A snapshot in time. A glimpse of the Plettenberger Kleinbahn in 1/22.5 scale.

[Ray Dunakin]

I think the results you got with the paper tissue is darn good. I've tried to do the same and never got close to the look you achieved.

[Hydrostat]

The texture of the paper handkerchief looks like curtains that have been washed, but not ironed, perhaps not a characteristic of some households.

Bill,
you nailed it. That's the general problem with paper: as soon as it gets wet, it starts to corrugate irregularly.

Some people have used paper teabags for fabric. If the overall size of a teabag is big enough, that might provide you with a curtain that will have the gentle folds in it, but not look wrinkled.

I'll give that a try.

I have no idea how well it might work but I wonder whether cigarette paper might be of use. If not for curtains, maybe something else.

Russ,
some time ago I got a huge sheet by a company manufacturing cigarette paper. For sure it has a very good texture, but it tends to wrinkle like the handkerchief paper does, too.

I think the results you got with the paper tissue is darn good. I've tried to do the same and never got close to the look you achieved.

Ray,
thank you. I think it is a question of material rather than workmanship so I'll go on testing.

Cheers,
Volker

[Hydrostat]

Just to illustrate what I said about the silk, and it is a quite fine quality:





Left hand paper, right hand silk:

[Lawton Maner]

With any cloth, you can steam and iron it prior to shaping to get a crisp fold representing curtains which have been pressed prior to hanging.  I think the silk has a better texture then the Kleenex.  Just don't SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) catch you stealing her clothes.   

[Hydrostat]

With any cloth, you can steam and iron it prior to shaping to get a crisp fold representing curtains which have been pressed prior to hanging.  I think the silk has a better texture then the Kleenex.  Just don't SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) catch you stealing her clothes.  

If there's a crisp fold you're surely right. But I've got no idea how to achieve that falling waves with real fabric. At Pinterest there are a lot of examples from the dollhouse makers, but for my opinion it doesn't work at scales below 1-12 (and at that scale there are some pretty darn good examples).

Next try with tea bags:







It's still a bit coarse, but I like the rather translucent appearance and the fact that it may be much smoother after some testing. It's tendency to corrugate is much lower than at the handkerchief paper. Even the seam is easily to do by folding and unfolding the bag and then cutting away excess material. I'll take another try with a tenous bag.

Cheers,
Volkee

[Carlo]

I think these latest tests are quite good. Make them
a little longer, to fit window, and it will be great.
Carlo

[Peter_T1958]

At Pinterest there are a lot of examples from the dollhouse makers.

As I am also at pinterest I took a look there. Although there is some brillant workmanship, your latest attempts look a lot better then all what I saw. In particular they don't have that widespread dollhouse character. Seems, you are on the right track!

[Ray Dunakin]

The teabag curtains look very good!

[Bill Gill]

The tea bag curtains look good.

[finescalerr]

I remember many curtains like those from my wild and misspent youth. Most looked no better than your teabag curtains. -- Russ

[Hydrostat]

Carlo, Peter, Ray, Bill, Russ,

here we go: The tea bags were the way to go and I think the results come as close as possible (for me  ). Thank you for the valuable hints and ideas!











If you unfold a teabag, there are thiose tiny seams, where they are connected. They are easy to open. They serve as the lower curtain seam. At the upper end some 4 or 5 mm are wrapped around a brass rod. For the following steps it helps to glue both the seam and the wrap with thinned watertight pva (I didn't and had some fun  ).





When it's dry, start to push the paper together alongside the rod. The lower part will start to wrinkle somehow. To bring that into a convincing shape I threaded it through a comb's prongs. Unlike at the picture it proved better to do this with the rod inserted. It's a bit tricky, because you can't pull it through the comb, but rather have to thread it from the prongs' tip downwards.





Some steel wire serves as cornice. If you push the curtain to it's desired density, it starts to swing outwards in a not prototypical manner. I fixed that by positioning some block alongside the curtain. Afetr one or two days the paper keeps the shape.








I often have to upend the building or put it to it's sides. Some distance plates screwed to the edges of the building prevent damage.








I use facade color mixed with pva and some very fine slate dust to "install" the windows. I think it makes a huge difference if the windows look that tightly connected to the building. And it is necessary to avoid light shining through any tiny chink. Filling the gaps with this color mix only works at horizontal edges: The vertical joint has to be filled after turning the building around again.





Cheers,
Volker

[Ray Dunakin]

Excellent! I will have to give the teabags a try on one of my buildings.

[Hydrostat]

I forgot something: if you've threaded the paper to the comb, drench it with thinned pva. At that step the curtain pole seams tend to open. Here the watertight pva may help, but I didn't try it.

[finescalerr]

Your work will make many dollhouse people jealous. -- Russ

[Lawton Maner]

Why does this discussion make me feel like a Peeping Tom?  Brilliant work as always.  By now we would expect no less from you.  I enjoy working in a smaller scale where I can just hint at something and it passes the 1 meter test (if it looks good @ 1 meter it is good).