Anything Goes, Almost

3:08:28 PM EST
Feeling Quiet
Hearing None

My mood is the result of the recent cold spell we're having.  Too cold to get out and do anything.

The semester is over and I'm off until mid January.  I didn't complete the German chairs.  I have a few attachments left and the caning of the arms to do.  In the original pics above, note the outer edge on the back of the woodwork of the arms.  It is contoured.  After discusing this with the upholstery teacher, we concluded the woodwork had been switched to the wrong arms.  Also, the cane, being on the inside, seemed abnormal.  We think the cane originally was on the outer side.  The curve fits the contour of the side of the backrest.  The arms had been painted, so probably the woodwork was mistakenly switched during that time, if they were removed for painting.  I will switch them back, when I attach the woodwork permanently.

Recently, I picked up a couch and chair from the roadside.  They are styled on the bergere style, but are products of the 1920s or 30s.  I think I can make them look nice again.  See pics above.

An agave plant, I have, has been bitten by the latest frost/freeze.  It is damaged, but I'm hoping it will pull through and bloom.  I am not to optimistic, at this point.  A ficus plant also got bitten by the cold.  I dug it up and brought it in the shop.

It's 31 degrees outside.  Too cold to be outside.  Tonight is to be down to 27 again, and for more hours of the night, than last night.  I smell a Gumbo brewing!

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10:05:49 AM EDT
Feeling Anxious
Hearing None

The past month, or so, I've completed 5 upholstery projects, some pictured here.  I'm getting faster.  I have 2 German made arm chairs that I started Friday.

Have been painting the house.  Working on the windows (complete overhaul) and making new shutters.   I have some shutters ready to prime today, despite the threat of rain...will paint in the shop, out of the rain.

Visited Mom most of the day, yesterday.  Cleaned a little around her yard.   Tried to repair her wheel barrow tire, but gave up and bought a new tire (hub and all), and also bought a new style wheel barrow (dumster type, similar to child's wagon).  I think, with her slower older age, this new wheel barrow better suits her ability to haul things.  I almost make it sound like she's a laborer...well, she just does simple flower gardening, weeding and such...not heavy hauling.  A regular wheel barrow just doesn't suit her.

Collected a few more plants recently and yesterday.  Not sure where to put them, since I am still, off and on, re-arranging my lawn decor and landscaping, when convenient.

Went to the sawmill last weekend.  Had some sinker cypress milled...Nice boards.  Have some other sinker logs to mill.....  I can see some bookshelves, in the works, with this lumber.   I'm having some pecan milled this week.  I've been looking at the latest Grizzly 20" planer, G0454 20" Planer .  I think this tool wil suit me nicely.

 

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8:09:32 AM EDT
Feeling Quiet
Hearing None, just the morning's quiet

It's been a while since I've logged anything.  Seems appropriate to gather my thoughts and chart my position before continuing on.

Most troubling issues:  1) I still have lingering issues/unfinished repairs from Hurricane Lily, but the remaining issues don't seem to be so priority,  anymore, so they have simply been placed on the back burner.  It does bother me occasionally, though, that they are still not completed.  2)  I am getting lazy, in that, I have been more reluctant, in the past year, to organize my homelife, ie., I don't do the daily chores, as routinely as I used to, around the house, so the place looks a bit more disheveled than has been in the past.  I upkeep the yard better than inside the house.  This lacklusterness is not good....It makes me feel I've stagnated in an uncomfortable rut.  3)  I've started some projects that should be finished or more completed than they are.  Again, a feeling of stagnation lingers as a result of these unfinished projects.  Too many irons in the fire, in this department. 4)  AOL and this computer is, by far, the most often and repetitive frustration that intrudes on the stability of my otherwise comfortable peace of mind.

Most comforting issues: 1)  Completed a project that I started 2 years ago.  2)  The house is being painted and is about 1/2 done. 3)  Upholstery classes have resumed and confidence in my work is maturing.  Speed of performance is increasing.  To this point in my schooling, I have not tackled the automotive aspect, though. 4) Bought some new tools.  5) Bought a new truck.  6) Bought a new desk. 7)  Though I've been slow in accomplishing the lawn projects, little by little some of those tasks are continuing to be worked on and progress is being made.  However, I am totally clueless about plant arrangement and general landscaping matters.  Does that make sense?  8) The weather is getting cooler, and less humid, and my drive to accomplish lingering tasks is getting hotter.  I feel a surge of energy in the making. 9)  I received notice yesterday, from one of my banks, that an accounting adjustment, in the amount of $1530.24, has been made ..... in my favor.  I think I smell a new tool .... or a bed liner for the truck.

