Day in the barn

Anything I can't use in the house and can't bear to throw or give away goes to the barn and periodically I have straighten up and sort.  But today I was out there for two reasons....first we had some damage to one corner of the roof of the barn and though we fixed it, I feared it would leak where I had a lot of fabric store.  The second reason was to make a dedicated area for bins of stuff I want to go to grandchildren.  When Leigha was here this summer I had her pack up a set of china and some other things and it is all marked for her when she does have a place of her own....  I want to do this as an ongoing project for each of them..  And I did sort and clean some also..  I use the Bounce sheets in every box, drawer and bin to keep the mice out and it works.

 

So I moved all the fancy fabric bins and they are overflowing again.  I have taken bags and bags to retreats, I send a bunch with Cathy K. for a retreat and the local gals have had at them twice.  I am going to see if I can get some out-of-town stitchers interested in a "Stash Enhancement" day in the barn.  I don't know where it all comes from.  And there are smaller bins out of sight of lace, trims, and ribbons.  The bucket is for the leak....

 

And then there are the cottons, décor fabrics and the vintage linens on the rolling racks. 

While I was moving and sorting I did get the fabric pulled for projects I foresee for myself in 2016 including CQJP.  I always take a few days in January and set up several card tables and make my blocks for the year... Not many this year as most of my focus in 2016 will be finishing the cottage blocks and the hanky piece. 

Barn Progress

Well I'm making great progress...not only the cutting table in the big room cleared, the work table in the other room is cleared as well!

 

I took this much to donate on Tues... all upholstery fabric, mostly tapestries.  I taking as much again today but all table linens... Years ago we belonged to a very large gourmet group who met in smaller groups of eight.  Somehow (because I had space in the barn) I became the "Lending Center" for table linens...either those I collected from thrift stores or mostly those given by members.  Anyone having a dinner called with desired color and size and I probably had it with napkins to match.  It's all are going away today...

 

And as usual when purging I found cool stuff I must use.....including this collection of cottons that have a very faded and muted antique look.  Not sure what I'll do but I like them... I had way more cottons than I realized....

 

If money were no object!!

Our old worn sectional couch had to go and I looked at thrift store and on Craigslist for something to replace it...  But everything now is so huge and overstuffed and totally inappropriate for our old house....  So I finally settled on a used sofa with a Victorian look for the end of the room... Now there was nothing for the dogs to sit on to look out the window and this would never do. 

Of course something like this old chaise would be perfect except for the price..

 

Then I ran across a "Victorian sitting bench"....arms on both ends and no back..... perfect except for the price.

So when I ran across this I knew I could make a Victorian sitting bench that would be perfect for the dogs and  off I went to the barn to find 2 old wooden folding chairs that had been destined to be returned to the thrift store from whence they came years ago....

Stay tuned..... to see these chairs transformed for Morris and Molly to watch the birds again.....

 

 

The life of the barn.....

Marlynne asked for a picture or two of my wonderful barn so I gather parts of older posts about the barn and combined them.

When we bought the farm in 1980 part of the barn had milking stalls and a drain along the floor... It often happens I'm taking a picture of one thing and inadvertently get a photo of something else that I need later. I was actually taking a picture of the gallica roses in this bed.  Not realizing I was also capturing about half of the outside of the milking room in its original state.  Before I could even start remodeling we had to shovel out a mountain of dried manure and scrape the floor clean... My DH is not a "handy man" with a hammer but he can really shovel "sh--"!

As I started the nursery I knew this room had to serve many uses.  To achieve my vision for this large room I figured I'd have to do "shabby mismatched" (my specialty) but found the 5 matching windows at the left at a thrift store "as is" lot. I couldn't believe my luck. The same day I found the 4 smaller matching windows on the right.  The room is quite large (about 12'x30')    

This room became an all-purpose work room during the nursery years... I build things for the garden in it such as benches and arbors etc. during the winter... In early March when plant seedlings began to arrive it was transformed into a potting center and May 1st the nursery opened... Friday, Saturday and Sundays it was open to the general public and during the week it was open by appointment.. So on the weekends the room was gussied up as a tea room with overflow from the gift shop..

