Here is an early morning update for you. This has been a crazy week. Last weekend we were up in Downieville working on the house while Julia traveled with the tenth grade class to Ashland, OR (about a five hour drive) to attend the Shakespeare festival. She had a great time up until early Sunday morning when she woke with a nasty stomach flu. After talking with the mom’s and her principal who were taking care of her, it was decided she really couldn’t do a long drive to come home. My husband drove up to Ashland and they hunkered down in a hotel until the worst was over. Then they drove home on Monday afternoon. She has been recuperating but it looks like she is going back to school today – luckily she has a light morning so she will just go for the afternoon classes.
Until it came to an abrupt end, we were making good progress on the living room in Downieville. This room has been fun because it really only needed some paint, new trim and carpet. Friday last week was the day of the carpet install. I drove up in the morning to let the installer in. Remember the house is very tiny (approximately 700 square feet) and I knew I would be stuck either in the kitchen or bedroom while he was working on the living room. I brought my little sewing machine and set up shop in the kitchen. (Don’t you love the little kitchen table? I found it on Craigslist and I am crazy about it.)
It was nice to be able to sew while he was working in the living room but it was quite cozy in the kitchen! There was no other spot for the couch so he pushed it through to the kitchen. Of course because it almost didn’t fit, there are new scratches in the paint of the door trim, but that can be taken care of later.
Here is a before and after shot of the living room. The left side is how it looked when we bought the house and the right is current.
Here is another angle on the current living room. We primed and painted the paneling and Ray put new crown molding up around the walls. Ray also refinished a portion of the original hardwood flooring in front of the door so we don’t walk in right on the carpet. Hopefully this will lessen wear and dirt on that portion of the carpeting.
Since the picture was taken, Ray also got the baseboard installed and we hung some pictures. It looks so sweet now.
While I was trapped in the kitchen with only my sewing machine and a pot of coffee, I worked on the second quilt for the downstairs bedroom in Downieville. Remember this was the first one I made. I finished this one last February – you can check out this post for the details.
Downieville Quilt #1
It is a basic patchwork using 10″ blocks. I thought it would be fun to make this one with the same fabric but a different pattern. (For the first one, I was in a hurry to get it done for winter as it gets really chilly in that bedroom.) Since I have time to complete this one (the second twin bed isn’t used all that often) I changed it up a bit and made large half square triangles using the tan solid as half of each one. I have about 40 blocks done so I am almost half way to a quilt top.
The layout above mixes the green tones and the purple together in a scrappy fashion. Here is a shot with the colors separated out in a more orderly layout.
At this time, I have more purples completed than green. I love the green tones though and look forward to playing with this when I get a few more completed. I am leaning toward the layout with alternating colors. The rest of this should go together in no time at all. The little downstairs bedroom will then have warm, coordinating quilts.
Hope everyone is finding some time to sew and staying healthy!!
Reminder: next week is the Handmade Halloween event here at Needle and Foot. You are invited to link up new and old posts about all things spooky! Quilts, costumes, decorations that are for Halloween will create a fun source of inspiration for readers. The link up will open on Tuesday, October 4th and stay open through Friday, October 7th. I have tons of prizes from Craftsy, C&T Publishing (makers of your favorite craft and sewing books) as well as Sew Fresh Quilts. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!!
Linking up with Let’s Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop this week. Links to all three can be found at the top of the page, under Link Ups.
Dads are awesome! You’re making progress! Just be patient! Love your quilt! The perfect pattern to work on while your house is upside down! XO
Yes, what a great dad!! 300 miles up there and then home the next day with a sick kid.
We are making great progress on the house. It has been a really fun project. In November we will have had the house for two years, which is hard to believe. Time flies!
Your little cottage is adorable! I love that you kept the built-ins in the living room. Looking forward to next week!
Thanks Stephanie. I love those built-ins. They give the little room some character. See you at the link up on Tuesday!
Glad to hear she is feeling better…dad to the rescue! Your little house is coming right along. I loved seeing the before and after pictures. I really love the design you are using on the second quilt. Purples and greens always look so nice together.
We take lots of progress pictures when we are working on the house and both Ray and I love to look back and forth at them, remembering how it used to look. It is amazing how much Ray has accomplished in almost two years of working on it a few weekends each month.
I am loving the purple and green – it is going to be a cute quilt!
You have had a crazy week! I hope Julia is feeling much better! You made some decent progress in that cramped little kitchen! The cottage changes are looking good!
It was so funny to be stuck in the kitchen — I had to stand on the couch to reach the ever important coffee maker. But I did get a fair number of blocks stitched and most of the rest are cut so they are ready to go. Julia is doing much better, thanks for checking!
I’m so sorry to hear your daughter fell so ill, but I am glad she is feeling better already. Great progress on the house, it is looking very cozy. And I’m definitely looking forward to your link up!
Thanks Yvonne, it was tricky with her getting sick and being away from home. I was so impressed by the wonderful moms who were there as chaperones and were checking in on her until Ray could get up there. People are so kind.
I’m glad Julia felt like school again. That’s a good sign. You have shown that sewists can sew in any situation. Your table looks like the one I grew up with. It’s been passed all around our family during our college years and is now with my youngest niece, who loves vintage. It’s been so fun watching your progress on the Downieville house. Thr green/purple quilt is looking pretty already.
Yes, we can sew under all sorts of duress. Look at you — hand quilting nearly one handedly!!(Is that really a word, I don’t think it is.)
The table is just like one that my grandma had in her kitchen when I was little. But hers was gray and yellow, rather than turquoise. I love it!
Glad your daughter is on the mend. Those HST layouts look like the ones I’m going to try, whenever I get around to that quilt.
You’ll get there Diana. All in good time! So much to do all the time, right? I haven’t touched it since the weekend, and probably won’t for a bit. Such is life!
The house is looking great! I looooove the kitchen. Those wooden cabinets! The wallpaper! Your table! I’m a sucker for retro kitchens. 🙂 Also, love that you’re making a coordinating but different second quilt. I love HSTs and think it’s going to look lovely.
I love the kitchen too Cassandra. The walls are printed, metallic wallboard. It is really faded but I want to keep it. We will repaint the cabinets and put fresh hardware on them eventually. It is adorable – kind of feels like playing house up there. It is so different from our regular house. Lots of fun. 🙂
Getting a stomach flu is bad enough but far away from home; ugh. Dad to the rescue! :0 )
Love this purple / green / tan combo! 🙂
Deb, yes, I felt so bad for her. Yuk. Thankfully, she is feeling much better!