The Devil Is In The Details…

February 16, 2015

Charming is, as I write this post, putting some finishing touches on the kitchen…caulking various seams and touching up paint on the walls that got marred by falling broom handles and such.  He’s dealing with his final details and I’m dealing with mine.

This past week, I spent some time working on making a quilted table runner for our table and creating a design for some embroidered tea towels that I wanted to make.  The quilted table runner is a basic design of squares with borders and a few apple appliqués thrown in for good measure.  In coming up with a design for the towels, I was looking for something that would express my love of gardening and “putting up” the harvest.  Since I have a peculiar affection for canning jars, I came up with a sketch of a jar and added a slogan of sorts.  After putting the design on paper, I took a plain thin tea towel that I purchased from Walmart (3 in a pack for $2.97) and laid the towel on top of the design.  I then used an “invisible” marking pen to trace the design onto the towel.  (The “invisible” pens can be purchased from Joann Fabrics for about $3.00.  When you use the pen the ink comes out purple, so you must do your embroidery shortly after you trace your design onto the fabric as the purple ink will fade and become invisible overnight.)

Because I love the kitchen style of the 1930’s and 40’s, I wanted to incorporate as much of that “retro look” as possible.  The embroidered towels and quilted table runner will add a bit of that “old timey” look to the kitchen.  Most of the items in my kitchen will be hand made or hand done, including the braided rug, curtains, chair bottoms, table runner, tea towels, and (of course) my beloved wash tub prep table.  Although the finished product will not be the standard “dream kitchen” of today with stainless steel appliances and marble counter tops, it is definitely turning out to be the kitchen of my dreams.

An example of the embroidered tea towels that I'm working
on.  I used variegated embroidery floss because that's all I had
on hand.  I will use solid colors on the remaining towels as I think
that will look better.

A close-up of the tea towel design.  (I didn't use the "Ball" logo
because of the legalities of infringing on patented logos and trademarks,
so I just made up my own "Home Made" logo.)

The "top" for my quilted table runner.  Those three red things in the
center are supposed to be apples.  They will look more like apples
once I add stems and leaves to them.  The table runner will be shorter
than average and will not hang off the sides of the table, as we have
pets who like to pull on things that hang off the edges of tables.

I have to congratulate myself on purchasing the swirled
brown/black/grey fabric that I used in the table runner (on the right
side of the picture).  I happened to be shopping in Joann Fabric
about a year ago and this caught my eye.  This fabric was
actually purchased before we picked out the counter tops.  It is
a super close match to the counter top on the left side of the picture,
don't you think?

The Apple of My Eye...

February 9, 2015

Bummer…no “big reveal” this week either.  Although I’ve been busy this past week, about the only tangible thing I have to show you is the final art work on my beloved wash tub.  (Yes, to me, it will forever be known as “my beloved wash tub”.  Come to think of it, because it belonged to my grandfather, I really must spend some time thinking about which of my family members would be a worthy heir for this item when I’m gone.  I can envision the family now….instead of saying, “I want that beautiful wash tub!” they’re more likely to be saying “No, YOU take that dumb ole wash tub!”)  Oh well, like Scarlet O’Hara (in Gone With The Wind) said, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”  

I have tons of things that I need to fit into today, so I must get to it.  I apologize for such a short post, but I promise that next week’s will be much better.

This is the "rough draft" that I showed to you in a previous post.

This past week, the apples on my wash tub matured and the tree
grew leaves.  (I know that a real apple tree wouldn't have mature
apples and apple blossoms at the same time, but I couldn't keep
myself from adding a them.  I do not aspire to be a great
artist; I just wanted a little pop of color in my kitchen.)

Another teaser to keep you interested in the kitchen re-do.
This picture is from last week when Charming was putting
down the floor.  The finished floor looks really good.  I
don't think  most people would guess that it's actually
vinyl (plank) flooring.  Charming is a perfectionist when it
comes to the renovation so it's been a slow go.  However,
he has done an absolutely wonderful job on everything!

Well, Smack My Face and Call Me a Liar…

February 2, 2015

You’ve probably already guessed by the title of this post, but I can’t post pictures of the finished kitchen because it is not actually “finished” yet.  I could give you all kinds of reasons like the weather, medical appointments, unexpected trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot, but bottom line is that the renovation completion date has been moved again. 

