Review from Dolls House World

1. Make up kit to step 5 and allow to dry.
2. While it is drying cut a new base and top as in cutting list. Check for fit, the base is slightly recessed, the top should fit exactly. Sand if necessary.
3. Glue in centre post as in kit step 6.
4. Make doors as in kit step 7 and glue in panel sup-ports as in kit step 9 but only glue supports to the back of the top, omitting the Victorian shaped panel on the front. Check the doors for fit, sand so they will open and close easily sanding only the curved edges and the top.
5. Make a cut across the centre front panel sup-ports, the ones with the han-dle hole in them, 2ins down from the top. Make another cut across the bottom level with the centre bottom panel support. Make the cuts nearly as deep as the door panel. Pare and sand the wood of the panel support away between these two cuts until it stands just proud of the panel.
6. Glue the two pieces of wood or card, 1. in the cutting list, to the wardrobe fronts level with the top and butted up to the remaining uncut portions of the panel supports. Cut out the wardrobe cut outs and try them on top. Gently curve the outer corners of the wood with an emery board to match the cut outs. Sand the new wood flat and level with the contiguous panel supports to make a flat base for the cut outs.
7. Take the base front and back from the kit. They are 4ins long, cut them to 3 1/4 ins long. On them draw two parallel lines 1/16 ins apart, 1/16 ins from the 90° edge. Cut away the first 1/16 ins, save the wood. Sand a curve between the second drawn line and the base to match the other side of the strip and give a sym-metrical section.
8. Glue these strips in place on the door against the pared down panel supports.
9. From strip wood 2. in cutting list cut lengths to butt against the curved (hinge side) panel supports. These glue edge down and stand proud. When I measured the length one was 5 9/32ins, the other 5 5/16ins, they may vary depending on how much you had to sand the doors to fit, just dry fit, mark and cut.
10. From the 1/16 ins square strip you cut from the edge of the base front or back, cut a piece 15/16 ins long to butt up to the bottom panel support and fit between the new curved front and side edge.
11. From the cutting list 3. cut a little curved shape to fit on the front of the bottom panel support. This is just a refinement, you could simulate it in gesso or omit it.
12. Re drill the handle holes so they go all the way through the wood.
13. Glue the cut outs on the doors. When they are dry thicken up the shaded areas by painting gesso on them with a cocktail stick (see tile article for exact description of how to do this). These carved pieces are not uniformly thick but are fortuitously reproduced in a huge size on the cover of the Charlotte and Peter Fiell Mackintosh book (see page 35, issue 65).
14. Paint the carcass, the front and sides of the base, the new top and the top and sides of the original top, white. Leave to dry while you paint the doors. These are all white except for the shocking pink flowers and the five stripes which are glass in the original. Paint thin black lines between the stripes to simulate the lead. Paint the silver strips at the bottom of the doors, or cut and stick wine bottle lead. Similarly paint or glue silver squares over the handle hole, remake the hole if needed. Bend a T pin shape from silver coloured wire, apply glue to the hole, insert the wire and open out at the back. You could also adapt suitable metal handles, for example cut one locating pin and adjacent area from a stan-dard drawer pull. I threaded a silver tube bead on to wire and bent a T pin shape.
15. Hinge doors as kit instructions. Glue on new top, base and original top, touching up the joins with paint as needed.

YOU WILL NEED

• An A & C Sledge Victorian wardrobe kit
• One piece of wood 1/2 ins thick, 3 3/16 ins long x 11/4 ins (or 1/2 ins stripwood cut and glued to make the size) this is the new wardrobe top.
• One piece of wood 1/4 ins thick, 3 3/16 ins long x 1 1/8 ins wide, this is the new wardrobe base.
• 1. a) 2 pieces of wood 1/16 ins thick, 2 ins x 7/16 ins wide
  2. b) 2 strips of wood 1/16 ins x 3/32 ins, 5 1/2 ins long
  3. c) 2 squares of wood 1/32 ins thick, 3/16 ins square.
  The above three items are decorative, not structural and may be cut from 1/16 ins posterboard or card
• 2 x wardrobe front cut outs (see figure below)
• Either wine bottle lead or silver paint
• Wire or suitable handles
• Paint- white, black, shocking pink and brushes.
• Gesso
• Sandpaper or emery boards
• Craft knife and ruler
• Drill, pin vice or hole making tool.