I have cut this pattern from poster board, affixed the window panes, and am ready to construct it. This is pattern 090319.
I always add a base to each putz house pattern I draw. The base is attached to the main body of the house. The walls are glued to the flaps on the base of the house. The base provides stability. It keeps the house in alignment so there is little shifting of the walls.
My patterns have flaps that allow the pieces of the pattern to be glued together. On the front of the house below, I am showing how I used to assemble the pattern pieces to the flaps. I would set the flaps under the pattern piece I was adding. One problem with this method is the amount of light that can show through the joins of the pattern when it is lit from within. With the flaps underneath, there are usually slivers between pattern pieces where light can leak out.
Below, is the method I use now. I glue the flaps on top rather than below. It creates a barrier to light leakage. This method is a bit more cumbersome, but I think it is the best way to prevent light leaks.
I prefer hot glue for assembling pattern pieces. Others like to use white glue. The disadvantage of hot glue is the quick set. That’s also a plus, in my mind. But to use hot glue, you need to be familiar with the way patterns fit together so you can work quickly, you have to understand how the hot glue works, and you need to be fast. White glue gives time to fudge and fiddle, which is easier when you first begin to make these little glitter houses.
If hot glue blobs on the pattern piece, it can be smoothed by rubbing the side of the hot glue nozzle across the blob.
I make the house stronger by putting a line of hot glue in the corners and around the window pane inserts. My window panes aren’t going to pop out sometime down the road.
The only caution is this. Don’t put hot glue in any fold that isn’t yet attached to its designated pattern piece. If you put hot glue in a flap, like the bottom flap above that isn’t yet attached to the back piece, the glue may create an obstruction to the fitting of the two pieces together. Hot glue that is hardened will permanently set the angle of the corner or the flap. Don’t do that until sure of how the pieces should fit together.
I like to add glue around the bottom of the patterns pieces, where they join the base of the house. It helps hold in the window panes and it adds strength to the house as a whole.
The pattern is assembled as much as it can be before painting. I’ve chosen the greeting card for the base and have decided which colors I am going to use. Colors for my putz building are inspired by the colors of the greeting card. The next step is to decide which color will be used on the house, the roofs, and the trim.
You can see my Putz houses and Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
~~Rhonda