Beadboard Completion

Now what is my guy doing bending over by the toilet? He's not sick! 

He is actually removing some of the old quarter round trim around the toilet in preparation for the next project. 

He decided that he looked at the pile of beadboard slats piled up out in the garage long enough. It was time to get them cut to size, brought in the house, and installed on the last two walls in our bathroom.

This little area around the toilet with the three walls and the two little edges around the corners needs to get completed with the beadboard.

The other wall underneath the window and the area around the sink still needed to be completed. That's one of the most complicated walls with the most technical cuts.

Last year we had completed the wall along side of the bathtub and around the corner to the master bedroom. We also completed the other wall near the linen closet and alongside of the end table with the stained glass lamp. Those were the two widest expanses that needed to be done. They were easy because it was one piece after another - boom boom boom - dune. 

 

Steve started working on the odd cuts to get around the lip edges of the sill and then he fortunately was able to just loosen the brackets on the pedestal sink and work in the boards behind it. That was much better than having to dismantle the whole sink.

This wood is comprised of thin pine slats that have a tongue on one side and a groove on the other. The front portion has two sections of beadboard, about 3 1/2 in wide.  Here is a profile end shot of a slat. 

It can be applied with small finishing nails while making sure each tongue is snugly pushed into each groove. Steve has also opted to put a layer of special adhesive on the wall behind each slat to make sure that they are securely fastened. Otherwise they may be subject to warping and shrinkage over time. So we fasten them both ways to be extra secure.

On Saturday morning,  it was time for me to get out my paintbrush and start getting the first coat on the beadboard. The temperature is here in Wisconsin have dipped way down, below normal, which is pretty much like the rest of the country it appears to be this week. Good to do some inside projects today. 

We were babysitting one of the granddaughters, so I bravely wrapped her in a an old t-shirt and put her to work. She has helped me before and even though she's only 6 years old, she does a very good job.

She loves the little roller. It's just her size. It works out really well to have a tiny person assisting. She could easily fit between the bathtub and the window to work on the wall underneath.

I could also stick her underneath the sink to roll that portion of the beadboard. Because the baseboard is already the same color as well as the window trim, we really didn't have to worry about her bumping anything other than the shower or the sink. Those were easily wiped off of any "oopsies".

We also gave her the opportunity to learn about "Lefty Loosey and Righty Tighty". She was able to take off the two screws that held the heating register grid in place. They are never too young to learn.

One good coat of paint, and then it was time to clean up, curl up and take a little nap together.

After nap time, she was ready and raring to go to put her painting clothes back on and get back to doing a good job.

Soon we had two coats on everything on that wall... while Steve was working on the other area over by the toilet.

Fortunately, the toilet is almost 4 inches away from the back wall. It was good that we placed it far enough away when we changed the flooring. Now Steve had room to get in behind there with the boards without having to maneuver around a tightly fitting tank.  Plus, I can get back in there with the roller to paint the beadboard once it's in place.

He was able to work into the tight corners with his battery powered finish nail gun. Sitting backwards on the closed toilet seat really made it easier to work in such close quarters. It looks funny, but it makes a good work surface to lean on when working on the back beadboards. 

I was able to get the first coat of paint on this next part of the beadboards, and Steve started cutting the top cap trim wood. It has a little bead roping and also some egg and dart design like the original trim around the windows on our 100+ year old farmhouse.

That was enough for Saturday. It was time now to take it easy for the evening, pop some popcorn and watch a movie with the granddaughter. We got enough done for one day. So we popped our ibuprofen and went to bed early.

Sunday morning we were able to finish up the rest of the trim and I gave everything a quick second coat of paint. It really came out nice. We just have two little pieces of cap trim to put on each side of the mirror and two L-shaped corner pieces on the edges around the toilet space. We have to stop up at the Home Improvement store to pick up a couple pieces of the L-shaped trim. Then we are done!

I'm quite pleased to have this finished up. I was thinking it was a midwinter project. I'm glad that Steve decided to get it done now and get the wood out of the way from in the garage. He's been reorganizing out there and this wood has been setting in his way since last winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is my little Sullivan table craft table that I picked up at the thrift store last week for only $10! Works out very well also as an ironing surface.

 I am prepping this quilt top to get ready to roll it onto my big frame. I lay down my big board ironing board across the entire length of the craft table. Now I am able to iron portions of the quilt without the rest of it rumpling up or landing on the floor.

