I’m so glad we waited to find another remnant of the quartz (“Lattice” by Pental) to finish this half-wall instead of capping it with wood trim. Wood would have been very nice but this is much more elegant. To the left of the wall you can see part of the clawfoot tub. Here’s a look at the entire tub:

I love the look of the vintage bath hardware, including the telephone-style shower head. Now for the shower, in all its tiled and glassed-in beauty:

Moving counter-clockwise, here’s the five-panel door, which used to swing into the bathroom but now slides neatly into its wall pocket:

As you can see from the right side of the photo, I’ve already hung towels on the wall to the left of the shower. I chose a deep teal blue.

Am I saving the best for last? Maybe! Here is the mirror over the vanity, with the three sconces mounted in place:

Another view from across the room:

Even prettier with the lights on:

And, for some drama, here’s a shot of two the sconces with the lights turned low:

Back where we started, here’s another shot of the toilet alcove and wall cap:

And there you have it. Am I thrilled? Absolutely!

There is more to come, however. The plantation shutters I ordered for the windows are due to arrive by the end of June. I’m going to wait until they are in place before putting pictures on the walls. In the meantime, I’ll be looking for a long narrow console table, preferably vintage, to go in this space between the end of the tub and the half-wall . . .

. . . and a bench to go in this little corner:

Once the bathroom is truly complete, which may take a few weeks, I’ll post some before-and-after photos. Until then, if you want to review the project from the outset, feel free to follow these links:

March 16: Happy Birthday, House!
March 27: The Bathroom Remodel Begins
March 31: Bathroom Reno, Week 1
April 8: Bathroom Reno, Week 2
April 15: Bathroom Reno, Week 3
April 21: Bathroom Reno, Week 4
April 28: Bathroom Reno, Week 5
May 5: Bathroom Reno, Week 6
May 12: Bathroom Reno, Week 7
May 19: Bathroom Reno, Week 8
May 27: Bathroom Reno, Week 9
June 2: Bathroom Reno, Week 10
June 9: Bathroom Reno, Week 11

Thanks for following along!

Be sure to check out the tile backsplash, which matches the tile design on the other side of the bathroom. Doesn’t it look good?

Here’s a full view of the vanity (taken from a rather odd angle):

The toilet has been installed!

And we have glass walls in the shower!

Can you tell I’m excited? I’m so ready for the bathroom to be complete.

Last week we were faced with a dilemma. We originally thought the remnant of Pental quartz chosen for the vanity was large enough for both the vanity and the top of the half-wall that forms an alcove around the toilet. The piece left over after the vanity was cut turned out to be just a few inches shy. Should we wait a bit, hoping another remnant would surface? Or cap the wall with wood trim instead? I asked my contractors to keep looking, and on Friday they found a small remnant of my quartz.

Maybe I’ll be able to show you photos of the wall cap in the next installment of our Bathroom Reno report. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Thankfully, we don’t have a pressing deadline for completion of the bathroom. The contractors predicted an eight-week job, and here we are approaching Week 11, but I don’t really mind. I think the wait will be worth it. And I do have something new to show you: the vanity!

As you can see, the countertop is on and the sinks have been installed. The countertop is Pental quartz; the color is “lattice,” a creamy white with very subtle beige-y grey markings. The knobs on the cupboards and drawers are clear glass. The drawers glide open and closed ever so smoothly. (I know this because I keep wandering into the bathroom to try them out.)

You  may be wondering why the vanity isn’t wall-to-wall. In the original plan, it was. But early in the project my contractors found a remnant of the quartz countertop I wanted which was a few inches shorter than the full space between the walls. One option they presented was making the vanity look like a piece of furniture (i.e. free-standing) in order to use the remnant. I am very pleased with the result.

Since I don’t have a lot to show you this week, I’ll end this post with a preview of a coming attraction:

Isn’t that a lovely sconce? There are going to be three of these mounted on the wall above the vanity. But before that happens, Erik (the tile guy) is coming back to install the backsplash on the vanity. I hope you’ll come back for a look.

Here’s a picture of the pillowcases I made for Reigh as a hostess/housewarming gift:

I knew she would love the fabric. Everything but the gold band is from Violet Craft’s Madrona Road line for Michael Miller. The gold fabric is one of the Mini Mikes blenders, also from Michael Miller.

I wasn’t planning to do any sewing over the weekend but there was a problem with the guest room shower curtain, brought from the old house. It was too short, and there wasn’t a good way to add to the length. So off we went to HomeFabrics and Rugs, a home decorating fabric store in Boise where we have found many a piece of fabric for other home dec projects in Reigh’s former home.