If I can get a few things done today, I may govisit my brother...and go check on my logs at the mill, near his home.  I need to go visit my sister and check-up on a few things that way, also.  I need to go get some more marble and granite.  I need to mow my lawn.  I need to post some new pics, here.  I need to get off this computer and get going.

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10:56:55 AM EST

I canoed a new area yesterday, in my scouting for Ivory Bills. This area is very much lacking in IB habitat.  It is relatively close to the previously scouted Chicot Park area, so I had been hopeful about the potential of its accommodating the birds.  The Chicot Park area still has some inklings of the old IB habitat it once had, prior to deforestation on or about the 1930s.  I had never heard of any history of deforestation in this new area, so I was hopeful that it still contained elements of old growth forests and hence good IB habitat.

The last time I had been to this "new area" was when I was in high school.  I couldn't remember what the place was actually like, back then, because I didn't pay proper attention to whether or not a certain habitat existed.  Also, back then, I didn't know how to evaluate a scenario, either. So this trip I had two objectives: 1) to see if proper habitat existed and 2) surmise whether the habitat was remote enough.  By remoteness, I mean whether or not the area is likely to be visited, on some regular basis, by people. Reasonable IB habitat seems to be such that an area needs to be old growth and unlikely to be disturbed on a regular basis.

Due to weather, only a very small portion of the total area was visited. This new area seems to fail, significantly, as per both obejectives.  There are no old trees to speak of and there are signs, everywhere, of hunters being there.  And there were only a few old snags here and there.  This area obviously had been logged about the same time as the Chicot Park area was logged.  This area contained no old downed logs on the banks or in the lake waters, as in the park area.  This area had much, much less old trees remaining.  The park area did have some old trees remaining and had a variety of old trees.  This new area didn't even have signs of old stumps remaining, which suggested the area was dry at the time of logging and the trees were cut at ground level.  Also, apparently, at the time of logging, no one thought to replant or to leave a few trees for restocking.  I highly suspect the area was clearcut and remained barren, until nature, itself, re-established itself as best it could. All the trees look to be less than 50-60 yrs old. 

I was discouraged with this scouting trip, however, I will continue to scout other areas, in this immediate region, when I can. 

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7:44:55 PM EST
Feeling Mischievous
A day in the life of your average upholsterer.

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9:35:53 PM EST

 

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9:18:52 AM EDT
This is my latest project, continued from a month or so ago.  Does red velvet suit this rocker? 

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11:15:33 AM EDT

Lately, I've been rushed and busy, so I haven't posted pics.  The pics, here, are not of the finished product.  I need to find some appropriate stuffing, to make it tight.  The fiber-fill stuffing, on hand, is not appropriate for this stool and other available stuffing is too expensive. 

I think I can economically stuff the stool with burlap sacks, maybe stuff one sack with cedar shavings, then stuff the outer areas with other sacks.  We'll see how it goes.  Another option is to stuff it with moss, but I will have to allow the moss to dry before stuffing.  I'm too impatient to wait for that drying.  For pic purposes, and to get an idea of how the project has turned out, it is stuffed with bits and pieces of scrap fiber-fill.  One private upholsterer, I spoke with, said to try stuffing it with balled-up compressed newspaper.

Once I realized how to make this stool, I became aware I can put one together, from scratch, within a day.  The original and new stools are 30" in diameter and 12" high.  The weight of the original was about 30 lbs.  Not too heavy and awkward to move around, at all.  I think with burlap stuffing, the finish weight of the new stools will be about the same.

Something as the finished shell can readily be mailed to someone (3-5 lbs).  They can probably provide their own stuffing and readily get a thin board bottom piece cut to fit. I used 1/4" plywood for those pictured here. With mailing the shell, any one of my friends or relatives can obtain one (for a fee!!! LOL). 

It was fun doing this project.  It would have been funner if my machine bobbin problem wouldn't have broken my thread so often......  Excuses!  Excuses!  Some students seem to be intimidated by their machine.  Not I.  I don't like being upstaged by an inanimate object, sewing machines and bobbins included!!

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2:04:59 PM EDT
Today is the last day of this semester.  I didn't know there was a class camera.  I was supposed to take pics of the projects I've done and place them in the class portfolio.  I'll copy them from this blog to the class portfolio.

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8:51:25 AM EDT
Feeling Quiet

Updated pics!

The 3 legged stool is an experiment in applying a caning technique to an upholstered piece.  Don't look at the legs!  My alignment is off there.  I didn't have my jig for aligning them at the correct angle, so they are out of line, and it is obvious.  I eyeballed the alignment.  The exercise, here, was the fabric application, not the woodwork.... excuses, excuses!!

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