Backyard Project: 2 Sheds With 1 Roof - Naming the Spaces

If you have been following the construction of this building you are likely to have been confused about its configuration. 

Naming the Spaces

Looking at the potting area

Looking at the doorway to one shed and where firewood is to be stacked

Looking north, the building is tucked in behind the garage

Looking at the entrance to the 2nd shed and the space for shelving

Potting area on the left, project bench on the right

All under one roof. View looking south-west.

The north wall of the garage and this roof are part of the deer fence/barrier. I'm not convinced the deer won't try to leap up onto the roof and then jump down into the shed area. People reassure me they won't. Hmm...

Now the plywood is in place it is easier to see the spaces.

Shed doorway with firewood storage on the right.

Back shed with a storage area where the orange ladder is leaning.

Is it clear now how the different spaces fit together?

Backyard Project: 2 Sheds Starting to Take Shape

The framework for the 2 sheds is coming along.

Another delivery

Sheets of plywood (left), roof beams (bottom right), fascia boards (top right).

I had to ask to be able to tell you that.

The first lot of plywood is nailed in place to make the west wall.

Josh hoists up the first roof beam and puts it in place - on a very wet and cold day.

Now all of the roof beams are in place. 

The building is really taking shape now.

Backyard Project: 2 Structures Starting to Look Real

Structure #1 The Shed Area. Foundation/Retaining Wall on north side

Just before we went away for Christmas the Shed site had been blasted, dug out and levelled off. Footings had been framed up, poured, framework removed, then covered up with backfill. Foundation walls had been framed up, poured then the framework removed. Gravel was spread over the area to smooth the ground and to provide an even work surface. The gravel hid a lot of the hard work that had been done.

The first wall frames were a welcome sight.

Looking south into the back of the power tool shed.

Structure #2 Propagation Room

This indoor-outdoor room supports a roof easily accessed from the upper level of the house. I walk from my office/library through this transition room outside and along the path to my studio.

The lower propagation table frame is in place.

Electricians came and installed wiring for lights.

It is time to make yet another decision - what sort of light fixtures? 

Grow lights in a propagation room?

Outside the deer fence looking in at the Propagation Room.

The wall of punched steel will allow air to flow freely around the plants.

View from the Propagation room out to my studio.

There is still a lot of work to do but it feels as though things are starting to come together.

New Work: Responding to Trees with Stitch

This work began with a cloth that was buried in the soil beside a Douglas-fir tree. Before the cloth began to decay I dug it up.

It was now my turn to respond to the cloth. 

I liked the bits of leaves stuck to the cloth so stitched over some of them to hold them in place.

Now it was the tree's turn to respond. 

When the cloth was dry I stretched it on a hoop and waited for a windy day. When that day arrived I raced out and tied a little paintbrush to the end of a branch. I dipped the brush into a bottle of ink then held the hooped cloth up to the brush. While the wind blew the branch around the ink-filled brush drew on the cloth - a wind drawing.

Now it was my turn to respond again.

It was time for me to add more stitch to respond to the tree's wind drawing.

The cloth needed a backing to support the stitching I had in mind.

I selected a bedsheet stained during its time wrapped around the trunk of the tree.

I found another unstained bedsheet to give a firmer cloth to stitch into.

I trialled different bedsheets to get enough contrast between the 3 cloths. Even though the colours are soft and subtle, contrast between the different cloths is still needed. 

I used my camera to take black and white photographs to check the value contrast between the different sheets before I settled on this combination.

I wanted to show the little branchlets that break off the Douglas-fir tree during a wind storm.

I went though my large bin of 'white' thread to find just the right ones.

I went outside to find one of these branchlets and made lots of drawings of it until my hands knew the angle at which the needles came out of the branch.

Next, I stitched some samples, trialling different stitch combinations. I settled on a made-up version of couching though no doubt someone somewhere has invented this stitch before. I call it a long-armed couching stitch.

Now I have to settle down and stitch every day to make sure I keep the rhythm going and keep remembering my intention with this work.

James Bond Hotel Amalia Delphi by Nikos Valsamkis

When the family checked into the Amalia Delphi Hotel in Delphi here, while touring Greece early this year, the 20-somethings commented we had walked into a James Bond hotel. 

Built in 1964 in the mid-century modern style the owners have recently renovated staying true to the architect's design so it did indeed look like a James Bond movie set.

The architect Nicos Valsamakis more of his designs here has been called 'the most important Greek architect of today.'

The above image taken in the hotel's lounge shows some of his signature moves: cut outs through walls, usually rectangular in shape, mixing the old/traditional - a Byzantine style icon - with the new - beside the icon there is a framed contemporary weaving by a Greek artist.

The huge lounge is divided up into many small areas defined by different collections of comfortable furniture. Unlike many hotel communal rooms, this room was in continual use by the guests.

The lounge in the bar was more intimate with smaller groups of chairs in warmer colours.

This time the rectangular wall cutout is filled with a fireplace and wood storage.

The blue-grey slate floor tiles in the common areas contrast with the brighter colours in the furniture with a predominance of orange complementing the blue floor.

