a functional entryway

meg farrels' hallway: design sponge

There are two pieces of furniture in this picture.  The wall mounted shelf with hooks creates usable hanging space for coats and bags.  Functional and decorative items sit above at eye level.

Below, a bench is a place to set a bag down, or sit and remove boots.  Footwear can be stored under the bench.

No expensive cabinetry is required.  Just two simple pieces that transform a bare hallway, so it becomes a convenient and homey place to transition from indoors to outdoors.

perfect house

Houses don't need to be big.  They just need to be perfect.  Like this one.

With hand made twiggy railings and wood shingle roofs

Source: Small House Bliss

And plastered walls and beautiful green stillness around.

I'd love to make a house like this for myself.  Slowly, with time.  And I'd love to make perfect homes for others.  The workshops I take this summer will keep me moving toward that dream.

starting on toy bench

I finalized the design with my clients.  This is a side view of the toy bench.

I found this design in a book on country furniture, and modified it:

After the design process was complete, I purchased the wood.  

Here is the wood stacked on the sawhorses I made at Hammerstone School's women's carpentry class.  They've come in handy!

Then I transferred my design onto the wood...

...and cut it out using my coping saw.  As my arms were burning, I was wishing I'd accepted the free jigsaw I was offered earlier this year!  However, there is a nice handmade irregularity to the cuts.

I've got two of these so far:

I'm interested to see how long this project takes.  And I'm loving the process!

simple shelf

This shelf is made from 5 boards.  Hung on a wall, it transforms a space.

source

People need shelves like these on their walls.  Having objects like these on display, or at hand for use, makes a room feel more comforting.

do the hardest thing

You know that thing that you're avoiding?  That sort of nags at you because you're not sure you can do it?  You put it off till last, happily washing dishes, checking emails, or sweeping the floor, because your success rate at those tasks is 100%.

I'm starting to see that I'm going to have to start facing my scary hard things first.  The things I don't think I can do aren't as bad as I think.

I finished this table.  Sixteen mortise & tenon joints.  I attached the table top.  Then I mounted the vise.  The vise was the part I'd been dreading.  I had to do it last, once the table was done.  The vise is extremely heavy and I was afraid that somehow it would fall and land on my toe or break something.

Also, drilling holes in the table top was tricky, the bit wandered, I did things in the wrong order.  But  in the end, I didn't mess up my beautiful tabletop.

I followed the directions, bought a special drill bit to drill larger holes, and installed the heavy vise using lag bolts.  It's on.  It wasn't particularly easy but I did it.

What other hardest things am I avoiding?  Well, there's a long list.  I'm going to make a personal challenge to courageously face them, one at a time, until scary things aren't as scary.

Elizabeth Gilbert wrote "Your fears are boring".  This comes to mind as I type this.  I am loaded up with fears, but writing them here makes them seem boring.  You should be turning away, distracted as I ramble on and on about how scary things are.  Good.  I'll stop now.  I'll go do one hard thing.  See you!

table is done!

Esther Freud's house

I finished my table.  I don't have photos right now as the computer got overhauled and all pictures are on the external hard drive for now.  However, I'm happy to be done, and to have a new improved work space in addition to the countertop I'd been working on.

Next project is a toy bench/box for a friend's baby.  I found a great design in a furniture book, which I'll modify slightly.  I'm gathering my energy for this next project, which I hope is a lot simpler than my table was.

I am making plans for this summer, making up my own apprenticeship program with travel and a variety of experiences.  A new idea is to purchase a van and use it for my travels.  A portable home for the summer.  And I'm excited to be heading west!

The image above is one I saved as my desktop image.  I love how the timbers add coziness to this room.  Have a cozy evening if it is winter where you are.  Soup, warm bread, tea, toast, blankets, hot baths, candlelight.  I wish it all for you.

irish stone hut

In 2007, I traveled to Ireland.  This is one of the houses I photographed there.  I have more pictures here.

invest in yourself

Anne Truitt is a fine artist who wrote the memoir "Daybook".  One piece of advice that stayed with me from the book was invest in yourself.

Another writer mentions this in an article on her website.  I've taken the advice to heart, spending money for courses and lodging during this winter break.  This also applies to spending money on quality tools, and to investing time in myself.

Speaking of time, if I just spend 30 minutes in my workshop tonight, I may complete a dovetail joint that would allow me to re-assemble my table.  The pegs will have to wait until next week.  Not sure how long it will take me to figure out the table top, and most challenging, installing the vise.  But bit by bit I'm moving forward.

Below is my workspace with one of the legs.  One mortise done and one drilled in preparation for chiseling.