What's great about a rectangular shaped ironing surface for a quilter is that you're not dealing with the funny angled nose edge of a traditionally shaped ironing board. Seeing as most quilts are straight lined shapes, it makes sense to get a larger surface for ironing on with a rectangle shape.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Growing up in Upper Peninsula of Michigan, some local foods are imbedded deep in my heart.  In the tiny town of Caspian, Michigan, almost every kitchen had this iconic red lettered brown paper bag sitting near their breadbox or next to the coffee pot. 

trenaryhomebakery.com

My daughter brought me a bag today as a gift, and babysitting thank you. 

From their website: 

Our original and most popular flavor of Trenary Toast - made in Trenary since 1928!

This crunchy snack is coated in our signature blend of cinnamon and sugar, and is ready to be dunked in your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or late night hot cocoa. 

For over 90 years Trenary Home Bakery has specialized in the production of this Finnish Korppu - try it today and experience Michigan's favorite breakfast treat! 

Why Do I Need So Many Sewing Machines? And PURPLE Potatoes!

Well, Mother Nature sure is fooling us. We had already battened down the hatches and started preparing for normal November weather in Wisconsin. Instead, it's an absolutely gorgeous day and it's going to reach into the seventies!

Steve decided to take down my rain chain from the front porch. That way the upcoming ice and snow and freezing rain doesn't destroy it over the winter months. We will hang it up again next spring.

It is so nice out this morning that before 10:00 a.m. we were sitting out on the front porch. I took out the spinning wheel and we've spent some time just relaxing and sipping our coffee. Even filled our breakfast bowls with cereal and yogurt and fruit and came out to eat on the front porch. Dining El Fresco!

I have an INDOOR meeting at noon,

and I don't want to go! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The other day I got a package in the mail. A friend from Missouri sent me this beautifully hand stitched and quilted wall hanging. It's one little block for each month. It's all hand stitched and I really appreciate the work that goes into this. I don't do that kind of hand stitching.

I hung it for now in my kitchen next to the big pantry cabinet. But I do think I'm going to put it into the motorhome because I have a perfect spot there to put it too. 

~~~~~~~~~

So on to my title topic....   Why Do I Need So Many Sewing Machines? 

Someone asked me that?? Well, is that kind of like asking a woodworker why he has so many saws or chisels? Or asking a mechanic why he has so many tools? Or asking a golfer why he has so many clubs in his bag? Each one really does kind of a specific job. 

I only have FIVE. 

The big Janome 1600p- DB is on a big quilting frame and that's what's used at high speeds to free motion my quilts. It attaches the pieced fabric tops by stitching down through the batting and into the backing to create the quilts which are moved on the big rollers. 

The smaller Janome 8077 is the one with all the fancy stitches if I need something zigzagged or zippers installed or any other fancy stuff. I got that from my friend Rosie, and I think of her each time I sew on it.

The old antique 1941 Singer 99-24 is from my grandmother, Olga Groop. She gave it to me about 30 years ago, and I was soooo pleased to be given it.  I use it to sew the triple folded hems on my heavy handwoven rugs. This sewing machine is a real workhorse and sewed anything from my grandfather's heavy duty mining clothes right down to my aunt's really beautiful prom dresses. 

The 1945 Singer Featherweight is a fun little easy portable machine that is a delight to sew on. I can take it in the motorhome or to quilting retreats and workshops.  I got it last year from a vendor in the Antique Village at the Escanaba State Fair. I call her "My Fair Lady." She is my go-to machine for doing quilt piecing or seams or borders.

And then there's the 1916 Franklin Treadle in the original parlor cabinet. This one was completely an impulsive buy earlier this summer. I didn't need it. But I really wanted it! I do enjoy the gentle rhythmic tickety tickety tickety of the treadle machine. There is something soothing about working on it and it brings about nostalgic memories of things in the past. My great-grandmother Anna Today (Olga's mother) had a treadle machine out in her sun porch. I remember my brother and I taking turns sitting our butts on the bottom treadle base and the other one pumping furiously with their foot to give each other a ride. I am sure we snarled up the machine or possibly broke the needle or jammed the bobbin for my great grandmother. She never said anything, but I am sure that we weren't supposed to be doing it. I wonder what ever happened to that machine when she passed away?  I was only 12, so I didn't know what family mementos went where. 

Here is my treadle machine parlor cabinet all opened up. The machine rises up from down below on a chain on a gear device kind of like a little elevator. The doors open wide and the foot treadle piece is mounted inside of the cabinet as well as the big wheel with the drive belt. It is all contained inside of the cabinet.

When I am done sewing, everything folds back up and inwards to close down. The machine lowers back down inside and the lid flips over the top. This beautiful quartersawn oak parlor cabinet is a wonderful piece of furniture to look at and fits perfectly into the corner.  There are tiny wooden caster wheels underneath that I fear will damage our flooring.  I have it on a rag rug in the pic below.   But now I have it setting on an upside down carpet sample from a carpet store. The nap side of the carpet sample allows it to slide nicely across the vinyl plank flooring so I can slide it in front of the window if I wish.

 

That reminded me of something that I spoke to Steve about while I was sewing on my treadle machine I had wondered aloud to my husband if the person who first owned this machine had waited impatiently for it to come?

 Did they cherish it and love it?

 Or was it just another tool of the household, used to do the mending? 

Was it a chore just like doing the washing and the cooking and the cleaning? 

Or was this machine dreamt about and looked at in the Sears catalog for months on end (or even years) and saving up the pennies until you had enough to order it? 

So then I looked it up and the sewing machine was in the $40 range. The Parlor cabinet was $26 in this era. That was in 1916.

Transferring that into today's dollars is almost $2,000!

The last few days, the weather was a little cooler and windier so I spent more time inside. I decided to slide over my Franklin treadle sewing machine right in front of the big French windows in the she shed. What a great view to look out and daydream in between sewing blocks on my newest quilt.

The light fills the she shed during the day and it's nice to sew right in front of the windows. Because of course the treadle machine does not have a light on it the way that the electric machines do. If I sew at night I bring over a table lamp to shine down on my work.

This morning I did finish sewing the sixth row of blocks onto my pineapple quilt. I'm not sure what I'm going to name this one yet. When it's done I will put it in my Etsy shop for sale. For now, I clipped the quilt top to a long white stick that I can suspend from the hooks out on the front porch. I did that so I can get a view of what the quilt looks like and decide whether or not it needs a border around the edges.

I think it came out kind of cute and it was what I was looking to achieve from these harvest fall looking fabrics.

It's a pretty busy pattern, so I think I'm just going to do a thin brown strip of border around the edges and leave it as a queen size. Queen sizes are easier to sell over King sizes.

Next quilt on the list will be something I'm starting for my friend Vicky, in memory of her mother.

