Interesting stuff – Page 2

Thoughts for Mother’s Day

May 11, 2014/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff /by bschutzgruber

Dorothy Anne Hanlon Schutz
Brownstone Falls, Wisconsin circa 1948

You were born in the wake of WWI
And the great Influenza Pandemic
The oldest of seven – your job was to be ‘the oldest’
To keep track of your brothers and sisters
To be the first and forge the trail

A bachelor’s degree in 1938 at age 20
A driver of convoys cross country in WWII
The first woman to head a government department
10 years in the work force

Charmed by a precocious ‘youngest child’
You gave birth to 5 children in 7 years
You experienced the loss of miscarriage
You buried a son who was only 20
And stood next to your oldest child
As she buried a son who was only 2

You organized people and stockrooms
You chaired committees
You drove us to all our activities
You raised us alone every summer for 6 years
So dad could get his masters

You were never a ‘Martha Stewart’ type
You were not a ‘warm & fuzzy’ mom
You were all business and analytical
You were no nonsense

You rarely yelled – you didn’t have to
That quiet, calm, icy voice was far more potent
Each word articulated with deadly precision

You never talked behind anyone’s back
Everyone always knew where they stood… for better or worse

The things that made me crazy growing up I now see in myself
I look in the mirror and see your eyes looking back
I hear your words coming out of my mouth
I can organize people and stockrooms

You made choices and moved forward
You never looked back asking ‘what if….?’
You gave what you were able to give

You gave me life.

Surround Sound and Green Man make the cut!

May 4, 2014/0 Comments/in award, garments, Interesting stuff, Projects, tapestry, weaving /by bschutzgruber

‘Surround Sound Vest’ wins FUNCTIONAL FIBER 3rd Place award!

83 pieces were entered into the Michigan League of Handweavers 18th Biennial Show.

The ‘Green Man’ tapestry was also accepted into the show.

The exhibit at the Holland Area Arts Council, 150 E. 8th Street, Holland MI 49423, runs from May 17-June 29, 2014. (Regular hours: Monday-Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-3pm)

The reception, awards ceremony and talk by juror Ann Keister (retired professor of Art & Design at Grand Valley State University) will be on Sunday, June 29, 2014 from 2-4pm.

Read stories behind the creation of these pieces
Surround Sound Vest

The Saga of the Green Man
part 1 – part 2 – part 3

Winter Blues Jacket revisited

March 20, 2014/2 Comments/in garments, Interesting stuff, Projects, weaving /by bschutzgruber

I had a little jacket, it was old as can be…
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I’d ever do with it, I just couldn’t see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And made myself a vest in the very latest style
Tralalala lalala – Tralalala lalala
Made a vest in the very latest style.
–from a Yiddish folk song

What does a fiber artist do when she realizes that she has not worn the hand-woven jacket she spent months weaving and constructing? She turns it into something else. Or even better… ends up with 2 items of clothing!!

In 2012, I created ‘Rapunzel’s Winter Blues’ jacket

when I took Michelle Moenssen’s workshop “Making a Jacket from Hand-woven Fabric”. This was fabulous learning experience, as I had never sewn a tailored jacket (i.e. suit coat) before… let alone one from hand-woven fabric. [click here for the slide show of the full process]

After 2 years… I realize I had not worn the jacket even once. My life at this point doesn’t need that style of jacket. But as any fiber artist who makes her/his own cloth for garments knows, one does not just toss away that much ‘time, sweat, and tears’; and though I do sell my woven and felted garments, this one has strong emotional ties for me so it would be like selling one of my children! So… I began to think what could the jacket transition into that I would be more likely to wear?

I decided that remove the sleeves – transforming it into a vest – would be the simplest as I had no desire at this point to completely deconstruct the jacket.

Now… what to do with the hand-woven fabric from the sleeves? Mary Sue Fenner’s ‘One-of-a-Kind Jacket Trunk Show’ at the March 2014 AAFG meeting inspired me to make a second garment using lightweight commercial wool and the hand-woven fabric as accent panels creating this ‘Two for the Price of One’ vest.

(pattern – Simplicity 2341)

I’m happy to say that both vests will be on the runway at AAFG’s Fiber Feast on April 5, 2014.

