The true story of a Triang house

 If you have followed my blog you know that I recently had to downsize from a large house to a small rented flat. All my dollhouses and most of my supplies are in storage until I find a new place to live. Until then, a new dollhouse is the last thing I need. And yet this is exactly what I have just purchased.

I was on a walking holiday in Penzance, Cornwall, and in the first afternoon my friend and I were strolling around in pouring rain, looking into antique shops. In one of them, I asked casually: "You don't seem to have any dollhouse stuff..." They said: "No, no stuff, but we have a dollhouse, with stuff". And then I saw it. And fell in love.

I cannot say that I have always wanted a Triang, but they are among my favourites in the Museum of Childhood, because they are both modern and traditional. Some time ago, knowing that I would be leaving the UK soon, I thought that I should consider buying dollhouse stuff that would be hard to get elsewhere. There is of course ebay and other online outlets, but shipping becomes prohibitive. Anyway, it was just a thought, and it wasn't specifically about Triang. Or maybe it was. But I don't think I would have bought a Triang on ebay, although there are plenty. It's different when you have the object of your desire right in front of you.

However, we had two days of walking, and nine hours of return train journey with two changes, so buying a dollhouse to transport from Penzance to Cambridge didn't seem a good idea at all. Yet all the time while I was climbing up and down Cornwall coast path, the Triang was calling to me. I knew it would haunt me until the end of my days. I had no idea what the shop would want for it, and it was total madness, just forget it.

That evening, I went to ebay on my phone and looked what Triangs were sold for. If my friend agreed to go back to that shop, I would inquire about the price, and if it was within reason, I would maybe, mind I said maybe, tentatively consider buying it. During our walk the next day, I said to my friend: "You know, I really want that dollhouse", to which she said, helpfully: "Then I think you should get it". She is not a dollhouse person, but she recognises a passion when she sees it. With two hours before our train home, we went to the shop, and I asked the price, and, satisfied, I asked whether they would be able to pack it so that I could take it on the train. (Yes, I did ask about delivery, but it would probably cost twice the price of the house).

I am sure this kind person will remember me forever. My friend and I went to local Tesco and brought back several cardboard boxes. They weren't large enough, but we cut them and fixed them together with tape, and more tape, and much, much more tape. It wasn't heavy, but bulky. The outdoor equipment store might have luggage wheels, but apparently such a thing isn't in demand any longer, because everyone has wheelie bags. I also thought about a large canvass bag or something, and then the antique dealer said they knew a shop nearby that sold everything, and called and inquired, and yes, they had superlarge laundry bags for two pounds, and we measured the now packed dollhouse, and my friend was an angel and ran to that shop, because our train was leaving soon, and we still had our luggage to collect from our hotel. Luckily, Penzance is not a very large town.

(As a side comment, I have seen people carrying these plastic chequered laundry bags and always tell myself that I would rather die than be seen carrying one). 

We got on the train, and the huge laundry bag fit into the luggage shelf, and then we ran across Paddington station to the underground, and from underground to King's Cross to catch the last train to Cambridge, me carrying this enormous bag and thinking what an utterly crazy thing I had just done, and why didn't my friend stop me. Because if she had said, as she should have, "Don't be silly, you cannot take this dollhouse on the train", I would have agreed. Moreover, I have no space for it in my flat. Although of course I will find space.

Isn't it a beauty?

I did some quick research online, so I now know that it is Triang #62, manufactured in the 1950s. If I had grown up in the UK I would probably have owned one like it. According to the antique dealer, it had only had one owner who will now be my age, if not dead (likely, and her children got rid of it together with other old rubbish from mum's attic). 

It needs some repairs: one window missing, another broken; gable beams missing, and many other small things I discovered on closer inspection. In the coming weeks, or more likely months I will be learning about Triang and about restoring old dollhouses in a gentle way that preserves the original as much as possible. Some furniture came with it, but not all to my liking. I have some perfect objects in storage when I one day can take it back. 

So watch this space - I will report from thoughtful and responsible restoration work and share my new knowledge about this exciting piece. A whole new world is opening in front of me. 

Milk canister

I have made milk containers and canisters before, mostly using hotel-size shampoo bottles or eye-drop dispensers, like this one:

 

This time I wanted to do it a bit differently. I still used a plastic eye-drop bottle - I have endless supplies of these.

 

Don't throw away the cap - they make perfect lamp shades. But cut off the nozzle.

 

Acrylic paint doesn't work on plastic so I used enamel. It's messy, it smells and takes ages to dry. I use florist foam to let painted items dry on a stick.

 

For handles, I used heavy staples that come with wine crates. Or shall I say, used to come, as wine merchants don't give away or sell their wine crates any more. But I have a stash of these staples; they come handy for various things. It is easy to make holes in a plastic bottle.

 

Since my canister will be permanently sealed, I didn't bother cutting the staples to measure, they are simply inside the bottle.

For lid I used one of the many metal caps I once got from a miniaturist friend - I think they are for making fabric-covered buttons.

This was a quick project, apart from drying time.

Library room box, part 5

Read the previous posts about this project: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

If you wonder how far I have got with my library project - not far. I was away for a week, and now I am back at work, grading student essays. But I have moved on a bit since last time.

 

To begin with, I have added fake drawers to the second book case, and I have made one fake open drawer with index cards. It was a lot of work, but I think the effect is worth while. Again, perception trick: if one drawer is open, then all others potentially open as well (but they don't). 

Secondly, I am making books. In this picture, you can clearly see the difference between fake book spines and individually made books, even though they are also fake, that is, do not open. Once you have done something that looks better, you can't unsee. In my previous post, I estimated that I would need a hundred individual books. The two middle rows on the right, that are individual books, have 15 books each. Which makes it a total of 120. Right, just 90 more to make. Plus some more on the table and on the floor. Luckily, I am not in a hurry. 

It takes ten to fifteen minutes to make a fake book, depending on the method. The simple is to glue together two or three pieces of cardboard and wrap them in a cover. 

 

Small Stuff's printables acknowledged with gratitude. 

I deliberately make some books thick and some thin, some slightly smaller. Even rows of books do not look natural. But two cases filled with variations of just three very similar spines don't look natural either. 

Small Stuff also has these rows of book spines:

 

I have used them to make individual books, gluing on suitable front and back covers. The amateur book-binder in me winces, but it works - at least until I find a better method. 

Finally, I got this PDF from someone in a Facebook group - thank you! - book spines again, that don't work the way I want, but I have again made individual books with them.

 

There are dozens of other printables on the web, so there will be more variety on my shelves. In the past, I made books with many different methods, including properly bound, opening and almost readable books. Unfortunately, most of my supplies are in storage at the moment so I will have to manage with what I have. And I don't have a printer so every time I need to print out I do it stealthily at work. One day they will catch me. Then I will say it is an educational project. 

Library room box, part 4

Read the previous posts about this project: part 1, part 2 and part 3.

As expected, I didn't have much time to work on this project during the week, but I made some progress during the weekend. My initial intention was to build a book case myself, and I even had a daring design involving a chocolate box, but I changed my mind and bought two unfinished units.

I didn't take pictures of every stage of the transformation, but it took fifteen coats of stain, sanding in between, and three coats of varnish. I am used to high quality House of Miniature kits, and even those need a look of work. These were cheap, but I didn't give up, and I am quite pleased with the result:

I put the cases inside the room tentatively, just to test. The books are also cut out in haste, so they will be improved.

What you see here is a perception trick. Because some books are real, single 3D objects (although they don't open), the eye is tricked to believe that the fake books are real too. I haven't decided how many books will be real. If I go for single books, I will need about a hundred. It doesn't take long to make a non-opening book, and they doubtless look better. And if I do a dozen every now and then it won't get boring.

I considered two option for the bases. It is now clear to me that there is no space for a filing cabinet, so it would be a good idea to make fake index-card drawers. But I also tested metal embellishment.

 

I even consulted a library assistant. She said the embellishment was pretty, but the drawers were more authentic. Drawers it is, then.

 

It was quite a lot of work. The drawers are fake, that is, they don't open. The fronts are made from coffee stirrers. I glued them on, trying to space them as evenly as possible - I am not very good at it. Then I drilled holes and inserted leftover metalware from House of Miniatures kits.

I obviously need a desk, and I have a Duncan Phyfe library table that I made some years ago. It was used in a different project, that, however, is not dependent specifically on a library table, it can be any sideboard, while I think this will be perfect. These drawers do open, so I need to think about what to put in them. What would librarians have in their desk drawers?

 

 

This is as far as I got this weekend. I will need library steps to match, and so far I haven't figured out how I can make them. I have some ideas about ceiling lights. And of course, books, books, books.

Library room box, part 3

I ended the previous post with a cliffhanger: how would I manage to attach the box to the cover? When I published the post, I genuinely didn't know. I was not confident that simply gluing on the box to the back cover would work, but I wanted to try, and if not, I would have to think of ways of solving the problem. So I glued on the box and filled it with the heaviest objects I have at hand: hardback Russian novels. I left the assembly overnight and allowed myself a short moment in the morning, before work, just to have a quick glance.

Did it work? Did it work? It did! Three cheers for PVA glue.

One issue that I had anticipated was, as you may remember, that the box is slightly smaller than the cover, so when I opened the cover, it tilted. But I was prepared for it and added two beads for support.

The next problem to solve is how to fix the left-hand corner. I don't want to glue the left side of the box to the spine because, as I learned in my book-binding courses, spines are never glued to signatures (which is the fancy word for the paper sections of the book). The cover would normally be attached to endpapers, but I only have half of the front endpaper so somehow I need to connect the front edge of the spine with the left-hand front edge of the box. I have an idea, but need time to test it, so it will probably be next weekend since I have a very busy week. When I have done this, the shell will be finished, and the real fun can start.

