If you read the comments section of my last post, you will have seen the dilemma of having miniature vinyl LPs with nothing to play them on.
Had to remedy that, of course.
I had a look online for vintage portable record players – actually I used to have one very similar myself, it went to university with me in the olden days when there were few other ways of listening to music.
And after a few days of creative play and problem solving, here it is:
The album covers and records are from Easy Doll Home but everything else is all my own work.
The record player is made from thin sheets of bass wood, card, and painted grey board, with a fraction of pin for a stylus. At one point I thought it was finished and I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. Then I woke up at 3am thinking ‘It needs a flex and a three-pin plug! It won’t work without a plug! How am I going to do that?’
Turns out a vintage flex is quite straightforward – perle 3 embroidery thread with a bit of white glue swiped along the length to stiffen it a bit – and you can carve a plug out of layered grey board. Superglue three little lengths of brass pin into it and there it is.
I should have plugged it in to a tiny socket for the video but I think we can probably suspend disbelief for a few seconds.
This week, surrounded by tiny things, has been just what I needed. We currently have a long weekend here in the UK, so I’m not back to work until Tuesday. A bit more time out is no bad thing.
Normal services will be resumed at the end of May with some stitching. Until then, enjoy your weekend. I need to go and paint that little table you can see in the photos.
Discover more from Karen Turner Stitching Life
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I love your miniatures Karen, these must be very satisfying to work with and you can’t be thinking of anything else when making them!
thanks so much Marjorie, yes that’s exactly right – focusing on tiny challenges is the perfect way to clear a cluttered mind 🙂
I can almost hear the music! 🙂
The little record player looks fantastic. You are so patient and your hobby is so fulfilling.
thanks so much Mary 🙂
I’ve been planning on doing miniatures this summer and this is just lighting the flame! (I really want to make small books and shelves and I’ve been looking up how to weave tiny baskets.)
I love this little player. As our electrical is different, mine would have had a two-prong plug. Playing records was everything, wasn’t it?
It’s so clever of you to make this up. I’m really enjoying seeing your miniatures.
ha, yes, playing records really was everything back in the day. I gave away practically all my vinyl many years ago (probably when CDs became a thing) and deeply regret it now. I’d love to hear it all again.
Making tiny things is so satisfying, and very absorbing too. Enjoy your explorations of the small world 🙂 Woven wicker baskets are on my list too, I thought they’d be just the thing a vintage shop would have on the floor, maybe filled with vintage linens. Since this thing is just for me, I plan to take my time with it and dip in and out as time and other things allow 🙂
Love your music choices!! (Fleetwood Mac!!!)
Make it a great day! Sandra Jones
one of my favourites 🙂 have a fabulous day too
What a wonderful \’side trip\’ you have had with your little shop. My parents used to make tiny rooms, too. An old New England country store and a barber shop. And my mother spruced up antique dolls, bodies and clothes. Enjoy!
how lovely, I bet they were fun to make. I like the challenge of making something fairly realistic in miniature and there are lots more things I can create for this little shop scene. Hours of fun ahead 🙂
I love miniature things too! There is a miniature doll show held here every year. It is fascinating to see all of the things people make. Your records and record player took me back to my teenage years!
I wish there were some kind of miniature show nearby but they seem to be few and far between here. This little make took me back to my teenage years too; the portable record player I ended up with had belonged to my parents when they were young. Nice to see they’re still available too, they seem fairly plentiful on the online auction site.
OMG, you are so clever and creative! ❤️these miniatures!
ha, that’s very kind, thank you. I do like a small challenge 🙂
You are so clever! It is such fun to see how you create your miniature world. Just amazing!
that’s very kind, thank you, I’ve always enjoyed this
I built a dolls house from a kit that I bought in London’s Covent Garden way back. It travelled with us to San Diego where I finished the interior with wall paper and wooden floor coverings and made a lot of miniatures, including copper wiring for the lights; then back to London; to Toronto; and finally to Atlanta. That dolls house had its own passport! I even made Roman blinds that really worked. A few years ago, it was time for it to give joy to a young girl and I gifted it to a friend’s daughter. I’m so happy to hear you are a miniaturist. I quilted a miniature quilt for the bed of course!
How fabulous, I love that – and yes, I’ve also (in the past) made tiny patchwork quilts – never done a working blind, but it’s on the list of things to try. It’s such an enjoyable challenge isn’t it? I love the idea that your house had its own passport. You used to get some really beautiful dolls house kits many years ago but most of them have retired or gone out of business now. Some of the larger house kits can be quite realistic but sadly for me I don’t have the space or the time for a full house at present. Maybe when I retire though!
You are an amazing artist. I was fascinated by a huge doll house behind glass at one of our libraries when I was a child, and my love for them has never gone away. What a fun hobby! Thank you for sharing.
that’s very kind, thank you. Miniatures really are fascinating, and lots of fun too 🙂
Who knew that a miniature, vintage record player existed?? Happy days Karen & well done 👏👏
ha, it does now 😄 thank you, it was fun
That’s very convincing, well done!
thank you, it was a happy challenge 🙂