Finished Table

The finished result of the table refinishing project, it's being put to good use.

(Note the coaster under the water glass; Thanks Wilson, you're the best!)

More Machine Makeovers

                                                                         The Before:

1904 Singer 66:  Before soaking the bobbin mechanism in Evapo-rust. The machine worked, but was noisy and looked pretty grungy.

The After:

After a good soak and some polishing with metal cleaner the parts are restored back to their shiny condition and the sewing is much quieter.

Another example of what this cleaner can do: the knob on the left was soaked overnight and polished; the one on the right was just polished. I was shocked to see the difference! You can bet I'm soaking all 4 overnight tonight. The cabinet is going to be real purty once the drawers are urethaned and put back on. 

The Before:

1951 Singer 15-91
A great gear-driven machine that will sew through practically anything, it leaves a little bit to be desired in the looks department. The decals on the front of the bed have been worn away from so much use.

The stitch-length indicator's numbers have been rubbed off and the plate is scratched and dull. 

The After:

Stitches per inch are once again visible after many unsuccessful tries at repainting the plate. Who knew spray paint wouldn't stick to galvanized steel? And who knew the plate was galvanized steel in the first place? Well, now I do.

Repainted bed of the machine with brand-spankin' new decals. Thankfully, spray paint sticks to cast iron. It's not perfect but it is much better and I'm pleased with the results! 

Freeze Frame

Joe's weekend project, which turned out to be a much bigger deal than I anticipated, was to build me a cold frame for the garden. Hopefully I'll be able to put my seeds out much earlier next spring since they'll be protected. The top opens and can be propped up to allow for ventilation on warm days.

The best part of this project is that it is made from 100% scrap wood and repurposed objects. The windows were from our living room. The hinges from 2 doors we had removed and the rest was scrap lumber Joe had been saving. No longer am I allowed to be critical of his saving every little thing! Apparently, I just need to give him more projects in order to put his hoarded items to good use. Thanks, Honey!

Broken Dishes

One of the things I've tried to teach myself this year has been the making of mosaics. I've always liked them and while browsing at Barnes and Noble back in April I found a book on mosaics. Why not give it a shot? I liked that there isn't a big investment required as with some crafts, I didn't want to have to buy a lot of equipment or supplies. After borrowing a neighbor's tile nippers and gathering a few old plates that were used as plant saucers I was ready.

After gaining confidence on small projects I decided to try an old pipe cabinet that had been in our basement for years. Joe picked it up at a yard sale before we got married, so if I ruined it, no huge loss.

I started small, a birdbath here, a clay pot there. It was fun! With

each project I learned what worked and what not to do. Trial and error has always been my best teacher.

I was so happy with how it came out, I painted the cabinet and it brought it up into the house. No more being relegated to the basement! I had an idea I wanted to try for the living room coffee table, something we picked up on Freecycle. Again, no great loss if I ruin it. I sketched out the design I had envisioned and set up a table in the garage. Several trips to the thrift shop to look for old china plates and I had what I needed: several coordinating plates for the central pattern and plain white ones for the filler. Here's the half-way point.

The table took a bit over a week to finish, but I'm very happy with the results. It brightens up the living room, which has mostly darker colors in it. The grout has been sealed, so it should be fairly indestructible. Boys, you can now put your feet up without my shooting you dirty looks! Enjoy.

The After

No seamstress would ever be envious of my tailoring skills, but I did manage to take in the dress and even put in a zipper (my very first!) I'm not sure I'll ever have the cojones to wear this out and about, but if nothing else, it's a cool summer dress to wear around the house. Did I mention it was only $2?

The Before

I got this linen summer dress at a thrift shop for $2. I knew it would be way too big for me, though no tag inside to name the brand or maker. I loved the fabric and colors as well as the simple lines. It falls a little above the knee and looked like a perfect hot-weather, casual dress.

I know absolutely nothing about making/altering clothes, usually running off to the seamstress to have something taken in, but this time I decided to mess around with it and see if I can get this dress to actually fit. Oh well, for $2, even if I royally screw it up, no great loss.

