February 4th, 2010

Now a common sight in any wardrobe, the humble coat or clothes hanger is a little over 100 years old. O A North of Connecticut filed a patent for a coat hook as early as 1869. However the employees of the Timberlake Wire and Novelty Company of Michigan complained there were insufficient coat hooks for them, so Albert J. Parkhouse another employee, bent a piece of wire into a wishbone shape complete with a twisted hook. It was 1903 and subsequently Parkhouse patented his “wire coat hanger”. Strangely the patent was assigned to John B. Timberlake, the owner of the company for which Parkhouse worked.
By 1906 Meyer May, mens clothes retailer was the first to use the coat hanger to display his clothes for sale. Wood was an alternative material but the basic design remained the same. In 1932 an improvement on the basic design that used cardboard tubes on the upper shoulders and lower bar that helped prevent wrinkles. From this concept came the idea of padding the hangers with materials such as satin to protect expensive clothes from shoulder dents.
We have some rather pretty satin and lace coat hangers for ladies and babies in 1/12th scale on our web shop.
Posted in General Interest/seasons | Comments Off
February 2nd, 2010

The latest Buttercup Miniatures pattern to be featured in Dolls House and Miniature Scene (March 2010 Issue 189) is for two 1/12th scale knitted Ladies motoring veils c. 1906-8.
For those of you unable to obtain the magazine the pattern is also available from our web shop priced £ 1.50.
The ½-ply silk yarn required to knit the pattern is also now available on our web shop in a choice of 3 colours (Ecru, white and black). If the silk yarns prove popular we will add more colours to the range.
Posted in Items published in magazines, etc., Web shop news | Comments Off
January 28th, 2010

Any keen gardener will look forward to the time of year when the winter starts to give way to warmer weather. This, depending where you are in he world will vary, but wherever you are, the time to plan the garden and sow seeds is something to look forward too.
Hardy annuals, biennials, perennials, vegetables and fruits need different methods to get the best results. This article is not intended to discuss in detail the methods or merits of each available. There are numerous books and websites dedicated to the technical aspects of this. However, in general the better start in life the better the resulting plants will be.
One issue that confronts us is when and how to sow? How many times have we waited for the right weather conditions only to find rain or frosts has dashed our sowing attempts? For those with a greenhouse this presents less of a problem. But you don’t need a large space to erect a greenhouse these days. A three-feet by two-feet polythene coved mini greenhouse can accommodate quite a number of seed trays/pots and allow that earlier start with sowing. If that small an area is a problem then all is not lost, as a small seed tray or propagator on a window ledge will start your seeds off in a good manner.
Later we will need to think about moving the seedlings out of their original home and on into their final growing place. If you have been inspired to ‘get sowing’ then good luck with your efforts. But don’t forget the changing seasons in your dolls house. A seed tray on a table or in shed could add that touch of authenticity. See our web shop for an assortment of 1/12th scale seed packets and authentic 1/12th scale seed tray.
Posted in General Interest/seasons, Ideas for the dolls house | Comments Off
January 26th, 2010

Just a reminder that the January sale on our web shop and 15% discount on all our patterns ends this Sunday (31st January 2010), after which items in the sale will revert to their normal prices.
If you wish to be notified of any future offers and exclusive discounts on our web shop, you may wish to subscribe to our e-mail newsletter.
Posted in Web shop news | Comments Off
January 22nd, 2010

The word pyjamas originated in what was then known as Persia and originally meant ‘leg garment’, however it was introduced into the English language in the early 17th Century from India. Early pyjamas took the form of male loungewear, but were not a long lasting trend. Pyjamas regained popularity in Victorian times when all things Eastern became fashionable, especially items from India and Persia. Patterns such as Paisley prints (originally Indian designs) appeared around this time as well.
Pyjamas as we know them today started life as traditional garments worn by Sikhs in India, but were soon adopted by the English during Victorian times as sleepwear, replacing the traditional nightgowns worn by both sexes.
Pyjamas today are generally loose fitting trousers with an elasticated waistband or tied at the waist, and a buttoned shirt top. In the 1930’s and 1940’s it was common to find hand knitted pyjamas for ladies (nightdresses and dressing gowns were also knitted during this time.) This fashion for hand knitted pyjamas had died out by the 1970’s and today most pyjamas are made from silk, cotton or synthetic fabrics.
In the late 1920’s and 1930’s a new form of pyjama became popular – the beach pyjama. These were sometimes knitted but more usually made of draping fabric and worn on holiday to the seaside or on sea cruises.
So as the nights become colder think of your poor dolls in their dolls house and treat them to a pair of warm knitted pyjamas!
Posted in Fashion notes | Comments Off
January 19th, 2010
Roz Walters very kindly sent us this photo of her completed Advent cot cover (knitted using the pattern on our Advent calendar 2009)

