Miniatures and Parkinson’s: A Challenge Indeed

Last week my BFF, Deb, sent me the cutest Halloween gift. It is a table decorated for a Halloween party with candy, skeletons and ghoulish punch. What makes it so unique is it the size, It’s a miniature. It is in 1/12” scale but has all of the detail of a regular sized table. It amazes me how miniatures are created to replicate real life items in small scales, such as 1/12” or 1/24” or even 1/144” and yet they still include incredibly fine accents.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, Deb and I have been collectors of miniatures for over 30 years. We have attended shows in New York and Philadelphia and have visited many speciality stores that carry these precious treasures. We have decorated small townhouses, country houses, room boxes and Christmas villages. Our creations include making the just perfect selection of colors for rugs and lamps and pillows to coordinate with the period pieces in our miniature dining rooms, bedrooms and kitchens. We are detail-oriented. Our plates for serving are chosen specifically to work with the style of a Country French kitchen or a Tudor dining room. A turkey with all the trimmings is carefully displayed on the dining room’s lace tablecloth while the cook finishes up in the kitchen. It is such fun playing and using our imagination and the results are magical.

So the question certainly arises: how does a tremor-dominated Parkinson’s patient play with tiny miniatures? CAREFULLY!

When Deb and I began our collections, I did not have any movement disorders. In fact, I already had most of my minis set up in a bookcase long before the tremors started. Thankfully they are behind glass doors so they do not need to be dusted too often. Since I now struggle with handling small items, I admit it has been a challenge when I refinish a tiny chair or make a quilt for a mini-size bed. But like most of the challenges I face with Parkinson’s, I approach it with ‘’there must be a way”. So first, I only work on my fine pieces after I have taken my meds and my tremors are lessen. Secondly, I have found several great tools to use for handling delicate items. Some of the tools are surgical clamps and long handle tweezers which make it much easier to move the tiniest items. Let’s just say that I have broken many less treasures since my husband gifted these tools to me. Thank you, hon.

So don’t let the challenges you face keep you from doing what you love to do. Find a way and go for it!