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A Look at Teak Furniture

Friday, May 11th, 2012

What is Teak Exactly?

Teak is a hardwood. Containing silica (silicon and oxygen or SiO2), the wood can dull most sharp ends but luckily isn’t so dense that it’s impossible to work with. One of the greatest features of teak wood, is its natural oils. The oils allow the furniture to be exposed to the elements with little to no help from staining or coats of varnish; this also makes the wood pest and termite resistant. It’s an amazingly hard and nature resistant wood — making it the perfect medium to create outdoor furniture.

In the damp soils of the deep hardwood forests of Indonesia, China, and Myanmar, tall rod-like trees peak their rounded leaves above the canopy. The tree’s trunks look bundled together as if they are working together and seem to bind themselves in order to reach the nutrient rich sunlight and continue to grow. These stalks of the lush forest are known as Teak.

Our Teak Outdoor Furniture

At Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, we know you don’t want to buy new patio and backyard furniture every single year. You would like to purchase good quality furniture without the worry of wear or staining each season. That is why we’re pleased to carry an assortment of Teak furniture, exclusively on our website. Seen above is our Teak Folding Chair, which comes as a lovely set of two. As with all of the furniture pieces mentioned here, it is made of  grade A , plantation grown Teak that is kiln dried to reduce the moisture in the wood. The chair folds easily, making the chair extremely portable. Its design ergonomically supports your back for a comfortable seat outdoors.

Pictured here to the left is our Teak 18″ Round Table. Presenting the same clean lines as our set of two chairs, this round table is ideal for smaller patio spaces or decks. In addition to the product specifications mentioned above, our Teak furniture is formed through the use of both mortise and tenon joinery for a durable construction. (Mortise and tenon joinery is a technique used for centuries by skilled woodworkers; connecting wood at 90° angles that allows for simplicity and strength). Any hardware, or bolts that you see are solid brass.

~ To see more of our beautifully crafted Teak furniture pieces and other outdoor furniture for your spring and summer enjoyment, click here: Outdoor Furniture.

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~Charming Country Sheep at SYW

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

At Sturbridge Yankee Workshop we offer a range of home decor items that are produced of different textiles and provide options within different styles of craftsmanship and artistry. One material that is featured on many of our pillows in particular, is felt or wool felt. Let’s take a brief look at the history of this this man made material.

Felt was actually one of the first textile materials to be worked with centuries ago, beginning in Central Asia. The native Turkman nomads in this region would use felt to form their clothes, tents and floor coverings. Archaeologists have also found felt origins as far back as 7th to 2nd century BC in Siberia. To create felt they would simply gather various animal wool and fibers, then densely mat them together. When it rained it only helped the felt, as the wetness would strengthen the fibers. (Wet-felting is still something you can do today) It is said that the men would use their felt material in their shoes to create cushion as they hunted. Perhaps this is the first sign of socks? Felting predates any other sewing art form, including spinning, weaving and knitting. Feel good about wool felt and the history it will bring to your home.

Pictured above is our Felt Sheep Pillow, new for the spring season. Our Felt Sheep Pillow could be your new favorite accent pillow for anywhere in your home. Presenting a primitive country inspired feel, perfect for a couch, chair or entryway bench. Though not limited, this decorative pillow is ideal for anyone with a passion for the country farm. Here, the felting technique is achieved with use of a textured fleece to create the “wooly” sheep’s body. The raised felt is then set on a wool base and features appliqued felt, red berries and green leaves in each corner for an additional folk art touch. Save $10 on our Felt Sheep Pillow, now during our Annual Spring Sale.

If you’re liking the friendly white sheep pictured above, seen here to the left is a delightful grouping of grazing country sheep. Our appropriately named, Bo Peep’s Sheep set is the perfect way to accent your home for spring. Including three sheep: one white standing sheep, one white grazing sheep and one larger black sheep. These sheep are textured, painted and then glazed for a realistic and finished look. While we feature the set, customers can purchase each sheep individually as well. Display all together on a mantle or side table for an inviting springtime farm scene. Get creative and form a unique  table centerpiece by placing sheep on faux moss or greenery, as we have shown in the image. Save $30 on our Bo Peep’s Sheep Set during our Annual Spring Sale.

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~New Framed Art For Spring

Friday, February 24th, 2012

With the mark of our Annual Spring Sale beginning today, we would like to feature a couple ways to welcome in the season just right. Spring is only about 3 weeks away and as we hopefully prepare for warmer weather up here in the north east, switching up your wall decor is a good way to start. Two new prints for the Spring 2012 Catalog are pictured below and proudly made here in the USA.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Seen here to the left is our April Print by artist Ned Young. A breathtaking spring renewal landscape of a country farm house is set against a blue sky on an early day in spring. A budding cherry blossom tree in the foreground, an old farm house and the contrasting bright green grass are painted in exquisite detail. A lovely sage green, double mat border frames the image wonderfully. Did you know 3,000 cherry blossom trees were first planted in 1912 as a gift from the mayor of Tokyo, in motivation to strengthen ties between America and Japan? The very same year the Cherry Blossom Festival was held in Washington D.C. and every year since then in accordance with the blooming of these beautiful trees; which typically peaks as early as mid march through mid April.

Ned Young is a self taught artist who lives in Northern Utah with his wife Melanie and three children. Becoming famous for his attention to detail and use of color; allowing viewers to feel as though they have actually visited or experienced the scene in painting.

A Peaceful Country Garden

The next new print offered at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop this spring, is our Cottage Print by artist Fred Swan. An amazingly realistic scene is captured amongst a blooming spring garden. The warm sun shines on the stone walkway while a sleeping kitty lounges on the porch. Look closely to appreciate further details accomplished through shading and the reflections captured in the windows. There’s even a friendly red robin ready to greet you on the white picket fence and a bold blue jay standing by on a tall birdhouse.  Did you know that bluebirds don’t actually have any blue pigment to their feathers? A thin layer of cells on their feathers absorbs every color wavelength except for blue; thus reflecting in our eyes the appearance of blue. Welcome spring into your home with our lovely Cottage Print.

You may be familiar with Fred Swan’s winter themed prints, like the December Night Print or Night Run Fox Print we carried this past holiday season and this Vermont Artist definitely does not fall short when painting other seasons. Another self taught artist who has work displayed in numerous private and corporate collections, like Johnson and Johnson, the estate of Malcolm Forbes and the Vermont Council of the Arts; just to name a few.

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