~~~~~~~~~~

Our friends Joyce and Bob gave us some of the harvest from their garden this summer. They work very hard on a huge garden and ended up with a lot more produce than they bargained for. They shared with us some of these absolutely amazing purple potatoes! Yes, they are purple! They taste like a regular potato, but they are purple. They also gave us some beautiful German Gold potatoes. Both taste wonderful and are flaky and rich. I boil them up until the skin's burst because they are kind of little like red potatoes. We thoroughly appreciate the generosity of our friends.

Steve has been busy busy busy out in his garage. Now he has the entire ceiling insulated and sheetrocked and about 2/3 of the walls. He started over on another section of wall by his workbench and insulated the top portion. Then he built a very sturdy shelf across the top about 16 in down from the ceiling.

Across on that top he was able to stack a bunch of my very heavy totes of fiber supplies. These are things for weaving and spinning and other crafts. By getting them up and off the floor he has more room for his things to move around and to store away the lawn mowers and summer garden tools like the wheelbarrow and the wagon.

Last January we tried storing our Christmas tree by leaving it completely decorated including the ornaments and the lights. We wrapped it round and round with pallet strapping plastic and carried the tree out completely and stored it in the garage. It worked pretty good, but the only problem is it took up a lot more space in the garage then we realized. Steve would like to claim the space back again and I don't blame him. 

So I think this year we will carry the tree in after thanksgiving, unwrap it, and enjoy it. In January, when when the season is over we will take it apart piece by piece the way we should and stow it away in individual packages. Then he can have this valuable floor space back in his work area.

While Steve was organizing out in his garage I decided that I needed to do a little organizing in the kitchen. I have this very large wide utensil drawer that is actually over 2 ft wide. Every time I pull it out or push it in, everything rattles around and moves around. The little things slide to the back and then I have to dig for them. It's quite a mess. I can never find what I want. I bought these wire mesh baskets from Aldi's. They were two in a pack for $7.99. I needed them wide enough to accommodate some of our wider utensils, and they are different than just what a silverware tray could allow me to place in there.

I sorted through everything and tossed out stuff I wasn't using. Now everything is right at my fingertips. Especially, it doesn't slide all over every time I open the drawer. The little mesh baskets have rubber tips on the bottom corners to keep them from sliding around. 

That's about it for today. I should get this posted and get downtown for my meeting. Then we will enjoy the rest of the sunshine before real November weather bears down upon us.

I WON! I WON! I WON!!!!

