Fall Festival is a great place to meet new friends!

I'll be posting pictures throughout the week to show and share happenings around the John C. Campbell Folk School.  I met a lot of talented craftsmen who graciously allowed me to take photos of their work.  It was wonderful to get out, enjoy a lovely fall day, and leave behind an every growing to-do-before-winter list.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Insert clever title here.

Temps are heading down to 35 degrees Fahrenheit tonight, prompting pumpkin picking this morning.  I love the color variety.

 Newest gadget to follow me home from Lowe's.

Notice the orange cartridges which are pre-loaded with 6 different options such as flat head, phillip's head, and hex head.  It's rechargeable, which I like, and by rotating the loaded cartridge, you can adjust the tip to the task at hand.

For small jobs around the house, it's a must.  Add it to your Xmas list.

The only negative I found so far, is it doesn't hold a charge for very long.  And, it won't handle heavy duty tork putting 2-1/2" screws into 2 x  4s, which I was doing this afternoon.  

Following 2 coats of primer, 5 coats of blue, and 2 coats of spray on matte clear, I do believe the stool is done.  We'll show you the completed top cushion just as soon as I find the fabric.

The second short cabinet is assembled.  This time I used Gorilla Glue for all surfaces and had a devil of a time.  The glue is very sticky and puffs up quite a bit after setting for a few minutes.  I've learned to use it sparingly.  

 Laundry basket full of fabric makes an effective weight to hold everything down until the glue sets.

It's time once again to put away all flip flops, which makes Dolly Girl quite sad.  She no longer chews them up, just simply steals them and carries them off to the porch for ransom.

After a hard day of outside chores, I believe it's time for hot cocoa.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

A word or 3 on laminate cabinet assembly.

 As some of you know, my father and all of my uncles were custom kitchen cabinet builders and furniture makers.  Starting at about age 4, dad would pull out the work bench drawer for me to stand on so I could see what he was building.  You could say I learned by osmosis.

The problem with laminate cabinets is that they are very heavy and made of wood fiber.  So extra precautions are necessary.  If you've ever tried to move something laminate/wood fiber, you know what I mean.

First I opened the directions and laid the pieces out accordingly.  Then the hardware components needed first were poured onto the cardboard.  (The cardboard is there to prevent glue from sticking to the newly cleaned carpet.)

Vertical screws were placed in their proper position and double checked according to the instruction sheet.  After dipping the end in Gorilla Glue I screwed in each one, triple checking as I progressed.

Then the large round locking screws were placed in, but not glued in yet.   Can you see the drilled hole on the edge that leads to the locking screw?  That will receive glue during final assembly.

The plastic dowels were glued on the ends and tapped half way into place with a touch of the hammer.  These were left to dry overnight so everything sets up well.

The next step is to fully assemble the cabinet.  Glue will be placed along the side of each piece being joined, glue will go in the holes that lead to the larger round locking screws.  It will all go together very quickly all at once.  Excess glue then gets wiped from each area.

My long clamps will hold sections together.  It will be set on the cardboard and allowed to dry at least 24 hours.

I'm adding one more piece of real wood on the bottom back of each cabinet for support and so I can use wood screws to firmly attach the 1/4" plywood backing onto the real wood.  I'll tack the perimeter in with short nails that came with the kit.

It does help to have 2 people working on a cabinet, but if you don't it is possible to do it yourself.

Today's beauty contest features Corinne, "The Jumpster".  Isn't she pretty?  In just a 25 days she'll be going to see her new mom and dad in Wilmington, NC.   What a lucky girl!

Until then, keep stitchin'  . . .

Struttin' their stuff

 Some visitors came along today

 evidently dancing to their own tunes.

I bet this is the same group whose momma walked them through my front yard earlier in the summer.  Acorns are starting to drop from the trees and they must be foraging before winter's cold sets in.

 Pumpkin leaves are starting to die off.  I'll harvest the pumpkins right before the first frost.  The rain coming in today will help them grow bigger.

Some of you expressed a desire to see progress in the sewing room.  Sadly, I'm still working on painting cabinet backs.  It's a slow process, as I have so much else going on right now.  Another 1, possibly 2 bunnies have found a home.  Their cage is being finished up and I'm hoping they will go to a new family some time this week.  Oh happy day!

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

To be or not to be, that is the question.

There's no need to have read Shakespeare to voice your opinion on this subject . . .

Dolly is rather ambivalent on the matter so I need to ask you, the viewers.

About this old sewing stool with the (ahem) lovely Naugahyde cover.

 The Bunz think I need only 4 coats of Costa Rica Blue exterior grade Glidden paint.

But I believe it's going to take possibly 5 or maybe even 6 coats since it will be knocked around quite a bit.

This is the new accent color for the sewing room.  I wanted something fresh and lively to counteract all the white.

What do you think, 4, 5, or 6?

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .