Framing

It is nice to see something going up. My place was a giant mud hole all winter, but I actually think that was preferable to having months of dust.

Foundation

Just the foundation, a little under 1,000 square feet. The foundation was six feet deep on the back side, so it took a lot of fill and concrete. One day I stopped by on my way to my digital video production class, and there was a huge dumptruck stuck right in the middle of the foundation. They had to bring in a bigger truck to pull him out. I figured that was an opportune time for me to make my exit.

Starting to Look Like Something

Now the building is finally beginning to look like something. I really tried not to have any preconceived notions of what it would look like, or especially what it would be like inside. Planning things on paper is not the same as seeing them in person. The building is 24' x 40', with the clean stuff to be upstairs ( machine quilting, offfice, quilt storage), and the messy stuff will be taught downstairs (painting, dyeing, printing) . That ladder at the front of the building was my only way in or out until a week before the building was completely done. I think that it was just a ploy to keep me out of the way.

Sunrise

This is the view from my desk/office area upstairs in my studio. This Big Leaf Maple is huge. I love seeing the stucture of the branches exposed in winter. I am always sad to see the trees getting thier leaves in the spring.

While my house was being remodeled I had to sleep upstairs in the studio for four months. How could you possibly have a bad day when you wake up to this?

The Chinese Peony

This is what we were working on in our first workshop in the new studio. We learn to do the silk organza flower which is painted with Tsukineko inks and then burned. I also teach them to make the leaves using the needle lace technique. It is always fun to see the expression on everyone's face when they realize they really can do this quite easily.

First Workshop in New Space

This is just a view of the back of the building. We have full spectrum lighting which is a great help. I put in fixture with two ballusts so that you can turn on two bulbs or four at a time (that's for when I get really old and can't see at all). It pays to plan ahead.

Chinese Peony Workshop

This was our first workshop in the new space. We had twelve people that day, so it was pretty cozy.

Terrace in Progress

It took 800 pounds of exterior grout for this project. It is 10'x 20'. I didn't think that I was ever going to finish it.

It took me about 45 hours just to do the grout.

This is a closeup of the stones. The larger black ones are Mexican beach pebbles and the smaller balck ones are from India. It is sealed with a lacquer based concrete sealer to bring out the color of the stones.

Finished Terrace

This is my completed terrace area. What a relief to finally be done just in time for the painters. The tree in the center is a Dwarf Weeping Cypress.