During the week it was transformed for workshops and lectures...

 This was another accidental shot... I was getting the room ready for the weekend not realizing I also got a picture of the original drain in the floor which carried all the cattle waste out of the barn...I kept it covered with old carpets.  All someone would have to do is shovel the gravel out and it would be ready to use again...  

Then when the nursery finally closed it was transformed again into my big sewing room where I sewed garden smocks, aprons, etc. to sell at garden shows... I finally got tired of bending over sewing machines and quit.

Unfortunately I didn't quit checking the yardage at thrift stores and kept hauling it home and piling in this room with the plan to make totes and purses someday. In addition to what you see here there is a long counter on the inside wall which has many bins under it. This is what it looked like when   my neighbor "Super Woman" Liz came and helped me get ready for Cathy Kizerian's visit.

We got all the fabric folded and sorted on the rolling racks and actually found the cutting table. One rack has tapestries, one has cottons and one has home decor fabrics...

Even though it was a January thaw, the wind was blowing and we needed the big propane heaters. It's not the best place to sew as it is most often too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer...impossible to keep clean and of course, there's the mice...

But the light is incredible... and it is surrounded with old-fashioned rose bushes.

I still needed to attack the other end of the room not seen in the tidy photo... it is where there are 5 sewing machines, ironing board and another big rolling rack... all buried in fabric.. Liz went home with lots of goodies....  .

There are three sewing machines and two sergers.  The blue machine is a Sail-rite which is great for denim.

Since I was doing crazy quilting I had way more "fancies" than I could ever use and Cathy Kizerian flew up one February.  I kept what I needed and she kept what she wanted and we filled several large trash bags to take to the retreat to share.  The weather was as decent as you could expect in February and we were able to work long days with the big propane heaters going...

But a frigid front moved in and the last day we were working all bundled up.   Even the big propane heaters couldn't keep the room warm. All the wall bins are filled with trims and lace.

But we finished and it was great fun watching all the gals at the retreat cutting the fabric up even more. Ever so often I will see a piece show up in someone's block.

About a year and half later Susie Wolfe came and we spent almost a week working on our BoHo  bag project and putting together fabric packs for bags.. and the big fans were going and shade cloth was on the windows to keep the room cool.

There is an adjacent room which used to be the gift shop where I have more supplies and an ironing board set. up...It's a cute room with rosy wallpaper, lace curtains and barn wood cabinets.

So I think 6 or 7 women could easily work in the barn at the same time.  I seldom work out there by myself anymore preferring the comfort and convenience of the house... Maybe when I get enough CQers here in Spokane we could have a retreat of sorts..

When we do finally have to leave the farm and put it up for sale, it will be fun to watch people's reaction to this side of the barn...  Well anyway the rest of it is still a REAL barn....  I have a fantasy of someone buying it and turning the sewing room back into a milking room for cows..  Wouldn't they be contended cows surrounded by roses and such a great view?

Market cart in new trimmings

Remember a while back when I showed you my market cart that I'm using to haul supplies to my CQ classes? (on the left)  Well look at it on the right all decked out in its new liner...  Whatta ya think, Susie W.?

There was a cart on the internet that I admired that had a leather tool belt attached for pockets... I didn't want to appropriate my only leather tool belt, but I did have two canvas carpenter aprons....both equally grungy.  I soaked one in detergent and Oxyclean overnight and it came out well enough... I thought about buying a new one but this is a NO$$$ (from the barn) project.

This one has ten pockets of various sizes and I'm going to add a little lace trim to the pockets to finish it off...

It's nice to cross something off my list that wasn't even supposed to be on my list.

Something else from the barn upcycled!!

