Things we've been making

We've been moderately busy around here band practicing, gardening, remodeling, crafting and learning new skills in general.

AB tuning up at SummerFest 2014.  Well performed, Hell on Heels!

Our garden is a bit out of control- amazing that I was worried about getting things into the ground late.  We will have future reports from here!

Interior of a cherry bowl that AB is turning.  Stay tuned as items will be making their way to Etsy.

Marcel enjoying his new crabby pool, or mostly making giant muddy messes in the yard.

Making a template for a window shelf.  AB instructs how to use the compass to make the job easier.  I suspect I learned this is math class some time long ago. This was about day 5 of the nail challenge and they were doing pretty well.

Enjoy!

Now you see it open, now you see it closed.

Barn Door DIY- our own take.

One of my first visits to Madison via St. Louis taught me about AB's ingenious contraptions.  There is the fancy push light permanently placed on the front doorframe so that you can light up the keyhole in the dark.  Then there was the double bungee cord system that wrapped from a linen closet door handle to the door to the upstairs.  The door that leads to the upstairs/remodel/ master bedroom wouldn't stay completely open due to airflow.  Since the door opened into the living room, that was a problem.  The bungee cord system worked, but it seemed like a better solution might be used so that one might get into the linen closet with one hand and not feel the slap of the flying cord.  This DIY sought to remove the cord and I think we have solved two problems and improved the aesthetics too.

We often find ourselves perusing the local REstore here on the Eastside and in recent trips AB came home with a couple of roller blade wheels and a door with a little character to it.  We were seeking something that had some panels, a little age and looked just a bit more exciting than our previous flat panel.  These purchases in addition to me showing AB numerous images of sliding barn doors began to paint themselves as our best method for our upstairs door.  We used milk paint to color our door. A couple of coats in Slate gave us the surface we have now.

We began with locating our studs.  (Found him!)

Our home had very unusual spacing for studs, but in the end, we decided to use 5 studs in spite of odd spacing just to make sure the weight of the door was well supported.  The other trick that we had was that our stud finder couldn't quite narrow in on the studs.  This resulted in a few extra holes being drilled and a small wire to feel around for the actual wood supports.  In the end our track covered all our extra holes.

Next was engineering our track specific to our rollers (our roller blade wheels) and our door.  

Our track was cut to be a little over twice the width of our door.  We opted to hang it slightly above the current door frame (a small 1/2" spacer was added to the back of the track to make sure we cleared the door frame).  And then we debated the best manner in which to cut our groove.  AB set up our table saw to accommodate his router.  We also used a specific router bit which most closely matched the curve of our wheels. It took us a couple of passes to get it the width and depth that we felt would work best.  Above, AB takes measurements of the wheel in order to set the routing table.  Perhaps now is a good time to mention that you can purchase a kit that has all the hardware you need to do the sliding barn door on Etsy. (Here is one example.) We wanted to pursue this project from the perspective that we could do this with our own know how and didn't need a kit. 

ALSO, an important point that AB brought up along the way was WISE. The versions that are available on the market don't seem to represent our situation. Realistically, our upstairs needs an escape route.  The previous door situation wasn't exactly to code, but we were grandfathered in from the perspective of the inspector.  Just in case there is ever a fire or some other incident we wanted to be able to toss our door (from the interior side) off the track in order to get out.

Here you can see the finished chanel routed the full length of the track.

 You can also see one of our pre drilled holes that goes all the way through the track (and lines up with our studs.)We also drilled a countersink hole because we used 5/16" by 4" lag screws to attach to our wall.                                          

Here we have connected our track (one day soon this will get painted to look a bit more like metal.)

                                                 

We then worked out our roller system.  We used weldable metal strips from Menards to drill several holes in order to attach both the roller blade wheels and the door.

We used quite a few washers in order to space the bars out from the track.  I believe we used about 6 washers a piece, but this could be different for your measurements.

We then worked on propping our door up (in the end we raised it up about an inch and a half off the ground in order to maintain good airflow. (We used scrap wood to prop the door.)  The vent at the bottom of the stairs shouldn't be blocked.  We used our level to make sure that the top of the door was level before we connected the metal strips to it.

