve Smith (Smith Leatherworks) saw the need for a trunk for the bears to store their spare linens. So Terry Boyer carved one from wood, and Steve covered it with vegetable tanned tooling leather, with the straps serving as hinges. He used antique stains to age the leather. The bells on the door are a novelty, but certainly the bears would want a doorbell. Otherwise, who knows whom would wander in! |
Mary and Dawson Gillaspy (Tin Toys by the Gillaspy`s) are retiring as tin toy makers in 1999, and Dawson will be pursuing the craft of tin miniatures, so this was a perfect chance for him to try out some of his ideas, including the tiny tin sconces over the fireplace and the carriage lantern beside the front door.  The spoons and forks were made by Mary, who is looking forward to spending much of her time in retirement pursuing her new interest, hooking rugs.David Fisher (Fisher Forge) was bored making the usual hooks and such, and was looking for a fresh challenge. He certainly found it! The strap hinges on the door are only 1 1/2" long, compared to the normal 6" to 6'. And the fireplace needed cooking equipment to make the porridge, so he made the kettle crane and kettle. The "B" on the chimney leaves no doubt this is the Bear Family`s home. |
Beth Gillaspy Allen (The Blue Button) has made miniature quilts before, but not this small. Papa Bear`s quilt is a diagonally set Bear`s Paw, of course. Mama`s is Square in a Square and Baby`s is Split Rail. They were machine pieced and hand quilted, and the batting had to be split in half to make it thin enough.  And of course they needed pillows, mattresses and a spare comforter. She made the rug with a Russian punchneedle and one strand of embroidery floss.Christine Wert (Folk Art by Chris Wert) decided the Bears needed a honey pot, and of course they needed porridge bowls (with chargers!) and other crockery. The miniature redware pieces were formed by hand, making each piece unique. The planters, filled with greenery by Gene Burkhart, are terra cotta and two are decorated with sgraffito. These are the smallest functional works she has ever produced. |
| W. Eugene Burkhart (Burkhart`s Flowers) created the pressed flower designs and the dried floral arrangements to make the house a home, and he was challenged to find plant material small enough! Gene harvests from his own gardens and presses or dries the plant material himself. To get these miniatures, he had to use the smallest forms of plant life and even take some flowers apart. Terry Boyer made the frames and Christine Wert made the planters- a real joint effort. |
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| Kari Saragusa (Gander Woodworks) had never considered creating miniature furniture before, even though he has made full size furniture for many years. His woodcarving style has a folk art flavor which lends itself to the decor of the Bear`s home. The furniture is his original design and is constructed of basswood and pine. The project was immensely enjoyable, and he is looking forward to continuing with miniature furniture, and maybe even miniature clocks. |