While teaching the crazy quilting workshops I find it necessary to haul about 7-8 totes.  I have supplies for the day's activities, plus the laptop with a slide presentation, related books and lots and lots of samples of my needlework, and essentials things for my own use such as camera, notebooks, etc.   Getting it all to the car and then into the shop was a battle...

 Also I needed something elevated to set the laptop on so everyone could see it...something the height of a bar stool... a folding bar stool for easy transport?  Maybe a folding bar stool on wheels??? So in searching through the barn I came upon  vintage folding carts and if I put a cake rack across the top of one, it was just about the right height...  I could use it for the laptop AND to haul all my totes as well...and get to the car and into the shop in one trip.
I used to use mine to haul trees and shrubs around the garden to transplant. I have two ...this one with larger wheels which is my favorite.

Last winter when I visited Susie in California she took me to the humongous flea market at the Rose Bowl...There were people everywhere pulling these vintage carts.  I was amazed because I never see them in thrift stores any more.When I did a search on Google I found they are now actually referred to as "flea market carts"  I also saw lots of them for sale with fancy little liners which would be easy to do.

But the one I liked the best not only had a liner, it had the pockets and a tool belt... The liner would be nice because the metal wires are quite widely spaced and things can and do fall through the sides and bottom.    I think I definitely need to do this..
Is this cool or what?.

Treasures from the barn...... again

I have a passion for shallow drawers and it doesn't get better than these.. I used these for years to store pressed flowers and they were perfect.  But I don't press flowers any more and they were just sitting in the barn..

They are vintage steel flat files for cards.... probably circa 1940s... I acquired them when the city library converted everything to computers and had a huge equipment sale..   Besides these I bought  another blueprint-size flat file... also steel and vintage...and I use it for beads now.

I moved these into the house yesterday and cleaned them up... The bottom one is 11" wide by 18" long and the upper is about 9"x 18".  The drawers are only about 1 1/2" deep. Being steel they are VERY heavy.

They are going to be my main storage for my favorite buttons so I can easily sort and choose..  I have made some temporary labels which will likely  change.  Now I have buttons in cabinets, bins, jars, and plastic bags in 4 different rooms and in the barn..

The nice thing about the drawers is that they fully extend so everything in them is accessible...

I thought about spray painting them but when I did a little research I discovered these cabinets are very collectible and quite expensive so I will keep them in their original condition.  You all know how I love finding YET another life for something languishing in the barn!!!

(I know my friend Connie K is drooling on her keyboard)

We interrupt this tutorial to bring you this important message!

There are kits for sale on my esty site with lots of goodies for making one of these bags.  But be aware I will be adding 10 more kits this weekend so waiting a few days will give you a better selection.
But don't wait too long because I have a limited amount of fabric cut...

I really acquired all that fabric thinking one day I would use it all but now realize it isn't even possible for me to live that long...

Remember when DH was giving me a hard time about not letting Susie out of the barn....well here's what she was doing! Sorting through bags and bags of fabric and cutting up the choices pieces suitable for bags. Then going through even more fabric and cutting up squares for coordinating fabric..

And what was I doing while Susie was doing all that work.  I was sorting through the piles of squares she cut and putting it all together with a focal fabric for a kit.  Of course she was slaving over a rotary cutter and I was sitting on a stool with a cup of coffee. Well owning the barn does has it perks...  After she went home then I started cutting gimp, braids, and fringes to finish them off.  And aren't they gorgeous?

Each kit includes a piece of high quality, focal fabric approx. 18 x 30" (unless otherwise stated.)...either tapestry, home decor or brocade plus:

 
• 9-11 coordinating pieces of high quality fabric large enough for 2-4 patches each and a variety of textures, sheens, colors, and patterns.

• Various lengths of coordinating gimps and cording.

• 4-5 lengths of various fringes suitable for use on pocket or flap might include fringes such as chainette, tasseled, and brush.

• 1 piece of fancy beaded fringe suitable for use on pocket or flap.

• 1 long piece of coordinating fabric suitable for a handle or for extra pieces.

