Did You Ever Have One of Those Days?

I Did.  Today...

We went to see the new Jurassic Park movie this morning. It was pretty good as a stand alone movie. Considering that nether one of us had seen the first ones, it was fun to watch.

Anyway, after lunch I decided to work some more on the chairs that I showed you yesterday.

I finished the bottom of the first one and then noticed that the braid that I put around the bottom was not the same shade of thread as the rest of the chair.  Not only that.  It was a different weight of thread...

I will be ripping the braided part off as soon as I get finished here.

I never did get to the second one.  The braided thread doesn't match that one either.  Strike two!

I guess I am going to have to hunt up the thread that I braided and use that for the third chair...

As soon as I quit typing, I am going on a thread hunt. If I am lucky, it will be in the wicker drawer.  If I'm not...  That will be another item to put at the bottom of the things to find list.

I am hoping for at least one win today...

Oh well.  One can hope.

See you tomorrow.  Back to the thread hunt!

Help!!!

No. Not with wicker... That, I can handle.

I have been working on these chairs for the past few days.

What I need help with is the comment section on Blogger.  Something got changed somewhere along the line. I kept thinking that nobody was making any comments and thought it was strange.

Today, Walter got in on the fun.  I have had no comments since the 22nd of last month.

Is anyone else having this problem?  I went and looked and it seems that everyone is having issues with this.

So it isn't one of those "Nobody likes me!" kind of things. It seems that it is happening all over blog land.

Can anybody tell me what to do about this? The only solution that I could come up with was to have  people send comments directly to me and maybe put them in the correct day at the end of that blog. 

Anyway, if you have any suggestions, could you please contact me by poking "e-mail me" in the side bar to the right.

Thanks, in advance for the help!

See you tomorrow.

Tessie was Right!

Tessie won this one.

I made the bolster pillows for her "chair" this morning... If it were the right size, I would be fighting her for it.  It really does look comfortable.

I did the bolster pillows from a couple of the no longer available cardboard tubes from the old Tampax. They are now plastic and I am not sure that they would work.

I cut them to the right length to fit on either side of the settee.  Then I covered them with very thin batting.  I am not even sure what it is or where it came from.  Just part of the stash.

Then I covered each tube with the fabric and tucked the ends inside the tubes.  If you want them to be extra nice, you can gather the ends with thread.  Don't tell Tessie. I didn't bother in this case.

I figure that it will take until tomorrow or the day after and then she will be ready for something new.

I am going to enjoy the quiet while it lasts.

She will probably give the settee to Zar in a day or two. 

Then she will start pestering me for another piece of furniture of her choice.

I caught her nosing around under the bed... Looking at the kit that she wants turned into her mansion... Boy! Is she going to be surprised when she finds out that the one that she picked, not too long ago, is a four room house.  Not much of a mansion.

Read the fine print Tessie!

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

A One Woman Settee

OK. Back to minis.  I got the upholstery done on the settee and footstool done.  Well, I still need to put some braiding around the edges of the cushions, but other than that and a few throw pillows, they are done.

I won't go into fine detail because there are other entries on the blog that do that.

The top item in the photo is a piece of foam core cut to the seat pattern. I glued fabric to the edge of that and wrapped it around to both sides.

Then I took a piece of cardstock and drew a grid on it that I could follow to tuft the top.  I used a double strand of thread to do the tufting, working from the center out.

I did that separately and trimmed off the extra batting even with the cardstock. Then I glued it onto the foam core piece.

It was basically the same process for the footstool.  The only difference was I left the foam core piece off and just attached the padded piece to the center of the stool.

Yes.  I needed all that glue.  This piece is a bit harder to keep down.

Anyway, all I have to do is add #5 black perle cotton to all of the edges of the tufted areas. 

And yes... This is a totally different fabric.  She found it at the bottom of a drawer when I threatened to use fabric that I liked... What she doesn't know is... This is the fabric that I was thinking of using.  I stuck it at the bottom of the drawer where I knew that she would find it... Yes.  I'm evil... Shhhh!

I just barely got the photo taken of the finished piece.  Then Tessie jumped in and made herself comfortable.  Strangely, when it was unfinished it was big enough for two people... Now it is a one person chair, instead of a settee.

She wants a bolster pillow for each end.  Then, to quote her, "It will be a perfect one person chair.

I guess I shouldn't fight it.  I am off to add trim and make bolster pillows now.

See you tomorrow.

One Potato. Two Potato...

You may be wondering why I am working on Russian baskets today...

Well. I started out with asking Tessie which fabric she had chosen for the settee and footstool... Her reply? "I have it down to five choices!"