And the next photo is the tenons, stacked and ready to assemble.  I found that very little adjustments were needed when I put it all together.  It was very exciting to assemble the table and see all the pieces FINALLY come together!

I'm still procrastinating putting the pegs in--nervous about draw boring, because if I screw it up I feel like there is no turning back.  Perhaps in my course this weekend I can ask for some advice.

new year

It's healthy to take time off during the dark months of the year.  Time to reflect, and recover.  I've dug into my journals and been reading back into my mindset from ten and more years back!  Wow.  I am getting reacquainted with myself.

Yesterday I drove to Philadelphia to take a sharpening class at the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop.  I learned how to sharpen my chisels, plane irons, and my new cabinet scraper (a tool I'd never heard of until this fall).

I don't have a grinding wheel at home so it was good to get familiar with one.  I learned that the grinding stone can get clogged with metal debris and needs to be "dressed" with another tool that freshens the surface of the stone.

I learned how to hollow grind, even though my timber framing friends say not to do it (they grind their chisels flat).  But then again, they're often working on oak and really hard antique timbers.   If I'm working on green wood, and especially softer woods like pine and poplar, like I have been, I may be ok with hollow grinding my chisels.

I watched how carving tools are sharpened, and decided that carving a spoon would be fun!

Two of my chisels are very low quality (they were hand me downs).  Of course my timber framing chisel is the best I could find.  It and all my planes are now sharp.  Between other obligations, I'll spend time this week working on my table.

Then I can get to making the toy box/bench that friends want me to make for their daughter.

Happy New Year, friends!

sturdy little bench

This little bench is very close to my heart.  It's made from old douglas fir (a board I picked up somewhere) as well as two cross pieces of new pine.

You can see the holes from the board's previous life as a shelf, and who knows what before that.  The wood is scratched and worn, which is part of its charm for me.

There is a photo of me that I don't have right now, on my first birthday, sitting on a little stool not too different from this one.  That little stool was part of my childhood.  I can picture it vividly still, although it was left behind in Bolivia when we moved over twenty years ago.

Two of my coworkers are originally from Africa.  When I showed them this picture, they said:  we sit on benches like that all the time back home.  And perhaps that is the appeal for me--simple benches like these are what Bolivian market vendors sit on while they spread their produce on blankets on the ground.

I want my furniture to be primitive, made from solid wood only.  It should be sturdy, an heirloom piece that stays in the family for a lifetime or longer, so that it holds an emotional weight.  It's a repository of memories.

The furniture should be unfinished, or at most rubbed with oil or beeswax.  It should not be stained or varnished or painted.  The edges should be rounded, sanded soft, so that your hand feels the wood's smooth texture.  Then as spills, scratches, or stains accumulate, you embrace the history that will be recorded on the surface.

This little bench will be part of my life for years to come.   I would like to make many more benches like it for people like you.

adobe hut

This picture was taken...a while ago.  We were hiking down from the top of the mountain above our house in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and came across this hut at the side of the road.

I don't remember the dog that got himself into this photograph, but I do remember being enchanted by this little house, built from whatever was at hand, including what are probably eucalyptus poles, as they grow a little further down the mountain.

At the top of the mountain, the grass is bristly yellow against a deep blue sky.  To me, these are the colors of the Andes.

december actions

So I'm applying for apprenticeships for next summer at Heartwood, EcoNest, and through the Timber Framer's Guild.  I'm very excited some days and scared other days but I am not letting myself give up, or change course.  Just keep moving ahead.

I ordered some good boots.

Miwa, a former apprentice from Heartwood, was very helpful in giving me advice about applying for apprenticeships.  She's building a tiny home!  Miwa works with Maria of Hammerstone School, near Ithaca.  Maria teaches Carpentry for Women, and I plan to go up to take a course.

I spent time with some timber framers at the New Jersey Barn Company, and asked them a ton of questions, and they showed me their tools and gave me tool shopping advice.

I signed up for a tool sharpening class in Philadelphia.

I'll be back in Virginia in April for the next Timber Framer's Guild workshop there.

And I'm doing exercises to strengthen my core.

I'm excited!

Now I have to go grade quizzes and tests and try to focus on that for a bit.  When I finish maybe I'll go down to the basement to keep working on my table again.

