(Michelle Dormer - Miniatures By Phoebe)

For Love of Four Posters

by Pam North

In a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, miniaturist Michelle Dormer makes doll clothing (both doll wearable and display) in 1:12 inch scale. She also features handmade furniture designed and made by her very talented partner. Together, they are Miniatures by Phoebe, which offers everything from corsets. tiny books and apothecary counters to luxurious four poster canopy beds – all  wonderfully artful items that would make very special Mother’s Day gifts for someone who loves minis. They also offer handmade accessories to help bring a little character to a collector’s dollhouse or miniature scene. 
She sells her products primarily on Etsy, and occasionally on Ebay, and also has a Facebook page where she  showcases new work, offering payment plans to make the buying process more accessible to every budget.
Michelle shared her thoughts about miniatures, saying, “I love the fact that it is a constant learning process, and that is what keeps ideas fresh. I am completely self taught. The biggest difficulty I find is looking for suitably scaled materials. I am constantly trying to source new suppliers, and I sometimes spend more time doing this than I do working on a piece. For me, starting is always the hardest part. It is a long process of research and more research followed by the aging process. It starts to take on a personality of its own and I pretty much go where it takes me. Once I start the process, I am completely absorbed, and I don’t stop until I am happy with the result. I’m always pleasantly surprised at how each piece turns out. I may have started with an idea of how I want it to look, but very often it turns out to be something entirely different.”
She continued, “This piece, called The Captain’s Lady, was an idea I’d had for a while to be a focal point in a handmade dollhouse, yet to be started. I love the femininity of it; it has a delicate softness to it, and I think that my art work with the canopy light shining on it is my favorite part. I loved working on the bedding, another opportunity to be creative. It was the first bed my partner, Sam,  and I made in a series of four poster canopy beds with lighting. He never would have believed that one day his fascination with miniatures would equal mine, and he is my biggest fan and a constant source of inspiration to me. Sam makes the frames, and I age and dress them; each one is unique with a character all its own, and I miss them when they go. The first bed made was The Captain’s Lady, which inspired a whole range of furniture and more beds for The Captain’s Lady collection. I have had a long-term obsession with tall ships since I saw one in glorious full sail in the bay at Castle Cornet in Guernsey (Channel Islands) many years ago. I was spellbound and fell in love with the romance of it all. Over the years I have collected anything tall ship-related. When the idea came to do a bed, I knew instantly what the theme would be. I love canopy beds, and I thought that since I don’t have room for a real sized one, a miniature one would have to suffice. I created two characters in my head, the 18th century captain and his lady, newly married and furnishing their first home together. I was lucky enough to find some gorgeous vintage ship-themed fabric for the drapes, and the bed just grew around them. The bed is all handmade, with the exception of the molded posts at the foot of the bed. The bed was hand-dressed in silks and vintage laces, which I had collected over the years. I used my own artwork as a feature on the headboard. It is a scaled-down print of a painting I did, entitled Ship in a Storm, the Return. It took 23 years to complete, as I tend to leave my art work and later return to it. I took the ship image, mounted it in a decorative metal frame, and covered it in domed glass. The effect of the canopy light shining on it in a darkened dollhouse bedroom is lovely. The materials used were wood, silk, vintage lace, vintage fabric, metal, glass, paper, and wadding. The furniture is made each with its own unique character, and is painted, ‘shabbied’, and worked until it has a patina of age to it. You can furnish a dollhouse, decorate and light it, fill it with dolls, but to make it work and give it life, you need to add the little details: a ladies corset left lying casually on a bed, a pile of books sitting on the floor, a shawl draped over a dressing screen; that is what adds personality and character.”
Michelle views the future of miniatures as having several aspects. “Looking at the bigger picture, there is a lot less money around for people to indulge their hobbies and interests. Like many hobbies, miniature collecting can be expensive, so I try to make the buying process easier and affordable. I want my miniatures to be available to everyone. I would encourage everyone to have a go at making things for themselves. It can be fun even if your first attempts, like mine, sometimes don’t live up to your expectations! There always will be a market for collectors, but also endless possibilities for hobbyists, too. You need to remember it is a lifetime hobby and a labor of love. If you can’t afford a dollhouse, buy a room box or make one. If you can’t have what you want in real size, you can have it in miniature. A dollhouse is like writing a book - you can create your own story and reinvent it any time you like. I look forward to learning new skills and eventually trying doll making. I also would love to write a book on miniatures with tutorials someday.”

Contact information:
Email: mdormer64@gmail.com
Phone: 7713602073
Address: 18 Newforge Park, Magheralin, Co Armagh N.I bt670sh
Website: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Miniaturesbyphoebe