Monday, September 10, 2018

Sew Little....




Patches..... And Other Little Things....

I almost didn't think there was Time, Dear Readers, to pull out my camera and show you what Daphne found with the Sewing Machine! But then it was Raining again, much too hard a rain to go to the Park today, and certainly not with Monsieur Guillaume. The excitement of the wheel chair the day before had chased all ideas of the sewing machine from Renee's attention. So Daphne waited until Renee was asleep before she dragged the old machine across the hall to her room. It was dusty and very old, but the parts all moved smoothly when she turned the wheel. The only thing missing was thread and cloth to sew!

She realized she would not be able to show Renee 
how the machine worked if there was nothing to sew!
But if there was a sewing machine stored away, she thought,
 then surely there should be a sewing box somewhere! 
She went to have another look in the attic storage room... 

There was a huge old wardrobe.... so she looked inside...

Aha! Just as she had thought.... 
here was the old sewing box!
She pulled it out and carried it to the Nursery.

And there in the bottom drawer, all folded up... 
were some pieces of cloth......!

"Look what I've found, Renee..." she said excitedly.
"What is it...?" asked Renee.

"They are pieces of cloth..." explained Daphne.
"They look like patches...." she added.
"What are Patches...?" asked Renee.
"They are cloth that has been cut into squares 
for making a Patchwork Quilt!" said Daphne.
"What's a Patch Quilt...?" asked Renee.

"Well.... " said Daphne...
 "We will spread them on the floor to see what patterns we like....
 and then we will sew the patches together to make a Quilt!"
"Oh." said Renee, as she looked at the patches.

"We can add as many patches as we like..." said Daphne,
 "Until it is as big as we want to make it!"
"Oh!" said Renee, getting excited... 
"Can we make it big enough for Grandpere...?" she asked.
"I don't see why not.....!" replied Daphne.
"I will go to the machine," she said
 "and you can bring me the patches..."

Daphne sat at the old machine 
and pumped the treadle with her foot....
"Here's the patch ..." said Renee.
"I have to finish this one first...." said Daphne.

"Make sure you bring them in the right order..." she added....
"One row at a time...."

Well, Dear Readers, I hope you don't mind
 if we leave them here, happily sewing patches together!
Because I wanted to show you that I managed to finish 
adding the final pieces to the Castle framework....
It was not easy!
The Chapel Tower had not enough room for me to pivot it around in place,
 because it sits right next to the dresser which holds the Cupboard House,
 and there was no room to squeeze in beside it to reach the back of the Tower.

The only solution was going to be pulling it forward
 and in order to do that I need to find something to perch it on
 that was close to the same height as the base....

And fortunately I found just the thing! 
A sturdy oak artist's storage chest!
I slid the Tower onto it... 
where I could pivot it to reach the back side!

Here you can see it from the other side... 
it shows the stained glass Chapel Window...
and the postern door...

But all this work was just so I could drill the holes 
for the last support beam on the back side of the
 Lady's Bed Chamber at the top of the Tower...
Three holes....
And the beam glued in place.....
(And yes, I had to undo the proscenium...)

And then I remembered that other pesky floor support that would be
 blocking the stairs on this side... when I get them built that is.... !
But it would be Wise to fix that beam now while it was all pulled apart!

I thought that maybe I could get away with just pulling the floor out,
 and not having to also remove the proscenium for the lower floor....

But it turned out I had to undo that one too...
 in order to be able to pry the beam off the wall...
(Chisel and hammer not shown....)

Here's a closer view of the beam that is
 in the way of the path of the future stairs.....

The beam has been removed, and cut.... 
and one end put back in place....


And both ends are reattached,
 leaving a gap where the stairs will pass.

And I cut the hole in the floor too!

Here you can see I have put the prosceniums back in place.... 
and this is the Lady's Bed Chamber without the inner wall, 
showing where the stairs come through.

And with the inner wall notched to fit the beam.... 
Oh, look at that gap along the ceiling!
That will need to be patched!
So many little pieces, Dear Readers, took all my Time!

And lest you think I have forgotten.....

Blossom number twenty-five!