• AND a surprise piece of lace or two as I pack your box.

Tomorrow is Assembly Day!!!

I was lucky enough today to have some unexpected free time today and finished all the handwork on my Victorian carpetbag to the point I can make a  lining and assemble it.  On the left is the back without the pocket.  All seams are finished and secured... Next to it you can see what it will look like with pocket added... Doesn't Cathy L's hummingbird block look precious...

   

 On the left is the front without flap... You can see how nicely the rose spray looks and I added a small spiderweb on the lower left.  All the trim is attached to the flap now except the buckle and its strap.  I'm still vacillating between buckles and will make that decision tomorrow when I can lay them all out.

And then there's the strap which I have changed my mind almost hourly today.. Because of joint problems I rarely wear something hanging on my shoulder but it would be nice to have it adjustable if I needed it.  This is a lovely medium-weight suede belt from the thrift store.  It is aged nicely and I love the feel of it... It will be my first option .  I will cut the buckle off and attach it separately to one side and attach the belt separately to the other side...  Who knows this may all change quickly if I run into problems. I don't like to admit to being indecisive...rather very flexible..  Even still I have probably added more beading than I should have.

Keep in mind that from the beginning I never intended this to be a "Sunday best" bag.   It is for my needlework and it will be in and out of the car, to meetings and on planes.  So I have constantly constrained myself on adding anything that might be a problem for snagging or repair. And it must have a flat bottom and sit "proper."  I will get up early and go right out to the barn to work on it and will not answer the phone all day..  Which is a LOL as I hardly ever answer the phone anyway...



Day One

We started sorting and cutting tapestries for our bags and for some tapestry fabric packs for etsy..
We figured out a cool way to piece the patches abutted to each other... will post pictures tomorrow..

I'm ready and so is the barn.... tomorrow!!!

If you were a follower last winter you remember the sewing room (12x30') in the barn looked like this...  I posted about the history of the barn.  Cathy and I mostly emptied bin after bin of "fancies" from under the counters so  the material on the racks is all still there...only folded .  It is all tapestries and home deco

This is what the table  looked like after my neighbor "Super Woman" Liz came and helped me  .

Today I nailed up heavy duty shade cloth over the long wall of window and hooked up 2 large box fans because it is supposed to be hovering around 90 degrees all week.. In February Cathy and I worked out there with big propane heaters and wore our coats and even gloves one day.  There's a long bank of double 8' fluorescent fixtures and I replaced all the bulbs  and hooked up the power cutter..  With two chairs, three sewing machines and a serger...we are good to go when Susie arrives. 

I'm thinking first we'll dive into tapestries and make our choices for our BoHo bags and in the process put together some tapestry packs to sell.  Then we can start sorting trims, ribbons, heavy laces etc. and make some final decisions on all the fancy trims for the pincushions...  During the hottest part of the day we'll have to retreat to the house and do hand stitching...  I'm so excited... I'll take pictures of it all....

As a special treat and eye candy extraordinaire I hung Lisa DuCoing's Arachnophobia quilt in Susie's room... It is one of my prize processions... Sorry the picture is not the best... it is so lovely..  I'd like to bring it to Colorado retreat with me...

I'm not sure it's worth the time...

I brought some barn stuff to put on Etsy but by the time I rounded it up, brought it to the house, pressed it, photographed it, did the write-up and posted it....knowing that if it does sell it will need to packaged to mail...

I think it takes more time than I want to spend on it at this time... It was all stuff I had left from the last time we did a show years ago...

I did put up a few floral smocks, and a couple samplers and the last of my favorite bag for hands- free shopping. I will have to see if I still have that pattern.

I'm into the barn stuff now........Please Read!

When we had the old-rose nursery I had about 1 1/2 acres in a display garden ...mostly native shrubs, old roses and perennials.. But at the same time I was trying to run the gift shop and tea room in the barn and keep up about 4000 sq. ft. of greenhouses plus give lectures and workshops.

