Finishing Day 18

Adam works on the front porch floor. He is cleaning the ridges and brooming away the residue. After the cement dries, a coating of water sealer will be applied, and hopefully we will have sealed against leaks. We'll see.

Jim applies the final coat to the west side. He will return tomorrow and be close to finishing the exterior. Jim and Adam are also going to paint the old studio space inside the house.








Another trip to Penn Yan... and another treasure! We've loaded up the cutting table and the cutting mat from LeRoy's. The table weighs over 200 pounds, but we were able to unload it upon arrival home. Christmas comes in July!


The assembled cutting table joins the sewing cabinet in the new studio. We are impressed with the portability and stability of construction. Marcia will be able to cut material and roll the table to the chosen design space on her walls. There is plenty of storage space below the surface for rulers and drawers for cutting tools and other supplies.

Deck flowers

Jim and son Adam completed rebuilding the front door porch floor. They mixed and formed a pre-made cement mixture, and outlined the perimeter with an expansion strip. The surface was brushed to provide a rough finish to prevent slipping and sliding.
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The hosta plants off the pond deck are in bloom. The color combination of this plant is always striking and is now available in several variations. It is also hardy in our climate, as this spot is covered by a couple of feet of snow in the winter.



We have had a dry year, but Marcia has faithfully watered our deck planters. The geraniums have prospered and sent out several growths of blooms. This group is the latest contribution.




Another nice deck collection of blue flowers and red geraniums.

We have had no visit today from the studio contractors. Painter Jim will be here tomorrow to paint the exterior final coat, and we are waiting for further information from other subs.

Moving fabric

We have had fabric scattered all over, on shelves, in boxes, and stacked here and there. One of the great advantages of the new studio is the capacity to bring all this material together. We have begun the process and will be adding and re-sorting piles of fabric at time goes on. The top picture shows prints and batiks. The middle picture shows more prints, and the bottom picture features commercial and hand-dyed solids.

We discovered some remaining work that needs to be done on the closet doors as we move shelves and other accessories into the new space. It is exciting to see the hopes and plans of yesterday take real form!

Finishing Day 17

Painter Jim Deacon has replaced the faceboard under the front door and scraped the cement floor of the porch. He will lay down an acid-based product to further clean and prepare the surface for the next step in sealing the leaks.

The custom switch plates are installed. We have the total count agreed upon and are down to needing the last plate installed and a dozen more screws. The final certificate of occupancy and inspection cannot be completed until the outlets are covered and out of harm's way.
Brett installs the connection for the cable that will lift the spliced section of the 12-foot track holding the wall wash lights for the design wall. The lighting consultant suggested this would be the proper solution for this problem, and it seems to be working.




The beginning of Marcia's office corner takes shape. Her bulletin board is installed, and the television connection is in place and working. The internet connection for the computer is not yet functional.

Finishing Day 16

Electrician Brett pulls more wire. The new telephone and computer connections are proving difficult. The phone system is a double line, and we want two computers active in the new studio space. As of yet we don't have the correct wires properly identified. Brett will be back Monday to try some new ideas..




Plumber Jim Burgio was here today and installed two toilets, a sink, and shower hardware. He brought his son, Matthew, as his helper. As usual he is waiting expectantly for a weekend on his boat. He will return next week to work on a defective water hydrant in the horse pasture.

The shower is operative. Both plumber Jim and Marcia like the clean, simple line of the new fixtures. Jim tested all his new work and is pleased to report appropriate water is flowing in all the right places.






In more of the "as long as you're here" jobs, painter Jim chips away at many layers of covering on the front porch. The cement floor has a long history of leaking, and a walk-in root cellar lies below it. We would like to waterproof the surface, and Jim is off to purchase appropriate material to accomplish this goal.

Finishing Day 15

The boys from MIG are fastening the gutters. Installation workers appreciate jobs where they can work from the ground or step ladders, and this finishing of the exterior rain water diversion was completed in short order.
A view of the "wedge" support and fastening system that worked so well on our project. This eliminated the need to fasten straps underneath the first row of shingles on the roof and leaves a much neater appearance. The installers suggested this treatment, and we are pleased.

