( for easier reading here's the text from the article )
Gingerbread trims, folk art cornerstones of new business
By
Eric McCarthy (Western Bureau Manager)
LAURETTA
– Kerras Jeffery was growing tired of seasonal work. He wanted something that would keep him
employed year-round. His search ended in
his own back yard.
The
Lauretta resident had been working at woodcraft as a hobby for three years but
this year he is turning his hobby into a business. Kerras Jeffery Woodworking in Lauretta will
hold an open house and official opening celebration on Saturday and Sunday. May
11 and 12, 1996. But he is not starting
from scratch, he already has a special niche in the marketplace. Jeffery specializes in Victorian Gingerbread
trims. He estimates he has over 500
decorative brackets and approximately 100 gable trims in stock. Jeffery feels the market for his style of
trims is just starting to take off. With
so much emphasis on vinyl siding in recent years, Jeffery feels the trims he
has to offer help set one vinyl sided house apart from another. Customers can leaf through his catalogue of
brackets and trims to come up with their own unique design combination. Then he takes over, cutting out the patterns
and installing he trims, likely within a week of taking the order. While many of the brackets and trims he
stocks were found in catalogue designs, Jeffery has created some unique patterns
of his sown and they are part of his shop’s selection.
Jeffery has been doing woodcraft as
a hobby for three years. He worked out
of his basement for one year and then put up a shop in his back yard. This year he has added a craft shop in which
he stocks more of his unique creations, including decorated driftwood,
shelving, pioneer goose decoys, pioneer fork and rake, and such wood carvings
as double-headed pigs, King Tut mask, ducks, and, guarding his back year, a
bear carving. Other unique gift ideas
include stools made out of tree stumps and pioneer furniture. It’s not your ordinary craft shop, Jeffery’s
points out; in many cases customers will find crafts not available elsewhere.
In the craft shop, customers can
also view Heritage house plans, available through his brother, and, when
entering the shop, they can check out one of this custom made screen
doors. Yes, screen doors are another of
Jeffery’s specialities. Like the house
trims, customers can choose the brackets and the spindles they want to decorate
their custom door, like the trims, the combinations are almost endless. Other products available at the Lauretta
woodworking shop include lawn and business signs, patio rails and post knobs
and verandah and deck trims. He even
builds window boxes and gazebos.
Jeffery’s wood of choice is cedar because of its long-lasting qualities.
It was the gingerbreads that got
Jeffery going in the business. He took
his first set to a local building supplies store and the business just took off
from there. His trims can even be found
on a house in Toronto. Tools of the business
include a band saw, scroll saw, table saw, drill press, thickness planers and
carving tools. To introduce potential
customers to his new business Jeffery will host an Open House from 10 a.m. to 8
p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12.
His normal shop hours will be 11a.m. to 6 p.m. His work day is longer
than that though, as mornings and evenings will often involve installation
work.
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I have gingerbread brackets and gable trims all over the walls of my workshop for people to see first-hand. Here are a few recent photos of my walls and the trims. 
One of the early trimming projects I had the privilege of doing was the Bideford Parsonage House - the following is a photo from their website http://www.bidefordparsonagemuseum.com/
The restored trimmings I made for this house included: running gable gingerbread trims; peak pinnacles; verandah eave and post trimmings.
The restored trimmings I made for this house included: running gable gingerbread trims; peak pinnacles; verandah eave and post trimmings.
Below: over the years the Bideford Parsonage House had all its trims removed -see image below from http://anneofgreengables.com/2011/08/a-guide-to-mauds-island/
This is what the house looked like before I did the trimwork.
This is what the house looked like before I did the trimwork.
Below: I didn't have alot to go on to re-create the trims for the parsonage house, however, the image below of the house is from the 1880 Meecham's Atlas of PEI was a great help.
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My brother Carter prepared a booklet of the trims I have for offer - this was done years ago in the days before computer-aided drafting (CAD) - all his drawings here below were hand-drawn with pen and ink.