To offset that huge disappointment (because I just know you anxiously await my blog posts like I anticipate episodes of Downton Abbey), I am posting pictures of my finished braided rug which will go in the kitchen.  It’s a bit smaller than it should be, but it now measures 5 foot 10 inches by 4 foot 10 inches.  At that size, I have exhausted all possibilities of big flat surfaces in my house that will allow me to keep the rug flat as I work on it.  (Well I could work on the floor I guess, but then Charming would have to call a tow truck to help get me up.)  I started working on the rug on the counter top in my craft room then I had to move to the kitchen table.  After it outgrew the kitchen table, I had to move to our queen-sized bed.  When it began to hang over the edge of the bed, I was forced to wrestle the 25-pound rug (plus the 17-pound cat that follows the rug wherever I put it) as I turned the rug to add the rows of braids.  So I decided the rug was big enough to lend a touch of that “homespun” feel to the kitchen.  Below are more pictures than you probably want to see, but I’m a huge fan of braided rugs.

Oh…I also need to mention that I’m adding yet another “page” to this blog.  It lists classes that I will be teaching under my business name of Blue Ridge School of Mountain Arts.  Most of the classes that I will be teaching utilize the same or similar skills employed by my ancestors who lived in the area of the Blue Ridge Mountains that is now known as the Shenandoah National Park.  There will also be a few crafty classes such as making buttons and other items from polymer clay.  Class atmosphere will be extremely laid back and informal, as if you were learning something from a family member.  I will update the class list as new classes become available.  The page is located at the top of the blog, under the tab entitled, “Upcoming Classes”.  Please be sure to read the first paragraph on that page, before you read the class list, as it explains the different ways to register for the classes.

If you recall, this was my first picture of the braided
rug when it was started.

Here is the finished rug, laid out in front of our sofa.

A little closer up so you can see the definition in the
"rounds" of color.

An even closer up picture that shows the colors that make up
the color scheme in my kitchen.  I will have mostly tan,
gray, black and reds.  (Sounds pretty dreary and awful, I know,
but I tend to lean towards muted colors when decorating.)

As it'll look under the table.  Note that in selecting
my color scheme, I was going for that "traditional"
look and I think it turned out pretty well.

A slightly different angle.  (The table is centered on the rug.)

Beat On Your Own Wash Tub…

January 26, 2015

Pictures of our finished kitchen will be posted on next Monday’s blog!  Charming is almost finished the floor and then we’ll be able to move everything back into place.  YAY!  I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.  Although I’ve been cooking in the kitchen all along (at times, leaping over the work areas and dodging power tools), it’ll be nice to be able to sit down and eat our meals at a real table again.

The braided rug that I’ve been working on, for what seems like forever, is almost finished.  I have one last row to add, but it should be finished and ready to go into the kitchen when the furniture is moved back into place.

I’ve also done a bit more work on the wash tub prep table.  That project has been really slow going because I was trying to keep it hidden from Charming and have only been able to work on it when he wasn’t around.  As I’ve said before, Charming has a complete dislike for that poor little wash tub and I can’t understand why.  (Ummm…Could it possibly be because any sane person would consider it a piece of junk that was found in the mountains with a rusted-out bottom?) 

Today I was in my craft room, in the process of happily painting apples on the side of the wash tub, oblivious to the entire world.  It was just me, my wash tub, and the John Denver CD playing on the boom box.  Suddenly, Charming opened the door and caught me with my “paints down” so to speak.  I almost jumped out of my skin and came pretty close to dropping the paints on the floor as well.  Stammering, I struggled to recover my composure.  At that point, I’m sure I was looking like a kid caught with their hand in the candy jar, so I attempted to place myself between Charming and the wash tub.  Now, I’ll admit that I’m a good-sized girl, but not wash tub sized…yet, anyway.  So when Charming leaned to his right, I leaned to my left.  When he leaned to his left, I leaned to my right.  (What to do now?  I have to admit that a flash of an “I Love Lucy” episode flitted through my mind at that point.)  Dadgumit…because Charming is blessed with at least six inches more in height than I, he went onto his tip toes and got a full view of the wash tub. 

