Maine Yankee's Projects

This was a fairly easy and straight forward build except for getting the legs square. I had to do all four, plus the seat and the arms and then place a weight on top while it dried. The finished piece is very nice, but it is more of a poor family's utilitarian furniture piece than Colonial showpiece.

As far as prep for the show goes, this project is completed. I still have plans to add in some sort of seating and wall cards that give the details of each painting (in miniatures, so I doubt they'll be readable.)

This morning I was finally able to spray coat the gallery. What a stench! The family was not impressed. I had a fan going and some windows open, but that didn't make them feel any better, since it was about 19 degrees outdoors. :D

Once the seal coat dried (about ten minutes) I started right in with the bricks. Went right along and now the room box is finished. The framing is taking a long time, but I got two of those done this morning, too. Now I'm taking the family up to Gardiner for a sledding party, but here are a couple of pics.

It is taking a long time to do the frames. Cutting, sanding, aligning, clamping, painting, and setting the painting in the frame.

One item at a time, the interior furnishings are coming together. The hutch, the desk, the chair... a table and two chairs to go. I've made a few old charts and collected some little accessories, like the leather journal and the quill. The clock is still only a maybe. The picture will be on the wall above where it now rests.

I only needed one of the upholstered chairs, so the other will keep for another day. The table and the two chairs are next, in that order.

For the desk chair I chose the HoM "Open Arm Chair" (kit 40040), which is an upholstered chair with cabriole legs and wood arms. The plain blue fabric was tossed aside in favor of this satiny peach/beige material out of my wifes scrap bags. I'll use it on the two Chippendale Cabriole Leg Chairs, as well. It looks like a silk brocade in this scale.

Not being able to leave well-enough alone, I went ahead and carved the feet into claw and ball. Hard to see, but you get the drift.

Full upholstered back. The huge clamp is temporary :)

Yow! That starting to look like something.

Poly and hardware are finished and it looks great. Here it sits in its new home, Captain Stone's Study. It fits the scene a lot better than the oak rolltop desk. Lovely. Now it needs a chair!

The Country Cape is going with me to the show. It is just a shell, but it is a blank canvas. I'll put a note next to it as a work in process and ask people to imagine what it will look like both the way I intend to do it, and with their own ideas.

Since I own so many lighthouse paintings (by Don Joslyn of Down East Studio), I really needed one prject that could show off a lot of them at once. I purchased this room box kit on eBay about a year ago and got as far as priming and assembling this Fall.

Last month I started with the painting and the trim. I put in a flag stone floor (floorpaper) and have finished the trim. Next I need to put a gloss sealer coat on all of the painted portions. Then I can finish the interior floor by putting down a brick edging.

I found a 40042 in time, as you can see, and have finished the assembly and stain. First coat of poly tonight and two more over the next couple of days.

I also purchased some working bale handles that I'll use for the first time on this project.