Interior

The completed work will take some time for us to work out any kinks- but rest assured being able to keep Marcel off the bed is a prime reason to keep the door closed.

Curb Furniture Upcycle: Part TWO

Continued, now to the weaving...

Step 1: After the cotton was completely dry, I rolled it into a ball and attached one side the the side rail of the chair's seat.  I made the knot as tight and clean as possible.  Later I will neaten the edges.

Step 2: Use the left and right side rails of the seat to form the warp.  In this case I wrapped all the way around the outsides and tried to keep each warp about 1/2" apart. I did get really lucky on the yardage; had things not worked out I would have made my warp a bit further apart each wrap to adjust.  You can also add it all up before hand so that you have the exact amount needed to dye.

Close up of my initial knot.  Also important and helpful along the way was to tape the ends so that they didn't fray as I worked.  

Step 3: Continue wrapping warm until you get to the front edge of the chair.  Once there I bound off similar to the above knot.  Taking efforts to secure it very tight.

Step 4: Begin weaving.  I tied on a new and un-dyed chord to the rear of the chair and began weaving the thread through from back to front and then back again.  This portion took the longest time and was a bit of a hand workout.  As I approached the other side of the chair I needed a helper bar to assist in moving the weft into even positioning.

In order to tie off at the end, I used my same tactic to make sure that I pulled it very tight and then worked to tuck the knots to the interior of the chair.  I did end up sewing some of the knots together in order to make sure they didn't come undone.

And Voila! After a lot of hand brutality a lovely dumpster chair.  I will be using this little inspiration corner for coffee and morning brainstorming, and maybe even the writing of this here blog.

Finishing... a difficult thing.

Making and finishing are two completely different things.  I think piling is also a form of making, and I have been piling for a while and now it is time to mine the piles and really put the finishing touches on items.  And what better reason to be encouraged to finish than a deadline?  I have just that... a show in St. Louis at Craft Alliance is looming in the near future and so I mine and refine!

Front of Root Collar

Detail of embroidery and sequins on Root Collar

Back of Root Collar

Rings and Rows Determine Age

            Rings and Rows Determine Age
                Growth of Cells
                Keep the Time
                As Fingers Tapping
                Wood Beat, Heart Strength













And of course now that these pieces are "hang-able" I need a bit of time to digest where all this making is heading.  They are all explorations of the material and the concept of wearable, but outside of that... I have some work to do on the artist statement.

Wool and Tin Tin Tin

It is tax season and I am pretty much on my own on the weekends.  This has been both a good and a bad thing.  While I have been sticking to business getting to work on some creative ventures, there have also been a few little hunts.  When I say hunts, it is because I enjoy looking through what many may consider junk, in the hopes of finding treasures.  I have a handful of good friends who are with me on this.  The other handful are currently using hand sanitizer just thinking about it.  

Actually I knew that AB and I were going to have a lot in common when we exchanged thrift shop stories.  It was a huge sigh of relief and he has helped me to locate the best spots on the East side of Madison. One of my favorite is the Treasure Mart.

The people watching is wonderful and there are always amazing items and the pricing system is interesting.  The longer an item is there, the more the price goes down.  I marched in yesterday to a full parking lot, which is somewhat abnormal.  Most times it is occupied by me and the ladies who run the T Mart.  I saw many wonderful things, one of which, I wish I had taken a quick Iphone photo of, but alas I didn't.  I will describe to the best of my abilities: The item was a yellow sweatshirt that had been appliqued.  The front had large and small bats seemingly flying around and on the back, was a funky old broad appliqued in different plaid fabrics wearing a rhinestone necklace.  It was extremely well done- kinda of wishing I bought it to wear tomorrow.  

Instead I went home with a new (well old) hat.  The hat is navy wool and fits nicely atop the head. There is a small embellishment on the front right that has a sideways chevron and a little red ribbon.  I am currently contemplating the ensemble that it will be worn with.

My second purchase is really three in one! They might be just a tad on the Donna Dewberry (my only real gripe is her use of styrofoam plates) side, but I really enjoy the colors of the brushstrokes- and it is done by hand.  That is rare these days. 

