What We're Making

[Dreamer]

I knew that we had intelligent people on this site, but did not realize how many are talented also. Love all of the above projects. Even though I wish I were, I am not crafty at all. Great job, everyone.

 

[LitGal]

Here's a couple of quick photos of a quilt I recently completed. I did not do the quilting (sent it to a long-armer) since I have trouble handling the large quilts on my regular home machine.

The quilt top was pieced entirely from scraps in my stash. I started it last winter, when I was stuck in the house during a snowstorm so couldn't get out to the fabric store. Turned out to be a win-win: freed up some shelf space and gained a fun scrappy quilt in the process. View attachment 22765View attachment 22766

Wow. Simply, wow!!

 

[LitGal]

I knew that we had intelligent people on this site, but did not realize how many are talented also. Love all of the above projects. Even though I wish I were, I am not crafty at all. Great job, everyone.

+1

 

[DrRoy]

You guys are impressive!
I made footprints in the snow today.

That made me laugh.

I consider myself a maker of photographs.

 

[zedd]

What I made as a part of one of my hobbies a few days ago doesn't photograph very well. You'd have to see it in action, and even then, not real exciting.

Wrote a lot of computer code in a previous life. Wish I could read this. The jpg doesn't expand well.

 

[Ronstar]

I'm in the process of making an "Architect's table". Here's a photo album of progress photos that I'm updating for friends/family so that I don't have to keep sending them photos. Table should be done around Jan 5.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=eUctTjM3ZVlPUDFUZFRXUzdOaXQzcGZkR0VCTmFn



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[hesperus]

"tree of life" cherry wood drink coasters, a poplar register cover (unfinished), and a rendered photograph, all made with my trotec 80W CO2 laser

 

[Marita40]

Thanks to spncity for the Sugru idea! I had never heard of this stuff. I didn't buy Sugru but rather a rival called something like SuperPutty. It worked! I used ribbon and a wad of it on the backs of the ornaments and it bonded rock solid in 24 hours. Great idea, and I'm sure I'll find other uses for this putty.

 

[spncity]

That made me laugh.

I consider myself a maker of photographs.

Lovely - is that digital or film?

 

[DrRoy]

Lovely - is that digital or film?

It's digital, Canon 6D, from Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

 

[spncity]

Thanks to spncity for the Sugru idea! I had never heard of this stuff. I didn't buy Sugru but rather a rival called something like SuperPutty. It worked! I used ribbon and a wad of it on the backs of the ornaments and it bonded rock solid in 24 hours. Great idea, and I'm sure I'll find other uses for this putty.

Yay! Good job.

For any who are interested, the Sugru cures to be more of a hard, rubbery material, there are a few different colors, and colors can be mixed to make other colors. You can give it a smooth finish or a textured finish. I used some in cracks wearing in the rubber soles of a favorite pair of shoes to make the shoes last longer. Even fixed a pair of Eddie Bauer snow boots that had a split. www.Sugru.com recently redesigned their website, so to see the gallery of more creative ideas submitted by users, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Gallery.

My other recent "find" is Tear Mender - with which I can mend blue jeans in a snap. Works for some types of leather repair. Not good for thin fabrics. Best to watch the instructions. https://www.tearmender.com/howto.php

 

[davemartin88]

Yesterday I did an inlay on the CNC machine, didn't come out perfect but have the concept now. This is walnut laid in to a piece of oak plywood. It's about 5" x6".

Here's a link to how the process is done for those interested, there is a video there as well.

Tips - VInlay Technique

Keep the pictures coming along with the questions and tips/info.

 

[davemartin88]

Compost. This is manure from our alpacas after about two to three weeks, it's the pile where we throw fresh manure when cleaning the barn. You can see the steam rising as I was moving it with the tractor to a larger pile so it was cooking well. I usually add the sawdust from my workshop to the pile as well. Some people use alpaca manure without composting but it breaks down quickly and in about 3 months, it is really easy to work in to flower beds or the garden. I'm using most of what we have trying to improve or pasture. Ground is mostly shale but slowly getting better. We now have about 1/2 acre of nice grass for the alpacas to munch in the summer and hope to get another 1/2 acre growing well. We do have a couple of neighbors that come by for a pickup truck full as well every so often.

