BUILDING A BUTTERCUP |
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| Mindful
of the reputation of the cheap and cheerful die-cut
plywood houses being a poor fit and troublesome to build
I decided on a strange course of action. Normally I like
to decorate before building and the instructions say to
do this and to sandpaper carefully. However with this kit I gave a minimum of sanding purely to remove splinters and stuck the pieces together using plenty of strong PVA wood glue. Even resorting to a tap from a hammer at times to force fit tabs into position. My thinking was that when built it would be easier to fill gaps and sandpaper any roughness than it would be to produce a good finish by preparation before building. As I had another kit I could use this to cut templates, if necessary, for decorating both the inside and outside when built. |
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After the first building session. |
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| At this stage, as anticipated, there were some gaps most noticeably around the tab fitting points. The building is surprisingly rigid and strong and sits nice and squarely. | |
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After assembling to this stage I realised I had forgotten to cut a trapdoor for access to the upper floor. As I could no longer do this with my fret-saw I used my mini-drill with cutting attachments to do it. I like to create an impression of access to all floors. |
| I also decided I didn't like the shape of the opening on the wall where the bay window fits on and cut out a rounded top, this would have been much easier to carry out prior to assembly. See above for original shape. |
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| It was at this stage that the approach of rapid build "knock it together" stopped and elements of greater finish were introduced. As can be seen the edges of the windows were sanded and painted white. After studying the building I decided not to install normal dolls house lighting but to illuminate with a 'bridal set of grain of wheat bulbs with battery box. This will enable the house to be displayed as a decoration at Christmas without the need for it to be accompanied by a transformer plugged into mains electricity supply. | |
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Construction of the bay window was carried out to a finished standard before fitting into position. A padded top was made for the seat and the fronts of the cupboard doors were covered with matching fabric. Silver plated earings from a cracker were used as door knobs. The doors open, fabric was used as hinges. |
| Printed acetate sheet for windows is supplied but the printing is only black line. For this project I painted details using glass paints in red, green and blue. |
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| To be continued.... ...................(eventually) |
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