Taylor learned more how to sew

Taylor and Jordan are going on a pioneer trek this summer so I took a couple of days out of my schedule to help Taylor sew a pioneer dress.

She used the pattern that is used for Nauvoo costumes and we down sized it some. However, it didn't need much alteration because Taylor is growing up fast.

If you look close, you'll see grow tucks and piping both of which were used in pioneer days. Also note the dropped sleeve and tucks rather than gathers on the skirt.

Along with the dress, Taylor finished an apron that she started a year or so ago. However, she finished her bonnet long before this final project. She is going to use a petty coat and bloomers that Chelsea and Tiffanie used when they were her age. There's a skirt, blouse, and apron from prior years that also fit and can be used along with her new dress.

Jordan didn't ask for help sewing. I guess it's not his thing.

Keeping Kitchen Cabinets and other wood like new

I didn't take many pictures because you could hardly see the problem. Basically what my brother John and furniture making business owner said was that the top coat (that was put on after the glaze) was coming off. I could see a thin material peeling off in areas where the wood got a lot of exposure to steam.

The cabinets are about 10 years old so I can't complain about them not holding up. They are Diamond brand cabinets and nice quality.

With John's, help and suggestion, we took off about 11 of the doors and lightly sanded them carefully by hand with 220 grit sand paper. The doors above the microwave and stove top were the worst and had to be sanded the most. We were careful not to sand past the original stain and coffee glaze. The objective was to dull the finish and smooth off the spots where the top coat was peeling off. Sanding took the longest amount of time and most patience. John and Diane were great help.

Then we used cans of spray polyurethane to coat the doors. Of course we experimented first on an extra piece of cherry to make sure the sheen would be the same. We used a satin finish. I think we had about 3 thin coats before we were finished.

One of the doors above the stove dried funny. Apparently, cooler temperatures and/or humidity can change the look when drying. You could see areas of bubbly white showing through. John's wife Diane carefully sanded that door again with 320 grit sand paper. John blended some stain into the door and we top coated it again. As you can see, they look like new!

The front door had dulled with time. I used a marine Spar Varnish with  a satin finish a number of years ago. I can't remember for sure but it has probably been 7-8 years. It has a high UV protection and held up fairly well, however, it was dull and rather ugly looking. Since there was basically no sheen left, I used some of the old varnish to coat the door again. It went on really shiny this time and not very smooth.

John suggested I lightly sand the door like I did with the kitchen doors just to dull the finish but not take any of the stain off. I also put a light stain on the sanded material just to make sure it didn't stay white. Then I sprayed it with a product meant for doors called Helmsman Spar Urethane. It had a satin sheen also. I love it again like it was new.

The kitchen chairs were just dirty. I was told to use 0000 steel wool and Liquid Gold and scrub them clean. It worked great. I could scrub as hard as needed to get everything off and it didn't damage the wood. Diane and kids had used this method on the hand rail to the basement. I was amazed how much better they look.

Sewing cloths for Nauvoo

Gregg and I will be wearing pioneer cloths 6 days a week for the next year and a half. Nauvoo has their own pattern styles which they want us to follow specifically. There is a great deal of detailing that can't be seen. I have spent about 3 weeks working 8-10 hours each day to complete the work. It was fun once I finished up other projects and then got motivated to start cutting.

Below are two of my dresses with coordinating aprons. The pink apron can be worn with either the green or pink dress.

The apron below actually has a small purple print that is hard to see. It can be worn with other dresses as well. Nauvoo is very specific about the color of fabric. It can't be chosen from primary colors, can't be faded, but should be some what muted. I hope I did it right.

 I had the fabric store cut the blue dress fabric below after I had already cut the apron material. They were short 3/4 of a yard and I was a bit worried about having enough material. In the end, it worked great and I was glad I had experience as a youth working pattern pieces to fit on smaller than recommended pieces of fabric.

 This was the first dress I made. I bought the dress fabric without the apron fabric and then had trouble finding fabric to coordinate. Gregg actually found the gold print used for the apron and it is one of my favorite.

 I need white aprons when I work in the prophet's home. The tucks at the bottom are called grow tucks. I suspect I won't be growing taller while on my mission but I guess it's better to be prepared. :)

 Below are three vests for Gregg. They were taken from a regular men's vest pattern and altered to fit the style of the time which means no pockets, ties, and straight across on the bottom.

I needed a couple of pantaloons and a petticoat. This was the only garment I could add lace and/or ribbon. Most of the white cloths were taken from sheets rather than buying fabric by the yard. I hope I don't regret it.

I made four shirts for Gregg. As you see, the collar is different and the sleeves are fuller than a man's typical shirt today.

