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July 1997

• A clever way to get a tent pattern is to find one published for a fashion doll (not naming names!) and scale it down. Hint: that fashion doll is in the scale of one inch=2 feet (1/6th scale!). You could also experiment with the simplest of tents, the pup. A rectangle of material can be cut, a pocket can be sewn (or glued) on each of the short ends,a wire threaded into each and the wire can be bent in the middle to make the characteristic triangle shape. Glue in a flap, add ties of ribbon, etc.

• To make a sleeping bag, you will need three pieces of fabric (one flannel, one solid cotton, one small print cotton). These will need to be cut into a rectangle (approximately 7 1/2 inches x 7 1/4 inches). Put cottons together (right sides facing) and flannel on top. Starting with the center of one long side, sew (with a 1/4 inch seam allowance) up to corner, turn, continue sewing around perimeter until you are about two inches (or so) away from the starting point. Stop, turn right sides out on your bag, and finish stitching hole closed with a blind stitch.(BTW, The original directions called for one end to be left open, as opposed to leaving a bit of the side open, but I prefer this method because I don't have to then worry about blind stitching around a corner!). Fold your bag in half, fold one corner down. Stitch with matching thread up the two open sides (to simulate a zipper) and you are done. You can also make a pillow. Very simply cut two rectangles out of a nice cotton print (get your dimensions from your own favorite pillow in inches, divide by twelve and that is the size you will need, plus a 1/4 inch seam allowance all the way around). Sew as for sleeping bag, turn, stuff (if you use sand, the pillow looks more realistic, but you can also use any stuffing. Do not over stuff!) and finish with a blind stitch.

• Now that we have our tent up and the bed made, its time to get the fire going (all that work made me hungry). A campfire is always nice...make rocks out of granite fimo, make a circle template out of illustration board. Arrange rocks around the edge of the circle, gluing them together (you will need a good plastics (read epoxy type) glue for this, white glue probably won't hold as well). Add some black fine railway dirt, some aquarium gravel (a dark grey would be nice, but you could always spatter some acrylic on it if it isn't right). Next comes the kindling (little slivers of wood) In the middle, arrange some orange and red crepe paper, or colored tinfoil for flames. Around your flames, arrange the main wood (use thin twigs). Make some hot dogs (fimo for the weenies, crayola model magic medium for the buns), some marshmallows (model magic). If you want the marshmallows in a bag, simply put dried mallows on a piece of sandwich wrap, gather the sides, tie off with a bit of string, and add a mallow label to the side. For a humorous touch, have a mallow on a thin piece of wire or stick...blacken the bottom a bit (nothing is better than a charred mallow!). For a step further, make hersey bars (a small piece of fimo covered with foil, then with a reduced wrapper) and a box of graham crackers (reduce a real box to the size you need, paste onto thin cardstock, and assemble) so you can also have some smores! You could also make the smores...Shellie's Sundries has a very yummy recipe! For a thermos (gotta have that coffee when you are camping! Or maybe its hot chocolate? No, I got it, Cafe Mocha!), cut a piece of dowel to the correct length. About a third of the way down or so, tie a piece of string to the dowel, and get it so it is even all the way around. With a sharp pencil, draw below the string, making sure not to move the string. Take the string off, and now you have a perfectly straight line going around a cylinder (this method could be used for drawing lines around eggs as well, though you might want to use an elastic for that application). With an exacto knife, carefully cut around the mark, making a thin trench. This is your illusion line...between body and cup. To cup, add a thin piece of wire to simulate a handle (perhaps part of a jewelry jump ring). Paint cup a metal or plastic color. Paint rest of the thermos with a different but complimentary color to the lid. If you want a tartan thermos, take a tartan pattern from a good source, have it reduced at the photo shop, and wrap a piece around the cylinder.

