Work Has Resumed!
 

Howdy y'all!

Well, it's been a long year. DH and I have been to six family funerals in this past year, and DH has had two surgeries on his left hand with another one coming up in January. He managed to get one prong of a staple in the palm of his hand just barely enough to bring the blood back in May. Two days later he was hospitalized because his hand had swollen up all the way up to his elbow because he got MRSA from the puncture wound. Thus the reason for the surgeries...to drain the infection, plus daily trips to an infectious disease specialist for infusions. The surgery in January will be to reconnect the tendons in his ring finger that tore loose due to the swelling. WHEW!!

Anywho... things have slowed down enough for now that the work has resumed on converting the one-car garage in our back yard that was used for storage into my sewing room!! The first thing that needed to be done was to put the insulation in the walls. They also hung some canned lights over the areas where my machines will be located. The garage was set on a concrete slab and elevated on the slab by concrete blocks. Since the edges of the blocks extend about 5 1/2" further into the room than the wall studs do, I wasn't sure how to address this. The builder suggested putting a plywood front on the blocks, then making a wooden ledge on top of them. I liked this idea! Not only will it give me a "shelf" to sit things on, but having that ledge behind the sewing machines will catch and support the weight of any quilt I'll be working on! Since we had such torrential rains this year, we found out that the roof of the garage has a couple of bad leaks. So nothing much more can be done inside until the roof is replaced. However...*drum roll please*...the roofers are here right now! On a SUNDAY even!!

So here are some pictures of what's been done so far. In the first picture you can see the combination AC/heating unit that was put in back in April. You can also see my dedicated breaker box, some of the electrical outlets I had installed at 4' high and 3' apart, and of course the insulation. The second picture shows the ledge that goes around the room and the plywood facing on the front of the blocks. These will be painted white. In the third picture you can see the work that has started on the roof. Let me know if you have any questions! 😃

Donna

Are you getting a skylight put in while they work on the roof? I am glad they came out on a Sunday to fix it for you. It will be nice for you to have a dedicated place for your quilting.

I hope your husbands hand surgery in the new year goes smoothly. My step sister got a rose thorn in her thumb. It got massively infected and she was lucky not to lose her hand. But it did trigger rheumatoid arthritis in her hand.

Looks like it will be nice and cozy!

That ledge you have plans for, may I suggest that you have that built into a narrow wall cabinet to hold FQs, canning jars with buttons, etc. If you do it correctly, you can use the doors for a design wall too. I'd love it. Prays for your hubby!

I would love that edge! I could see it with all my vintage sewing machine heads setting on it. That edge could be used for so many things. This will be one very nice sewing room.

Looking good!

I hope your your husband is now on the mend!

My sister had the same problem with her hand. She got a cut several years ago, the tendon slid down. The first fix didn’t work, so she had to have it redone this summer. Then in October her PT noticed some red lines and walked her over to the doctor’s office. They had to do a third surgery to clean out the infection and she is still having to inject antibiotics into a port on her other arm.

Rob

wow....can't wait til you post more pics!!

How exciting...it’s going to be a wonderful sewing space and I’m glad things have slowed down for you.

What a wonderful place to sew that will be in the end. Please keep us posted! Healing wishes for your hubby on upcoming surgery!

So happy for you on both counts - hubby healing and studio build out. Yay!

Your new digs are going to be wonderful!

Your sewing studio will be wonderful when it gets finished.

Sorry to hear of your Husband's hand issues.

My Husband fell 8/30/17 while filling landing and steps outside with liquid crack filler. He didn't realize he was at the edge of a 3" step. Stood up and tumbled down across three more landings with 3" steps. He landed face first beside a large chain link fence post. Cut about a 1/4" gash into his eyebrow, bled like a stuck hog for awhile. He fractured his right wrist. He had it bandaged, the in a cast and three weeks wearing a brace. Not able to lift more than 5 Lbs. Good thing we retired Jan. 1st 2017. Brace comes off next Tuesday.

I'm so sorry to hear of your husband's hand trauma. Life changes so quickly. But I'm glad there are surgeons who have the skills to repair all kinds of things, especially hands. Boggles my mind.

I'm happy for you to have a she-shed for a quilting hut. What will you put down on top of the slab so as to cushion your feet. THe old back won't tolerate concrete very long.

Your "sewing shed" is coming along nicely. When we built our outbuilding (combination work shop and sewing room but with a wall down the middle to separate me from the saw dust), I too was surprised that the cinder block foundation extended higher up the wall. So, I ended up painting the cinder block that same color as the walls and as it is covered a lot by sewing table and other "stuff", it worked out pretty well. My dh then did as you are doing by cutting and putting a wood shelf on the cinder block to cover it. We also have the combo heat/AC unit in each side. Bet you are going to really enjoy this room when it is done and you can get in there and sew!

That's exactly what I'm going to use it for. �� I have several older machines, enough so that if some don't work, I can use the cabinet for one that does. I can do basic maintenance on most machines, but have yet to restore one. My first attempt at that type of project will be a Singer 66 that I bought for $20! But even if I never succeed at restoring a machine, they'll still be beautiful decorations on my little ledge! Can you tell that I'm really tickled about it? ��

Donna

I'm going to have bamboo flooring with padding underneath put on over the concrete floor. In front of my cutting table I plan to have one of those padded, pressure absorbing type mats to stand on (Am I the only one who can't seem to cut correctly unless I'm standing?).

Your sewing shed is coming along nicely! :)

Sorry to hear about the family funerals and your husband's hand. My own husband had hand surgery 4 times in a year, I feel for you! However, it looks like you are making wonderful progress on your shed!

Oh, wow!!! That is going to be wonderful!. I am looking forward to more pictures as your new space progresses.

Wow, you sure had one stressful year! Hope your husband is on the mend too.
Can't wait to see your little haven finished!! You deserve it :)

Can't wait to the finished project.