Roz made the following comments:
I used DMC 80’s tatting threads mostly, though I think one was an Anchor thread, same type, and two or three were the Venus 70’s, but all three are pretty much the same. I also changed the border slightly by knitting one length, then a length for the opposite side, then the two shorter sides.
Please note that the Advent Cot cover pattern will be removed from our site this Friday (22nd January 2010) the pattern will then be available to purchase from our web shop.
Posted in Advent calendar December 2009 | Comments Off
January 14th, 2010

The Teddy Bear as most people know took its name in 1902 from Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt, US President. Originally a childs toy the Teddy Bear was invented in Germany. A stuffed toy bear was included in the toy catalogue of German toy manufacturer Gebruder Sussenguth in 1894. Three years later in 1897 arguably the most famous bear makers Steiff, included a roly-poly bear in their catalogue and in 1899 Steiff registered 23 patents for toys included 2 for bears.
Then as mentioned above the Teddy Bear became famous following a bear hunt on 14th November 1902. Seeing a wounded young bear Roosevelt ordered the mercy killing of the animal rather than shoot it himself and was caricatured in the Washington Post sitting with a stylised bear cub. Morris Michtom, owner of a Brooklyn novelty store, wrote to the President asking permission to associate the name “Teddy” with his toy bear. Roosevelt replied “I don’t think my name is likely to be worth much in the toy bear business, but you are welcome to use it.” and could not have been further off the mark!
Since then bears have not only been a staple child’s toy but has also become a collector’s item. The value of rare bears can reach unbelievable heights with one Steiff bear selling in a London auction in 1994 for £110,000 (around $174,000).
The association of bears as cuddly animals pre-dates the early German Teddy Bear manufacturers as the 1834 publication of Robert Southey’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears shows. Since then the affable bear has been seen in various guises such as Yogi Bear, Winnie the Pooh and Rupert Bear. Even music has been touched by our love affaire with the bear as Elvis Presley demonstrated in 1957 with the song Teddy Bear.
So it is unsurprising that miniature bears are often found as replacements for figures in our dolls houses. A whole genre of collectors of miniature bears exists and we have not overlooked your requirements having designed several knitting patterns exclusively for miniature teddy bears.

Posted in General Interest/seasons, Ideas for the dolls house | Comments Off
January 11th, 2010

Due to increasing processing costs and our policy to provide a continued secure shopping environment we have had to make the following changes with immediate effect.
Ordering
We have removed the ‘Print Order Form’ option from our payment options. This option allowed for payment other than by an online ‘live’ transaction. For one off items, an order placed and paid for via the web shop would instantly remove the stock, whilst we are potentially awaiting confirmation from another customer that they wish to buy the goods. In all instances, goods are not reserved until paid for and online payments will always take priority. Consequently it was possible on rare occasions for two people to attempt to “buy” one item.
However, in order to accommodate customers still wishing to pay by cheque FOR KNITTING NEEDLES AND ALL PATTERNS ONLY please call us during our office hours or email to reserve your items. These items are of our own manufacture and we can ensure stocks are available for customers not paying online.
Please note: any discounts offered exclusively on the web shop would not apply to any orders paid by cheque.
Card payments
Due to increasing security demands and the associated costs, we are no longer able to process card payments on behalf of customers. This does not affect payments from our web shop, which will continue to operate via PayPal’s secure on line processing arrangements. It does however mean we are now unable to accept card details over the phone or by post and process them on your behalf as in the past. Please be assured that this is not due in any way to any card or personal data being mishandled by us. It is a decision taken solely by ourselves due to the card processing industry’s ever increasing security requirements and associated processing costs. We apologise to those few people this affects, but sadly find we have no alternative but to take this decision.
Posted in General tips and information, Web shop news | Comments Off
January 7th, 2010

As we become more environmentally aware or maybe just conscious of the increasing cost of energy, those of us in colder climes seek ways to keep heat in our home and cold out. For some this will mean improved glazing in windows, insulating walls and more efficient heating systems.
Some of us we will remember making draught excluders to fit across the bottom of a door to keep the draughts from coming under it. Basic simple excluders were sheets of newspaper screwed into balls and pushed inside a stocking or a leg of a pair of ladies tights.
For the more adventurous a long knitted tube that was filled with old cloths or other materials such as feathers could do the job well. But the top of the range excluder was a knitted tube based on a snake or “sausage” dog including eyes and a mouth etc. Not only were these functional items but acted as a magnet for young children to play with and cuddle!
So why not make your dolls house a little more comfortable, and entertain the children at the same time, by making a 1/12th scale snake or dog excluder from the pattern available from our web shop?
Posted in Ideas for the dolls house | Comments Off
January 4th, 2010

The Buttercup Miniatures web shop January sale is now on. Click the photo above to visit the sale items on our web shop.
There are many discounted prices in the sale (some with 50% off) PLUS we are offering 15% off all miniature knitting, miniature crochet and teddy bear patterns during January 2010.
Please note: sale prices are exclusive to purchases made through our web shop and do NOT apply to telephone or mail order.
The sale ends January 31st 2010
Posted in Web shop news | Comments Off