So far I've taken it apart. Hopefully, it won't be like my attempts at mechanical projects: with leftover pieces when I'm done! To be continued.

Stripping

I am finally finished stripping the little yard sale table I got last summer. It was covered in at least 2 different coats of paint in addition to the wood finish underneath. I love my power sander!

The next step will be using progressively finer sandpaper to give it a smooth finish before I oil it. I don't think it's going to need any stain since it's a pretty wood and I don't want it to be too dark. I have just the spot for it in the living room and even got a pre-WW2 lamp for $1 at a yard sale that will look perfect on it. The lamp does need to be re-wired, but luckily Joe is handy in that department.

I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to work on the table now that the worst part is over. Better look for my mask!

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

The year 2008 was definitely Year of the Pillow. I went crazy making pillows for all our freshly painted rooms: the 3-season porch, our bedroom and Wilson's room. Last year, 2009, I'll call The Year of Soap with a small dash of ottoman slip-covering towards the end, culminating with the now infamous sew-through-my-right-index-finger incident. They say you have to get right back on the horse after you're thrown, so I did make 2 more after the disastrous first one, thankfully without any bodily harm.

Twenty-ten is starting off as another year of soap, a couple quilts and my latest favorite project: bags. Now that the trend to BYO shopping bags to stores is catching on, you really can't have too many bags. It's a great way to recycle old shirts, sheets and jeans. I have to confess I did purchase some heavy canvas for the one pictured but I am using up some of my fabric stockpile for the linings. A little recycling is better than none, right?

Finito!

For me, fall is a time of doing things inside the house, partly in response to having a bit more time on my hands, and also in preparation for the winter months and spending more time indoors. Nesting behavior, if you will.

The dining room is finished, save for the new rug; the table is re-done and a fresh coat of paint is on the walls. The new windows haven't gone in yet, so I'll refinish the trim after that part of the project is completed.

With the dining room looking so fresh and spiffy the hallway looks extra-dingy. Ok, same color and I have some left over, I'll put up a fresh coat of paint in there too. Hm.... the guest bedroom would look much better in a different color and the "office" needs a spruce-up... Off to the home dec store to pick up 2 more gallons of Benjamin Moore. I'll tackle the 2 rooms over the weekend, but for now I'll bask in the glory of having finished the dining room. It's a race to see if the carpenters finish putting on the new shingles on the exterior of the house, or I finish painting the inside. My money is on the carpenters.

Diamond in the Rough

This morning Joe and I went on a yard sale-ing excursion with some friends who are veterans. In the past we've occasionally stopped in at a yard sale if we happen to be passing by, but have never made an effort to seek them out. Our friends checked the paper and plotted our route. These people don't mess around!

At one place I saw this sweet little painted table. It had quite a few dings in it but the owner - who said it was an "antique, from the 60's" -only wanted $3 for it so I couldn't resist. A fresh coat of paint on it and it would look good as new.

But wait a sec.... I wonder what's under all that paint? Curiosity got the better of me and I had to see the wood. Beneath the 2 coats of stubborn white paint was a mustard yellow layer with black curlicues and flowers. It had probably been pretty at one time, but the color reminded me of the 70's and all my scraping didn't do it any favors, either. The wood, once I was able to see a patch, appears to be walnut or cherry, absolutely lovely. It would be a shame to cover it with another coat of paint. This baby needs to be stripped!

I'm glad I got a "before" photo because this is going to take a lot of work and I want to be able to remind myself how it looked once it's all finished. Being the tree-hugger I am, I won't use any chemical strippers to remove the paint and will do it all with elbow grease. I'm going to be scraping for quite some time!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...Reward

I'm not one of those dedicated yard sale people who check the papers, get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday and make the rounds, haggling and being sure to get the lowest possible price on everything. It's not that I'm yard-sale averse, but it feels like more work than I'm willing to put in. Plus, my goal is to avoid being a person who needs to have a yard sale; therefore I want to keep the amount of my possessions under somewhat reasonable control.

