Siding
The siding pattern that I used on here was inspired by Jenny's Willowcrest Dollhouse. I really liked the fan design she created.
I did a similar pattern on my Willowcrest. It gives the front wall a more detailed look. I wish there was a sure way to create this pattern but there really is no way to measure it out because these dollhouses are not square, level nor plumb. Your measurements might cause the pattern to appear crooked. You can not even use the dollhouses corners or slots to help you because the cuts are not perfect. These are dye cut dollhouses and so the cuts are never precise. Guiding yourself by anything on the dollhouse can cause a crooked pattern.
The only way to make sure your pattern comes out right is to eyeball it as you glue it. Stand away from the dollhouse so you can see how it's turning out. The three main things you have to watch for are:
-That the right and left patterns meet so they appear identical on each side of the window.
-Continuously dry fit the top oval trim in order to ensure that your sidings edges fall under it but not far enough to peek through the holes.
-That all siding edges fall underneath the exterior attic window trim. This requires continuous dry fitting of the attic window trim.
Do not wait for the glue to dry to then find a problem with your siding. Dry fit components and commit to starting your siding at a time that you will be able to finish it. That way you can catch mistakes before your glue dries. The Quick Grab Tacky Glue, I am using, makes it easy for me to move the siding into place because it takes time for it to dry. If you have been applying your siding with hot melt glue, do not do so in this area. You will not be able to move your pattern around, for a perfect fit, if you do.
It takes a lot of patience and tweaking of this pattern, over and over again, to get it right. This part of the wall is very hard to side as is but this pattern makes it harder. The outcome though, is worthwhile.
All siding, regardless of the pattern used, needs to be sanded at the edges before it's painted. To make life easier, I do it after installation. You can use a fingernail file or you can also wrap sandpaper around strip wood. You can use a piece of strip wood, right from your dollhouse kit. Sanding the siding this way, prevents splitting and breaking. It's easier to damage it when you sand it before installation.
Windows
The windows are installed over the siding, just like the others, but because there are several pieces of siding that will fall under the attic window, you will have to use thin cardboard or a siding piece to cover the decorative hole from the backside. If you don't, the siding underneath will peek through.
As if to prove what I mentioned above about measurements, notice the hole on this attic window. It is not even. The dye machine miss-cut this window, causing the hole to be misshapen on one side. This is why you can not trust measurements when adding components to your dollhouse. This is a flaw that I notice but doubtful that the average admirer will. Also, this dollhouse is out of stock so ordering parts for it will be futile for now. For these reasons, I have left it as it is.
Top Oval Trim
My trim has already been finished and was waiting to be installed. This is a good thing because all white trim, takes a long time to finish and requires a lot of work. It's nice when the work has already been done, especially after the difficult process of creating the fanned siding design.
You will have to paint the edge of the top front wall that will peak through the holes of the oval trim, if you want them to be a different color.
Make sure the trims peak, matches the middle of your shingle pattern and the center of the attic window.