 I won the Powerball!!!  Yup, I sure did!

Four bucks.

 So that leaves me $6 in the hole. I spent $10. 

Actually it should be $16 in the hole, because I spent $10 on Wednesday's drawing too. 

That's why I don't gamble!

~~~~~~~

I thought that I would post a little bit about my weaving. Here is my newest rug off the big barn loom. I just love the cheerful colors as they undulate through the rug.  This is a nice long 82 inch runner rug, that's almost 7 ft long.  It just looks so "farmhousey" to me. 

The youngest granddaughter was over when I was unrolling it. She was quite excited because she helped weave on portions of it. She helps me pick out the next color and wind it up on the shuttles. I hope all of my grandchildren will have fond memories of helping me weave.  It is something that I cherish, and hope to pass it on. Maybe one of them will someday want my looms and weave themselves?  Or maybe my sewing machines and do some quilting?  or spinning? or sockmachine knitting?

I even let her help me cut it off.... carefully! Then we fold over the header portion twice and sew it down nice and securely for a good triple thick flat hem. I don't care for the tied knots or fringe tassels on some woven rugs. I will do them if a customer asks, but the folded and sewn hems last a lot longer. The tied knot ones get quite beat up after a while from playing or chewing by pets, foot traffic, or laundry.

Littlest Claire helped me roll it up

 to stack it up by the sewing machine 

so I can sew the hems.

When sewing the hems, I use my grandmother's old Singer 99-24 with the crinkle finish and the bentwood dome case. The serial number on this machine dates it back to 1941.This hard-working machine can plow through all three layers of the woven header fabric. It has sewn many things over the years, including my grandfather's heavy mining work clothes, my aunt's frilly tulle and crinoline prom dresses, and so many heavy huge quilts then I could ever imagine!  I was blessed for her to give it to me all those years ago.

I set the rug out on the front porch for a cute photo op in front of our rocking chairs. But honestly, the rug is far too nice to be designated as an outside rug. It sure looks cute on the gray porch boards with the white rockers set next to it.  That is why I am calling it a Farmhouse Rug. 

I always try to take close up photos when I list the rugs in my Etsy Shop so they can be seen up close as well as from far away.  I helps to see the texture and color of the fabrics and the warp threads. 

When I'm done sewing the hems,

I add my cute little personalized tags to the corner.

In case anybody is curious, I list them in my Etsy store for sale. Here is the link to this particular rug:

Wisconsin Countryside Farmhouse Rug

~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday, I had said that it was dark and damp and cold. What a perfect day to open up a jar of my home canned tomatoes. I take the first scoop out with a spoon and eat it raw right out of the jar!  It tastes like "summer" and it is such a great reward for all the work of planting, growing, watering, harvesting and canning them up. 

The rest of it (and a second jar too)  went into a scrumptious pot of chili. Just the thing to warm you from the inside out.  I like to make a big pot and freeze the rest in smaller containers. It's easy to pull one out for a quick lunch in the middle of winter. 

Last night was dark and stormy in Wisconsin. The high winds wreaked havoc in other parts of the state with power outages and downed trees. We were fortunate not to have any of that here. Instead, we curled up in front of the TV last night down in the She Shed. I did some quilting for a while, and later we turned on some HGTV shows and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Woke up this morning at 6:15. Really hard to convince myself it was only 5:15.

Tried to roll over and go back to sleep. Didn't work. 

It goofed Binney up too. She wanted to get outside at 6:30. She doesn't care that the clock says it's only 5:30.  Her bladder says it's 6:30 and time to get outside! Our last sheltie, Finnegan, had a clock in his stomach that told him when it was time to eat.  He HATED the "fall back" part daylight savings time. We had to start adjusting him in 15 minute increments the week before to acclimate him to the new time.  We weren't fooling him though, he would come and stare at us at HIS 5:00 dinnertime. He didn't care if the clock said 4:00.  It was quite a challenge.  LOL

This is what I think about 

Daylight Savings Time!

We will adjust, but it sure seems to be an awful crazy process. 

Steve is wandering around the house this morning, looking for something to do. I better get this proofread and posted, so I can go help him with whatever he is going to get himself into this morning.  

My Own Brawny Lumberjack Man

The weather certainly has changed here in Wisconsin. We have lost those beautiful warm sunny days with record setting temperatures in the 70s. Now we are cold and damp and the winds are going to kick up. This afternoon and this evening they're expecting gusts in the 50 to 60 MPH range! 

That is why I'm so glad that Steve got done what he wanted to do earlier in the week. We have a few of these ugly box elder trees in our yard. They are not very good trees to begin with, basically they are just weed trees that were allowed to grow. So that is why we planted so many new maples and oaks and pines. 

Not only that, these box elder trees are also rotting from the inside out and also rotting down at the roots. This one particular tree we had noticed on the last windy day that we could see the ground heaving and moving at the base of the tree while the top blew around in the wind. We knew that means the roots are rotted away and basically it's just the trunk stuck in the ground. With the upcoming weather and high winds, Steve figured it was probably a good idea to get it down before it caused any damage by falling in the wrong direction. 

It was time for my 

Brawny Lumberjack Man to get to work!

 

(dontcha think?)

Steve does a really good job at taking down trees. He learned a great technique while he worked at High Cliff State Park through the DNR (The Department of Natural Resources). They use a process that's called the "bore cut technique" when taking down trees. Basically it means that after he cuts a normal notch in the direction that he wants the tree to go, but he stops there. Then he cuts a slit on the back side just big enough to get those big plastic wedges into. There is a portion left in the middle of the tree that is left intact to help control it while it's falling over. It's kind of like a hinge. By pounding in with the wedges into the pre-cut bore holes, he can control the exact direction the tree needs to go. It is a slow controlled fall and a very safe method.

Here is a video I shot of the tree going over. It landed exactly where he wanted it to and it missed all of our new trees that we had recently planted:

In no time at all he had the limbs cut off and dragged out to the road for our city workers to pick up with the chipper. All of the big chunks of trunk he loaded on our trailer and brought over to our neighbor's house. Our neighbor heats his home with firewood and appreciates any extra chunks of wood that we happen to drop by. He will split them and let them dry for future use.  He returns the favor by giving us a container of his wonderful homemade Chicken Booyah each fall. Booyah is a traditional chicken vegetable soup that they make in our area. Often big vats are made as a fundraiser for church groups to help bring in needed donations. Everybody has their own secret recipe.