The song begins with an overcoat becoming a jacket – jacket to vest – vest to tie – tie to button – button to nothing – nothing to song and Simms Talback’s 1999 picture book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a Caldecott Metal winner so who knows… over the years to come this hand-woven fabric may continue to be re-imaged and transformed, giving it renewed life and rebirth. Tralala lalalala lalala…..

Modern Medicine and the Ancient Art of Weaving

January 5, 2014/1 Comment/in Interesting stuff, weaving /by bschutzgruber

Weaver Janet Phillips in the UK has been involved in the project to weave shoulder tendon patches. There is a short news item on the BBC website at the moment. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25573341

“I have been doing ongoing research with this team of scientists from Oxford University for five years now developing an internal woven bandage. It has been fascinating and it is great to see the research come to the point were a bandage has actually been made and is about to be used in surgery. The project with Oxford University has been really interesting. It started when I was still living in Oxfordshire. We started weaving 1 cm square, plain weave pieces on tiny nail tapestry frames. It seemed important then to have finished edges on all four sides. Everything went quiet for three years while the scientist looked at other textile methods of producing the patches, but they finally came back to weaving because the textured surfaces helped the tendon cells to adhere to the fabric better than other textile structures.

We then spent quite a bit of time experimenting with different weaves. Plain, 4/4 twill, Satin and Sateen, Huck Lace and Leno were all tried. It was important that the patch should stretch in all directions. It seems that 4 and 4 twill has won the day. Sett also became an important issue. They ended up buying an 100 dent to the inch reed!

It has been great working with these young, energetic, and dedicated scientist on such an important project. It never ceases to amaze me how dependent all mankind is on weaving.”

Riverbend – building the studio [part 4]

December 2, 2013/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects, studio /by bschutzgruber

With the studio completely enclosed….

cold weather setting in with snow outside…

and only 40F inside…

it was time for one last weekend to complete this building project.

The trim was added to the exterior walls…

hurricane ties were attached to the roof and walls…

and trim was added to the rafters.

The interior walls went up to enclose what will be the bathroom area…

and this is the view I’ll have waking up in the morning.

In the Russian folktales, Baba Yaga lives deep in the forest in a tiny house that stands on chicken legs. Well… this may not be as unique at hers…. but it is MY ‘house in the forest’.

Riverbend – building the studio [part 3]

December 2, 2013/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects, studio /by bschutzgruber

Putting on the roof… cont.

2 weeks later we were back at Riverbend with a spiffy machine that Terry designed to lift the panels.

This was a LOT easier than hoisting them up the 12 feet using only brute force. Let’s hear it for machines and the engineers who build them!

With the porch on, the roof was complete!

Next came the tar paper

but we won’t put the metal roof panels on until warmer weather in the spring so on went another set of tarps for the winter.

I could not have gotten my dream of a studio built without this amazing ‘TAG team’= Terry A Gruber & Tristan A Gruber!! Well done, Gentlemen!

Riverbend – building the studio [part 2]

December 1, 2013/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects, studio /by bschutzgruber

The call came in mid October that the studio was ready to be delivered. With the 25 panels, 4ft x 8ft and weight in at about 120 lbs each, coordinating some extra ‘muscle’ to help was necessary – which meant building on the weekends. The clock was ticking to get the structure up as quickly as possible because once November hits in Michigan, the weather becomes unpredictable. It could be warm & sunny…. or warm & rainy…. or cold & sunny….. or cold & snow… you never know! Our daughter, Andrea, was not available but luckily we were able to enlist our son, Tristan, making this a ‘everyone in the family helped’ project.

Step 3 : The insulation/moisture barrier went down

then the subfloor.

Delivery the next morning brought another ‘impressively large’ truck…

leaving 4 stacks of panels with directions for ‘some assembly required’.

Step 4: building the walls
Yup… all we needed was a screwdriver & a caulk gun.

By the end of the day, 1/2 the walls were up and the piles were getting smaller!

The second day of assembly we finished the walls

and moved on to preparing for the roof panels.

Part 5 : putting on the roof
Using brute force we hoisted the roof panels from the outside and over the wall,
supported them from below, and secure them into place.

The ‘brute force’ part of this was turning out to be way more intense than expected – there had to be an easier way.

So… the third day we built a temporary rafter system and covered with a tarp.

Engineers build machines to make work easier… my husband Terry had new puzzle to solve!

Riverbend – building the studio [part 1]

December 1, 2013/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff, studio /by bschutzgruber

In researching different options for building my studio I came across Panel Concepts – a Michigan company that manufactures ‘kits’ using 4ft x 8ft panels. We met in March to see a model and I liked what I saw.

