Sunday, March 16, 2014

Working with Wood: toys for the grandchildren


    On one of the recent snowy days, the grandchildren discovered Joe's electric saws and woodpiles. The girls rummaged through it and asked him to make them some doll beds, 20" long. Then he had to think of something to build for David, which the five year old could paint.




     We picked up the requested bed colors of light blue and purple by asking for wall paint samples at the hardware store. That way we got plenty of paint in the requested colors at a reasonable cost. The girls painted the first coat with sponge brushes; Joe put on a second coat. Tonight they start to decorate them with paint!
     

Hannah casually wondered about mattresses. I picked up 1" thick foam and cut it to size of 9"x 20" with the bandsaw. I stopped at Ben Franklin to get a yard of fabric for covers that went with both beds. Whereas I planned to cover the foam with a pillow case method, I found when fitting the fabric to the foam I could fold the edges as in wrapping a present. I fused and hand stitched the three edges and had enough left over for me to make a couple of pillows and more for the girls to do the same.


     Joe outdid himself on the truck. With no pattern, he cut and put pieces together. I will be curious if it will hold grandson's interest given how many trucks, trains and cars David already has. Well, grandchildren are a good excuse for adults to escape to get to play some more. Now it is back to the blocks for a Project Hope quilt (I've made 8 so far) and to write the recipe for those cute bracelets I am working on.

11 comments:

  1. Is there any material which you have not yet tried to transform? I doubt it!
    Always amazed!

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  2. Looks like everyone outdid themselves!! The wood projects are great!

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  3. I am happy to announce the beds were such a hit the girls did not want to decorate them...they were too pretty as is! Loved the mattresses. They immediately chose some fleece for blankets and sewed a throw. David nagged us to go to the studio so he could start painting his truck red, black and white. Major success. One never knows.

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  4. The trucks are too clever and the beds so pretty. I love it that you have projects which interest both boys and girls.
    Thanks for sharing!!!
    Love to all, Ruth Anne

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  5. Wow...beds are are great, but the truck is fabulous! I think Joe could make another career of of designing and constructing wooden toys! Looking forward to seeing a photo of how David painted his very special truck?

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  6. Love the beds and the sheets = perfect! And, the truck with the dragon is wonderful! Rosemary

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  7. Of course, a dragon! Think she'll sleep in one of the beds? Trilla

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  8. How impressive! I had no idea Joe was a woodworker! But great fun with grandkids! JS

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  9. You certainly outdid yourselves, I must agree. Your lovely mattresses and pillows make the beds unique. The truck is a work of art to be passed down by David to his children in decades to come.
    NM

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  10. I agree with all commenters that these wooden items are marvelous. Your grandchildren are fortunate to have such super-talented and creative grandparents!

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