Thanks for reading!  I'll keep you updated on my progress.

progress report: in motion!

i'm glancing around my living room at furniture i made before I knew much of anything about woodworking.  it's all beautiful and functional!  it's all made from scraps of wood i found here & there.

the table i'm making now has joinery inspired by timber framing.  just very simple mortises and tenons, plus maybe a couple of dovetails to support cross pieces that support the table top.

i've been paralyzed for months on this table because i spent about $100 on the wood and another $160 on a vise.  so this table has to be perfect!  or awesome, or a showcase of my skill, or something.  which doesn't help one to actually get moving on a project.

but anyway my new system is just to put in hours and see what happens.  by just putting myself in my space (in the basement), things are happening.  this afternoon, i plan to clock in and do at least 2 more hours.  i don't have the ideal tools, but i can make do with the ones i have.  so far:  2 tenons, 1 mortise complete.

i've started.  i'm not scared of making a mistake on my beautiful 4x4 cedar leg posts.  I just went for it.  and the joinery works.  i did a test fit and it works.  the pieces even meet at almost a 90 degree angle!

creating

My goal is to consume less and create more.  Specifically, less "research" and "inspiration" time spent on tumblr, blogs, and pinterest.  More time working on actual projects I already have in the works.  Here is a drawing of a table/work bench I'm making right now.

(The quality of my photographs is a subject for another post.  As you may guess it hasn't been a priority, but I'd like to return to posting with really beautiful photographs.)

Creating Beauty

"Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul."
--Alice Walker

That sentence captures what drives me when I make things.  Whether sewing clothes or building furniture, I am creating in a way that heals me.

One challenge that I face is that beauty is so easy to find online.  There are so many pictures.  I get a big hit of euphoria when I overload myself with beauty, as is easy to do.  You can see one of my picture collections here.

Beauty is also easy to find if you want to just shop for it.

But if you want to be a maker of beautiful things, you will have to adjust to a slower pace.   Rather than scrolling or clicking, you must go slowly and patiently, and wait days or weeks for your creation, which will not be perfect, to be completed.  It's a real thing though.  And it's all yours.

So I'm wondering if I should take a break from all the pretty pictures I love to look at online.  It's too much!  And it satisfies me before I even lift a finger to make the things i want to make.

timber framing

Last weekend I did three days of timber framing at a workshop in Virginia.  I took the workshop at Heartwood Building School in Massachusetts last summer.  This workshop helped to refresh my memory of all the terms (arris, slick) and techniques I learned there, plus more.  

I like the purity of timber framing.  Using only a chisel, mallet, and pegs, you can turn timbers into the framework of a home.  Of course, you can incorporate lots of power tools too, such as a chain mortiser, which cuts down on time a lot.  Or planers to smooth the timbers so they look less rough than the one in the picture above.

There were maybe 20 or 30 others working on the frame, a mix of experienced and recreational timber framers, and a few people who were completely new to it, but had carpentry experience.  There was plenty of guidance, and a laid back, friendly atmosphere.

This is what we built:

It's called a woodshed, but it could serve other purposes too.  It will be auctioned off to benefit a program that prevents violence in families.

On a project like this, you work on pieces, and at the end, we put all the pieces together.  My own contribution felt small but it's there.

comfortable clothing and related thoughts

As summer was winding down, I finally got to make some tank tops I've been wanting to make for a while.  I used this pattern and made six.  It was such a great experience!  

I have a hard time finding clothes because when I go to the mall I tend to settle.  Things that are on sale aren't necessarily what I like best.  At thrift stores selection is unreliable at best.  However older things are often made better than what's available now.  Compare vintage L. L. Bean to the stuff made in China they currently sell.  You know, sweatshops are bad vibes as well as low quality.

So I struggle to put together a wardrobe that feels right for me, that looks like me.

Making these tanks feels like a breakthrough.  I have a pattern I've customized slightly, that I could repeat.  I can get one done in a day.  I have fabric for 2 more in the pipeline.

Having clothing that fits right and is of high quality makes you feel different.  Growing up I didn't often have those types of clothes.  I often felt uncomfortable in my clothes, and now, looking at people who appear to feel comfortable in their clothes, I wonder if that affected me.  

Those clothes made me feel that life was inherently uncomfortable.  

That's something I would like to change.  Starting with these 6 tanks.  And hopefully expanding to other items, whether purchased or made, new or used. 

I want to feel comfortable and well-equipped for my life.  

what i've learned--kitchens

Not my kitchen; from here

I've moved a lot.  I can look back and remember a lot of places, and what they felt like.  In my search for home, I'm looking for a place that reminds me of the best aspects of each place I've lived.

My tumblr page has a lot of images tagged kitchen.

We like to cook as a team so it's important to me that a kitchen functions smoothly with 2 or more people helping.  This is what I've learned so far about kitchens:

1.  Our current kitchen and the past 6 kitchens were laid out with the sink, stove, and refrigerator in a line.  In my opinion the best layout is a u shape that isn'
t too big or too small.