Does that explain the basket work?  Actually, it does.

I finished a tray basket..

Then I started rolling more sticks for another one. 

Every once in a while, I would stop and ask again about her choices... It was still five every time.  They were just in a different order each time. 

Back to the basket.

Just a little while ago, I went to ask again.  I am not sure whether Zar is trying to help or about to strangle Tessie and put her out of her misery.

This was the order a few minutes ago.  I left it at, "Tessie, call me when you decide."

I am going to ignore the two of them and maybe Zar can talk her into choosing one of the five. 

Until then, I am going back to basket making and watching TV while I weave.

See you tomorrow.

Wicker Madness!

I tried.  I dug out some old eighties scrapbooks... BC.  Before Computer.

I thought that would get Tessie's mind off of the wicker. Maybe some new rugs?

It worked for a very small space of time.

Then she turned to me and asked... "OK.  Where'd you hide the wicker books?"

 She stomped her feet and whinged and whined until I dragged out every wicker book in the bookcase.

This chair was the first thing she picked out. Probably the most complicated thing in that particular book.

Then she was off to the races!  See all of those little yellow tags sticking out of all of the books?  They are marking things that she wants me to make... NOW!  Not a week from now.  Not a month from now... NOW?

This is a chase that she picked out. Very nice and not too complicated...

Probably finish-able in a few of days...

To make up for the simplicity of the chase, she picked this one out... It's a photographer's Victorian posing chair.

That would definitely take more than a day or two..... or three... or even four...

I calmed her down and took away her pile of yellow post it notes.

I showed her this one.  I have been wanting to do it since I purchased the book.  And that was a lot of years back.  I have been looking for the perfect blue and white fabric to go on the upholstery.  So far, it's a no go. If I don't find it soon, I may resort to a blue permanent marker. 

Anyway, I kept her busy all afternoon just looking at pretty photos and marking the ones that she liked best.  I no longer have any post it notes left, but she is happy and out of my hair for the rest of the day... Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

Adding Class to Tools... And Keeping Up With Wicker.

For those of you that don't know, it is my habit to keep my favorite tools in the bedroom.  I do most of my work in there and I like to keep the most used ones handy.

For years, I have kept all of my small tools in a cut glass creamer and sugar bowl.  I have been looking for a better looking container for my larger scissors and rulers, etc.

This morning I happened upon this piece at Goodwill. I now have my larger tools in cut glass too.  It was really cheap.  I think because it is supposed to have a handle of some kind attached to the two knobs on the sides. I didn't need a handle.

When I got back from my travels, I found Tessie trying out the new settee and footstool.  She's not happy that there are no cushions yet. 

Zar has been told that he is not to sit in the settee.  It is a one person settee... That person being Tessie.

She was kind enough to tell me that I should finish this chair and turn it into a rocker for Zar.

But first I have to finish the padding on her settee and foot stool...

I will.  As soon as she makes up her mind on what fabric will be appropriate. This could take a few days... I hope!

See you tomorrow.  I am going to go work on the wicker rocker... Try saying that three times fast!

See you tomorrow.

A Wire Forrest...

That's how Tessie described my worktable this afternoon...

I have four chairs, a footstool as long as the settee and a plant stand all wired and ready to weave.

Unfortunately, Tessie won't let me forget the box of blanks that still need to be wired up.

A few even still need the holes drilled. One step forward and three steps back.

I do believe that the box is going back into the wicker drawer and forgotten about. 

Blanks?  What blanks?

Meanwhile, Tessie is now taking custom orders.  Zar wants a long list of furniture for the Clockwork Cottage. 

I am trying to forget about that for the time being.  That is a house with a big footprint and the only place that it fits at present is on top of the bookshelf in the workroom.

I don't even want to talk about it.  I have so many things in progress right now that I am going to have to put numbers on everything and have a drawing as to which project will get worked on next.

That's why the wicker is getting done.  At least those pieces will get finished.  If I keep plugging along on those I will feel like I am at least accomplishing something.

That reminds me.  I need to go get some dye to do some thread for a medium brown. I am out of that color of thread. Another excuse not to start some of the pieces.  I don't want all beige and white wicker. Boring!

Back to wiring.

See you tomorrow.

Wicker! Wicker Everywhere...

I finished the weaving and trim on the settee.  Now all I have to do is the upholstery.

Of course, before I could get out the fabric that I thought would work, Tessie invaded!

She specified that if I get to do the upholstery, she gets to pick the fabric... This could take a while.  She has a lot of trouble sticking to one pick...

Meanwhile, she told me that I could work on a foot bench... She dug around and found a table top that will work.

