Summer is in full force, and the work has resumed at Chardon-sur-l’Auvézère. The ladies of Miss Thistle Society are gathered on my bookshelf waiting for updates on the Manor, accessories, and to welcome newcomers. And of course for better looking stands. But we’re still in construction mode, if I may be excused.
Most of the patterns for the tiny rag dolls (they’re about 6″ — dollhouse size) are by Ann Wood, with some of my additions and variations.
Chardon Manor (Maison Chardon) is mostly built, but the roof needs finishing, some furnishings have yet to arrive, and of course the site itself is, well, non-existent. The garden is a wilderness, the front of the house is a construction zone… The Dames can’t wait to move in, of course.
A few construction notes. The house is built to an almost precise 1:12 scale (1 inch for a real-world foot), but I’ve allowed myself some leeway, as I’m not aiming at creating a perfect miniature replica, but rather a convincing mini-story-world, with a picture-book illustration quality. This gives me the freedom to experiment with a variety of materials and to get inspiration from a range of times and places.
Maison Chardon with finished walls and wired for lights.
Namely, I wanted to celebrate my history, the convoluted and often unchosen paths my family took through life and history. From our Russian roots to life in France, my move across the ocean to America before the Internet and cell phones made communication instant.
It’s not about specific details, but rather the feeling and life esthetic inspired by all those transitions, the lessons in Midwestern homemaking and crafting from my mother-in-law, the south-central Texas fiestas, and all the stories they bring together.
Most of all, it’s a return to a very mixed-media kind of crafting I’ve cherished since childhood, which involves every possible kind of craft I have and can try (and could include every other that I won’t try). Fiber, paper, wood, clay, even some electricity; cutting, glueing, sewing, weaving, embroidery… Even computer graphics and design (the corner hutch, wall sconces, and andirons in the fireplace, were designed and cut on a Cricut machine).
Keep following for more updates on the world of Chardon.