And with its buddies in the box!
 
 
And as for Daphne and Renee.... 
I think they will be sewing for a while...
to Sew many little patches will take some Time!


 And while they are sewing, Dear Readers,
 I will be traveling to visit my family out West! 
I probably will not have time to comment or post until I return...
But it will only be a Little Patch of Time!

29 comments:

  1. I think that it's grand that Renee and Daphne are sewing a new quilt for Grandpere, and won't he be both surprised and pleased that it was Renee's idea too! ❤️
    Your castle update is really moving along Betsy! The magnitude of this project is Enormous but OH THE WONDERFUL STORIES that will soon result from each of its historic rooms!

    Have a good visit with your family, and I'll look forward to a little MORE of EVERYTHING upon your return! 😀

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth! The castle is Huge! It looks so much more substantial with the fronts on the rooms! I am loving it this way! Yes, Grandpere will be surprised.... (even I was surprised by this spur of the moment project! LOL!)! :):)

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  2. How wonderful that the sewing machine works after a long time covered in dust! They don't make them like that anymore ;-)
    I am sure Grand-père will love his quilt. Renée is such a sweet little girl.
    Your castle gets better and better! It's what Elizabeth says: all the stories it will inspire! So looking forward to that!
    Have a wonderful visit with your family.
    Hugs,
    Véronique

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    1. Thank you Veronique! I had a wonderful visit with Family! Yes, the old machine is very well made! It will be good for many years of projects! LOL! :)

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  3. What a fantastic idea for sewing a quilt from all these tiny patches, that way Guillaume can stay warm whilst sitting in his wheelchair, for the next time they will go out to the park.
    I've seen that your castle is an immens building, Besty, but how big it is, I only see now, oh my :O! To remove it from its place is quite an adventure, but you did it with an inventive solution. It has been quite a job to remove everything, to undo and to fix it again but the result is great: the floor is ready for the stairs :)! Littel patches do ask alot of your time, but afterwards you'll be so glad you did it!
    Personally, I often think of this, because afterwards I always think: why haven't I done this earlier, when it was more easier to do...? That is the question, but the answer is always different for each one of us ;). But we always learn something in our miniature works, and reading blogs from others always learn me something, that's so great in the blog world community :).
    The achievement of your 25th lilac blossom must feel like a jubilee, hurray, well done, Betsy!!
    I wish you a good journey to your family, dear Betsy, enjoy your visit and come back home safely!
    Hugs, Ilona

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    1. Thank you Ilona! I had a wonderful journey! And yes, we learn so much from our blog friends! I treasure every one of you!!! I am glad I got the parts of the castle re-made.... there is so much more to do... but that it what is so fun about having so many projects! I love to make things!!! :):)

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  4. I admire your talent as a painter. The light wonderfully mastered.
    hugs

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    1. Thank you Claude! I have so much fun with miniatures... it is great to be able to share! :)

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  5. Hello Betsy,
    How wonderful to see Renee and Daphne getting so close. I cannot wait to see the quilt and grandpa's face when they present it to him.
    The castle is coming along beautifully and I am glad there does not see to be any major damage after pulling out and reworking the beams.
    Have a wonderful time with your family.
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Thank you Giac! I had a great time with my family... but it always feels too short! Yes, I am glad that Daphne and Renee are bonding over helping Grandpere... there is so much more to tell! And the Castle too... I will be working on it for quite a while! LOL!

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  6. Oohh a patchwork quilt! I made one of those when I was really young, but I didn't have a machine. They'll have so much fun making the quilt.

    I love how your stone looks, I'm always amazed at your creativity!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I was not even planning to have them make a quilt.... but that is why my projects are never finished.... they keep getting "added" to! LOL! I will now have to work on the little quilt...! :)

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  7. Renee and Daphne will probably miss you but leaving them with a quilt to make will keep them busy.
    Wow! To pull apart and fix such a large castle is an awesome achievement.
    Have a wonderful time with your family!
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thank you Drora! I had a great visit with my family! I wish they were closer... but it is good to be home too! Yes, the Castle is huge... and I really needed to fix those stairwells... now I can go forward again! :)

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  8. A miniature quilt is such a wonderful undertaking, and to wrap a lovely story around it's making is creative and so much fun!
    I am glad to see that you were determined to overcome each of the obstacles keeping the castle in stasis. Tenacity is apathy's Kryptonite, and you showed brave conviction and single minded focus this summer to get those castle tasks completed! You deserve a hearty atta girl!!!
    I hope you enjoy a nice visit out west, and I hope our weather is kind to you during your stay! Maybe you might even come home with some new treasures!