Summer was busy but we were able to test a floating foundation system (using the shed) and cleared a 16ft x 20ft area for the studio.

In September I was ready to discuss ordering a kit – only to discover that the owner was retiring, the business was being sold and would move to Wyoming as of December 1st. BUT… they were still taking orders for another week. Checking the details of exactly what options I wanted… I placed an order for a 12ft x 16ft unit.

With only 4 weeks to get the foundation sorted and floor built… having a husband who is a ‘newly retired engineer looking for a challenging project’ REALLY came in handy for all the design work and calculations.

Step 1 : delivery of 3 cubic yards of small stone/pea gravel

Spread 4″ deep and layout the footing supports

Step 2 : Laying out the frame then a LOT of ‘measure twice…. cut once’ for the 16 supporting legs and 11 floor joists! With the help of our daughter Andrea (an amazing woodworker in her own right!) we set to work….

…and 3 days later we had the base completed.

In mid October I got the phone call that my order was ready = on to the next step!

Riverbend – rustic beginnings

November 10, 2013/3 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects /by bschutzgruber

Working out of my house is a good news/bad news sort of thing. The good news… I don’t have to pay extra rent for studio space. The bad news… it’s not always easy to shut out the distractions of everyday life.

(2008)
5 years ago this month, I was able to purchase 5 acres of beautiful undeveloped central Michigan woodland on the Tittabawassee River. This was my chance to have a place away from distractions – where I could go to be inspired, to rejuvenate and recharge the ‘creative batteries’.

Now when I say undeveloped…. I mean undeveloped. Nothing there but the trees, river, wetlands, and all the critters (large & small) that go with it. My dream of having a ‘retreat from the world studio space’ was not going to happen over night!

Year 1 (2009)
Putting in a 700 ft lane to get from the main road back to the ridge that over looks the river meant crossing the protected wetlands in the middle of the acreage and involved working with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. It took nearly 700 cubic yards of sand and gravel to build up the road and 3 culverts (1 of which is 2ft in diameter!) to keep the natural drainage of the wetlands.

Year 2 (2010)
I purchased a 1970 Airstream trailer to have a living space that is a step up from rustic tent camping.

Years 3 & 4 (2011-2012)
Improved the path down the steep ridge to the river, built a small deck for sitting and dock.

Year 5 (2013)
Every time I go up to Riverbend I am filled with a sense of peace and tranquility.

Deer, raccoons, porcupines, garter snakes, geese, grouse, and turkeys are just a few of the critters that stop by on a regular basis. Staying in the Airstream works OK for kitchen and common space but it’s a pain to keep pulling out the couch for sleeping, there’s no space for a travel loom, and more importantly… the plumbing is shot. Building a ‘real’ house with electricity, a well, and a septic field is not in my future financially but luckily, I am married to an engineer who is fascinated with the challenge of building a small studio space ‘off the grid and environmentally sound & sustainable’.

And so the next phase of this adventure begins…..

Weaving in Wales – Summer school comes to an end….

September 10, 2013/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects, summer school, tapestry, weaving /by bschutzgruber

As we packed up our weaving, tools and looms we paused to give a big THANK YOU to our instructor, Alastair Duncan. For 7 days he encouraged us as we honed new skills…..

challenged us to push our art…..

help us work through the ‘bumps in the road’ that come with every project…..

and was completely taken aback when he opened our Farewell & Thank You gift…..
2 beautiful wood bobbins with brass tips!

The final event of the week is the Gala Dinner where folks ‘clean up pretty darn good’!

Andrew Johnson – 2013 Summer School Coordinator

The Certificates of Achievement and Diploma in Advanced Textile Studies awards are presented. The purpose of the COA is to preserve and improve craftsmanship in hand-weaving, tapestry weaving, spinning, natural dyeing and synthetic dyeing and to promote education in such craftsmanship.

It was a fabulous ending to a fantastic week spent with phenomenal fiber folks!
(L-R) Alison Coates, Jane Kirby, Andrea Cross, Alastair Duncan, Chris Cundiff, Elizabeth Hancock, Rita Corbett, Barbara Wright, Heather Dean, Sandra Combes, Sally Bohling.

The next AWSD Summer School will be in 2015 – in the Midlands of England.
I’ve started saving up….