I haven't been able to create anything in a couple of days. More wood is coming early tomorrow morning and that should mostly do the studio walls and ceiling, so all the sewing stuff has been pushed together and covered for safety. Carl will need lots of help with the ceiling part - there is a scaffolding in place, but it is pretty hard to keep climbing up and down to cut pieces and then nail them. Joe, the builder, is doing that very same thing with the outside siding (red, of course). Very, very windy today and we have been listening for any falls from him. Yikes. I am waiting on some fabric I ordered for bedroom curtains for us. I hope we like it. I don't think it is returnable, so I think it will be just right. The pictures show The Red Chair that is at the cabin - a must. The second shot is of our bathroom tub - the handles can't be put on until the tiles are on, and we are waiting on the tile ladies. The tub, meanwhile, is nice and deep, so Carl said I could use this handy-dandy tool to fill the tub. The last shot is just of the hall to the guest bedrooms, hall bathrooms, and stairway to Heaven. At the end of the hall is a red door that still has the plastic on. They poured the garage last week, but the garage stairs still need to be done. We will take the plastic off after that. I am anxious to get pictures hung. I think the place will have much more personality after that, don't you? Jerilynn P.S. Carl is just finishing the bathroom vanity. It is based on this one from Russell and MacKenna. $1800. I think Carl said his is going to cost around $125. I will still need to paint it, but I can buy a lot of paint for the difference!

Tee Shirt Quilt Complete!

At the Lake House this weekend we celebrated the birthday of Mike, Ellen's boyfriend, and the graduation of Courtney. And, wonders of wonders, I got Courtney'tee shirt quilt done! After the pinning of the quilt (scroll back to past posts...I am too tired to put a link in) I did a meander free motion quilting over the top. I tried to go over every block intersection because those spots are a little thicker and I wanted to make sure they would be flat. I then trimmed the fleece blanket about 2 inches bigger all around, brought the edges to the front, turned under twice, and zig-zagged into place. Didn't take long at all. Now, remember, there is no batting or interfacing, so the quilt is very soft and cuddly. My daughter-in-law, Sarah, is a middle school teacher and her principal is retiring this year. She asked if I had any ideas for a good gift for this lady. I suggested a tee shirt quilt! She has a few school printed shirts, and she is going to ask other teachers for some. Won't this be a great idea? It has been fun to see family, friends, and neighbors this weekend, and also it has been good to rest from projects. Next week more wood is coming to nail on the walls and ceilings...I am thinking soon Carl will be starting to work on the studio...EEEEK. Jerilynn

Sooo, Where Have You Been Jerisew(s)?????

Hello, Blogland! I bet you thought I jumped in the lake, never to surface. Well, I didn't do that, but what I have been doing is LOTS of work...non stop. This past week was intense, but fruitful...carpet in, lights, beds set up. I found that ALL the bedding that was put into plastic bags, clean, over the winter construction, got very constructiony smelling, so I did about 12 or 13 loads of bedding. Moved furniture around, unpacked boxes, cleaned construction dirt, cleaned construction dirt, cleaned construction dirt...you get the picture. I made curtains for all the guest bedroom windows, and one shower curtain. I have lots more windows to do, but it will happen. This weekend we have 4 out of 6 of our kids and their families here. So far we are finding the new areas are working well. We still have lots of details to finish, but it will happen! All the kids love the new spaces. Carl and I are both exhausted, and Carl's back is almost shot. But, we have three days of family fun, forcing us to take a break from the construction and just enjoy the space so far. As with any construction, it is taking a bunch longer than we thought. But, it is so much better than we thought it was going to be. A few pictures are posted. Thank you for your concerns by my silence. I am surprised by how many people have contacted me to see what was wrong! Jerilynn

Shower Curtain and Hooks

The shower curtain for the hallway bath is up and the hooks for the towels are hung. Shower curtains are so easy to make! This one happens to be out of indoor/outdoor fabric that I got on sale at Joann's. Shower curtains are 72' x 72", so you need about 4.5 yards. because you need 2.25 yards sew together, trimmed, and then hemmed. You will have some leftovers, especially if your fabric is 54" wide. I wanted to put grommets in at the top for the curtain rings, but I only had gold ones, and the rest of the bathroom stuff is shiny chrome. I am funny about that, aren't you? So, I just made buttonholes and they work just fine. I did line the outside curtain with a plastic liner. Maybe with the indoor/outdoor fabric I wouldn't have to, but it doesn't hurt. Carpet came today, and so far the family room is done and part of the hall. Tomorrow the bedrooms. Jerilynn

Floors and Windows, Oh My!

We laid the Karndean luxury vinyl plank flooring today in the side entry (above), the guest bathroom, the master bathroom, and the entry from the garage. It really looks good. Not too hard to do - just putzy cutting around things, especially the two bathrooms. I was the plank-hander until I decided that I could lay the planks on one side while Carl was doing some fussy fitting on the other side. I must say that it was a fun job. We also got the green curtains hung - I think this room is going to be called the Bass room. I had the blue curtains to make still. That will be the Northern room. I also finished Courtney's quilt. I will take some good pictures tomorrow in the light. Tomorrow? Carl is going to get materials to build a vanity and work on the plumbing. I have another shower curtain to make. The bird one. Jerilynn

First Catch of the Season and First Curtains Hung

Aaron caught the first fish of the season, a Northern! He and his mom, Barb, went fishing (in the rain) and Aaron caught this fish on his first cast. Pretty cool. Aaron is the grandson that had the really bad ski accident last February and it was very scary for a while. He has made a miraculous recovery, so it is only perfect that the first fish honor goes to him! Lots of help this weekend on the cabin. Accommodations were a bit rustic, but we all survived. By the end of the weekend, we have lots more wood on the walls, LIGHTS!, mattresses ordered, two rooms of curtains made (see the red ones above in the still-construction-zone bedroom, and a shower curtain made. I am helping Carl lay the luxury vinyl tile in the entry ways and bathrooms tomorrow. Tuesday the carpet comes. By Memorial Day, we should be ready to roll - trim will not be on the walls, the studio will not have the siding on or the bathroom working, and the outiside siding may not be on, but we should be ready to relax for a few days and enjoy the kids and grandkids. We are going to name the rooms by fish names, so that as people "request" certain sleeping spots, they know what room they are requesting. One bedroom will be Northern, one will be Bass, and one will be Panfish. Aaron and I decided the bathroom will be named Crappy. How funny is that? Jerilynn

First Studio Sewing Day

May not look like much to you, but to me it is a slice of Heaven! There aren't a lot of plugs working yet, just about one per floor. Carl and son-in-law Tim were working on the second floor putting up trim in preparation for carpet on Tuesday. So, I decided to set up curtain-making operations in.....the Studio! I bunched everything around the working plug and managed to get curtains done for two bedrooms and a shower curtain for the guest bath. I ran out of lining material before I could start the third bedroom. Loved the light, even though the day was a bit overcast. I think I am seriously going to be able to create some good stuff up there. Jerilynn P.S. Let me know if you want to know how to make lined curtain panels. I think I posted the link before, but I could explain them to you quite easily.