View attachment 22895

 

[zedd]

Compost. This is manure from our alpacas after about two to three weeks, it's the pile where we throw fresh manure when cleaning the barn. You can see the steam rising as I was moving it with the tractor to a larger pile so it was cooking well. I usually add the sawdust from my workshop to the pile as well. Some people use alpaca manure without composting but it breaks down quickly and in about 3 months, it is really easy to work in to flower beds or the garden. I'm using most of what we have trying to improve or pasture. Ground is mostly shale but slowly getting better. We now have about 1/2 acre of nice grass for the alpacas to munch in the summer and hope to get another 1/2 acre growing well. We do have a couple of neighbors that come by for a pickup truck full as well every so often.

View attachment 22895

You can make a really nice organic slow release fertilizer by mixing your composted alpaca poo with biochar. Biochar is similar to charcoal, but made differently. Adding compose to biochar is known as inoculating it. The compost nutrients become embedded in the honeycomb-like texture of the biochar thus allowing for a slow release over the course of decades.

full disclosure: I'm a certified permaculture practitioner

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

My art turns out looking like compost.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[spncity]

My art turns out looking like compost.

What are we making?

We are making people smile, even laugh out loud!

 

[davemartin88]

My art turns out looking like compost.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

Good one!

Thought I might take us off track a bit but since I'm the original poster, figured I could get away with it. I also tried to select a photo that wasn't too graphic- usually we want to see the nitty gritty but in this case, I thought the steam covered it quite nicely.

Net is, interested to see what others are working on!

 

[athena53]

Not sure how to get the text at the top of this picture instead of the bottom, but oh, well.


I learned to knit years ago and took it up again shortly before retirement because our church has a group that knits chemo caps and also provides hats around Christmas to poor people through Project Warmth. Even better, women who have quit knitting have brought in giant stashes of unused yarn (and sometimes partially-completed pieces which I happily unravel). I'd never worked with patterns other than simple stripes before and now I'm really enjoying it. I sure don't need mountains of knitted goods, so I can be creative, make nice things, and give them away to people who need them. Everybody wins!


I did find some beautiful yarn among the donated stash with silk content, in mixed shads, and made myself a circular scarf. I put an extra check in the collection basket for the yarn!

 

[W2R]

I am no good at things like carpentry or painting. The climate here in New Orleans does not often inspire me to knit or crochet any more.

But here's something I do - - maybe too fictional for some, but here it is. In a video game called Animal Crossing, one can design patterns that can be used for paths or plazas. These aren't pre-made paths, or paths from other peoples' patterns, but ones I individually designed, pixel by pixel including all the shading. They take forever to make, but it is relaxing to me and I think they are pretty. The little canals with water in the third picture are also patterns that I designed the same way as a path, pixel by pixel. Also the spider-y looking tiles in the first image are ones I designed.

OK, they're not tangible. I know. This is about the limit of my creativity.

 

[Walt34]

OK, they're not tangible. I know. This is about the limit of my creativity.

Still, very nice! You're way ahead of me in the creativity department.

 

[W2R]

Still, very nice! You're way ahead of me in the creativity department.

I seriously doubt it! Your photos are amazing.

 

[davemartin88]

athena53- nice hats. I work with a local charity that provides warm clothing for kids and we have several groups that knit hats for us. The parents and kids get to pick the hat to go with their coats and the hand knit caps always go fast!

W2R- interesting pixel patterns and sure seems artistic to me!

 

[pb4uski]

Compost. This is manure ....

So if I attach a photo of what is in my toilet before I flush it qualifies for this "What We're Making" thread?

 

[davemartin88]

So if I attach a photo of what is in my toilet before I flush it qualifies for this "What We're Making" thread?

Only if you give the background behind the picture and what you're doing with the manure after its composted.

 

[Ronstar]

Finally finished my drafting table "architect's table"