• Ok, I have had my hot dog, my burnt marshmallow, my s'more, my cup of chocolatey coffee, if I have any more junk, I think I will get sick! Maybe a nice day of fishing will help. Make a rod out of a thin wire or thin bamboo (like the ones you can find on certain bamboo calenders). Wrap a bit of black electrician's tape around the bottom for a handle. Add some little eyelets on to the top of the rod (made from jewelry jump rings), glue on with a strong epoxy type glue. Run a line of invisible thread through the eyelets (you know the stuff, they quilt blankets with it...tends to unravel and attack you at night?). At the end of the line, add a small "hook" (piece of wire bent into the correct shape). You can also add a weight (small white ball of fimo, bottom half painted Red). A reel can be simulated with a jewelry finding. You will also need a tackle box. That is what it is, a box! Either find a small plastic box, or make your own out of thin card stock. Add small compartments (cardstock) and fill with hooks, flies (bits of wire with small pieces of feathers and foil attached), lures (small drop earrings, foil), worms in a can (a can can be made made from a straw, painted silver and a label added...a base can be as simple as a piece of punched out cardstock (again, painted silver), worms can be simulated by forcing brownish red fimo through a garlic press, and cutting to the correct size. Do not use garlic press for real people food ever again!). Also some fishermen use roe (fish eggs)...a bag of row could be simulated with sandwich wrap, red holeless beads, and a little glass paint. Others use minnows...paint rice kernels with silver and white, add some features with a liner brush or good drafting pen. Fish can be made from fimo and painted to give a really neat look, but also look around your local sporting goods store. Sometimes you can find in scale small fishing lures in the shape of fish! Also, keep an eye out for fish earrings.

• Of course, perhaps you are going on a hunting expedition, and had the good fortune to rent a cabin in the mountains. The first thing you need is an animal head over the mantle. If you look in craft stores, or the local dollar store you might find a flocked animal of some sort whose head could be *ahem* removed, repainted and mounted to a piece of wood. Be careful of the animal, however. Occasionally I have come across moose (meese?) who are perfect, good scale, good detail...except for the fact that the manufacturer put Elk horns on it. If you use one, some wiseguy will come around and point out the anomaly! You could also attempt to fashion a head from fimo, if ye be brave. Also, mount some of those fish you "caught" in the above section.

• Perhaps you'd like to hang a bow and arrow set on the wall (the bow can be cut out of balsa or another light wood, sanded until rounded, a hand hold area added (where you would grab it in the middle, perhaps fashioned out of air drying clay, or use gesso to build up the area and paint). String with a length of brown thread. Arrows can be made from round toothpicks that have bits of feathers applied to the ends.

• A rifle may be hung up on the wall, as well. Make one by cutting out the rifle shape from thin wood, glue an appropriately sized barrel to your wood shape, use jewelry findings for the hardware of the gun, build up areas that need to be rounded with gesso, paint appropriately and finally add a leather strap (for more information on gun making in miniature, go to the Tiny Talk homepage!).

• A fishing creel is a must for any good cabin. These can be made from tapestry/cross stitch material (try to find a natural color, it will save a painting step), an appropriate lid (something that is semi-circular), and some leather scraps. Wet the material (possibly with glue/water, though the original plans claim the sizing (glue) in the material will hold and all that is needed is water...experiment on a scrap first to see if it is true!), pull it over the mold until it is smooth, secure with an elastic band and let dry. Pull out some threads from the left over canvas, braid, and when the creel body is dry, glue braid around the unfinished edge. Make a lid to fit top from canvas as well, attach two thin leather straps as hinges, one long one for a shoulder strap, and one as a latch (use also jewelry findings for the clasp...filligree bead caps can have some interesting parts that are easily cut out using the correct tools!).

• Some furniture and other creature comforts would be nice. You can make a very rustic rug with a thin roughly woven cloth, and a fringe attached (which can be made by taking a strip of cotton muslin, and fraying it, then glue to the back). Curtains are as simple as finding a checked (or whatever catches your fancy, these are not items for impressin' guests!) cotton, seal cutting edges, cut out, sew/glue one edge for a curtain pocket, and hang on a piece of wire. Finish with beads on both ends and hang. Furniture can be made from pieces of foamcore glued together, and upholstered. This makes a very effective comfy lodge chair. Tables can be made from a square of wood, painted or stained. A table can also be made from floor planking glued side by side on a square base...very rustic, very out doors. Legs can be almost anything...square craft sticks (available at some craft stores), dowelling, twigs, thin turnings, etc.

• Finally, don't forget the incidentals. Magazines with fishing/hunting/outdoorsy themes, fly swatter (made from wire, thin netting, and paint), decoys on the mantle (flat ducks cut out of balsa, built up with gesso and painted!), a fish net (made from wire and fine netting) etc. Most of all, use your imagination, keep your stick on the ice, and have fun!

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