Monday, May 18, 2015

Under The Lilacs.....




A Sweet Dream.....

Lilacs are a Hardy and long-lived shrub, Dear Readers, and because of this they are found nearly everywhere in New England, many specimens long outliving even the homesteads they were planted beside a hundred or more years ago! For most of the year they are unremarkable, enduring where they were planted, slowly growing and spreading, green in the summer and bare stems in the winter. But for one glorious week every May, they are unforgettable in their perfumed and lacy splendor! I walk under these lilacs every day at my place of work, and there have been lilac shrubs of various sizes at nearly every place I have lived, and there is even a small (badly damaged by last winter) specimen at my current home. So can it be any wonder that I should think of making a Lilac bush for the garden at the Folly?

And in my mind's eye it is tall and graceful 
and covered in glorious clusters of blossoms!

Somewhere In blogland, a long time ago, 
(I am sorry I don't remember whose blog it was!) 
I saw a lilac shrub where the person had made all the blossoms individually 
and I thought that Someday I would try to do that too to make my lilac for The Folly!
So it was that a while ago, when it was still deep and cold and snowy winter, 
I started to make my miniature lilac blossoms....
one floret at a time!

I cut a punched circle into thirds, 
and serrated the edge of each third into four sections..
and glued each section to a piece of thread.....
and then folded the section around the thread and splayed the petals.....

Here below you can see the florets attached to their threads....

And then I paint the florets....
a lovely lilac color!

But is it really small enough?
Is it truly 1:12 scale???
 For this I had to get scientific, Dear Readers, 
and go measure my own lilac blossom...
The single solitary blossom cluster 
on my poor battered shrub this year!

And then trying to get a measure of an individual floret.....

It appears that each floret measures just under an inch across!
Here below you can see a floret up close with the mini versions....

But is the mini one one twelfth of the real one?

Perhaps we can judge better if we line up six of the mini florets....

Well, they might be still a tiny bit too large... six of them are 1/2 inch....
and the RL floret is less than one inch across...
Well, perhaps we will have to claim they are Robust and healthy lilacs!

And when the florets are glued onto the stems in clusters.....
there are eighteen florets on each of these clusters.... 
and I think they should have at least a half dozen more florets on each cluster....
at a minimum!

And so far I have made five of these clusters!
(Just how many clusters will I need for my shrub?)
Ah, Dear Readers, It is another one of those Projects
that I Will be working on for a very long time!
But Someday I will have my Tall and Graceful 
Blossom covered Lilac bush growing beside The Folly porch!
It is Such a Sweet Dream...
Under the Lilacs!

19 comments:

  1. Gosh this will be time consuming and fiddly but I am sure the end result will be so worth it. Can't wait to see the lilac bush on its completion.

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  2. OMG Betsy!!!! The time and effort required for your lilac bush is phenomenal! It will be priceless when you are finished. I can close my eyes and smell them in my mind.
    Your are truly an artist!
    Hugs,
    Vicki

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  3. You are a miniaturist's miniaturist! I can't believe how tiny and lifelike you are able to get them! Don't forget the lilac perfume. The only thing they are missing is the fragrance!

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  4. How beautiful! I hope to see your finished lilac bush! We have one in the garden here, which is in full bloom right now too.

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  5. beautiful ! I am makimg plants too at the moment, but from kits...

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  6. What fond memories that lilac bush evokes!
    I can't believe you are making such a tiny replica - almost to scale - close enough!
    And I'm happy that you have "lilac weather" at last.
    Love,
    Mom
    p.s. we have lots of lilacs out here, too. They seem to thrive, much as in New England. Hollyhocks, too - they're weeds. Amazing, what?

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  7. This is one of the most wonderful and at the same time craziest projects I have ever seen! I can't believe how you're doing them - I would already go nuts when cutting that circle into thirds. But when cutting the thirds like you do one would find me sitting in our still standing lilac shrub tweeting like a bird with a sore throat while rolling my eyes like a cartoon character! *LOL* I already knew you're a tough and straight lady when it comes to realism... but now even you are outdoing yourself. What a wonderful lilac tree for the Folly... and one that no storm or hurricane can ever damage like ours *sob* Btw - there are many varieties/specimen of lilac - and among the hybrids there are ones with bigger blossoms... ;O)

    Hugs to you and the whole beary gang (*wink*)
    Birgit

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  8. OMG!!! !I know what I will want next when we think of exchange, lol! )You are becoming a fab minigardener Betsy!! I love them! I would probably say many bad bad words before quitting it not finishing and you are making Lilacs??? Superb work!
    Hugs

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  9. That is true dedication and a lot of work. The Lilac will look amazing. See you again in a month ;0P

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  10. Que lilas tan preciosas.
    Gracias por el tuto.
    Un abrazo
    Maite

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  11. Betsy, you are one Crazy Lady and I am Crazy about what you have been doing and how you are doing it!!!! :D You continue to AMAZE me in your quest for the PERFECT mini and the MINUTE details that you are willing to go the distance for! Bravo My Dear Betsy, and now you have us all agog and we're pulling for you to get this shrub for the Folly finished so that we can see it!
    YOU GO GIRL!!!!! :D

    elizabeth

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  12. Your mini lilac will be amazing.

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  13. Oh my goodness that's an ambitious project but they're absolutely gorgeous.

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  14. Either you're the most patient person in the world, or just a little crazy .. or Both;-) A wonderful long-term project you have chosen here. I really admire you for your patience
    Hugs
    Melli

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  15. Hello Betsy,
    You are the bravest woman I know. I am going crazy just thinking about making that many buds. They look beautiful and I have seen some Lilacs that had larger flowers. I am positive they will look perfect in the end.
    Big hug,
    Giac

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  16. It must have been a nightmare to hold and work with those super tiny, almost invisible pieces of paper.....I feel for you, but...... They look beautiful!!!! So at least all that "suffering" was worth because even if not finished (in these pics) you can already see the tiny petals are perfect!

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  17. It must have been a nightmare to hold and work with those super tiny, almost invisible pieces of paper.....I feel for you, but...... They look beautiful!!!! So at least all that "suffering" was worth because even if not finished (in these pics) you can already see the tiny petals are perfect!

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  18. It must have been a nightmare to hold and work with those super tiny, almost invisible pieces of paper.....I feel for you, but...... They look beautiful!!!! So at least all that "suffering" was worth because even if not finished (in these pics) you can already see the tiny petals are perfect!

    ReplyDelete