~~~~~~~~~

Like I said, the weather has been so nice. Soon it will return to normal snow and cold and freezing temps.  On the day that he cut down the tree, it was so beautiful that afterwards that we sat out on the front porch. I was doing some spinning and....

....Steve was doing some serious relaxing after he cut down the tree. He deserves it!

Of course, little Binney does her part

 by adding to the relaxing on the front porch. 

We can't forget her.

~~~~~~~~

Well it's Saturday again, and I guess maybe I might go out and buy a lottery ticket. I really never do otherwise. But this week I splurged on Wednesday and picked up five rows of numbers. I didn't make any money. I only had two matches. If I did win, I was going to give everybody a million dollars!

~~~~~~~~~

Our kids brought over their class C motorhome and got it winterized and snugged in its parking spot for the winter. They back it in behind our motorhome out of the way. They park in their own driveway all spring, summer and fall. But winter it gets a little close for snow removal and its better to bring it over here.  Ours goes in front in case we want to take off this winter. 

Normally we drive it in nose first, but not this year. It's harder to get in between the motorhome and the garage if we get some freezing rain or ice builds up or the snow drifts in between there. Parking this way, by keeping our entry door to the outside, Steve can just snow blow a path up to it. It will make for easy loading if we decide to escape for a few months. Hopefully, there won't be any snow at the time we escape!

~~~~~~

Tried something new... shrimp and crab ravioli from Aldi, with Alfredo sauce and tried out this non-dairy mozzarella cheese from Walmart. (I can't digest cheese anymore)

I gathered my stuff:

This new cheese is made from potatoes!  Yes, starch and potatoes and flavorings to mimic the taste of real cheese.  Being from Wisconsin and not able to digest cheese anymore isn't fair.  I will try this... 

First I partially boiled the ravioli, then layered in a casserole dish with sauce, cheese and spices on top, and baked for 20 minutes. 

It sure looks good,

the cheese doesn't melt like real mozzarella, but it looks pretty tasty.

It sure tasted GREAT!!!

It gets a thumbs up from me.  Of course we will get the raviolis again.  Plus, I will continue to use the cheese, and I also bought the shredded colby jack variety to try out on tacos and enchiladas. 

~~~~~~~~~~

We got our newest booster shots yesterday for covid, so we are feeling a little achy and tired. We didn't sleep well last night.  This morning it was dark and damp and rainy and icky. The winds are kicking up later, so we aren't going any where.  Instead, we are sipping coffee by the gas fireplace in the livingroom. It is peaceful and Steve perked us up a nice pot of coffee.  See where the new "a-door-able door" went to the right of the fireplace? 

Maybe I will go sew on my newest quilt 

or weave a rug today.