For raw material, I used Raffia that I purchased from Michael's. When checking out, the cashier said 'Oh - are you making a scarecrow (I guess people use the Raffia to stuff the clothing of a scarecrow and then have the loose ends hanging our of the sleeves and pants bottoms). Of course I told her 'no - I'm going to try to make a fence for a putz house
! She had no idea what I was talking about so I proceeded to explain to her, she politely listened but I could tell she had pretty much zoned out as I enthusiastically explained the hobby!Next, I brewed some super strong coffee (4 heaping tablespoons of coffee and one cup of water) and then soaked over night and let dry. This step is not necessary but the older putz houses seem to have a darker - 'antiqued' look. I'm sure there are other methods to darken the Raffia but this was the first thing that came to mind since I regularly spill my coffee and it stains everything! Below is a picture of some pre-stained and some post-stained. Allow to dry completely.
Next, I cut the strands into indiviual pieces, about one inch or so. I did not care if they were precised because they can be trimmed to an exact size after being glued to the cardboard strip. Next I cut a strip of cardboard about 1/4 inch shorter than the heighth of the fence. Then I simply glue the pieces of the Raffia to both sides of the cardboard strip aligning them precisely on one edge of the cardboard which would be the edge that gets glued to the base. After the glue dries, I trim the other side of the raffia to an equal length (this is the top edge of the fence).
Anyway, thats it! Thanks!
John
