A cottage in the woods, Plan B

Despite what I've been showing you the past two weeks, behind the scenes of course, I have been hard at work on "Briar Rose".

This weekend, for instance, I made this little house. And here is how I constructed it:

I began by painting some pieces of cotton broadcloth with acrylic paint in "brick" colours. I knew that bricks aren't uniformly one colour, or even one version of a mixed up colour, so I made four colourways.

I drew my house on cotton muslin with an 8B artist's charcoal pencil, and then painted in the roof so that once I started laying bricks, I could "see" where I was going...

(as you can see, I am, as always, being thrifty and am painting on an used envelope. I have scribbled out the addresses to protect the innocent. ;) )

Then I cut my bricks (a process that took a couple of hours); and the I began laying brick. As was laying the brick, however, I saw that something else was needed:

So I added a window in the second story as well. I pinned a piece of paper in the same size and shape of the proposed window in place so that I could lay the brick around it.

When I finished laying my brick, my house looked like this. Ta da! Time to add the trim. :)

Originally, I had planned to do the outer framework of that door in a darker version of the same green, but it didn't read well. I also had cut out tiny tiles for the roof (half the size of those bricks!!!! in the same green) but when I began laying them down, I didn't like the look of them.

So I tried painting the outline of tiles in a lovely burnt orange - but I didn't like that either and painted it out brown again. I puzzled over it a bit while I worked on the next part, but in the end, decided to just leave them. This is going to be in the far, far background anyway, so it's okay if there's not a lot of detail in it. (She says, after cutting approximately 1,000 bricks that are 5mm long. :D )

So I painted out my entry way to match the roof...

And made a little windowbox for the upper floor.

After that, I made little lace curtains for the windows, but didn't like the way they looked when they were done (which was a shame because sewing them up, gathering them and then sewing them on to the windows by hand, all took the best part of an hour). But it looked craptastic in the end, so off they came.

So then I decided to make some pretty windowpanes (as shown in the first photo), and I like them a lot better as it turns out, so yay!.

As I see these photos, I see I need to add a little more definition to the windowbox (it looks like its part of the window frame); and I see I lost a brick to burn-off on the second floor. Once those things are done however, so will this house be - and then it's on to the next element: background trees!

See you on Wednesday. :)

P.S. I am frequently asked "how long does it take?" In total, building this ten inch house took about sixteen hours.

8 comments:

cauchy093.3.14
as always, i am so thrilled by your attention to detail! just wondered how you adhered the bricks to the background? they aren't stitched, right?
Margaret3.3.14
You do work so wonderfully with fiddly bits. Love your brick-work -- and the box full of blossoms!
Mary Ann Tate3.3.14
You have so much patience. I think your house is fabulous:)
Beth3.3.14
Now you add brick layer to your CV (smile). I love your house and I am as always amazed at the time you take cutting those bitty pieces - but look at the result. I smiled when I saw the window box with the french knots. I thought - that's Kit's!!
Living to work - working to live3.3.14
Kit, I saw a video of the new Brother Scan N Cut and I thought of you and how much time you would save if you cut your leaves/bricks/fiddly bits with one. Am not saying you should get one, but how seeing one made me think of you! H xx
Linda Kittmer4.3.14
I love this beautiful house! When can I move in?
Maggi4.3.14
I love the way that you are so particular, that's what gives your pieces such life. With that bricklaying you could be building yourself a house next.