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    1. Hi Jodi! I had a wonderful visit out West...(I brought them rain... which they always need!) I was not planning to make a quilt as part of this story... so you are witnessing what happens to me in my story telling... I get great ideas that take me somewhere unexpected.... and everything just takes longer! LOL! But the detours are half the fun! I am really enjoying the Castle with its new facade.... I am able to really envision it as a building... rather than the "shelf" it was being! LOL! I am so much more aware of how huge it is too! I will be "playing" with this one for a long time! :):)

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  9. Wonderful work,I love the flouwers

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  10. Blog spot is having trouble printing my comment - let's try again.
    There sure is a lot of work to do on that castle! It's so huge. But it wouldn't be a proper castle if it wasn't huge, would it?
    See you soon - color me excited!
    Lots of love,
    Mom

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    1. Hi Mom! So true! Me too! (Although now that I am home again....still missing you!) :)

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  11. Hi, Betsy - You have done so much hard work in all your undoings and redoings. All those tasks may be small, but they're definitely important, and I admire your perseverance. It looks as though you're getting close to completing all those challenging details - and close to starting the fun stuff. (Except for the not-fun stairs!) It's good that you can re-direct your focus at times, and I'm happy that it's directed toward Daphne and Renee and their homemade patchwork quilt. What a lovely rainy-day project; I hope they make good progress. The twenty-fifth lilac blossom looks very much at home in the blossom box. It's filling up with amazing regularity; you have so much patience! Enjoy your visit to your family.
    Marjorie

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    1. Thanks Marjorie! I had a wonderful visit! And yes, the Castle is now substantially "built".... but not even close to halfway finished! (I am really bad at estimating..... I thought attaching the doors would be a quick task! LOL!) I have lots and lots of work to do... all the interior wall painting... windows... lighting.... and that's just the basics! I will be building for a while! LOL! Meanwhile, I will also be getting distracted by tiny projects like the quilt... which was a surprise to me! LOL! So stay tuned.... there's always more!

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  12. I'm not surprised that the sewing machine worked so well still - it's a good "made in Germany" quality! *LOL* It's so great to see another episode of Daphne's story - and so heartwarming that Renee wants to make a quilt for her Grandfather. Regarding these patches it will become one wonderful quilt for sure. And despite your wonderful storytelling you still had time for more stunning progress on the castle - my, this is one huge project, every time you're showing it in total I am even more impressed. And hooray and welcome to the newest member of the lilac family!!! Have fun with your family and have a great time!

    Hugs
    Birgit

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    1. Thank you Birgit! I had a great visit out West! Yes, Every time I am showing myself the Castle, I am surprised at how HUGE it is LOL! It looks so much more "substantial" with the doors on the rooms... and begins to really feel like a Castle! :) I will have plenty of years worth of projects to complete it! As for Daphne's story... I was not planning on making a Quilt.... but I was relieved that the machine works so well!! (I need to make a Quilt now....!!!) :):)

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  13. The quilt will be fantastic. The castle is magnificent! You have a lot of work to do.

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    1. Thank you Fabiola! Yes, I have a Ton of work to do now! LOL! :)

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  14. What a thoughtful child Renee is thinking of her Granddad.
    I am sure the patchwork quilt will be beautiful. Great work on the castle. Have a wonderful time with your family.
    Hugs Maria

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    1. Thank you Maria! I had a great visit! I was not planning on making a quilt... but now I am! LOL! :)

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  15. This is Superb. I've never seen something beautiful like that before. I want to tell you how much I appreciated your clearly written article and amazing creative work on castle.

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