One of the most striking features of the hotel is the play of material textures and colours. Here a cool coloured, rough stone wall butts up against a warm coloured finely crafted wood and steel wall.

The hallways to the rooms have a rough stone wall on one side contrasting with a smooth white one on the other side while the floor is made of large roughly hewn but smooth stone blocks like many of the stone paths we had walked on all day while exploring Delphi historic sights. I had the feeling I was walking on the bedrock of the mountain the hotel was built into.

The unadorned walls in a muted neutral pallette emphasise their contrasting textures

Tucked into recesses in the white wall is a smooth soft green wall with barely visible entrances to the rooms, softly lite by rectangular shaped overhead lights. One's room felt discrete and private even before entering it.

A tranquil outside garden off the bar lounge is entered by walking on a string of stones across a koi-filled pond.

The grass and shrub filled, flat, green roofs were way ahead of their time. But this 1964 design may be referencing a feature of traditional Greek architecture.

The hotel snugs comfortably against the mountain-side blending in seamlessly and is surrounded by its 35 acres of gardens.

I spent a lot of time observing how the guests used each space. Every area was so often alive with quiet activity - some finding a quiet spot to read, a relaxing place to share a drink with friends, a large enough space for a family gathering.

What a treat it was to stay in such a well-designed building and to have the time to observe it how well its spaces functioned. I will be on the lookout for more of architect Nicos Valsamakis's creations.

Things Textiley in Greece: Fibres and Fabrics - Old and New

Goats on the road, every afternoon - milking time. 

The huge variety of goat cheeses and other dairy products was a gourmet's delight while travelling around Greece. Each village seems to have its own bacterial cultures producing distinctively different cheeses. It was the same with the many different fermented drinks. The fermented honey mead drink served warm on a cold rainy day was my favourite.

I was reminded of how standardized and limited the range of the bulk of commercially available food has become in North America.

Goat meat dishes were on the menu in most places and in the antique shops, I saw many goat hair textiles, often combined with wool. I suspect the goat has been a key item in the Greek economy for centuries.

The oldest textile in Greece has been found in the Church of Saint Sophia.

These ribbons were made between the 2nd half of the 14th century and up to the 1st half of the 16th century. Using gilded silver threads and metal beads they were woven on a tablet loom and embroidered in satin stitch.

Processing Silk

Local silk production went on during the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods - 320AD to the 1800s.

Notice the elegant Kelpht guard watching over the work.

'Metaxi present and past'

A new textile installation. The title plays with the 2 meanings of metaxi - 'silk' and 'between'.

It refers to the "unknown princess" whose clothing and hair was found when her grave in the church of Saint Sophia was excavated. 

Currently on display in the Museum of Mystras are her silk undergarment and her silk outer garment, remnants of her leather shoes and her hair still tied up and decorated in a variety of silk laces. These silk garments plus the history of silk production was the inspiration for this contemporary art installation. 'The 3D arrangement of yarns form linear patterns and reshapes the structure of the dress, reconstructing an immaterial and ethereal female figure.'

'By using yarn as a raw material, the weaving of a cultural bridge is achieved. A bridge that connects notionally the historical weaving position of women in the development of history and cultural meaning through a colourful path between past and present.'

The history of Greek textiles is long and interwoven with every aspect their culture.

Things Textiley in Greece: Peloponnese Peninsula Traditional Costumes

Vocha, Corinthia, Greece, early 20th century

Layers of wool and cotton heavily embroidered. Silver ornament.

Belesi, Argolid, Greece, early 20th century

The heavily embroidered red vest is all the more eye-catching when worn with the white over-vest.

The many different types of embroidery reflect the many outside influences over Greece's long history.

Turkish influences in style, techniques and materials.

Both men's and women's garments were densely embroidered...

....while in some areas they were elegantly simple.

Women's costume from Hydra in the 20th century.

The wide -sleeved blouse with the fitted, woollen, embroidered jacket are elements seen in the current Evzone guard uniform I looked at in the previous post.

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Man's dress 'Kanavista' of the Argolid plain, Peloponnese, early 20th century.

I'm sorry about the quality of this image because I just love this garment.

It looks simple but close inspection shows the masterful use of a plaid material. 

The padded areas over the shoulders and across the chest and the ease of movement allowed by the pleated skirt suggest it is derived from a working garment or a garment worn in battle.

And I thought different coloured buttons on a garment was a contemporary thing.

The many layers of multi-directional pieces would add strength and warmth to the fabric

Bridal costume, Argos, Peloponnese, 19th century

This is an interesting bridal costume because it showcases so many different fabrics, embroidery techniques and threads all on one garment.

Apron: Appliqued ribbon, rick rack and lace.

Pin tucks, lace inserts and ribbon rosettes.

Machine made.

Cross stitch on cotton and woollen fabrics.

Blackwork in running stitches and whitework using satin stitches.

Densely worked wool on wool in a variety of stitches.

Hand embroidered.

Is the bride showcasing her embroidery and dressmaking skills?

Modern Greeks dressed to be outside for a cold winter's afternoon on a public holiday.