Then after talking to the sewing department at Nauvoo, I took their suggestion and visited a Goodwill. I bought 9 more shirts and remodeled them to fit Gregg and the time. With humid temperatures in the summer, it was recommended to have plenty of shirts and I was happy not to sew any more than needed.

So, there it is. I am finished for now but plan to take my sewing machine with me to Nauvoo for repairs or remakes. I feel much better with this project behind me.

(Side note: the craft room worked marvelously for the large project. I could spread out, make a mess, keep the different projects separate and organized, heat and cool the room only when needed, had plenty of light on demand, and didn't have to clean up for 3 weeks since it was out of the way.)

Changing the office to accommodate more employees

When Andrew Light started working for us the first of October 2013, his first recommendation was to go paperless. Getting rid of all the old file cabinets was time consuming but brilliant. I went through each and every file looking for trailing documents that may be needed later. I saved less than one drawer full of files and destroyed 15 drawers full of old files that would no longer be needed.

The next task was to add room dividers, windows, and doors to allow for private conversations to happen in four different locations. We also wanted a space to keep drinks to offer visiting clients.

We started designing the office in November, did the majority of the work between Christmas and New Years, and was finished the middle of January.

Andrew died of liver failure on January 17, 2014 without seeing the finished office. He was very instrumental in coming up with a workable plan and we miss him dearly. However, we are deeply grateful for the assistance and ideas he gave us before his early death.

 As you can see, Gregg's office is in the same spot as he's been for 10 years or so but with Andy's suggestion we turned his desk the other direction so he can see the front of the office easier. We also continued the wall further into the room and added a glass door for times his customers need privacy.

 We added another wall between the reception room and the 2nd office. With a large picture window, it's easy to keep track of clients coming and going but also has a glass door to close for private conversations.

 This picture shows the opening for the two doors. As you see, they are at an angle symmetrical to each other. It was taken while still under construction of course.

We cut the reception desk and swung it around to divide the work space from the front door. This was Gregg's idea. We left the small end of the reception desk in the same place to store the office printer etc.

 Allstate has a web site for office design. The accent colors and signage ideas were gleaned from there. We have either an Allstate sign or Good-hands logo behind each desk where customers will see it while being serviced.

Across from the reception desk is a waiting area. The chairs and small table with mirror and light were one of the most expensive additions. However, it gives a nice, professional touch.

 This is the new office behind the glass wall. We bought a new desk which was the 2nd most expensive item. There is seating room between the desk and the glass wall to the right of the desk as show here.

Another great addition are the dual monitors to the computers in both offices. This too was Andy's suggestion. Gregg, Andy, and now our new employee, Keith, can work faster and more efficiently switching between the two monitors.

This pictures shows the refrigerator and cabinet by the back door which we have stocked with numerous varieties of soft drinks and bottled water. It has yet to be used for client use but we hope it will be a friendly gesture when clients come to the office. Again, this was Andy's wish.

 In the back corner of office #2 we have a room divider with an Allstate logo. Behind this wall is one more working space.

Gregg and I call this space the "Leave me alone calling corner" for lack of a better name. We plan to hire a solicitor to call for leads from this out of the way spot. This area was designed multiple times and in the end the table had to be custom cut to fit. (Another 1/2 circle table found a home at our house since it was larger than advertised and simply didn't fit anywhere in the office.) However, the working space is functional the way it turned out.

 Here is a picture of where office #2 will be. We hauled off the old metal desk and filing cabinets and painted the accent wall. The new wall with the picture window will be put across this area.

 Here is a picture of Gregg's office after we painted the accent wall and moved his desk but before the wall was extended and the door was added.

 Here is a picture of the reception desk before we cut it and swung part of it around to divide the room. The posters were Andy's suggestion and made the room look better. I didn't get pictures before they were hung.

 I saved as much furniture as possible. This old chair was really comfortable but worn out. I covered the seat cushion and cleaned the back. A furniture restoration company showed me how to make the seat move up and down. We thought it was broken but we just needed to turn it upside down to turn the seat and adjust the height.

 We bought these chairs off Craig's list for $15 each. After painting and recovering the cushions, they took on a fun look.

Gregg's chair was in good shape but we no longer have cranberry in the office. I used fabric medium and paint to change it to blue. It looks like all the other furniture now. As you see the blue here, it is still wet and brighter than the finished product.

You can barely see the blue chair that Gregg is sitting on. It looks just like the other blue chairs since I color matched a piece of the blue fabric.

I also painted the room divider to match the back accent wall. The sound proofed wall was also bought used and quite plain. With the Good-hands logo hanging with it, it looks like it belongs rather than an eye sore.

We now have Keith and Betty bonded with Allstate and training to take over while Gregg and I leave for a mission to Nauvoo IL. We are hoping to add one more employee to our team to call for leads.