2.  There should be ample space between each work station:  washing dishes, prepping/chopping, and standing at the stove.  Our current kitchen has about 12 inches between the stove and the sink, so it's hard to wash dishes if someone is at the counter chopping vegetables.  I've read that 24 inches is ideal.

3.  There should be a suitable place to set things that you take out of the fridge.  The best arrangement we've had for this was a tiny kitchen with an extra small fridge.  It worked because you could sit at a chair (at the table) 2 feet from the fridge, and unload what you wanted onto the table, and then start chopping/prepping on the table.  The other person still had easy access to the stove and sink.  It's amazing that that tiny kitchen functioned so much better than the larger kitchens we've had since.

(That kitchen was also laid out in a line, but because the tiny table & 2 chairs were on the opposite wall, it formed something of a triangle.)

4.  Natural light is best.  Our current kitchen is quite fancy, with granite countertops and classy dark wood cabinets, but it has only 2 windows, one to the outdoors and the other facing a carport with limited light.  The dark cabinets seem to block a lot of light, particularly when cabinet doors are open.  I'd far rather sacrifice some storage and have more natural light, which is so much brighter than the overhead lighting.  It's really hard to see what I'm cooking, even with the over the range light on.

5.  Open shelves.  This works best if you regularly use everything that is displayed on the open shelves.  Otherwise, they do get dusty.  In our last place, we removed the cabinet doors from the upper cabinets and left the lower ones on.  (I'd love to do this here, but the cabinets are fancier and from my 1 day experience as a cabinet installer, I know this type would be very tedious to re-install.)

Open shelves means you can skip the step of opening a cabinet and directly reach for the bowl or mug you need.  Your plates, mugs, and collection of mason jars and spice bottles is rather appealing to look at.  You can keep the less beautiful things in the closed cabinets.

If you've ever bumped yourself in the face opening a cabinet too swiftly, you'd probably appreciate open shelves.

6.  Regarding counter height, I would like to copy the following snippet I found in a book recently:  "In rethinking the philosophy of the kitchen, I realized the need for a new approach to counterspaces in terms of height and materials.  First, there should be a stainless steel or granite cooktop that is impervious to food acids and can handle very hot pans;  then, two different heights for food preparation and chopping, made both of hard end or flat grain wood such as maple, cherry, or oak.  A water repellent teak or stainless steel surface that slopes surrounds the sink.  The sink itself should be at the highest level to make working in the basin (generally 8 - 10 inches deeper) comfortable.  The chopping block is then about two inches lower.  Finally, think about installing another counter six inches below that--or slightly higher than a table for such appliances as a Cuisinart, juicer, or coffee maker, that can double as a food prep area for children."  --Johnny Grey, custom kitchen designer

I'm already of the mind of having eclectic furnishings in the kitchen rather than a matching set of cabinets, and this suggestion works well with that.

7.  Eat in kitchen is desirable!  Even in my tiniest kitchens I've managed to squeeze in a small table which I've always used rather than a larger table in the living area (it ends up being the work/project table.).  In my dream kitchen I'd build in a booth next to a window.

8.  Access to the outdoors, preferably via a patio or deck.  I like to step outside and pick some herbs.  If the outdoors is visible and directly accesible, you're more likely to take breakfast or a cup of coffee outside.  If you have to step through 3 doors and a gate, it's easier to stay in.  The outdoor eating area would ideally be shady in summer and sunny in fall and spring.  You can get this with a removable canvas awning or a pergola with a vine (grapes, wisteria) that loses it's leaves in the winter.

9.  I like to hang pots & lids on the wall.  I also hung the biggest bowl and a colander over the sink where they can drip dry.  These items are harder to store in cabinets and they're easily accessible this way.

10.  Pantries and cabinets should have shallow shelves so items are not stacked in front of other items.  This way you won't lose track of what you have, and you don't have to move something to get something.  Also, if you're not using something, you can think about getting rid of it since you'll see it all the time.

11.  You can place a viney plant in the corner of the kitchen farthest from a window, and it will grow toward the light.  Place a few hooks in the wall to support it.

12.  I wash plastic bags and then hang them to dry using clips that stick to the fridge.  Then I have a storage system for the bags (a smaller card board box for regular bags and a clothespin for ziplocs) so that I can reuse.

13.  Compost.  If you compost, you can keep quart sized yogurt containers with lids on a counter.  Once they're full, place them in the fridge or empty them into the compost.  When we lived in an apartment and didn't have our own compost, we'd wait until we had 6 or more yogurt containers and then made a trip to the compost pile.