Three metal tins, one missing a lid handle- so I am sizing it now with a goat's milk lid.  These will hide my sugar, flour and other dry goods.  

And the best part of this shopping experience... well besides the missed opportunity for the best halloween shirt ever... I would say that the free gift of dog treats with the purchase was what made the day.  When I got home, Marcel was on the case and demanded to see his treasure. After, all the "Charlie Bears" are what inspired me to make Marcel's dog treats.

Optical Extreme Focus Destimulator

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Some of us have to work in noisy and difficult environments and there are certain seasons that call for extreme methods of working.  AB works in a vibrant tax firm and sits in a space that is less than optimal for focussed work.  SO, this year he is going in with reinforcements.

He now has a pair of noise canceling headphones which upon several trials have worked well for his ability to focus on getting the job done.  There is just one problem...they work a little too well. When he tried them on at home, it must have taken me a solid minute of gesturing madly to get his attention.

That and several work related moments of missed info have created the need for this device!

The Optical Extreme Focus Destimulator (O.E.F.D for short)

Items needed include: String of LED Christmas lights, a twist knob, Altoids container, wire nuts, wire stripper, electrical tape, 9 volt battery and harness.

AB began by drilling a hole in his Altoids tin, in order to place his twist knob.  He happened to have the perfect (and hand-turned, by himself- I might add) wooden knob from another project. This item fit over the twist knob perfectly.

 Inside the Altoid tin there was a bit of connecting to be done. The strand of LED lights came in from the back side. At this point he had trimmed the lights down to just 5 or so, he didn't want the whole length of lighting on his desk at work.  One wire from the knob connects to the battery harness and one wire from the lights connects to the battery harness.  Then the wires from the knob and light that haven't been connected are attached and covered with a wire nut.  All of this fits nicely inside the Altoid Tin.

 And thus you have a device that when twisted, will flash- getting the attention of one very focussed tax preparer.

Organizing with ease

There comes a time at least once a year, when you look around at your home and you say to yourself, "Who accumulated all of these things?" and "I wish I could find..."  That occurred this weekend here at the homestead and some of the things we have been talking about doing, got done.

One of the things that we recently saw at a dear friend's house has been an item we've been searching for.  Our friend was using an old bill stabber as a way to collect all the receipts that she and her husband accumulate in a month.  You know think back to an old diner where you paid the bill at the register and after handing over your bill and paying, the person behind the counter stabbed the check onto a stack. This glorious item had to be ours, only after many trips to the thrift store and resale shops I had no luck coming up with one.  We consistently find wadded up receipts after they have journeyed through the washer and dryer in a pocket.  This little do-hicky was going to be our new best friend.

But low and behold, it never turned up, so the Mr. had the brilliant idea to use what we have and the essence of what this blog is founded on.  He asked politely for a knitting needle- and in a matter of mere moments, he returned with our new organizational strategy tool.

A heck of a deck

 I apologize for the lack of a before image but it should be known that we began the impromptu project based on the lack of stability of the previous deck.  It came down slowly because we found some less than Bob Villa approved methods for propping parts of the deck up.  The car port is now a structure beside the deck, not something that the deck leans on.  Likewise, the deck is now bolted to the side of the house instead of leaning on it.

 Along the way of cutting, we discovered a couple of chipmunks living in the woodpile.  These guys seemed pretty confident about running back and forth from our new pile of wood to the pile that was the previous deck.  I offered them a couple pieces of banana which allowed for a quick photo.  The bananas were gone the next day.  As well the chipmunks stuck around a couple of days and then seemed to disappear.  Not sure if we scared them away or they are expecting more bananas.  Time will tell.

The project is finishing up nicely; now not just a set of steps but also a very sturdy platform!  AB roughed out the railing and I made a couple of planters out of scraps.  Expect a post once it is truly finished and we are having our first sunset watch!

Finished cherry and maple travel mug

I can't wait to drink my coffee and not ruin the nicest gift EVER!

Coffee travel mug

AB's gift to me was to turn a wooden coffee travel mug. In the first image the cut sections of cherry and maple woods are being turned on the lathe using his new wood chuck from Santa. In the second detail photograph the work is getting a final finish with polyurethane, and a light steel wool scrub.