Progress in the Quilt Studio and the Woodshop

Jane has been on a very long hiatus from quilting - from before the birds were here.  Her current project (shown here in progress) is a commissioned queen quilt in the style of an earlier one:

And from the furniture shop, I took a break today from the large dresser projects.  Here is a board of key hooks for Margaret and Matt:

Here are some unfinished coasters for Matthew and Lindsay - Lindsay will finish them:

All 4 Grandkids Visit

Other blogs have posted some pictures of this visit - here are more!
Showing off their beads-on-a-wire yard decorations:

Science experiment (which failed) to dye Queen Anne's Lace:

Fun at Gypsy Hill Park playground:

On the swings:

On the tractor tires:

 On a log:

Mowing Windy Point Manor

I have finished my annual 'mowing'.  The weeds were anywhere from knee-high to shoulder-high (I should have taken a 'before' picture).  It looks much better as a back-drop to the garden now.  It is also friendlier for little people to wander.  It took me 5 days, trying to quit around 10am each day.  It's nice to have the understory cleared out.

Crafts

Jane has finished grouting new tiles in one of the porch tables (lower right):

She has also made two 'birdhouses'.  They are no good for birds, but the porches are wide enough to hold princesses.

Dressers for Matthew and Lindsay

Matthew and Lindsay asked for dressers in the style and color of the teak bedside tables that they have.  The dimensions will more or less match their existing dressers.  Matthew has two tall dressers and Lindsay has a low and long one.

I finally settled on using ash with a mahogany stain to best match the teak they have.  Here is the 90 board-feet of raw ash I brought home.

Here, I have started to plane the boards.  They are first cut to 6" widths, so they will fit through my jointer.  They are also cut to roughly their final lengths.  The jointer is then used to flatten one face.

Here are the left-over scrap pieces so far.  A few might get used if needed.

And here is the sawdust which is mostly the result of planing.  Probably 25% of the wood winds up here.

Here are the pieces for Lindsay's dresser.  They are planed on both faces and are 3/4" thick uniformly.  This dresser is a bit more complicated, so I will proceed first with Matthew's.

Here are the pieces for the fronts of Matthew's dressers - they are at the same stage as Lindsay's.

Here are the pieces which will make up 3 of the 4 sides of Matthew's dressers.  The edges have now been planed and are parallel.  So, 4 of the 6 sides are precise, flat, and perpendicular.  The lengths are still approximate.  You can see here the slots for 'biscuits' which will help to align the boards for butt joints and will also provide a stronger glue bond.

The 4th side is being glued.  These clamps apply a LOT of pressure.

The tops for Matthew have been glued up.  Next, they will be cut to precise length, and then sanded.

All of this of course just gives us panels to work with.  Stay tuned...