N scale church from scalescenes plans

Over the past week David and I have been working on an n scale model of an English church. We downloaded the plans (which include printable pieces and windows plus really good instructions) from scalescenes.com and have been working our way through it, kit bashing as we go :)

Here's where it stands as of this afternoon:

I wanted a humbler church than the scalescenes version, so I shortened the tower, simplified the ramparts and shortened the building by removing the chancel at the east end.

The download includes printable windows -- I took them to my local UPS store and had them colour copy the file onto transparency film.  They're going to look gorgeous, particularly when the church is lit up!

Look at the detail inside!  No one is going to see it, sadly, but it's there :)

Now it's time to make a whole lot of buttresses :)

Looking at the level of detail included inside these models, I think they would really suit dolls house hobbyists into 1:144 scale - all of Scalescenes models are English n gauge, or 1:148.

Station buildings in n scale

Who knew that micro scale could be so much fun?

Here are two of the three buildings on the platform at Grosmont Station.

1:144 scale ticket office

Well, here I am, scratch building a 1:144 mini! Isn't it interesting the paths our lives take us down? :)

I'm using sheet styrene molded to look like clapboard, plus tiny windows and doors by Tichy Trains.

And I'm thinking about making tiny hanging flower baskets so I think I'm officially round the twist ...

Some nice things in the post!

My husband and his brother are paneling the ceiling in our real living room ( I wish it could go as quickly as things can in dolls' house scale) so I haven't been able to do much mini-ing.

But the post has brought some lovely things. I received my order from Sue Cook today - more on that soon. My new front door is going to be amazing, and I'm really glad that I rethought the approach I was going to take.

And I got these brass jewelry findings from a seller on eBay - they're little beehives or birdcages, just over an inch high. Whatever they were meant to be, they're going to be painted black and turned into lanterns for the attic. I think they may actually look quite convincing ...

I've been working hard on sorting out my workroom upstairs, and last week the kids and I moved their dolls houses up there. It was nice getting some order imposed on the chaos there!

N gauge buildings from kits - engine shed

Okay, so this isn't dollhouses, but it is scale modelling. My husband David and I are working on an N gauge railway layout based on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

N gauge varies a little in scale, from 1:144 to 1:160.

David has finished laying the track and it's now time to start planning and building the structures.

We ordered an assortment of building kits by Metcalfe. These are card kits, die cut and scored for easy construction.

And the construction is easy! We spent a pleasant afternoon working on the engine shed for Grosmont Station, which will be two Metcalfe kits connected end to end.

Here are some photos - more soon!

More bricks!

Today is Knitwits and I hope to post some photos of the kids' projects, which are coming along so well.

Here's the first bay of the main house this morning - almost done!

Bricks coming along on dollhouse front!

Yes, it takes a long time to apply individual bricks - this is the result of two evenings' work.

I'm mixing the excellent brick Versi Slips from Richard Stacey with two other colours home made from sandpaper - a paler and a darker.

Second front door on William and Mary House

On Thursday I cut the second door front for the dolls' house, and cut out the window openings. I've decided to go with two windows for each of the rooms, partly because it's more typical of the period and partly because it'll cut down on the number of bricks I have to apply!

I added the quoins and have just now finished making and painting the waist.

It gets more like a real dolls' house every week!

Four poster bed in William and Mary House

Here's the bed in situ in the bedroom of the William and Mary House -- I really love how it looks, even before I make and embroider the hangings! The pinkish velvet-covered mattress came with it, and looks just fine, actually -- goes very well with the wallpaper, at least :)

The chair is a Bespaq I picked up cheaply on eBay -- so typical of the period.

And I finished the strip of stonework for along the front of the main house. David bought me a triangular file and I found that did an excellent job of delineating and deepening the bevels between the stones.  Next step -- cut the right hand front door!

Tulips (full scale) and 1:12 four poster bed

Today felt quite a lot like Spring in Nova Scotia -- warm sunlight and a brilliant blue sky almost fooled me into thinking Spring was here already. It made me buy a bunch of tulips at the grocery store; my first of the season :)

I think I love this so much because it reminds me of the 17th century love of tulips :) I get to have tulips all year round in the William and Mary House!

I finally decided on the four poster bed to go in the bedroom of the WAHM: this whitewood (or barewood) version, by Street Ahead, which I bought through UK dealer Minimum World. Within a week or so after ordering, it arrived and was ready to be stained.

 I have some touch ups to do (I need to even out the tone in places), and I have to varnish it, but imagine this hung with crewel work and with crewel bedding ...