HomeFabrics has an amazing selection of fabrics, and the prices are just as amazing. The fabric we found for Reigh’s new shower curtain was a mere $5 a yard, and the trim was $2 a yard. You can’t beat that at Jo-Ann, even with a 40% off coupon. Here’s a picture of the new shower curtain in situ:

The photo above doesn’t do justice to the fabric. Here’s a closer look:

The solid green fabric used in the inset has a sheen to it and a crinkly texture that looks good against the smooth finish of the cotton print. Notice how well the fabrics go with the tile trim on the half-wall just to the right of the sink?

All of the windows in Reigh’s new home feature beautiful wood millwork so she opted for plantation shutters to show it off. That means that the panels I made in several rooms in Reigh’s old house couldn’t be used. One pair is going home with Diane, to be “repurposed” into valances when I visit her at Thanksgiving. Half of another pair came home with me, to be refashioned into a valance for Reigh’s master bath. I certainly have enough quilt and home dec projects to keep me going for a while!

Here’s a slightly different view with more of the wall tile showing:

You  may have caught a glimpse of the wall in the upper right side of the photo above but it’s a little hard to see exactly what color the wall paint is. Here’s a look across the room:

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Yes, I chose a pale dove grey for the walls. Are you surprised? I confess I surprised myself. I’m a quilter, and quilters love color. I actually auditioned quite a few bright colors, ones I thought would look especially good against all that white subway tile and the beige and gray tones of the floor tile.

My color inspiration was this watercolor print, St Germain Near Tunis (Inland), 1914, by the German-Swiss painter Paul Klee (1979-1940):

There’s a shade in Klee’s painting that’s not quite pink, not quite coral — more like the inside of a watermelon. I found myself drawn to that color but also to the cornflower blue and the teal. I had paint chips in several of those colors that I taped to the wall. One by one they came down as my choices narrowed.

In the end I decided on grey, a soothing neutral, knowing that just about any color or combination of colors would look good against it. It’s actually a warm grey, with a bit of a beige undertone that picks up the beige in the floor tiles.

I really like the crispness of the white wood trim against the grey walls. Here’s the pocket door, painted:

The grey on the walls changes depending on the angle (and the time of day).

The vanity is in — and it’s beautiful! — but I’m waiting till the countertop has been installed before showing it to you. In the meantime, here is a preview of coming attractions on the other side of the room:

Yes, a clawfoot tub! It’s not in its proper position yet (closer to the corner) but it was important to get it moved into the bathroom before the glass walls of the shower were brought in.

I think the shower glass is coming this week. In fact, the bathroom may well be completed by the end of the week. I hope you’ll come back to check it out.

As much as I enjoyed roaming the aisles, admiring quilts on display, looking at new fabric lines and publications and notions and patterns and threads and all of the other accoutrements of the quilting and crafting world, the highlight for me was meeting some of the quilt and fabric designers I admire whose blogs I have been following.

Here I am with Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka’s Treasures. Her blog, Trends and Traditions, is one of my favorites. Heather is so talented: she sews, quilts, designs patterns, designs fabric for Henry Glass, publishes books — and she knits the most beautiful sweathers you’ve ever seen. All of the quilts you see in the background are from her latest book, Angles with Ease, and were made with her new tool, the Triangler, which makes all kinds of shapes including two of my favorites, kaleidoscopes and hexagons.

Here is Emily Herrick, showing her latest fabric collection, Technicolor, for Michael Miller Fabrics:

I don’t remember how I discovered her blog, Crazy Old Ladies, but it’s lively and fun, just like Emily and her quilts. I’m crazy about the quilt on the right, made from Emily’s newest pattern, Boomerang.

I was delighted to see fellow Portlander Mo Bedell, who designs fabric for Andover. One look at the fabric samples on the wall behind Mo will show you why I like her designs and fabric lines so much:

Both Emily and Mo won Best Booth awards, given for excellence in design and the over-all look of their booths. Congratulations, Emily and Mo!

Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts was kind enough to pose for a photo with me:

Joanna’s blog, Fresh Figs, is always full of gorgeous photos of quilts and other crafted items made from her patterns and her fabric lines for Moda. We had a nice conversation about the new Moda Honeycombs — packs of 6″ hexagons. On the table behind me are a few mini-purses made from her new pattern, Hexies, and a pack of Honeycombs. Yep. Those are on my list now, too.

