SUMMER IN UPPER CRABTREE

Pausing from fiber posts just for today.....a look at our late circa 1800 log cabin that was found in TN by Appalachian Hardwood Company.  We had a local craftsman reassemble it on our property in 2006.  We (or should I say 'the husband') uses it as a garden shed.

It's summer in Upper Crabtree, a high mountain valley about 45 West of Asheville, NC.

SUFFERING

  There aren't many aspects of living in Upper Crabtree valley in the mountains of NC.  However, this year one has me totally grumpy.  It's the HUGE abundance of poison ivy.  I'll spare you photos of my nasty rashes.....beyond itching....they are painful.

I'm super sensitive to the stuff and we try very hard to stay away from it.....even walking Sooty (our black lab) on a short leash as this stuff is everywhere.

It's even growing in the middle of the paths we travel on our morning 'forced march'.  Clearly this is not a fiber subject and my rant is an indication of how crazy it's making me!

STUDIO

I've had my nose to the grindstone......or should I say my beading frame as I work hard on a commission.  Because a knee replacement is hanging over my head, my focus now is to finish this new piece. (Though I'm hoping that won't be necessary, as I'd be a terrible patient....due to my impatience!)

So with no public projects I can share, I decided to share some of my studio storage ideas.

Beads and more beads.....stored in dozens of plastic compartment containers.

Plastic covered containers hold my felting supplies.  

This vintage library card file with its individual drawers serves as my  thread storage.

I've collected old wooden boxes forever. Here's just one of many with divided spaces that works well for a vareity of items.

I'm also fond of antique ladders...and have several in my studio....baskets contain the items and hide the mess.

This large oak dental cabinet is where I store fusibles, interfacing, stencils etc.

An old knife block has been recycled to hold scissors.

How do you store your sewing supplies?

FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS

This summer we've seen more fog in our mountain valley than ever before. It's an amazing sight to watch a fog bank come rolling up the valley as it slowly encompasses our house.  

On the 2nd 'Forced March' march of the day, with rescue black lab Sooty.....I spotted this beauty.....hummmm a broken heart reflecting all the drama that our country is enduring?

This is a fiber blog, I don't do political statements or lecture about social significance....but today I want to say a word about 9/11.  Hard to believe it's been 19 years.  Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news.  My story isn't any more or less important than others, but it's an especially memorable day for me.  It was the first of 2 days that I was a bone marrow donor (which was via stem cells) for my identical twin sister at the City of Hope in CA.  It had an enormous impact on my life.

DAUNTING TASK

Like so many quilters, my stash won't run out before my time ends.  This is despite the fact that I haven't purchased commerical fabric in years.....literally probably about 10 years!

So, as I ponder what my next project will be, I decided to concentrate solely on utilizing these gorgeous Primrose Gradations fabrics. Before I began dyeing my own fabrics, this company was my favorite source.  Unfortunately, back in the early 1990's, most did not have stable dyes.  Each and every piece that would be used in any work that would be washed, mainly anything other than an art quilt needed to be treated, rinsed, rinsed, and rinsed some more.  Dried and pressing took tons of time for the gradation 8 pack rolls of 6" squares.

After shuffling this pile around for an entire day, I decided the preparation to make the large lap quilt project I had in mind was too daunting (at least for my current mood). 

Ha.....this is what I came up with instead....the beginning of a small flower art quilt....which of course didn't put the slightest dent in the pile of fabrics. 

Surely the galleries won't say closed forever and even though I already have a stack of unsold work, here I am...making more!   Consider visiting my online gallery and bring one to your home (link at top).

BEST FACE MASK EVER!!!

For us winos.....perhaps a bottle and a straw?!?  Thanks to cousin Rick who posted this on his Facebook page!

WINTER IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

A beautiful winter scene at 24 degrees during this morning's 'forced march'.

Time has evaporated!  Can't believe we've lived here now for nearly 14 years.  I never imagined living out my days anywhere but Wisconsin..but oh my we really stumbled upon the perfect environment for us!

TWILIGHT FROM FRONT PORCH

VIEW FROM OUR FRONT PORCH - Though we face South with mountain ridges on the East/West/North of us....our 'sunsets' are still beautiful!

NOW WE ARE OFFICIALLY DONE!!!!!

As is soooo typical with home remodeling....one little thing leads to the next, and the next and the next.  Ours began in July when the deck replacement started. Well the work did, the planning and decision making whether or not to go down this path or move had been going on for nearly a year.

