Tag Archives: Portland

Throwback Thursday: Backgammon

A military couple had traveled all around the world with this backgammon set. When they retired they finally wanted the worn board restored. Simple in some ways, it had to be accurate and smooth. We excavated the old, conserved the … Continue reading

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Throwback Thursday: Child’s Rocker

This week may be children’s week, as I am posting a throwback to a child’s rocker as well. The mother grew up with this rocker, but had made a new needlepoint for the seat. She wanted the old needlepoint cleaned. … Continue reading

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Heirloom Child’s Chair

The chair came to us through the heiress (hereafter called LB) to the Frank Crowe Mason Monterey Collection. The sweet chair was made by her grandfather… Someone had recovered it, but thankfully the original stuffings were intact! She wanted it … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 7, Buildup, Tufted Back and Seat

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with inside back excavation. The inside … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 6, Excavation, Back

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with the Buildup of the Seat. … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 5, Buildup, Seat

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with frame and finish conservation. Mitchell … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 4, Reparation and Finish Work

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with the excavation of the seat. … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 3, Excavation, Back (Partial)

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with the Excavation of the seat. … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 2, Excavation, Seat, Continued

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with the seat partially excavated. Removing … Continue reading

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Planter’s Chair: 1, Excavation, Seat

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. An overview of the process, from one vantage point, below. We begin with excavation. Excavation is the discovery process, and … Continue reading

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French Planter’s Chair

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860, belonging to a Portland preservationist. Hand carved persimmon wood, European Beechwood frame, original innards, unmolested finish. We’ll follow the chair in detail through excavation to the new show-cover. We will … Continue reading

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Lianne’s Linen Sampler Ca 1806

Lianne’s Great-great-great-GREAT grandmother, Hannah Epes, completed this sampler on June 26th, 1806, when she was 10 years old.  It came to us in the sweet old handkerchief box her grandmother kept it in, above, a keepsake. I like hearing the … Continue reading

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Process: Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Upholstery, 2 Show Cover

Continuing from the Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Upholstery, 1 Buildup post, (Or to begin at the beginning go here.) Buildup is complete, and we are ready to prepare the Show Cover of 4-5 oz. vegetable tanned strapping leather. Above, the … Continue reading

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Process: Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Upholstery, 1 Buildup

Continuing from the Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Finish post, (Or to begin at the beginning go here.) The frame is repaired and the finish conserved; Buildup begins! Stickley chairs do not have dustcovers, and so the underside of the canvas … Continue reading

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Process: Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Finish

Continuing from the Reparation of the Gustav Stickley Ladderback Armchair (Or to begin at the beginning go here.) We began our finish with a quick review of the chair with the repairs completed, above. The chairs were covered with radial … Continue reading

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Process: Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Frame Repair

Continuing from the Excavation of the Gustav Stickley Ladderback Armchair (Or to begin at the beginning go here.) Reparation of the frame begins with more disassembly, on an as-needed basis for each chair.  Corner blocks are removed, labeled, and screws … Continue reading

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Process: Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Excavation

We are continuing on in our process on the Gustav Stickley Ladderback Armchair. Chair before disassembly. To disassemble or excavate the upholstery we begin with the historic decorative nails.  Mitchell created a handy hand-tool for getting under the historic nails … Continue reading

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Process: Gustav Stickley Ladderback Chair Assessment

We’ve not chronicled a project for a long time and these original Gustav Stickley circa 1900-1910 Ladderbacks are so lovely (and often poorly conserved and restored) that it is a good way to begin again! We will chronicle our process … Continue reading

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An Afternoon at Philip Foster Farm National Historic Site

Mitchell and I performed a condition assessment at Philip Foster Farm in Eagle Creek, Oregon, the end of July.  Philip and Mary Charlotte Foster sailed around Cape Horn and landed in Oregon in 1843.  They established a store and farm in … Continue reading

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How Do I Take Care of THIS?

by DKP How do you get information on caring for your precious family heirlooms?  We are asked how-to care for items frequently, in areas where we have little expertise (photographs, digital information, etc.).  However, we know where people can obtain … Continue reading

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“Bishops Chair” Upholstery Conservation #2: Excavation

by DKP (Interviewing Mitchell) CATZ owner Sammy zips into the studio for the photo-shots. “O-U-T!” Part 2 finds us excavating the chair, which means to thoughtfully take the chair apart to be repaired with an eye to how it was … Continue reading

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