studio space – Weave Story

Building a Tapestry Loom

February 28, 2015/1 Comment/in Interesting stuff, Projects, tapestry, weaving /by bschutzgruber

The summer of 2011 I took my first tapestry weaving course at The Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers summer school held in Edinburgh, Scotland that year. Our instructor, Dot Seddon, had us working on simple frame looms which are very portable, fast and easy to warp, plus I brought along one that I had made.

Midweek we took a field trip to the Dovecot Tapestry Studio in Edinburgh. When I walked into the space I was immediately hit with a déjà vu experience = I’ve been here before!

The building that now houses the Dovecot Studio is the old ‘Infirmary Street Baths’, the first public baths in Edinburgh – built in 1885, designed by Robert Morham – and I used to swim there in the mid 1970’s when I was a student at Edinburgh University! The baths closed in the 1990’s and fell into disrepair. The Dovecot Studio moved into the space in 2009 after a 2 year – £12million renovation. This is a perfect studio space with tons of natural light from the glass ceiling, the pool has been filled in to make the weaving floor, the changing rooms have been turned into office and meeting rooms, and the observation walkway is used as gallery space. Click here for a wonderful visual tour of the studio.

Here I saw vertical/high warp looms built of steel scaffolding pipe.

When I came home I was inspired to try weaving a larger tapestry. But looms are expensive so I adapted a triangle loom I already had into a larger version of what I had used at summer school.

I liked working upright but it was difficult to get and keep an even tension on a warp that large, plus I wanted to have an option of being able to lift the warp threads for faster/easier weaving and the frame I was using had nails on all 4 sides. I got another large frame, added nails to the top and bottom only, and figured out a shedding device to lift my warp threads. This was an improvement but there were still problems with the warp tension and the easel stand took up quite a bit of space.

I took another tapestry course at the next AWSD summer school in 2013. [see ‘Weaving in Wales’ posts from September 2013.] Our instructor, Alastair Duncan, brought his scaffold loom. I was able to get a good look at how it’s made and to weave on it for the week.

I decided that this is the type of loom I wanted. Looking at my pictures and notes, my engineer husband was able to come up with plan to use galvanized pipe so all the parts would be available at the local hardware store. I received a professional development grant from my guild, The Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild, to help with the cost of materials.

We used 1 1/2″ pipe for the top/bottom and 1 1/4″ pipe for the sides with bushings to connect and it can be taken apart to transport; scaffold level jacks are used to adjust the vertical sides for control of the warp tension; attached it to a wood base; and added measuring tapes to the top and bottom.

The finished size is 4′ x 6′ with 3 1/2′ x 5′ weaving space.

I still need to create a shedding device like the Dovecot looms have to lift the warp threads but I am excited to get started on a new tapestry!

Riverbend Studio – another year of work

December 30, 2014/0 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects, studio /by bschutzgruber

At the end of 2013 the rough construction was competed for my studio space on 5 acres of woodland in central Michigan. See the November & December 2013 achieve for Riverbend – rustic beginnings and Riverbend – building the studio [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]

2014 has been a year filled with continued work.

In May steps were built….

and a contraption for maintaining the lane.

The metal roof was put on…

and a small folding table and a sideboard were added to the living space.

With the addition of vinyl flooring, curtains and rugs…. the inside space was coming together nicely.

Later in the summer came the building of a Murphy bed…

and the picture that hung over the fireplace in my parent’s house for 55 years has a new home.

In the spring and fall the overnight temperatures inside the studio can easily drop into the 40’s F…

so one thing was left on the list for comfort = getting a propane heater that would vent to the outside.

With the painting of the front door…

and hanging the nameplate made of Welsh slate…

my Riverbend studio retreat is coming along nicely.

Here’s to more adventures in 2015!

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…..

So much fiber… but only so much space!

June 1, 2013/2 Comments/in Interesting stuff, Projects /by bschutzgruber

‘STASH’…. Webster defines it as “a secret store of something”. Fiber artists are famous (or infamous!) when it comes to our stash because you never know when you just might need that specific yarn, color or fabric. Granted… sometimes our houses do look like an episode of ‘Hoarders’ as the yarn, roving, fabric…. whatever our passion involves takes over our houses as most of us can’t afford to rent separate ‘studio’ space. My friend Jean had a loom instead of a dining room table. Others have taken over garages or basements and plastic bins are our friends.

For me… my looms have always been in the living room. They’re the first thing someone sees when they walk into my house. (What can I say…. it’s got great natural light and I get the fireplace!)

Our daughter’s former bedroom….. is now my sewing room.

One of the things I love about fiber artists is the sharing of our ‘stash’. When we realize we are not going to be using something we put it out there for other fiber folks to acquire. This way it can go on to have a new life… plus we all know we can now acquire more stash! So, when a fellow fiber artist decided to liquidate part of her stash, I was given the opportunity to acquire some beautiful wool roving for felting, in an amazing range of colors, at an excellent price… of course I jumped at the chance. As it turns out…. I now have 23 1/2 lbs of beautiful wool roving, in an amazing range of colors!! OK… now my challenge is where do I put it??? It’s taken me a week to organize it all into color bins (so I can find what I want) and rearrange (yet again) my basement storage but it is done!!

Now…. back to the fun work of creating!!

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