Invariably someone would tell me that if I were going to have a garden open to the public I should make a better effort to keep the weeds under control... At this point I would grit my teeth and put on my plastic smile and say.."You're absolutely right and thank you for bringing it to my attention."

In desperation I had these signs made on super tough vinyl with laser printing so they are completely weather proof...(5 1/4" x 8 1/2") It solved the problem but then there were the kind souls who wanted to know which weeds I used for migraines.

I know someone probably might want to buy just one of these signs but I also know they have at least one friend who needs one and the other can be a door prize at their garden club.. So I am selling them on Etsy in sets of three for $5.00 . And even if you don't want to buy one I hope I gave you a chuckle!!!!

Stuff from the Barn

Not only did I still have the printed instructions with all the tips and techniques for constructing a garment from vintage linens, I actually went out to the barn and found them. ....under a bench behind some bins.... but I found them.. So I started a whole new area in my etsy shop ... "Stuff from the Barn" .... and will start adding more treasures from the barn.


Three full double-sized pages of helpful hints and techniques for assembling a crazy quilt garment using vintage linens... covering everything from supply list, preparation, and actual construction...

It all applies to any garment you wish to make.... jacket, vest, apron, or jumper. Detailed closeups and simple-to-follow instructions.

Now's your chance to make something really special with all those embroidered linens you've been collecting....especially those with a stain or damaged edge or two...

So if this is something you might want to add to your list of things to do in your spare time I listed them for sale on etsy for $3.

I did this years ago and all the good photos are on a zip drive... and of course zip drives have gone the way of film...

The machines appear!!!

Remember this shot from yesterday and I told you the sewing machines were buried under even more fabric..?









I did not lie for here they are.... The machine on the far right is my 50-year-old Bernina I bought right out of college with money I earned cooking for forest service fire-fighting crews. It is a real work horse and sews beautifully but only does about 12 or so stitches other than straight stitch..

The machine behind is only about 20 years old and doesn't sew nearly as nice but has a zillion fancy stitches that I used to use a lot.
There were two sergers on the side table (one is in the house right now) ...one I kept threaded with stretchy wooly thread and the other with regular thread.. The blue machine in the back is a Sail Rite made for sewing heavy canvas for sail boats and is wonderful for denims....

Our warm spell is gone and it's snowing... Liz is coming back Thursday though and we will start on the long wall of shelves and bins... We will have to use two propane heaters though because we could barely keep it at 50 degrees with one big heater today...

"The Barn"

When we bought the farm in 1980 this room in the barn had all the milking stalls and a drain along the floor... It is quite large (about 12'x30') and when the nursery was running it was a work room in the winter and a tea room/gift shop in the summer with enough room for workshops during the week... Once we closed I turned it into a full time sewing area...making garden smocks, aprons, etc. which I sold at garden shows... I finally got tired of bending over sewing machines and quit.

Unfortunately I didn't quit checking the yardage at thrift stores and kept hauling it home and piling in this room with the plan to make totes and purses someday.. This is what it looked like yesterday... and my neighbor "Super Woman" Liz came and helped me today.

We got all the fabric folded and sorted on the rolling racks and actually found the cutting table. One rack has tapestries, one has cottons and one has home decor fabrics...

Even though we're having a January thaw, the wind was blowing and we needed the big propane heater. It's not the best place to sew as it is most often too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer...impossible to keep clean and of course, there's the mice...

But the light is incredible... and it is surrounded with old-fashioned rose bushes.

I need to replace the old wood stove with some other kind of heater.
Tomorrow we'll tackle this end of the room not seen in the tidy photo... it is where there are 5 sewing machines, ironing board and another big rolling rack... all buried in fabric.. Liz went home with lots of goodies.... If the weather holds and I can manage one more day this week it will be to tackle the long wall with all the shelves and bins.. If not I can live with what we got done...

I'm hoping the weather will be such that Cathy and I can work on projects out there in February... with lots of light and lots of gourmet coffee...