I quickly summoned up all of the Southern girl charm that I could muster, gave him my sweetest smile to remind him why he married me, batted my eyelashes at him several times and stammered, “Ummmm…Want a kiss?”  He simply shook his head and said, “Oh, God.” He then accepted my offer of the kiss and turned around to leave the room.  As he was closing the door, he leaned back into the room and said, “That thing is not going to go in the kitchen, right?”  I smiled and said, “We’ll talk later about where we’re going to put it…Oh…and I might need you to help me with some power tools to finish it off.”  His only response was to roll his eyes and leave the room.   All in all, I think “The Big Wash Tub Reveal to Charming” went off pretty well, don’t you?

I fold up the braided rug when I'm not working on it because it
just takes up too much space.  Powder Cat thinks it's the perfect
place to take a long nap...and he gives me "the stink eye" when I
try to move him or take his picture.

The wash tub is made up of three sections of metal that are seamed
together.  I painted a separate tree branch on each section.

Then I roughly (really roughly) painted in apples onto the
tree branches.  The apples look a little odd right now,
but after I reshape them with a second coat of paint, add leaves,
and a few apple blossoms then it should look better.
I'm not an artist, so don't expect them to look a lot better.

Blaze Orange is the New Black…

January 19, 2015

A few weeks back during hunting season, my brother phoned and asked Charming if he would like to go hunting with him the next morning.  Since Charming is a “manly man”, he could not refuse the offer and enthusiastically told my brother that he’d love to go.  After he hung up the phone, we discovered that Charming had nothing to wear.  (Sounds like another familiar fairy tale, doesn’t it?)  By saying that he “had nothing to wear” I don’t mean he had no clothes, but that he didn’t have anything “blaze orange” to wear for the hunt.  As I’m sure you know, it’s an awfully good idea to wear the brightly colored orange when one is in the woods during the hunting season because it can be seen by other hunters from far off distances. 

So Charming and I took what we thought would be a quick trip to our local Walmart to buy a blaze orange hoodie or vest.  Nothing!  We looked the store over and could not find one item in the store that was blaze orange.  Because it was too late to go anywhere else (Walmart is just about the only store in our small town), Charming assured me that he would be fine on the trip even if he wasn’t wearing the blaze orange.  The next morning was cold and windy, so I pushed my own cowl into the pocket of his insulated plaid flannel “Bubba” jacket (as we like to call it) and followed him to the car giving him last minute instructions to be very careful.

I worried from the time he left home until the time he returned.  As I’ve said before, I’m a bit on the obsessive/compulsive side so I’ve made worrying into an art form.  I think I’ve also mentioned that I tend to lean toward a “task-oriented” personality as well.  So to take my mind of the worrying, I decided to come up with a pattern for something that Charming could wear on his next hunting trip.  I could whip up a hat in no time flat, but I first had to make sure I could find the appropriate blaze orange yarn.  I checked Michael’s and Joann Fabric websites and couldn’t find what I was looking for.  It’s amazing how many places don’t carry blaze orange yarn.  Then I searched the Walmart website and, TA DA, there it was.  (I’m not sure why Walmart would think that it’s a wiser move to carry blaze orange yarn and not blaze orange hats or hoodies, but I guess that’s why they don’t let me make inventory decisions for Walmart.)

 Bottom line is that I came up with a pattern for a convertible cowl/hat for him.  I’ve posted the pattern and pictures on my “Knitting Patterns” page above.  Although Charming does seem a bit reluctant to wear the hat (hmmmmm, could it be the big bow that I tied at the top of the hat?), I just know he will be really appreciative of it during the next deep snow when we have to shovel out, carry in wood for the woodstove, or on his next hunting trip.

Charming modeling his new convertible cowl/hat...I think Jax is wondering why
anyone would want to wear a hat like this when fur is so much more comfortable.

Loosen the drawstring and the hat can be pulled over the head
to be worn as a cowl.  

Forever In Blue Jeans…

January 12, 2015

Well, this week I finished my “recycled blue jeans skirt”.  Although it did turn out kind of tacky looking, I think it was a good first effort and could definitely be improved upon if I put a little more thought into it.  This skirt will be perfect to wear around the house during the warm summer months when no shoes, no pantyhose, and no petticoat are required.

