From top to bottom.

Happy New Year everyone!

Am I ashamed?    Well, yes I am.   It's been nine months since my last post.

To be honest, I've been struggling with my Cobbler.   I have a rough idea of what I'm doing with the space and I've been collecting bits and pieces but I just can't get a clear picture in my head of where I'm going with this room.

This is the space and so far all I've done is dealt with two walls and the floor.

I decided then to leave it, walk away and hope for inspiration (which hasn't happened yet!).   I left the very top of the property and moved to the bottom.

Up until recently the whole thing stood on a tray so I could move it more easily to access the wiring without having to take it apart.   That worked for a while but it meant I couldn't open the door to The Cloth Booth.

 

 

A quick trip to the local DIY shop and a piece of mdf and four castors later, I had a base.   This was covered in cobbles which had been purchased ages ago for this very purpose.   I then gave it an edging as I liked the effect of that when seen on Simon's Miniature Enthusiast blog with a property he had been working on.

 

 

It also meant creating a little base for the building to stand on in order to open the front of this particular room and this was done using three layers of foamboard with the edges painted.   It gave me enough height to open the door with ease and avoid hitting the edging as well.

 

 

It did however mean I had to create an extra area of cobbles and this was attached to the bottom of the door and held in place by the pillars.   This prevented the whole thing sagging in the middle.
 

I'm pleased with the way this is working out.   Usually this stage is reached after much angst and a lot of staring but everything fell into place on this occasion.

While the said "angst" didn't happen with regard to the base and the pillars, it did present itself while searching for a way to tidy up and finish off the top section.   Due to the very nature of my miniature building it doesn't exactly copy the real one on the outside but I did want it to be as authentic as possible  in terms of historical accuracy and I scoured hundreds of pictures and loads of websites in my hunt for ideas but there didn't seem to be anything out there - at least not that I could see.  I even looked at art work but couldn't find anything.   I then went to the source!   I asked a colleague when doing my volunteer stint.   She was able to give me some ideas to work with and with any luck it should all now come together.   I hope!   I just have to track the items down.   Thank you Ioanna! 

 

 

Due to space restrictions I have also had to alter the direction of the staircase from that of the real building and this is being done using a pre-made stair (complete with decorative spindles and handrail).   I took the thing apart, sanded down the treads to create years of wear, removed the spindles and replaced them with plain ones and I now have to create a handrail (a job I've been putting off as I'm not sure of the best way to deal with it!)

 

 

So, that's what I've been up to and as it's been quite a while since I last said anything about my Merchant's Booth, here are a few pictures -

 

 

 

There is still a fair bit of finishing off to do to the main building and I'm not sure if I'm entirely happy with the overall exterior finish.   The stonework itself is fine, I think, but I may just go over the thing with a paintbrush again as I've learnt a few things about that technique since it was first done.