14.  Keep a stack of dishtowels (ones you like) for using as a napkin, drying rack, or to pile washed greens and veggies on.

15.  I have a cabinet dedicated to coffee and another for baking.

16.  Make a little cubby for a kitty to keep you company while you cook.

17.  Have a place for recycling.

This is my very personalized summary of kitchen design notes.  I may come back and add more if I think of it.  Otherwise I'll move on with my weird and wacky ideas about bedrooms and bathrooms.

making

we live in a house.  there are trees in the back yard.  the trees drop twigs, which we collect.  a flame catches on the wood.  this is fire.

flour, water, salt, and oil makes a dough.  the dough is cooked over the embers of a fire, and turned.  we add tomato sauce, pesto, cheese, and wait.  this is pizza.

i print a pattern and cut and glue the paper into shapes.  i pin the pattern to cloth.  scissors cut the cloth.  i will press it and sew it with a needle and thread.  this is a shirt.

life offers us objects.  certain tools cut materials.  other materials join them together.  being humans, we like to make things, so we learn the skills, and make things for ourselves.  this is my life.

thoughts on virtue

Photo taken at Botanical Gardens in Asheville, NC

When facing life's pain, I feel a need to commit to a belief system that grounds me.  I guess this is what religions provide many people.  I've found that my beliefs have come to me as I reflected on my experiences and sought goodness and clarity through much of the chaotic struggle of life.

There definitely were times that my personal philosophies were wayyy off.  But forming them and expressing them to myself and then realizing how flawed they were helped me to eventually discard them with conviction, and then replace them with more appropriate beliefs.  Here's an example.  It felt like I was called to be a strong, self-sacrificing woman.  I could tell (I thought) that I was stronger than those around me, so I decided I'd follow Christ's example in taking in all the evils and darkness in the world and giving forth love.  In my friendships I focused on being there for others, but felt uncomfortable leaning on them.  After spending time with others, I could only relax and care for myself when alone.  I kept my deepest joys private.

Then came marriage.  Living with someone meant that my fundamentally unsustainable approach to relationships (giving too much, not really knowing how to take care of myself when others were around) eventually had to fall apart.  This wasn't a pretty process, but I am grateful for it.  I'm glad that I have had to struggle through the discomfort of asking for things I needed.  Instead of keeping my interests and desires secret, I've brought them into the open and gained freedom and joy.

Because I can recall forming the idea of being a self-sacrificing Christ-like hero, I was able to see and reject that behavior.  I identified it as self-neglect, which fostered resentment and frustration about the fact that my life wasn't going the way I wanted it to.

...

Here's another belief I've held for some time.  We could call it "Virtue is its own reward."  Not in the smug, self-congratulatory sense.  To me this means that there is no external reward for 'good' actions.  Good actions benefit you and are good because they are beneficial.  Bad actions are those which do harm to ourselves or others (usually ourselves and others).  Calling things "good" and "bad" isn't really necessary but it is a common shorthand.  Is it morally wrong to leave garbage on the beach?  Is it wrong to constantly think self-critical thoughts?  Why worry about whether it's wrong?  These are not healthy choices.  

Believing this helps me because it's not fear of punishment that directs me to make 'good' choices.  It's knowing that good/healthy choices are better for me and for other people in my life.

This also helps me to deal with encounters with people who are unkind or insensitive.  Rather than seething over their inconsideration, and becoming cynical that there is no justice, I believe that justice is always at hand, and the person who acts unkindly is hurting themself as well as me.  Of course it may be their own pain that causes them to lash out as well.  But to respond with nastiness towards others only deepens the pain and the separation from fellow-humans.

On a good day, I can hold on to this and remain grounded even when bad things happen, when people are selfish, or refuse to respond reasonably to polite requests.

On a bad day, I feel separate from others, lonely in my misery, and am probably just as 'bad' as anyone else, kicking a flower out of unhappiness and the need to spread my pain.  Not a good approach, and it feels bad, too.

A married man who has a habit of flirting with other women is hurting his wife's feelings.  She has a right to be angry.  At the same time, this man is hurting himself.  He is weakening his relationship with the person who could be his strongest ally.  Why would he do this do himself?  There is probably a reason why.  Dig a little deeper and understand that these behaviors have roots and histories.  It doesn't excuse the behavior, but it helps to have a different perspective.  Otherwise it just looks like there is a jerk who hurts his wife and gets away with it, and she just has to put up with it.

...

I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for five days last week.  Mountains, music, and art, with a lot of creative and spiritually minded people.

Hiking off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville