Dormer, Loom & Still

This was an odd sort of weekend.  I had a few things I needed to do but my brain was on a million other details.  The result being I got things done but it's a bit of a mishmash.

Knowing it would take a while for the glue to dry I added the dormer roof and walls to the removable roof panel and weighed it down so it would adhere properly.  Then I checked it two hours later and reset it since somehow it had moved.  Nothing touching it, gravity being constant...it still moved.  Welcome to my life people.

But once I got it reset it seemed to stay in place.

I had a lot of things I knew would have glue (or paint or some other medium) drying involved with them so I tried to stagger out my work.

I started with the loom, staining all my parts on Friday night.  Then gluing the first parts together Saturday morning and waiting for them to dry.

This is a few steps in but you get the idea.

I'd gotten some mini glass bottles cheap at Hobby Lobby and decided I would try to coat them in gesso so they would take paint.  Glass bottles were a lot more rare than you'd think so I don't want too many of them in the cottage.  Gesso coated I can make them look like pottery. I hope.

I also stained the parts to my little stool on Friday and glued it together Saturday morning.

I wanted to try making some 'floating' tools so I got started with a light weight kettle and teapot.  This being my first attempt I didn't expect it to look wonderful but so far so good.

The wire is coated with gesso so I can paint it.  Once the paint is on I'll add some triple thick glaze to give it a shine so it looks more like liquid.

I added some cloth and ties to the tops of a few clay containers to dress some of my shelves in the kitchen.

I started to work on my paper pottery still and gathering vessel.

I found a couple of pictures of older style stills and I'm trying to imitate the simpler of the two.

I want a slightly more elaborate bottle to gather up the whiskey/alcohol mixture.  And I obviously need to paint my 'pottery' yet.  But so far I'm pleased.

Since there was more waiting for the glue to dry I added my 'arm' to the fireplace for the workroom and tested out the fire again.  Yay, still works.

More waiting on glue to dry, so I added my jars and some plates and bowls to the kitchen cupboard.

The glue is still drying on the mushrooms.  I didn't want them to fall off the plate when I moved the furniture.

With the walls and roof finally dry on the dormer I glued in the windows and the last piece of wood to fill in the gap at the bottom.

My first X!  I need to add more trim to the gable over the windows but one thing at a time!

I decided I'd go with an 'every other space' thing to make it look as if there's some logic to the timbers.  I'd done something similar on the tower room so I think it'll work.  And the wood really looks nice with the windows I think.

The last step for the loom is to add fabric and the 'comb'.  It comes with some burlap type fabric but I wanted something that would look a little more like real fabric.  Yes, I just have to make things hard on myself.

But the look it gives is worth it I think.

Here's a look at my magic floating kettle and teapot with paint on the liquid.  I need to add another layer of paint, let it dry and then add glaze.

Cleaning up my space a bit I put all my gesso'd bottles back in their package.

And I found some more fur and a few pieces of fabric that might look good on the bed.  I'm leaning towards the green and brown simply because it's something she could have woven, (same as what's on the loom) and because it looks really good with the gold/brown fur.

It looks a bit more like a woven blanket to me.  The plum/purple is nice but I don't feel like her bedding would run to velvet which is how it looks.

Keli sent me tons of wool and other little treasures!  So I'm excited to fill up my shelves with baskets of carded, spun and woven wool.

Lots of pretty things!  I'm so excited.  There's some clogs and a little box that could be the saltbox.  And hot cross buns that I'm drooling over... yum.

So a few things crossed off the list.  And this post is pretty late because I lost track of time with that still.  How is everyone else doing this weekend?


A saltbox (Keli)
Lantern
Clogs (Keli)
A still (might be able to do this with Kris's 'paper pottery')
Wool cards
Sausages on a string
Dyed wool drying (Keli)
Wool bundles (Keli)
Woven cloth



Drill & Route out channels for lighting wires.
Finish shutters & interior trim for all windows on main cottage.
         First Floor          
         Second Floor
Build Fireplaces & chimneys
        First Floor
        Second Floor
Cut bricks and stone for outside of lower walls and tower.
(Test Magic Brik) - in progress
Add brick/stone to fireplaces.
        First Floor         
        Second Floor
Age fireplaces
        First Floor
        Second Floor
Attach Tower to Main Cottage
        Doorway Finishes
        Hall Stone?
        Floors.
Bedroom mantle
Plaster upper walls and third floor of tower.
Add timber to upper walls and third floor of tower. (testing)
Paint stone.
Add grout to stone and brick.
Ceiling beams on first floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for lofted ceiling on second floor.
Second floor Ceiling finish?
Ceiling beams and roof support for the tower.
Stain purchased furniture
          Bedroom
          Kitchen
          Stillroom
          Weaving/workroom
Build furniture:
          Make sink
          Make curved table for tower room
          Make loom
          Adjust tables for lab
          Make stool
          Make telescope 1/2 done
          Make orrey 1/4 done
          Make tapestry
          Make rush mats
          Make bedding
          Make books & scrolls
          Make paper pottery
Stillroom paraphernalia
          Potions?
          Cage with spider
          Cage with mice
          Cauldron - floating spoon? (testing)
Furniture in place finalize lights.
          Make sconce
          Make candelabras
                 Standing Candelabra
                 2 small Candelabras
Add flooring
Plaster inside walls
Build base for house
Create 'slate' roof
Bargeboards/trim for roof gables.
Create front garden
          Make tree?
          Make stream?
          Make lake/river to go alongside house
          Make stone wall to go around garden
          Iron front gate.