Narrator: Building a dollhouse from a kit is one way to make a miniature but once you have mastered the art of construction it is fun to try new and unusual techniques.
Pat Arnell: This miniature Hobo Shack was inspired by an article I read in a miniature magazine. The article proposed building a miniature using odds and ends leftover from previous projects; things like trim pieces, lattice, door frames and windows. I like this idea and designed the shack and built it from scraps.
Narrator: If you look carefully you’ll see all kinds of materials fitted together to form the building. The floor was created from egg cartons cut in pieces and pieced together to create the slate floor.
Pat Arnell: One reasons this project interested me was that I had purchased a doll that looked like a hobo from miniature artisan Cat Wingler at a NAME convention.
Narrator: NAME is the National Association of Miniature Enthusiast and they have an annual convention each July. Artisans come from all over the world to sell their handcrafted miniatures.
Pat Arnell: I thought the doll needed a home and a shack made from scrap wood would be just the place. Once I put him inside the shack I decided he needed a companion and added another doll and some animals too.
Narrator: The old lady that is sitting out front of the Hobo Shack was made by miniature artisan Marcia Backstrom. Marcia was a doll maker who specialized in making old ladies- dowager types.
Pat Arnell: I’ve collected a number of dolls from both Cat and Marcia. Look for their dolls in displays in this gallery as well as the Enchanted Realm.