We are now officially finished....THE END!!  Though this is generally a dedicated fiber blog, I do know our lives go beyond our passion/hobby/business.  I've chatted/complained about the goings on around here, so hopefully you'll be interested in seeing the original and the current look of our home.

Of course this is probably everyone's vision of what a house in the Smoky Mountains should look like....what one doesn't realize is just how much maintenance all this wood requires.

We've eliminated lots of it....if our budget would have allowed, I'd have removed the log siding too.....but that's not to be...and probably best anyway.  We now have a newer fresher look that buyers seek, plus the charm and what their imagination desires.

 Longer view with a glimpse of the fall color which is just beginning to peak.

This was actually taken on our afternoon walk 2 days ago.....beautiful...and I did NOT do any Photoshopping to it.

STILL TRANSFORMING

Talk about a change.....and some VERY hard workers....I felt so badly for them working in the cold and YES....rain on this slippery metal roof, I baked brownie for the crew to keep up their strength!

 Trucks, material, ladders, and people everywhere.  6 days into this transformation.

I mentioned several posts back that our roof was steep......you can really get a good impression of just how steep. 'The husband' who worked in the scaffolding business in Chicago for 30+ years (where buildings were big and tall) was relieved to see the crew were tied on...did I mention it began to rain/mist and can you just imagine how slippery the surface is??

We have a LOT going on this weekend.....so just in case I can't drop by again before Sunday.......I must leave you with this:

GO PACK GO!!!!!

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT WE WERE FINISHED!

Our peaceful mountain valley has one drawback...the WIND!  At times we experience strong prolonged winds which have played havoc on our roof. Our home is very tall and the days of us doing any of our own shingle repair are long gone.  So after, yet again, a few more shingles took sail we decided it was time to fix the problem for good.

 So........our home refresh continues....the ugly old green (too small) gutters and downspouts are being replaced with matte black ones to complement the black accents of our new porch/deck make-over.

Soon the asphalt shingles will be gone and updated with a charcoal grey metal roof.  Our great room wood tongue and groove ceiling soars about 27' high and now we'll never have to worry about leaks damaging it!  If only we could only get rid of that log siding.....so charming to look at but a real maintenance pain!!  

All the expenses we've incurred with this refresh have exceeded our original plan, but it sure beats having to move!  Asheville area real estate continues to be a hot market so hopefully that will hold for a good long time until we are ready to sell.

Note...it's the middle of Oct. and there is barely any of our famous fall color...most trees still have their leaves.  They say it's because we've had such a warm and dry fall....UNTIL now....it was 35 degrees when I got up at 5:00 AM and rain is predicted.

BLANK SLATE

Now this is a sight rarely seen in a quilter's studio! How mine came to look like a blank slate is a mystery to me.  I don't ever recall not having 2-3 projects in the works.

Now that all the home projects are complete I can concentrate on developing a few of the many ideas (always) brewing in my mind.

I'm sure the fabric will be flying soon......check back in with me won't you??

CREATING ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

It's another football Sunday so I was glued to the Internet listening to the Packer/Bronco game which left me leaping for joy -  PACKERS 27 - BRONCOS 16

Can't say I'm a fan of the throwback uniforms but I sure am of #12 and the team he leads.  Finally, a Packer game will be broadcast here in the mountains....as they face the Eagles on Thursday night.  But why oh why are these games sooooo late in the evening!?!?  

 Just sitting idle isn't my style so I decided to make shams for two pillows that came with a piece of furniture we purchased awhile ago and never used. 

We've been using our lower level space for evening TV watching all summer. Recently I blogged about the protective couch quilt I made for Sooty (our sweet rescue lab).  And because 'the husband' insists on running the ceiling fan at the highest speed, I made a lap quilt for myself.  Now there are companion pillows for further comfort.

HOUSE REFRESH FINISHED..."I THINK"

The final phase of our home refresh was to update the stairway and my studio loft railings.  We got tired of the bulky pine log look, wanting a fresher look instead.

 The railings served as such a handy surface for displaying some of my antique quilts and quilt tops.

However, as you can see, I have plenty more displayed...on ladders and hanging from the stairway wall (photo below.)

Here's the new look.....and I'm smitten.  Feels so much more open, larger and lighter!

I may drape one or two quilts from the studio railing just to disguise the ironing board and some of my storage bins that live beneath my cutting table.  I'm giving that decision some time.  So, unless we win the lottery (of which we don't  play), our home reno projects are now complete!  

INTERRUPTIONS

Studio time isn't happening this weekend.....instead we are doing more physical labor than either of us care to.  Besides the deck project that's been ongoing since the beginning of July, we've had a few other upgrades waiting in the wings.  (But today we did some wood staining, bush/tree trimming, power washing, window washing.....dust from all this construction seems to be everywhere!)

  This is a view of the ugly course gravel the home contractor placed beneath our front covered porch.  We have so much decking we never utilize this space, however the appearance of the unused space as always bugged me.

Since staying in this house until our assisted-care rocking chairs become necessary, we decided to make it more appealing.  Freshly painted outside entrance doors, inviting shrubbery pots, and a flagstone path.

My desire was to fill the whole space with flagstones......but after getting the quote I had to adjust my wishes.  This path took our landscapers an entire week to create...and they worked non-stop.  The old ugly gravel became the base and now we have very colorful pea gravel surrounding the flagstones.  Soil had to be added to raise the ground level to the new wood barriers.  We will be watering that area now in hopes that the grass seed sprouts before the snow flies.

UNVEILING

Because this is a fiber related blog, I try to keep the subject matter narrow.  This is not fiber related so feel free to close this window now.....or read on......

For the last 2+ months I've referred to the turmoil we've had in our life: to move our aging bodies to a more appropriate home or address as many of the issues as possible that we have with this one.  So for many reasons, we chose the later.  

Because I've had numerous personal inquires asking for further details, I decided to unveil photos of the biggest changes that have been made so far.  Our decks, railings, & staircases have been replaced with maintenance free Trex products ....which very much changed the appearance of the outside of our home.  Here's before and after:

This was taken in 2011....before the landscape was mature.  The heavy log railing/posts are evident.  We liked it then, BUT not the expense and work of the constant maintenance.  Besides the two covered porches. there is a very large open deck in the back...sooooo much work!

Not the greatest after picture....but hopefully you get the idea......

 Despite our constant upkeep on all this wood, the front staircase was so poorly constructed that most of it had to be rebuilt.  We've also gotten rid of all the green exterior door colors, changing them to black to match the new deck posts.

Here's our new staircase....with added lights for safety and security.  Some of the wire cable railing is still missing in the lowest section....waiting on parts.  We are going to live with the green gutters and downspouts for now.....but they too were inferior and no doubt will have to be changed in the near future.
                         
 And now some close up views....we love the open wire cable railing system vs. the previous massive logs that closed in the feel of the deck and obscured the view.

 We are again enjoying evening meals on our back deck.

 We've also had work done inside.....which is still ongoing.  To make the "man cave" bathroom handicap accessible, we replaced the original door (which opened inward to quite a small space) with a sliding barn door.  The reflections you see through the open door are some of the 15 small mirrors that I crackled painted the frames white and hung to make this windowless room seem less cave like.  

In this view, the door is closed, revealing some of the iron register grates we've collected as decoration.  Our previous home had about 30 of them on a large wall behind our freestanding Vermont Casting Woodstove.  The buyers coveted them so they stayed with our WI house.  These were some we had yet to install, so happily they got moved to NC with us.  I'm currently looking for a few more!

This whole aging thing is quite a shock to us....we don't feel old but sometimes our bodies don't agree, so we are taking the necessary steps to keep ourselves in an environment that is as safe and user friendly as possible until we find ourselves drooling in rockers somewhere else!!

There will be one more big change inside and I'll share that as it happens.

ORGANIZED MESS

The creative process in studio is at a total halt right now.....but not for a good reason.  As the 'house refresh' continues outside, it has also moved inside.  Lightening and brightening with a fresh coat of paint.  Again, thanks to the recommendation of a friend, we've got a wonderful crew of painters here to make that happen.

 BEFORE  (Are you surprised to see such traditonal quilts displayed in my home??)

DURING  .......The 'AFTER' will be posted....well.....after it's finished.  Can you see why I didn't attempt to paint this myself.  I even got a free window cleaning!  And that's been awhile since it's been done due to the difficulty of reaching it.   

Now I'll have to find something to keep me busy during this process....the crew got homemade chocolate chip cookies yesterday....that allowed for a few hours of baking fun.  

WARM IN THE MOUNTAINS

Now that our deck is nearly finished.....we've been enjoying cool mountain breezes while having our evening meal on the back deck.  Along with a cold salmon salad.....we gobbled up these pretty impressive looking popovers.  

A conversation with an long time friend made me think of popovers (which we often enjoyed together)......Once the thought was there....I had to make some again.  

Yummmmmm