Nancy Schmidt – (Herschel’s) - AM221

The Perfect Observatory
by Pam North
Miniatures figured briefly in Nancy Schmidt’s childhood in the form of a bright blue dollhouse, but it wasn’t until later in her life that she again explored the miniature side of things again. A Naval officer for 20+ years, and now Director of Port Operations for the Navy in the Pacific Northwest, Nancy had had no formal training in crafting miniatures. She managed to get one crucial lesson, however, as she related, “I pestered my son’s grade school art teacher to let me learn in the back of her classes, and she finally relented. She taught me all about color and how to use it. I could sculpt and create structures, but the painting always intimidated me.”
Inspiration for Nancy comes from problem solving, and she enjoys participating in the Creatin’ Contests held by HBS/miniatures.com, and she was its second place winner for 2020 with her Herschel’s piece in 1:12 scale. “What I like about the Creatin’ Contest is that we are given a single requirement and the rest is fair game,” she explained. I tend to look at the contest kit as a shape. From there I try to pick a theme on something that interests me (navigation in the case of Herschel’s) to keep me focused on what items I should start collecting. As I collect, the size and shape of the building to house those items takes form, and I simply have to fit the shape of the kit into the shape of the building/structure. “I love old navigation equipment and when I saw the navigation shop in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ I knew I could make something similar.”
Materials used were: foamcore board, egg carton, balsa, paperclay, Gorilla Glue, craft fur, sand, yarn, and parsley. “The entire structure was made from scratch, including the large telescope. I made the telescope first to get a sense of how big the building needed to be. The telescope was built based on the size of the wooden thread spools I used for the front optics, so the inspiration for the entire structure revolves around an old wooden thread spool. Once I settle on a theme, I will look for miniature items on Etsy that fit the theme. I will purchase quite a few items from artisans as I cannot make them as well as the artisan, nor do I have the time. Purchasing from artisans keeps our hobby alive!”
The thatched roof is craft fur laid down onto a roof structure (not yet on the dollhouse), and then soaked in watered down PVA glue. “I apply the glue with a paint brush, making downward strokes, and really saturate the fur. The structure is propped up on the high side and the glue will drain away from the fur (makes a huge mess!). Comb the fur with a hair comb to make the appearance of thicker thatch, and let dry overnight. Trim to suit. Also, the floor grouting was done with an eyedropper, and the vines were made with yarn and parsley off the structure, and then glued in place once they were dry.”
One difficult aspect was the original roof for the dome end, which was to be copper. “I could not figure out a way to make the copper even and uniform with the curved dome. I made the inside planking and decided it looked effective as it was so I left it alone.”
Her favorite part about the piece is the teal walls. “My family was not on board with this color, but I think it makes the piece absolutely fabulous!” She also loved making miniature display cases for the miniature items. “I created molds/forms for each one so I can replicate any of them. The angled book display was the most difficult to make.”
The structure turned out exactly as she envisioned (accept for the copper roof), but she ran out of time for the décor inside. “I had made quite a few paper maps and charts to display on the walls, but the rapidly approaching contest deadline made that impossible. In the pictures now, I have included the charts. I enjoy figuring out how to accomplish an idea. The navigation theme fits my background, and I enjoy scouring the internet for material and ideas.”
Nancy isn’t planning to sell her Herschel’s piece, preferring to display it, or perhaps offer it to a club for raffle.
Nancy loves the problem solving element inherent is making miniatures. “It’s all about what I can make with which materials. In reality, we can make anything we want, in any time period, any genre; it can be funny, serious, exact, surreal, a memory. or a future. Miniatures allow our imaginations to run amok, and I really enjoy figuring out how to make an idea come to reality.”
The future of miniatures is important to her. “Miniatures are interesting when you see them in person. We need to get out and show our stuff off! I am grateful for all of us because we keep a creative hobby alive, and it never ceases to amaze me how we can make tiny things from plain ordinary materials.”
Next for Nancy is a miniature village that can hang on a wall. “It will be in 1:12 scale so that miniatures can be easily displayed and enjoyed, and the storefronts will be access doors. This is my answer to storage!”

Contact information:
Name:  Nancy Schmidt
Email: nancy.schmidt@hughes.net
Phone: (360) 340-2601 (c), (360) 769-2609 (h)
Address:  PO Box 629, Port Orchard, WA 98366
Website:  None