Stools n things

Mike's been busy in his workshop, making very lovely 'Windsor stools' and a three-legged chair.



Here are two stools made of ash.  These have scooped seats, turned legs, and steam-bent "stretchers" between the front legs.  Very comfortable, perfect to keep handy in a corner (or for fishing on a river bank?).



Here, we have a three-legged "occasional" chair.  This fits really nicely in a corner, having only one back leg, so would be perfect for a bedroom.  Two turned and three hand-shaved spindles form the back, and there are three turned legs.  The quilt can also be seen here!



I would recommend this chair for occasional use, or as a bedside chair; to keep the design uncluttered there are no leg stretchers, so heavy use would put more strain on the leg joints.  Of course, it's fine to sit on! It's just that a chair with stretchers will stand up better to constant use.



In the photo above you can see how the horizontal crest and back spindles are joined.  Each spindle fits into a hole in the crest, and then the outside and centre spindles are also fixed with small, strong wooden pins called treenails.



Vicky xx

Mike's next chair

I love this! Mike has made a second dining chair, a lovely modern design:



Like the first one (here), this one is made from ash.  The back spindles and legs are turned by hand on a lathe



and the crest steam bent, then shaped by hand:



To me it seems to go particularly well with the yellow kettle we keep on the stove!



I'm hoping there might be a set of these along sometime soon...

Vicky xx

Handmade Windsor chair

Today's is a guest post!
Actually, it's written by me, but it features something made by my husband.  He has been making a Windsor chair, which is at our dining room table and is really beautiful - here it is!



All of this chair is made of ash (Fraxinus), a wood traditionally used for furniture because of its strength, lightness and fine grain.



The seat is shaped using a bandsaw, then contoured with hand and power tools.  Drilling the holes for the angled legs and back spindles caused a little light swearing!



The back crest is made from a flat piece of wood, steamed and bent around a former.  Curving it like this makes the chair very comfy.  The upright back spindles are shaved from cleft green ash, giving them a lovely light appearance.



Mike's plan is to make these chairs to order, and the first ones should be available later this year (2016).  Do get in touch if you're interested!

Vicky xx

Bunk beds

For Christmas, my daughter had twin dollies on her list, and obviously they needed bunk beds.  My husband made the bed frame, and I made the fabric bits - hammock beds and quilts!



Fran and Katy are 40cm dolls (made by this FairTrade company), so the bunks are about 50 cm long and 20 cm wide.  They seem to sleep well in them, in fact some days they don't get up at all.



Each little quilt is 25cm x 30cm, made with quilt batting and binding, but no quilting so they're not too stiff.



Sweet dreams, girls xx