This is an excerpt from the post from Day 88 Pt 5 & 90 of My Maharajah's Palace:
I have given my "Banjaran" female dolls mehndi and tattoos.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
My Maharajah's Palace- Mini Cushions
This post 1st appeared on Day 92 of My Maharajah's Palace:
In India, where furniture was not introduced until after the 16th century and even tables and chairs were regarded as Western and untraditional, an important furnishing must surely be the floor cushion.






With this range of ribbons, I already knew they were going to be fashioned into floor cushions because of the designs. Each "mandala" is a 1 3/8" square and there are 2 alternating patterns and 4 combinations of colours. So each ribbon can make 2 different cushions with 2 different sides.



My Maharajah's Palace-2 Tables & A Pot
The making of these items were 1st featured on Day 90-91 of My Maharajah's Palace:

I made my 1st Indian Side Table for Ranjit Singh, the carpet merchant who eventually occupied the tent that I built.
This "rosewood" version was built using the same method . Instead of merely 4 panels for the I had used the top part of the fretwork wood which although filmsier, had more intricate designs. To compensate, I used 3 pieces for each panel. The carved table top is one of a pair of ear-rings bought for a few cents.
The rosewood side table (1 1/2" high, 1 1/2" wide tabletop) is more beautiful, sturdier and better in many ways. As such, it is to be put to a more important use as well.

It will grace Ganesh and Rosanna's gold plated "tableware" given to me with her set of pillow and bolster. Using the gold pieces, I crafted bowls (ranging from 1/4"- 1") for offerings to Ganesh. These bowls and cups hold a huge rose, a macaron made by Rosanna and a "sandalwood" incense (made from a cone like pot pourri).
The basket below (2 1/2" high and width for base) was made using a broken pottery and ribbons together with resin roses.

I glue the S$2 ribbons and resin roses onto the pot for a "over the top" look. This is because it will be used in a setting that is a la Moulin Rouge.
Using the same method for carpet chairs, I made the following table.

The blue and gold damask ribbon used for the top was bought in India. The lace for the side is S$2 dyed "antique gold". Oriental beads with butterfly, grapes and flower relief were used for the legs. The table tops were bigger pieces of the wooden base for the dolls.


This "rosewood" version was built using the same method . Instead of merely 4 panels for the I had used the top part of the fretwork wood which although filmsier, had more intricate designs. To compensate, I used 3 pieces for each panel. The carved table top is one of a pair of ear-rings bought for a few cents.
The rosewood side table (1 1/2" high, 1 1/2" wide tabletop) is more beautiful, sturdier and better in many ways. As such, it is to be put to a more important use as well.





This pot is made to hold the Royal Fan because it could not stand without falling in a windy room (when I turn on the ceiling fan). The pot will be placed against on a pillar with the Royal Fan leaning onto the pillar.



I built 2 tables, one higher (2 wooden base instead of 1, 5" length, 2 7/8" wide, 1 7/8" tall) than the other by a slab. Now at 1st glance, these tables look fairly ordinary. In fact, the print on the damask may be regarded by some purists as too big. The beauty of this piece is not however, in its form but functions .
FUNCTION NO. 1
This table has been named "A 6 in 1".
My Maharajah's Palace-Mini Royal Fan
This is an excerpt from the post which 1st appeared on Day 88 Pt 4 of My Maharajah's Palace :
I used an old chopstick for the handle. First thing I did was to spray paint the wild grass "French Blue". I also added some glitter to the peacock feather which I had removed from a cheap Venetian mask I bought for a costume party.
This project was time consuming because feathers are very difficult to handle with sticky agent since they bunch up and stain very easily.) I used double sided tape, spray adhesive (big mistake!), and little bits of wood glue for the part around the handle.
If you are building a Maharajah's Palace, there are a few iconic items which are almost inevitable. One of them has to be the tall feather fan.
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 33 of "Accessories Of Dress" by Katherine Morris Lester and Bess Viola Oerke:
The fan, like the sunshade, originated in tropical countries. Here it was in daily service as a protection against the sun, as a means of cooling the air, driving away bothers insects and, when necessary, fanning the fire into a flame. In the Far East the fan was extensively employed in the service of religion, but its use as a costume accessory also dates back to remote antiquity. Some authorities state that the fan was known in China three thousand years ago. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Hebrews, Chinese, Japanese, and the people of India used fans as far back as their records of history go.
Among Eastern potentates, the fan was a badge of rank. The dignity of these rulers required that their fans be carried by slaves or attendants. The ancient form of the fan is therefore pictured with a long handle, and resembles a standard. Figure 529 A wall painting at Thebes pictures twenty-three sons of Rameses the Great in a procession, each carrying a ceremonial fan of semicircular shape attached to a long staff. The office of fan bearer to an Egyptian king was one of high honor, one to which only princes and other sons of the highest nobility could aspire. Figure 529. These attendants served standing at the right and left of the monarch as he sat in state; they attended him when he rode forth and during ceremonies in the temple. When not serving in the capacity of the fan bearer, they waited upon the king as members of his staff or in some other service of distinction.
In india, a fan made of swan and peacock feathers is a symbol of status and so I decided I will have to make one too.
I found my swan and peacock feather and some decorative wild grass I picked from the park behind my house.

A little side note: peacock feathers can be
bought quite cheaply in Little India, 50-70 cents per stalk. Hunting a peacock for its feathers is illegal in India and the feathers can be sold only if shed from the birds, which they apparently do very regularly. Peacock feathers are considered auspicious and "protective" here.


As you can see from the 3rd picture on the left, it wasn't easy.
Each time I make a mistake with the glue, I just kept adding feathers (my poor feather duster is very bald at one spot). It was a frustrating exercise and often, I would throw it down and go to sleep only to come back to it again.

Just yesterday, I wanted to junk the fan and thought, finally, my 1st piece of work that I will trash. Well, I am obviously still gutless when it comes to "rubbish". So this is what I did with it.
I realise that the fan is not spreading properly because the back is floppy so I added a "fan" of 8 toothpicks (painted) to give the back feathers some support and a frame (see top pic 2). I then cut and shaped the edges to round it so that maybe my fan will look more "regal" . I also changed the decorative head of the handle by using a more suitable earring.
The final result is a 11 1/2" tall feather fan spanning 5 1/2" at its widest. Huge by 1:12 standard but a rather effective flywhisk (for me) and

My Maharajah's Palace-Bazaar-Mini Flower Stall
This post 1st appeared on Day 88 Pt 3 & Day 89 of My Maharajah's Palace:
After I did the post on the flowers from J.J, I decided that I liked the stall so much that I would keep it for a while. I thought I could display it as a centrepiece for my dining table until I eventually build something more permanent for it, if at all.

There were not enough leaves at the stall, so one of the 1st thing I did was to convert this banana leave tray (above, about 10 1/2" long and 1 1/2" wide) into a signboard for the stall. It was inspired by the header at Tallulah-Belle Originals.
Next, I made some sword ferns.

I also made some pruned hedges (pom pom topiaries) for the back of the stall:


As if there is not enough green at the stall, I decided to add one more for Tallulah:


For the structure, I used 2 candle holders and the dome is a coin box I found at Mustapha during one of my 4am sleepless jaunts (20/6).
I have also added different levels to the display of the flowers so that they don't look so flat. I also made one more basket for the leaves and the ground is laid with a bamboo placemat.

This is how my not so temporary flower stall in a bazaar look at the moment.














Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)