I ended up using fewer strips of the printed fabric and more of the plain blue jean fabric (which was actually the legs of the worn out blue jeans).  I also left off the red band of fabric that I had initially planned to put on the bottom of the skirt.  This was on the suggestion of my sister-in-law, Deb.  She thought the extra color might make the skirt a bit “busy” and it turns out she was right.  She’s got real artistic talent and I value her opinion.  Thanks, Deb!

I used another pair of the worn out jeans to make a new clothes pin bag.  My sister, Edie, made me a beautiful yellow flowered clothes pin bag a long time ago.  After years of use, I made some not-so-pretty repairs which also made the opening in the bag much shorter and a lot less user-friendly. 

I have one more pair of the worn out jeans to turn into something usable.  I’ll have to put on my “thinking cap” and come up with something creative to share with you in a future post. 

The front of the finished "recycled blue jeans skirt".

The back side of the skirt.

I'm thinking that a shorter length would look more flattering,
(it would also help if I had the will power to lose 10 or 70 pounds)
but since I plan to just knock around the house in this skirt, this length
will work best for me.

The items needed to make a sturdy clothes pin bag.

After turning the cut off jeans inside out, I sewed a reinforced seam
for the bottom of the bag.  I then sewed a long tube of the printed fabric,
leaving enough open (about a foot) to insert the clothes hanger.
Then I sewed the opening closed.  I also cut a small hole in the
top middle of the tube and reinforced it with a zigzag stitch
to accommodate the hook part of the hanger.  After that, I
threaded the fabric through the belt loops, which formed the "belt".
I added a few reinforcing stitches around the top of the "belt" so
the bag would hang straight on the hanger.  I also added Velcro
to the inside of the back pockets, where I will put those
pesky clothes pins that come apart until I can collect
enough to justify taking the time to put them back together.

Out With The Old…

January 5, 2015

The New Year has begun and, with it, a chance to start fresh.  The trouble is that I’m still coughing and hacking from the virus I picked up just before Christmas.  Although I feel much better than I did last week, I haven’t felt like doing much of anything.  But, looking on the bright side, I know this will pass so I’m just going with the flow until things get back to normal.

My mind has been churning with things I want/need to do when I get the energy to do them.  Charming gave me three new pairs of jeans for Christmas so that means that I either need to throw three pair of my old jeans in the trash or figure out how I can turn them into something useful.  Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I find it very hard to justify throwing anything away.  I guess it’s part of my mountain heritage mentality to “use it up, wear it out, and then turn it into something new”.  I’ve already decided to turn one pair of the old jeans into a clothes pin bag.  I just need to come up with a creative way to attach the cut-off jeans to a clothes hanger.

I have also been giving some thought to turning another pair of the jeans into a skirt as I’ve seen other people do.  In my fabric stash, I found some pretty blue flowered cotton fabric that I had purchased several years ago for a temporary project at work.  I cut the legs off the old pair of jeans, then I used the legs to cut four equal-sized pieces that were narrow at one end and flared at the other end.  I’m thinking that a below-the-knee, flared or A-line skirt would look best.  I will probably need to cut the legs off of the third pair of old jeans in order to have enough pieces to go all around this skirt.  Below are pictures of the pieces to the skirt as well as shots showing the skirt as it should look when I sew it together. 

Hopefully, I will have the skirt assembled with final pictures by next week.  Feel free to leave me your comments or suggestions for improvement.

The pieces to the skirt that I'm going to make, using an old pair of
jeans and some blue flowered fabric.  (Top:  jeans that have been
cut off, leaving the front and back pockets intact;
Middle:  the blue flowered fabric cut into long wedge-shaped sections;
Bottom:  wedge-shaped sections cut from the legs of the blue jeans.
Top right is a strip of maroon fabric that I also found in my fabric stash.)

The skirt as it should appear after it has been assembled.
I may add different kinds of trim along the seams, but not
positive about that yet.  I may also switch to three strips of
the flowered fabric with only two strips of the blue jeans.
This would make it more colorful and I might not need to
use the legs of the third pair of old jeans, freeing them up for
another project.