Fast Floor!

Today I tried the roll of veneer stripping. It works! It was the fastest floor I ever laid. I had the whole thing done in about 20 minutes. Now ask me if I like it.....I would say it is about fourth on my list of favorites.

I no longer had the packaging directions, so I had to wing it. I think that the iron was just a little too hot when I started. I had to move it really fast.

The method I used, since it was one long room, was to cut the strips all the same length. I made them a tiny bit longer and ironed them down to within about five inches of the end and trimmed with a pair of scissors to fit. Then I ironed the end down. I did have to pull some of them up part way so that I could make them closer together. That was no problem. If you heat them with the iron they come right up.

The only strip I had to trim was the one at the back. I cut about a quarter of an inch off the long edge of that. I didn't measure. I figured that the baseboard would cover the edges anyway. I still have to mark it for floorboard lengths and varnish it. So far it looks pretty good tho.

Looking through the front entrance, you can see that the color is not all that bad with the color of the rest of the wood trim on the porch.

I just stuck one of the hutches inside for scale purposes. Now you can see the real color of it.

This is the rest of the stuff I have been working on. The stack of green sweaters are made from a woman's sock. The satchel at the top is leather, lined with silk and it opens and closes with the buckle on the front.

Most of the shirts you have seen before. I did make another one of the beige and red striped ones. I want more than one of some of the stuff. I had that one partly made from the other day when I was showing you how to build them. I cheat when I want to stack them......I leave the collar off so that they stack nice and flat.

The piece of fabric that they are laying on was a once in a lifetime find at a thrift shop some years ago. It was a man's shirt and it has 6" squares of different tiny stripes and checks woven into it. I have used most of it dressing dolls. I only wish I had about 5 more. It is thin and all cotton so that it glues like a dream.

Do you all know the rule about buying fabric for gluing? Natural fabrics are best. Cotton, silk and linen are fabrics of choice. If you are thrift shopping or shopping for remnants that aren't marked for fabric content there is a simple test that is pretty sure fire for finding the ones that will glue. If you take the fabric and crush it in your hand and it holds the wrinkles, chances are it is natural. If it flattens back out, run don't walk, in the other direction. It may be pretty but it won't glue!

Anyway, that's it for today. See you tomorrow.