Finishing a Winter Project

In Winter my projects are usually focused indoors. Once Spring starts my attention shifts to the outdoors and indoor activities are given second place. This past Winter, I embarked on a project that spilled into my Spring schedule.

The wall space on either side of the fireplace was empty. Over the past several years, I had been looking for something to fill the void. My first preference was for a pair of trumeau mirrors. I like the way mirrors open up a room and reflect light. The living room has beautiful windows, and the mirrors would accentuate these windows. Good trumeau mirrors are expensive and I could not find anything I was willing to afford.

Living in a country house, I wanted the trumeau mirrors to have a flower or natural motif. I own a lot of books with beautiful designs. It is enjoyable to leaf through the pages and imagine using the designs in some manner. This book is one of my favorites.

Birthe Svanholm Koustrop was a Danish naturalist, designer and painter. She illustrated and wrote this book on decorative motifs.

This design for a plate from 17th century Japan caught my eye. It incorporated the flowers, stylized roses, I wanted to feature above the mirror. The design is relatively simple, uncluttered and is easily adapted, both in form and color.

A trip to Lowe’s provided me with a prospective mirror dimension – 20 inches wide by 24 inches in length. The picture part of the trumeau would therefore be 20″ inches wide and less than 24 inches in height. I sketched out several different possibilities, but settled for 15 inches in height for the picture part of the trumeau mirror. Next, I free hand sketched my version of the Japanese plate design.

Using moire fabric I traced my design onto the fabric. I then embroidered the design using a technique referred to as needle painting. I am not a skilled embroiderer, but I admire the technique and I am not displeased with my mediocre results. It took me a few weeks to finish each of the panels. I would sit by the window embroidering the design and watch the winter landscape, whether it be rain, snow or a cloudy day. Regardless of the weather outside, my thoughts were focused on Spring flowers.

Andrew provided me with encouragement, even though I saw many mistakes in my work. A few weeks ago, we went back to Lowe’s to buy the mirrors and the wooden moldings to make the frames. Yesterday, I finally finished the frames.

After cutting and assembling the molding, glass, plywood and a little gold paint, my trumeau mirrors were ready to hang.

I always have projects of some sort, either in planning stages or in execution. While I was working on the mirrors, I also completed some other projects.

A dear friend invited us to a party at the Powelton Club. I made a host gift for him using scraps of wood I had in the garage. This simple planter box makes for a nice compliment to the Spring Rhododendron.

Nearly two years ago, Andrew and I built the little library for St. George’s Church in Newburgh. Recently, the library was vandalized. Somehow the door was ripped off the library. How this was accomplished I do not know. The door was attached with a brass hinge and 6 screws – that were so firmly attached the hinge was removed, but the screws stayed embedded in the wood. I repaired the library, and it is as good as new.

Projects are not just a way to pass the time, they provide me with a creative outlet, they challenge me to methodically plan how to design, engineer and execute my designs. From beginning to end it is challenging and rewarding. Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” I don’t know how intelligent I am, given the errors I make with my projects, but I do know I have a tremendous amount of fun!