Fall is in the air here in the north country. As the weather cools each year I start wanting to make. It feels instinctive. I want to sew, knit, and crochet all the warm things, cook lots of food. All it takes is the temps to cool off a day or so. I love the fall. Though it is often brief, it is full of breathtaking colors, crisp, fresh air, and wonderful smells of smoke from folks starting to warm their homes and lovely smells wafting from kitchen hearths. It is also time to start making candles again. More lovely smells.
We decided to join a homeschool group this year and I was asked to lead a class with another parent. In this class we will be calling Creative Entrepreneurship, the students will be coming up with ideas to sell things at an event to raise funds for the group. I thought small pieced barn quilts would be a nice option for the kids to make and sell if they choose to. For years I have wanted to make a barn quit…several in fact, but this year, in preparation for the upcoming class I decided to make one of them. I had been looking at my wall for two years thinking about this particular one. I saw a wood pieced barn quilt with hooks for hanging mittens. Money is not as fluid as I would like at the moment, but I do collect some cool things so had some nice things to work with. I decided to use what I had at home…mostly. I did buy a bundle of lath, some hooks, a paint sample and the board for the top as it will also serve as a shelf. I also needed to order french cleats to hang it. I had all the tools and other supplies already.
SUPPLIES & HOW I DID IT
I started with an old headboard I had refinished years ago not knowing it was a 3/4 bed…oops! Since I did not have the correct sized mattress, it has sat in our barn. I thought about making it a bench, but since I already had one, I decided to use it for my empty wall as art, mitten and other wet clothing dryer and shelf. I bought a bundle of lath made for plaster which was very inexpensive. Mine was $16.99. I used my miter saw to cut 45 degree angles at 2”. One strip made 21-2” cut pieces. I started arranging them as I made them and this quickly came together.
After I played with where to place the shelf a bit, the next part came. I needed to cut the legs off. I used my miter saw for this as well.
We brought the little pieces, some sand paper and the headboard sans legs to our porch. I wiped it all down with a damp rag.
My little one and I sat on the porch and roughly sanded the little pieces.
I rearranged them after sanding.
Next I painted all the red pieces and glued them all down with wood glue. It started to rain so I brought it inside.
Part of the reason I wanted to do a pieced barn quilt rather than just paint is the beautiful depth and dimension that it gives after staining. I let the glue set up overnight before staining. I did however move it back to the garage and add the little shelf brackets which were salvaged from another piece of furniture and the shelf that evening.
Stain unifies these four different things. Two pieces of furniture, plus the wood for the shelf, and the lath. I wanted a narrow shelf as this will be right next to our pellet stove and chimney. I used my jig saw to round the corners of the shelf. Then sanded it smooth.
Next and last, after leaving it in the sun and wind all day, I added the brackets.
I love the warmth this adds to the room. I am very happy with the way it turned out.
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TOOLS USED & PARTS
I hope that this has inspired you to make something to bring warmth to your home! This is not just nice to look at, but functional. I like that combination. Go dig through your stashes and see what you can find. For more warmth, learn how I make beeswax candles & warm winter woolens below.