At least, if I'm working on that, I won't be wasting a lot of time, like she is doing...

All I have to do is poke in the wires and go to work.

For some reason, she now wants all of the base pieces for new furniture in every photo...

She seems to do the opposite of out of sight, out of mind...

In site and get to work.

She tells me that she can crowd these pieces into the conservatory until I "make a place" for them...

Do you think that means a new room box or a new mansion?  I am hoping for the room box. I am not in the mood for a 37 room mansion.  That's what she mentioned, in passing, yesterday. I am now holding my breath to keep from locking her out of the house. It's not working very well... I have to breath sometime.  When I do, I am going to start chasing a witch around the house with a large broom in hand.

Or maybe I will just take a long nap with Kota. Yeah. That's the ticket! Nap Time!

See you tomorrow.

Growing Wicker...

No.  I don't mean like fruit on a tree. 

I mean like working my little fingers to the bone to get this piece done.

This is what it looked like last night before I went to bed...

Today is our anniversary. NO.  Tessie didn't give me the day off.  I got this much done before we went to Red Lobster for lunch.

This little bit took a couple of hours...

I stopped when I finished weaving the body. 

Tessie is going to have to wait until tomorrow to get the rest of it finished...

She has already announced that nobody else gets to sit in the settee.  Nobody.  No how!

She has already told me that there will be tufted cushions on it and a LOT of pillows to make it comfy and cozy... She did mention that she will be borrowing one of my afghans... I doubt that I will ever see that again, once she gets her paws on it. Oh! Then she announced that she will be needing a footstool the length of the settee, so that she can put her feet up anywhere she wants to.  And a shaggy rug to wiggle her toes in... The list is getting longer... I think that it is leading to discussions about her Spiderwort Mansion... I should have hidden that kit further under the bed!

So anyway, I am going to hold her off for another 24 hours, at least.  From what she is describing, this could take, not a few hours tomorrow... but any where from a few weeks to a few months or a couple of years...

I wonder if I could con her into invisible cushions and leave it at that? Probably not... No such luck!

See you tomorrow.

It's Time...

Mini George needed his bowl replanted.  That was the first thing I did in mini today.

He has patiently reclined in this bowl for at least five years.  Probably more like 10.  I didn't keep track.  Time flies when you're having fun!

His lean to cactus finally gave up the ghost.  He now has the start of a rubber tree plant.  I couldn't find another suitable cactus.  It may be changed at a later date.

Anyway, this morning I took the bowl out to the back porch and emptied it.  Much to my surprise, the little round glass pebbles that I put in the bottom for drainage had all turned into a very nice bunch of sea glass. It's about the same color as the bowl.. I think that the water and the dirt took away the finish and made it that powdery looking finish.  I am going to have to make some jewelry from it, maybe.

I didn't throw it out. It is too pretty to toss.

 When I came back in, Tessie got on my case for paying attention to George and not doing her wicker.

OK.  I immediately started working on wicker.  I cut some small wire first.  Have you seen the wire cutters that Fiskars is putting out for crafters?  I got these last year sometime and really like them.  They do a good job on cutting the wires for wicker in a hurry. 

I got the pile that you see above the wire cutters in the photo done in about ten minutes.

I got all but the front wires pushed through the holes in the settee.  Now I have to go glue them in at the right length and I will be set to weave.

Back to work.  See you tomorrow.

Assembly Line Minis!

OK.  "We" finished all of the holes.  I am not going to start every one of these pieces at once... I know that Tessie thinks that's the way that it should be done, but I am not so sure...

Please note that the largest piece is the one that she wants done first... a love seat.  Thank goodness, I didn't have any blanks for couches!

While I was doing the holes, my mind wandered to other minis that I could do assembly line fashion.  I thought of the large stack of House of Miniatures kits that I bought for two dollars a piece at an antique store several years ago.  I have used some of them in room boxes, but I still have quite a few.  I am never one to pass up a mini bargain!

I decided to stain them all at once.  I have three done.  That took about 20 minutes.  I dipped each piece in the stain.  Laid them out on a paper towel and blotted them until I was satisfied with the color.

Of course Tessie is all for this kind of mini making.  She somehow thinks that they are all going to be done in a day or two. No Tessie. It will take as long as it takes.  I will make them as needed.  The only difference is I won't have to wait for the stain to dry before using the kits.

I have a few that I have done some carving on.  Those will have to wait for stain until they are completely carved and ready to go.  I am just doing the pieces that I probably won't carve. 

Anyway, I am going back and do a bit more staining.  Then I will decide what to do next. I still have a pile of jewelry findings laying on the floor in the workroom. I don't really want to do that. No fun at all!