I applaud the premise behind the yard sale: getting rid of things that are no longer of use, and having them end up in the hands of someone who will appreciate them. It keeps a lot of volume out of the landfills and gives new life to old stuff while allowing someone, who could possibly not afford an item otherwise, to purchase something they need or want.

All of this having been said, I was helping some friends with a yard sale the past Saturday and I noticed, buried amongst a pile of dirty dishes and bowls, a well-worn wooden salad bowl. I've always loved wooden salad bowls, their solid, natural appearance and the soft glow of the wood. This one was unusual in that it was much deeper and made from a darker wood than most I'd seen. It was water stained and had a nasty, sticky residue on the inside, presumably from many years of use.

I bought it for one dollar and added it to the ever-growing pile of treasures I was finding.

After doing a bit of research online as to how best to refinish a wooden bowl, I scrubbed the sticky interior with a bit of baking soda and salt. It took several attempts and some good old-fashioned elbow grease, but I finally got the sticky coating off. The wood grain inside as well as outside was absolutely beautiful. Now for the fun part- (note sarcasm here)- the sanding. I started with 100 grit paper and a sanding block for the exterior, which cleaned up fairly quickly. I progressed to 150, 22o and finally 600 before I was satisfied that all the stains had been removed and the wood was smooth.

The interior was another matter, since the bowl had such steep sides and was so curved. I finally ended up wrapping the sandpaper around a tennis ball and was able to manage the curves that way, but it did take a bit longer and a lot more effort, as the wood grain seemed to have been a bit "raised". Several hours later I was pleased with how the inside looked as well, and it was smooth as a baby's bottom.

I truly wish I had gotten some photos of it before the refinishing process. It was a diamond in the rough to be sure, but to truly appreciate just how nice it looks now it would be helpful to compare the "before" and "after" photos. No matter, I'm just thrilled at how it looks with several coats of mineral oil on it. I'll oil it every day for a week; every week for a month and then every month for the rest of its life. Hopefully a family heirloom, and all for $1!

Silk Quilt from a Sow's Kimono

One of the things I like best about fall, aside from the beautiful weather, is the return to doing things indoors. I spend more time in the kitchen and we once again start eating hearty meals: soups and stews that simmer on the stove for hours and make your mouth water with their tantalizing smells. Gone are the grilled meals and salads that we enjoy during summer, giving us a break so that we will enjoy them again when the weather turns warmer next year.

In addition to cooking I get to return to one of my favorite hobbies: quilting. Somehow, there is so much to do outdoors in the summer that I don't make time for it. Plus, who wants to have fabric draped over their lap on a hot and humid afternoon?

This fall I've kept to my frugality pact with myself... no more new fabric. I've been having a good time using the closet-full that I already have, and it hasn't even put a dent in my supply! It feels good to use up what is already there, I never "need" more fabric, but sometimes when I see a beautiful print I think, "oh, I just have to have that!" This year I'm resisting that impulse and using what I already have.

I have a friend whose husband is Japanese and has a huge collection of kimono that he inherited from his mother when she passed away. The fabrics are all silk and have the most gorgeous patterns. I've been helping her "recycle" these kimono by using them in quilts, something I've always wanted to try. The photo above is the completed top of the first one I made, I'm happy with how it turned out. I need to piece the batting and backing together (no new fabric, remember?) and then I'll finish it up. I think it will be cool to have an all silk quilt and I'm already planning on the one I'll make to give to C in exchange for the kimono.

The fact that I'm recycling something and putting it to good use makes me feel happy. I also like the challenge of having only so much to work with, which forces me to think outside my narrow mental box. Sometimes there isn't enough fabric to make the quilt as I had originally planned- it forces me to be creative with a solution and to be flexible- not locked in to my original idea, something that is good for me to practice.

In the pictured quilt, I had hoped to have enough of the main kimono fabric for the 4 borders, but it became apparent that was not going to be the case as I got closer to being finished. What to do, what to do.... I decided to extend the center pattern out into the top and bottom borders to make up for the lack of continuous fabric, and I think it worked out well. Here's to being flexible and creative solutions!