Back to miniatures. As you can see, the curved window is
done, and it turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be.
Both the styrene and the wood strips I was already using for the other windows
were so thin and flexible, I was able to use them for the curved window as
well! What was a little more difficult for the curved window was the
frame. For the sides of the frame, I used the same strip wood and
railroad lumber I had used for the other windows. However, they were
definitely not flexible enough for the top and bottom.
For those, I used one of the disks I had purchased to make the floors. I
traced around it for the interior curve, and then drew a second curved line
~3/32” outside that. Since I forgot to take pictures, I made a representational
drawing.
I cut two of these very slender arcs from poster board. I
then cut narrow strips of poster board (again, about 3/32 of an inch wide), curled
them by sliding them between my finger and the handle of a paintbrush (almost
the way you would curl ribbon for a package), and glued them carefully along
the inside and outside edges of both arcs. I glued the frame’s side
pieces to the bottom arc. I placed the window frame within the
window opening and secured it with painter’s tape while it was drying to be
sure I got the right shape. When making the grids and gluing them to the
window, I didn’t leave my template flat; I taped it around the curved section
of the second floor. That way, the grids and window were already being
trained to curve, and the grids wouldn’t just pop off the instant I started
bending the styrene. When the glue was dry, I carefully fitted the window
into the frame I had made. Instead of leaving the top open, as I had with
the other windows, I glued the second arced piece I had made over the top edge
of the window. Finally, I glued the whole assembly into the window slot
and trimmed it, both inside and out, with casings made from painted poster
board. To my astonishment, it worked! Unfortunately, I was so
focused on whether it would turn out as planned that I neglected to take
pictures. I will try to do a better job of documenting the process when I
do the curved window on the upper floor.
To finish things off, I curved a length of 18 gauge wire and glued
the ends into some pre-drilled bits of wood using JB KwikWeld. I painted
my wood bits silver, then glued them to the outside of my interior window
casings. To this “curtain rod” I glued some white shantung silk that I
had pleated using my Pretty Pleater. (The top and bottom hems were
finished using Stitch Witchery.) You won’t see much of the drapes once
the roof is on, but I think they add just a bit of elegance to that section of
the room.
I still needed something for over the fireplace. I had
bought a lovely, beveled-edge, octagonal mirror, but it was so thick it looked
totally out of scale. *sigh* I tested out other art work for
the space and ultimately kind of fell in love with a painting by Sally
Rockefeller. She is a contemporary artist, so technically this
painting wouldn’t have existed at the time of this house, but I loved the
flapper woman and the palm trees. The painting has a bit of the purple
that is on the walls, but, more importantly, it has other colors that give the
room some much-needed warmth. It’s only on temporarily, in case I change
my mind, but I’m really liking it so far.
During my week off, I got brave and cut the roof/ceiling for the
first floor. I had originally planned for it to be ¼” thick, which is why
I didn’t have it laser cut along with the rest of my pieces. He has a
limit for cutting thickness of 1/8 inch. The biggest issue, though, was
the lighting. How was I going to cut channels for the wires when both the
top and bottom of the kitchen/dining area were going to be open? I
pondered this a lot, and finally decided to cut my roof/ceiling from 1/8”
plywood. I’ll cut my channels on the top, and then add another layer over
it. I was thinking mat board, because that would make the floor the exact
thickness I would like, but I’m not sure how well it would hold up. I may
use wood veneer—not quite as thick as I would like, but would be essentially
like wallpapering over a channel cut in a wall, and has the advantage of being
actual wood.
Anyway, I used my table saw to cut the plywood. I had
some 1/8” thick circles of the exact side I needed, but I needed to be able to
attach them to the main part of the roof. To simplify this process, I cut
the joining edges of both on the same diagonal, then glued them together,
puttied and sanded. You can see the line in the photo, but it will be
covered by the veneer, and I don’t think would have shown once painted anyway.
It works pretty well, I think.
With the roof made (although not yet glued on), I could play around with dry-fitting my
upper-story pieces. That was a lot of fun. 😊 What do you
think of think of the wallpaper for the bedroom? I am thinking the
bedroom floor will be a diamond pattern, similar to the first floor, but made
of two tones of wood. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get my Silhouette Cameo
to cut the squares of veneer. I’d go with a deep plum for the rug, to
match the throw pillows on the bed. The drapes would be the same very
pale pink shantung silk used in the second set of pillows.
And, yes, Jodi, just for you the little mock-up of where my railing pieces will go. 😉 I need to get a few more of those metal washers, as they are just the right size to hold the dowels. If you’re wondering what that paper cut-out in the curved part of the bedroom is, it’s the footprint of the art deco desk I hope to make.
I spent this weekend working on a chandelier for the dining room,
but haven’t had much success. Plus,
there is something funky going on with the electrical strip, so I have to
diagnose that and figure out how to fix it.
*sigh* This is why I hate electrical
so much. 😣
Hope you all have a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by!