Back to the grindstone.

See you tomorrow.

With a Little Bit of Help From My Friend...

 We went to see "Boss Baby" this morning.  That cut down on the mini-ing time quite a bit, but it was fun.

When we got home I decided to get the rest of the holes in the wicker pieces drilled... Only one problem...

I forgot that I used some of the juice to drill the rest of the small holes the other day.

Tessie decided it would go faster if she handed me the pieces in the order that she wanted them made... I don't know what difference that made.  She just threw them in a big pile as I returned them to her...

By the time I finisned the ones that I could do, she was bored and sitting in the partially finished chair that I started the other day.


She had the pile of boards that still needed holes on her lap.

Every time that I needed another board I had to wake her up, so that she could hand me one. 

I tried getting one away from her without waking her... That didn't work.  She almost bit my hand off for waking her up that time.

Anyway, to make a  long story short, Mr. Dremel ran out of steam about half way through the drilling of the larger holes.

Now we both have to wait another three hours to finish.  That's what I get for not putting it on the charger when I was finished the other day.  Now I know.

Back to doing something mini... Anything I can think of that's mini. I need to mini!

See you tomorrow.

Tessie's New Friend...

Meet Mr. Dremel.  I have been without my old Mr. Dremel for about a year... I finally decided to replace him.  He was about 20 years old and had seen better days. You will have to excuse the name.  That's what Tessie calls him, so I follow suit.

I got him at Walmart... where else do I shop?  He was about $25.00. He is doing a great job so far. 

I tried him out this morning... With Tessie's help... Maybe that should read Tessie's hindrance...

She was thrilled that I was drilling holes for wicker again... I got all of the small holes in the pieces that you see below before Mr. Dremel needed a recharge. He lasted for about an hour and a half of steady drilling...

One chair takes 58 holes...And I still need to drill larger holes for the legs in the pieces that need them.

Now do you see why she addresses him formally?  He is just her size and does all of the work faster and better than the pin drill that I have been using. Her own personal R2D2.

She proceeded to put her stamp on everything that I drilled... Pile on the right.

Then she announced that Mr. Dremel should get back to work in three hours.

That's how long it takes for him to get his strength back from the charger. He needs to finish the rest.

Walter's battery died this morning..  He borrowed my car to go play golf. So I have plenty of time to drill holes... I have to find something to do for the next three hours.  Then it's back to work, with Tessie standing over me, cheering each time I finish a new hole. That gets old quickly...

For the next three hours, she will be watching the little green flashing light on the charger, so I will be able to do something uninterrupted...At least I will know when I can get back to drilling...

The only problem with drilling all of the holes at once is...  Tessie will think that all of the pieces should be finished before I go on to something else. Keep thinking Tessie... There are enough pieces to keep me busy for several months. My attention span is NOT THAT LONG. 

Back to work doing something else.  See you tomorrow.

What Started as a Cleanup.....

It all started with cleaning out a drawer, because I found Tessie rummaging around in it....

Yup.  The wicker drawer.  I heard noises coming from there this morning...

Tessie was banging and clanging for all she was worth.  It was one of those times that she got in there and when she went to zap herself out, she couldn't remember how... Therefore NOISE!!!

When I got her out of there, she managed to zap a chair and table out too...  Mind you, she couldn't remember how to get herself out, but a table and chair? No problem.

This is what they looked like when she zapped them...

This is what they look like now.  I finished the table and did quite a bit of work on the chair... I still need to put a clear coat on both layers of the table.

I didn't ask where they are going.  I assume that they are Tessie's. 

I am afraid that if I ask why I am finishing them, she will have a L-O -N-G explanation, that will involve a new building and more furniture... It is smarter to just keep my mouth shut!

I am going to finish the chair anyway.  I may have some use for it in the future.  Then I will be ahead of the game.  One table and one chair ahead!

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

For the Time Being...

 I found a couple of things to put on the side tables.

The first is the bag with the oriental shop inside.

The other was the Walmart gazebo. 

I may change my mind several times before I get it right.

I have mentioned the first one before.  The bag is from a shop in London. 

The doll is one that I purchased at a show here in Tucson.  I don't know a lot about her.  She seems to be Japanese, from the clothes that she is wearing.

 I got a bit more done on Tessie's new chair.  That's about it for minis.

I did buy this bunch of flowers at the Dollar Tree.

I am going to use try using them for Wisteria flowers in the conservatory.  I think that, if I trim them right and paint them shades of purple, they will work.  I can at least give it a try.  Back to work.

See you tomorrow.