(Jacki Mitchell)
 
Gypsy Life in Miniature
by Pam North
About forty years ago, Jacki Mitcell’s life changed when she embraced a new hobby. After a professional life as a dressmaker/tailoress/milliner, she had closed her business when rearing her two sons became the focus. Later, when family responsibilities lightened and there was more latitude in her personal time, she looked for something else to capture her interest now that she had retired.
Her love of tiny things had long been in the background of her mind and life. While browsing in her local library, she came across a 1960/70s era book on how to build a dollhouse, and in the book’s pages, was a pattern for a Gypsy caravan wagon. That struck a chord with her avid interest  in folk art decoration (Gypsy/Romany), the canal boat art so prevalent in the UK, and the Bauernmalerei style that had originated in Bavaria and was enjoying popularity at that time. She had researched them all, and had taught herself to paint them, which culminated in a small exhibition of her own pieces, all of which had  been sold. Dollhouses also had always intrigued her,  but she had never owned one, nor known anyone who had, as the hobby was not popular in Australia at that time. It suddenly occurred to her to use her painting skills in a new endeavor, so she checked out the book, and thus began her journey into miniatures.
She first built the rather basic child’s dollhouse that had been on the library book’s cover. Her husband, an engineer, scaled up plans from it for her, and she figured out how to complete her task, learning the basic skills required, and acquiring the tools needed. She was on her way.
Eventually she got around to that gypsy caravan/wagon that originally had drawn her attention in the book, and recently she completed one in 1:12 scale, using 1/16” MDF (medium-density fiberboard) and balsa wood. It worked quite well as the piece is lightweight, although care needs to be taken not to damage the balsa wood framing.
She used a Stanley knife to cut the MDF pieces (using up many blades in the process), then cut balsa wood for the framing, fitting it as she went along because some of the window holes were not quite square. She made the door by sandwiching a thin piece of acetate between two pieces of medium-weight cardboard, at the same time sandwiching a piece of thin fabric down the long side to form a hinge. She often has used this same technique in later builds, developing it enough so that the doors open and close satisfactorily. “The door on the caravan doesn’t shut or open very well, but I can always prop a miniature dog against it for effect,” she remarked.
There were two difficult issues with this miniature. One was the open-spoked wheels. In the original model in the book, the wheels were correctly-scaled metal ones available at that time. Since the book’s publication and the time Jacki made the caravan wagon, Australia had gone from the imperial measurement system to the metric system. This meant that the only correct-sized wheels were solid plastic and not suitable at all. While browsing at the hardware store, she found some old plastic imperial-sized wheels in a throw-out bin. There was solid plastic between the molded spokes, and she asked her husband to cut it out, which was successful. She painted the wheels bright yellow, and filled the hollow rims with filler to simulate metal.
The other difficulty was making the curved roof. In the book, the maker had used an industrial steaming process, effectively curving the plywood. Jacki was using thin MDF, which wouldn’t curve and simply broke. With no access to an industrial steamer, and after much trial and error, Jacki came up with the idea of using strips of MDF, glued onto three roof beams that her husband cut into curved shapes, and this worked. “After the saga of the wheels, followed by the roof, I’m not sure who was happier to see the whole thing completed, me or my husband!” she laughed.
Her favorite part about her piece was that it had been a challenge for her, with her limitations in skills, knowledge, and materials. “It also makes me and others, particularly my grandchildren, ask questions about other cultures and ways of life that have disappeared.” She also loved creating the dolls. The project came about at a time in her life when she was looking for something creative to do that was unique to her, and that that would encompass all the many and varied creative skills she had developed over the years. “It helped me become more adaptable, to recognize the need to work away at a problem to achieve the end result, to be more patient, and to realize that this is a hobby to be enjoyed as I am getting older. This was the start of an adventure for me. Also, I didn’t grow up with an abundance of toys so I am making up for it now.”
Her next project is renovation project on a dollhouse bought for her by her husband while he was on a business trip to the USA. She also has a two-room toyshop with all the fixtures and fittings completed, waiting for her to fill it with her huge collection of miniature toys.
“I think the future for miniatures is bright,” she commented. “I believe that although this is quite a niche hobby, the people involved in it, particularly the younger generation, are so passionate about their abilities and creations that they will overcome any seeming difficulties. After all, we survived a pandemic, and a many people, thanks to the Internet, have discovered a business opportunity they might otherwise not have had.”