Wednesday Pennsylvania Secretary: Adding the top dividers and Bargello embroidery

I cut all six dividers for the top part of the secretary, they are only 0.5mm thick and here is how I did it.

You have to be careful because the wood is so thin, the easiest way to get six matching dividers was to cut the wood a bit longer than needed in the back and gluing all six together just at the very back. Next I put them in the jig and cut them out by pin routing on the drill press and there you have six with perfect matching profiles. Next I cut off the extra bit in the back where they were glued together with the table saw.

You really need patience when gluing such little pieces, I do them one at a time and wait a good half hour to an hour before gluing in the next one, I use Lego to help keep them square and yes they do have a tiny groove that they are glued  into.

The top all glued together, now I need to make a back for it and a face frame where the doors will fit in. And this is what I do while I wait for glue to dry, embroidery.

I have started with the embroidery for the wing chair and I can predict that this is going to take a few years to complete. I just fell in love with the riot of colors ever since I first saw photos of this chair, I can't wait to see the real chair in June when I will be in New York for 3 days before going to Guild School in Castine. I am stitching this on 112 count (yes, you are reading right and yes, I am crazy, haha) using Florentine stitch, also called Bargello or Irish Stitch. I put the embroidery on a scaled print of the chair, the needle that you see at the top is only 33mm long (1 19/64"). I use +3 reading glasses together with my magnifying lamp to see this small count and then only just.

Have a great mini weekend.
Elga