Projects

I am not one to know how to relax well.  And I also like to make things a certain way; thus, I create many to do items for myself.  So, even though I was working almost 40 hours a week for my teaching job--reading the book and making the lectures--I did projects around the house.  I was staying busy and healing.  I decided I needed a book shelf for the hearth room, over my desk area.  However, there was not really any space to add a floor one so a hanging wall one had to be made.  I did look online at what was available and I was not too impressed nor could I afford most.  This shelf is 4 feet long.  I put in wood strips, screwing them in every 2 inches as I could not find the wall studs--walls were paneling that had been wallpapered and then painted.

Work in progress and then completed.  December 2016.

                                      

I decided the craft room needed a shelf too.  This time I went with doing an 8 foot long shelf as I would have a corner to add the wood strips; thus better support for more weight.

Work in progress and finished shelf.  One important thing I learned AFTER I built this shelf was that although a board might be straight, it does not mean it is level.  The craft room shelves are okay but they are not level--they are not too far off, but still, not level.

                                      

I am a knitter as well and would pick up these socks that I have been working on.  I had dyed the yarn and started the socks 4 years ago.  Knitting socks is a bit tedious and other projects, knitting or whatnot would come first at times.

The last room in the house was the guest room and I had too many books for the floor bookshelves.  Again, I priced out what it would cost to buy more and I decided I could build a wall unit.  These shelves are 8 feet in length as well as I have a corner to more support.  AND these shelves are level too!  My youngest daughter was afraid that the shelves might one day fall to the ground.  To date, 18 months later, the shelves are still on the wall and holding their contents.  Again strips were screwed in every 2 inches in craft room and here as these walls were textured plaster and there was not any way to find studs.  I just had to hope I got a screw in every so often, which I did.

I also can sew.  I do not enjoy it as much as other hobbies, but I had this fabric in my stash along with the project idea.  I decided to make this quilt up and give it to my mom for a housewarming gift.  She had recently bought a bigger house so her stuff would fit in it--no downsizing for her!  As you can tell, she loved her quilt.  I machine sewed it and machine quilted it.

I have chairs for my house but some need work.  I have 4 lovely maple chairs that match my maple dinette table--bought at different times/places.  However, I had all refinished at same time so they would match.  The chairs need to be recaned but as I had never caned anything, I had a practice chair.  This was the second time I attempted to cane it.  The first time I tried was not at a good time in my life so I quit and took it off.  This time around, I was ready to cane.  The next few pictures show the work.  Caning the chair took me about 10 hours total, done in 2 days.  There is one flaw in my weaving but I am hopeful only an expert would notice.

I include the back of the work to show it off.  A good caner does not have the amount of cut pieces like I did, however, first time for caning.  I am rather proud of my work.

The finished chair.  And what is even more amazing is that I can sit in the chair and it hold me and is comfortable and it looks good.  Success.  Now for the other 4 chairs.  To date, they have not been done.  I am not ready for the 10 hours of work needed to do just one.  I am sitting on one that is broken hoping I will eventually get annoyed and at least get my butt in gear and cane it.  So far, I am not too annoyed with the chair--year and counting.