Whether they’re furnishing realisticlooking rooms in a dollhouse or creating a unique tiny display, for folks who collect and create miniatures, it truly is a small, small world.
A 1/450-scale spinning Volker Arnold carousel (above) measures less than an inch tall; below, a silk shawl crocheted by Jean Gibson of St. Louisville is less than 6 inches wide.
When she was a child, Jean Gibson of St. Louisville, a member of The Energy Cooperative in Newark, liked collecting the prizes that came in boxes of Cracker Jack. “They were miniatures, and I always loved miniature things,” she says. What got her into the world of miniatures, however, was her needlework. “My mom taught me to crochet when I was about 10,” she says. “I took it up again years later when I was working at Newark Air Force Station.” About that time, she crocheted a full-size afghan, but she was discouraged by how much time and energy it took her to finish the afghan. So she decided to make a smaller one. Pleased with the result, Gibson started making fabric miniatures and selling them at regional shows for miniaturists. She had also learned how to do tatting and bobbin lacework to create decorative lace doilies and lace tablecloths. Continued on page 12
FEBRUARY 2022 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 11
