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| front window |
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| side windows |
For comparison, you can see photos of the original room here.
Then there's the floor, which is in pretty bad shape.
If I'm remembering correctly, this is actually the sub-floor, which was probably intended to be covered. I would love to put a hardwood floor on top of it. Even wall-to-wall carpet would help. But for now, we don't have the funds to do anything with it. So I need a temporary solution.
Another problem, is this . . .
The house originally had two back-to-back fireplaces, one in the living room and one in this bedroom. Unfortunately, the mortar in the original chimney was soft enough to poke your finger through, so everything was torn out. You can see the interesting innards of a dual chimney here.
It would also be nice to do something with this closet.
It's about 6-feet long and very shallow, just 17.5" deep, which is barely wide enough for clothes hangers. The shelves are on one side only. The door opening is 23 in. by 6 ft, so it's awkward to utilize the space. Making it deeper would mean building it out into the room; an idea we've discussed. I think an easier solution would be to tear out the door and wall to the left and hang a pair of by-pass doors. I keep off-season clothing in there, but mostly it's for storage.
Even in opting for the simplest solutions, the ability to actually do anything isn't imminent. In discussing what needs to be done, Dan said he'd be able to work around the loom, which gave me the go-ahead. The room will be finished eventually, but for now, I want to abandon the storage facility decor and make the room functional. I want to use my large loom again.
For now, I decided to cover the floor with an area rug and there it is. This is actually my old dining room rug, which I replaced with a new, cleaner one. The loom is in the middle of the room, with space to walk around it and get to the windows. There's enough room to scoot it over if needed.
I still need to attach the texsolv cords, which is called "tying up." This connects all the moving parts (countermarch, shafts, lamms, and treadles).
It's a project in itself because everything must be even and level.
Both Dan and I are pleased to see the loom assembled again. It certainly looks better than piles of boxes! I'd like to weave rugs, draperies, and yardage on this loom and use the table loom for smaller projects such as hand towels, table runners, scarves, etc. (My next planned project for the table loom is a small t-shirt yarn bathroom rug.)
After the windows are finished off, I can paint, which always freshens up a room. In the meantime, though, we can at least enjoy this room once again.
26 comments:
Wow, that’s a lot to tackle. Sounds like it might be easier to just buy a shed and set it up as a studio.
Enjoy using the loom again! I hope you’ll share your projects with us.
Daisy, some people might do that! But this is actually easier, since the room makes it very convenient to weave and has electricity! ;)
I do most of my fiber arts sharing on my fiber journal, https://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com/. It's just easier to keep my topics sorted and find things that way.
Good post
Thanks!
You've waited a long time to be reunited with your loom! It's a lovely place for it, great light if you ever get daytime for weaving.
As someone who has nearly fixed up two entire houses while living in them with three to four other people, I get used to working around objects all the time. Now that many of the living areas have hardwood floors, I put foam slider pucks under everything which makes shuffling things to one side or the other a lot easier.
Looks like that closet space could store a lot of your seasonal stuff if you could only access it easier. I'd be tempted to open it up and install shelves, starting high enough that box fans, etc. could sit on the floor underneath. Until bi-pass doors are in the budget, you could hang a curtain or colorful quilt to cover it.
Boud, the light is wonderful! Hopefully, this summer I will have time to weave on hot afternoons. Still thinking about other lightning. Maybe a workshop light hung over the weaving area of the loom.
Ed, foam slider pucks are a great idea! Nice to know someone else works in similar conditions. :)
Michelle, the curtain is a great idea for the closet. Part of the problem is the clothing rack and shelf above it. The door is so low and narrow that it's impossible to utilize the empty space above the shelf. We have 9-foot ceilings, so there's a lot of wasted space up there!
Good bones. That's what they say about a house like this. It's beautiful even while you are changing it. Do you use the loom? What do you make?
Sandy, that's exactly it - good bones. The house is 100 years old and probably typical of the standards of the day. We've made a lot of good upgrades over the years.
I love to weave and used that loom daily until we moved here. Then there was too much to do plus having to keep it stored for remodeling projects. I will definitely be using it often, once it's all tied up. I especially like weaving practical items: towels, rugs, table runners, place mats, yardage, curtains. There's just something satisfying about making things from scratch.
Wow!! That is a true talent. I wouldn't know how to even use it.
Definitely better than boxes! Looks great :-)
I bet it feels good to get your loom set up. No loom here, but I do love disappearing up to my little craft room when I can.
I am sure you and Dan will come up with some creative ideas for the closet and the remains of the old fireplaces. Looking forward to what you decide to do.
Leigh, what I had in mind about 'opening it up' was more than removing the door. I was thinking of removing the door and entire front wall, adding shelves as needed all the way across, and covering the shelves with fabric. Handwoven fabric would be especially appropriate, but that's a lot of yardage!
Sandi, I started at the beginning just like everybody else. :)
Lady Locust, I agree!
Rosalea, thanks! It's wonderful to have a creative space again.
Michelle, that's pretty much what we had in mind too, removing the door and cutting out much of the wall to fit the by-pass doors. They'd be taller than the current door too, which would make the area above the shelf more accessible. I haven't figured out about the closet space yet though. Shelves would be more useful, but I'd like to leave some space for hanging clothes. I'm sure there are plenty of closet organizer ideas out there.
Well that closet would be perfect to store cones of yarn. You'd be able to find them all easily! I also like the floor, even if it's subfloor. It has character and is interesting. An area rug on it is perfect. I had my loom in that situation for a while and it was great. A warm spot to work on, and it kept the loom from creeping while beating. It's great when areas become useable again. Moving and renovating always take a toll that way.
Nice loom! Nice to have a hobby like that. I want to do something like that when I retire, ha ha, maybe crocheting
Nina, what I'm thinking at the moment, is that it would be a good place to store my spinning fleeces. I still have several (which means I need to start spinning again!)
Glad to hear you liked weaving with a rug under the loom. People commonly mention hardwood floors are easier for cleaning under a loom, but also that it tends to creep. I don't recall having that problem before, when I only had wall-to-wall carpeting.
Anonymous, anything with yarn or thread makes a great hobby! Creative and useful too; the best of both worlds.
It's looking great! I would love to have any size closet here. We literally do not have any linen closets/storage closets in this house. The only closets are built in for the bedrooms. I use an antique laundry basket for a towel holder in one bathroom, and a wall until for the other. It can be frustrating at times, but has gotten us to be creative.
I know from experience that it sure takes a lot of patience when you have big projects to redo. This is especially so, when you choose to pay cash as you do the projects. Hopefully, you will now be able to enjoy your loom. Isn't it amazing what large rugs can do for a floor/room? Enjoy a beautiful Friday
Kristina, I hate to say it, but we tore out a large linen closet when we created our master suite. It's a nuisance not having one, isn't it? I use a couple shelves in the bedroom closet, and that's better than nothing!
Shug, patience is a great benefit! I don't mind waiting, especially if it means we don't accrue debt. Really looking forward to weaving some rugs!
WOW - what a great looking loom!! I look forward to seeing what you make on it.
RT, thank you! It's been awhile since I've used it, so I'm going to have to re-learn everything. :)
I'm looking at that narrow closet and thinking take the existing door off, and hang it above with a barn door roller-fitting. You get a sliding door without having to buy extras!
Chris, that's exactly what I'm thinking too! Dan's concerned with how narrow the closet is, but if we tear out that wall, we can gain 5 inches in width minus the depth of the sliders. I think it will be plenty of room to make the closet more useful (and more accessible).
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