Projects FINALLY Finished

meflick · August 21

So, many of you know that I had some major life interruptions a few years back now. That included my FIL passing (the last of both our parents), us buying the husband’s family home shortly thereafter necessitating my spending months cleaning out and packing our home to sale it and downsize. Then we moved, my husband had a major injury just days after moving where he literally smashed both heels and that was two surgeries and a long recovery (but he did recover well). This all while we built a couple buildings including a new shop and then completely gutted the almost 60 year old house to do major remodel including new plumbing and electric. Lost our 12 year old golden retriever to cancer in the middle of all that. Then my daughter threw a wedding in just as we were finishing all that up. As a result, my scroll saws, sanders and other tools were packed up and unused for most of the past 3+ years.

Some of what got packed up was several Intarsia projects that I had mostly just had cut out. One, Willie, was from an advanced class with Judy Gale Roberts even longer ago then that that I had never finished. Anyone who ever took one of Judy’s classes knows you never finished your piece in her class in the week you were there. There was always more depth and dimension to do. I had never gotten back to him after the class.

With the shop done, tools all set up and nothing else getting in my way, I finally decided I needed to get to it and finish the unfinished projects I had packed away for so long. I told myself I couldn’t start anything new until I finished what I had long ago started. I also told myself they didn’t have to be perfect, done was fine! So, other than a trip to Alaska for a week, I spent the last few weeks getting them done. I have a lot of rust on my sanding, shaping, fitting, gluing so they are not perfect but acceptable to me (mainly because they are done. )

I’m posting one picture with all 6 projects. 4 of them are JGR patterns. 3 of them are free patterns that can be found on her website here: https://intarsia.com/pages/download-free-intarsia-patterns. The Willie is also from JGR and can be bought on her site here: https://intarsia.com/search?type=product&q=willie. The “Got Cheese” mice and cheese pattern is a Kathy Wise pattern. It is from Issue 38, Spring 2010 SSWC Magazine. The Santa Claus is a pattern from our own @Montserrat. I choose to do some carving and wood burning on him, especially on his eyes rather than cut them out as very small separate pieces.