Our niece, Jennifer DeCamp, visited us today. She drove from Virginia to her parent's home in Geneseo and came to the new studio with her quilt collection, including the pictured piece which covers her bed.





This top is a recent work that she completed and began her experience of moving away from strict adherence to pattern and moving fabric in direction and form that pleased her eye. We all went to the Mennonite fabric shops in the Penn Yan area, and Jen and Marcia consulted on fabric choice's for Jen's next project. We were very pleased to see her and spent a most enjoyable day!

Finishing Day 14

The eave trough people are here. MIG is a large area wholesaler with statewide coverage. They are also fabricating the mirrors for the new bathroom. The crew here today will be back tomorrow for installation.


The measuring and construction takes place on site. The continuous roll of material is capable of producing 150' lengths before a seam is needed. The attaching hardware was not on board today.




As construction winds down, Inspector Suki has fewer responsibilities in that regard. She is catching up on her rest, and here, is caught mid-yawn. Her other tasks are "defender of the property" and "mighty hunter", and she welcomes more time to devote to these important duties!

Shelves are assembled in the fabric closets for the new studio. Each area has its own color-corrected fluorescent light to insure adequate display of the stacked fabric. We will begin to move material from temporary storage spots as the new studio nears production capability. Hooray!!

Finishing Day 13

Eric is here to install knobs on the cabinets in the studio and the new bathroom. He has been with the cabinet shop for over a year and was raised in southern New Hampshire. A graphic arts student in college, he decided he enjoyed woodworking as a vocation and especially likes stair construction.

Robert is working on adding grout for several of the first floor tiles. Here he is repairing gaps on the porch, which extends along the south side of the house. He is using a grout with a special additive which hopefully will glue any loose joints into a more secure hold. We'll see...


The new tile in the extra bathroom downstairs is complete. Robert added grout and fastened the new baseboard today. The vanity was also reset, and the toilet will be placed by the plumber on his next visit.

Finishing Day 12

Jim Deacon finishes up the interior window trim. His son, Adam, came with him to help move ladders and plank. Pieces of one of Marcia's "in progress" designs adorns the closet door.








Robert returned today and cleaned the new studio floor. He is also tiling the existing extra bathroom in the house. He put down the expansion membrane and is pictured fitting tile. We ended up two tiles short, and Robert is off to the tile store tonight returning extra tile from the studio floor and picking up needed supplies to finish his current efforts.

The completed floor takes shape. We will also replace the baseboard. The grout will be applied tomorrow, and Robert will be replacing some grout on the main floor of the house which has worked loose over the years. As you know, there are always more "As long as you're here..." jobs on the list!!

Adirondack visitors

We had a fly-in visit today from Ken and Patty Years, Marcia's brother and sister-in-law. We met them in the early afternoon at the Canandaigua airport. Ken opens the door and prepares to deplane, as Bill awaits our guests.


Patty brought two of her quilt tops, one of which is displayed on Marcia's design wall. Her background as an artist is on display with the pleasing colors of fabrics she chose for her design. The second quilt was equally well matched.



Marcia and Ken remember picking raspberries for their Dad, who grew them commercially. Patty joined in, and we harvested nearly 4 quarts today.





Their plane taxies out to the runway on their way back to the Adirondacks. They will land at an unlighted private strip near the cottage Ken and Marcia own. They will be flying back to Florida next weekend but hope to return in the Fall.

Finishing Day 11

Some of the switchplates are here. Everyone who counts the number and variety needed, comes up with a different number. We have sent a couple back to the shop with a change in order. We don't think we have the right answer yet. In terms of the construction problems possible, this is one that provides amusement as all of us struggle to get it right!

Tad is working on the rollers at the base of the closet doors. The need addressed is not only to provide a smooth opening and closing, but also to keep clearance between the doors as they pass in front of each other. There needs to be enough space so as not to disturb any pinned fabric design on a moving door.

A gift from friend, Barb Seils. The ficus tree had outgrown her ceiling height and will take up residence in a corner of the new studio. We will leave it outside for some of the warm summer weather.
The herb garden produces well in a hot, dry summer as many of these varieties have a Mediteranian heritage. The tarragon plants on the left almost block the oregano on the right. In the rear, the ubiquitous lemon balm advances to take over all the space allowed.