Melody Marsh Bridge Sign

Aug 23, 2021 | handcrafted custom signs

melody marsh bridge sign Melody Marsh Bridge structure David Maitland, engineer and builder, had a milestone birthday coming up: his 80th. To celebrate, his wife, Judy, decided to commemorate the event by honoring his engineering and building talents. Specifically, she wanted to pay tribute to a covered bridge he designed and built on their country property.

Previously, they had named the bridge location Melody Marsh: Melody, because of the singing, yellow-throated warblers that occupy the area; and marsh, because of the wetland environment. Together, the lyrical names form the sign’s title: Melody Marsh Bridge, David Maitland – Builder.

Producing the Melody Marsh Bridge sign…

Initially, Judy Maitland decided on a 19″ x 40″ raised dimensional sign. She wanted a hand-carved and hand-painted warbler as well as hand-carved letters. Additionally, she loved the idea of using recycled cedar fence pickets as the sign’s background texture.

The Process…

First, we glued the pickets together. Next, we shaped, custom-cut, sanded and white-washed the pickets to create a smooth surface. In addition, we trimmed the recycled background surface with high-density urethane borders and panel elements. The hand-carved warbler and letters were then attached to the sign surface. To finish, we hand-painted the corners with filigree, then painted the borders and elements.

The photos, below, detail the hand-carved yellowthroated warbler. In addition, there’s another view of the entire sign at a right angle. When installed, Mrs. Maitland will send us a photo of the bridge and sign.