I have put some random furniture into the box, just to have a feeling.

 
Most of my miniatures are in storage at the moment so I have nothing that suits the environment. The books are too large for the shelf (or the shelf too small for the books), but at least it gives you an idea of what it might look like. In a library there must be bookcases, filing cabinets, a table, library steps, maybe maps on the walls, a tall-case clock, a globe, and perhaps a magnificent chandelier? (Oh where are all my supplies! I know exactly what would fit in perfectly, packed in a storage box millions of miles away). And books. Many, many books, and some will be fake and some will be real, with opening pages; and some will have secret messages for those paying attention. I am not in a hurry, I still have several months to play with this project.

I will also have display lights.

But so far, I am very happy that my design for the shell worked, and I am looking forward to working further on this room box. Come back soon!

Library room box, part 2

In the previous post, I stopped at adding mouldings. For almost all mouldings in the past years, I have been using full-size embossed wallpaper. At first, I did what all miniature-makers do: took wallpaper samples from stores. But I noticed that this particular wallpaper was extremely useful so I decided that for the royal sum of £8 I could afford a whole roll that would probably last my whole life.

 

Since it is a small room box I only needed one long strip that covered all the three walls.

 

The floor surface is also small, so I decided to invest in an elaborate parquet. I have used this pattern before, but again, I don't think it matters, because the people who are getting the library will not have seen my other projects. Anyway, it's fun to make and only took a couple of hours. I used various stains on coffee stirrers. Mitre shears are a must. I sanded the floor thoroughly and used a drop of cooking oil for the final finish.

 

The floor is assembled on a piece of card and inserted into the box. Normally I don't glue on floors in case I need to take them out later. But I don't think I will need it here. (I hope I am not wrong).

So what next? I need to attach the box to the book cover.

 

As I mentioned before, the box is slightly smaller than the cover, which means there will be edges visible around it. But the endpaper was torn, so I had to do the same as I did with the front endpaper: use a spare one.

In the process I discovered that the front endpaper needed trimming, which I of course should have done before I glued it on. But it was easy to amend.

You may wonder why I am showing you all these boring steps that don't take the project much further, to the exciting bits. The thing is, unless all these boring steps are accounting for, it is easy to forget how much work there is behind even the most elementary tasks. This step had to be done, and even if it wasn't complicated and didn't take long, I could not move on without it. People who only see results have no idea how much effort goes into every piece. (You, dear reader, being a miniature-maker yourself, don't need to be persuaded).

But now comes the really tricky phase. I need to attach the box to the back cover, and I don't think simply gluing it on with do the trick. I should have thought about it before and used staples or something before I added wallpaper. Well, too late now, I am not ripping off the wallpaper now (and I don't have another large piece of this paper).

So how am I going to do it? How am I going to do it? I will keep you in suspense until tomorrow.

Library room box

I want to make a farewell gift for my department librarians when I retire, and the most natural thing is of course to make a library room box. I had planned to make a library for a long time, but I didn't have a clear idea about what to put into it, apart from the obvious, books.

As I was clearing out the house before the move, I found this:

 

And I thought: Wouldn't it be a great idea to have a library inside a book? I have seen various miniature projects inside books, and I always wince at books being mutilated. But in this case the book was definitely going to the garbage bin. Yes, I did ask a librarian. Nobody wants old dictionaries these days.

My first plan was to cut a square in the middle, but you probably need a special tool to cut a straight square through two thousand pages, so I gave up on that. Instead, I tore off the cover to build the box inside. As you see, the book had been well-used.

 

I found a box that fit the cover almost perfectly.

 

I still decided to use it rather than building a box myself - I would never be able to do it neatly. I wanted to keep the endpaper so I used the back one that was whole.

 

Next, I covered the "edges" of the book with pages. Of course, the real edges wouldn't look like this, but I wanted to keep something of the book, and anyway, I had to cover the box with something, so I actually think it looks nice. And you get the idea: the cover will be the closing front of the room.

 

I first thought that I would use book pages as wallpaper inside the room as well.

 

But it did not look natural. I had consulted a website called The World's Most Beautiful Libraries, and although I won't be able to make anything even remotely as grand, I still wanted it to be pretty. Therefore I decided to use one of the Adam papers I have left from Womble Hall. I have used this particular paper in the servant quarters, but I don't think it matters.

However, before starting on the walls, I had to add a back:

 

Still, it is always hard to hang wallpaper. I didn't have paste so used PVA glue, and it catches very quickly. You can say that the pattern is too large for walls, but imagine: it is huge marble panels.

 

Of course the ceiling will also be Adam:

 

Now I need to add cornices, and if you want to know how I do that you'll have a come back soon. This is as far as I got today.


To be continued.