And what a delight to meet Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs, who blogs at Bunny Tales:

Anne is well known in the industry for her quilt designs featuring appliqué, and she also designs fabric for Moda. When I introduced myself and told her that my friend Colleen and I are huge fans, she gave me a big hug.

Starstruck? Oh, yes. But you know what? These superstars of the quilting world are real people, just like you and me. And the ones I had the good fortune to meet yesterday were incredibly gracious and kind.

Here’s a close-up of the product niche:

The photo above really shows off the skill of Erik, the “tile guy,” in particular the way he aligned the tile at the back of the niche with the tile on the outer wall.

Here’s a shot of the tile wainscoting:

In this photo you can see the “droplet” trim above the top row of subway tile. I was going for a classic look that will stand the test of time.

Erik actually grouted the floor tiles first but I neglected to take a photo when it was done. The next morning he covered every inch of the floor with paper to protect it while he grouted the walls, so I don’t have a photo to show you how wonderful it looks. All in good time.

Next came the painters, who covered all of the tilework as well as the windows and every other surface that is not going to be painted. An enormous amount of time goes into preparation for painting, and it looks like it will be midweek before all of the painting is done. I’m having the linen closet painted, too, and that required a lot of prep.

If you’ve been following the remodel, you can see how far we’ve come by clicking on the links below to the early weeks. New readers can start from the beginning if they wish:

March 16: Happy Birthday, House!
March 27: The Bathroom Remodel Begins
March 31: Bathroom Reno, Week 1
April 8: Bathroom Reno, Week 2
April 15: Bathroom Reno, Week 3
April 21: Bathroom Reno, Week 4
April 28: Bathroom Reno, Week 5
May 5: Bathroom Reno, Week 6
May 12: Bathroom Reno, Week 7

All of the wood trim will be white. To find out what color I chose for the walls, please stop by next week!

The pattern is “Caddy Pad” from Sisters’ Common Thread. The caddy doubles as an ironing pad when opened up because the inside is covered with a heat-resistant lining.

The floral and dot print and the striped fabric on the inside of the handles are made from Mo Bedell’s Party Dress line for Blue Hill Fabrics. I’ve been saving this fabric for three years, waiting for just the right project. Here’s a close-up of the button and loop closure:

I found the vintage buttons (there’s one on the other side of the caddy, too) at the Button Emporium in downtown Portland. Oh my, what a lovely shop for button lovers!

The fabric for the bias binding was also from my stash. It’s from the Serendipity Sunflowers line by Debbie Beaves for RJR Fabrics. The date on the selvage is 2007, so I guess I’ve had it a while.

I made this pattern for the first time in March, when I was on a retreat with the Quisters. I made a few modifications to the pattern which you can read about here.

The Quisters had a wonderful time, all the more so because Deborah brought homemade strawberry shortcake and lots of whipped cream.

Here’s a close-up of the product niche:

I asked for a shelf inside the niche so that I could put soap on the bottom ledge and shampoo bottles on the shelf.

I’m sure you noticed the beautifully mitered corners. It’s enough to make a quilter’s heart sing! Did you also notice that the tiles on point at the back of the niche match the ones on the outer wall? Erik, the tile man, is a real craftsman.

Here’s a close-up of the bench, nice and symmetrical:

Notice how the tile wraps around the corner? You can also get a good look at the “droplet” tile accent and the dust cap, which go all the way around this side of the bathroom. A row of subway tile, the droplet accent, and the dust cap will also form the backsplash of the vanity, which will help tie the two sides of the bathroom together.

The half-wall that forms an alcove where the toilet goes will have the same quartz surface as the vanity top. Here’s the half-wall with its wood trim prep:

Here’s a look at the south wall, where the vanity, mirror, and sconces will go:

Next up: grout and paint. I think the vanity may be installed in the coming week, too. As good as the bathroom looks now, it will look even better at the end of Week 8!

Notice the base row of white wall tiles to the right of the shower.

Base row of tiles: done. Now the subway tile starts up the wall:

Tile work had to stop so that the window on the north wall could be removed . . .

. . . and replaced with a new double-hung window:

Both windows were trimmed to match the two double-hung windows on the other side of the bathroom.

With the new window in, the tile work could continue:

On the other side of the bathroom, the pocket door was framed:

As you can see, we were able to use the original five-panel door. We were also able to use the original trim on the other side of the door. Here it is back in place:

That door you see on the right goes to the linen closet.

I’ll have a lot more to show you next week so please stop by!