Barbara Schutzgruber – Storyteller & Weaver

We have a saying here in Michigan about the month of March
In like a Lamb – Out like a Lion

March, the month of transition from winter to spring, can be a real rollercoaster for our weather. We know if the weather is mild at the beginning of the month we’re going to get high winds and that ‘one last snow/ice storm’ before the month is over. This has been true for March 2020 which started out fairly mild weather-wise but now as the month comes to an end, the winds have come with heavy rain.

March 2020 has also been a rollercoaster due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. I’ve moved from my usual activities and preparing items for the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild‘s annual spring events of the Power Center Show and Fiber Feast to constant reminders of the importance of washing my hands throughout the day; mandates for physical distancing, the closing of schools and businesses, shelter-in-place, self-isolation and quarantine to help flatten the curve and slow the outbreak; store shelves empty of toilet paper and other goods; and medical centers being pushed to their limits. 

Yes, the Lion is here.

By nature I’m a ‘glass half full’ person so I’ve been focusing not on what has been canceled and restricted but on what I am able to do with this unexpected down-time that is free from the pressure of deadlines:

–Twist the fringe on the scarves I wove in February.

–Add some final details to ‘Walking the Coastal Path’. Hopefully the AAFG show in the lobby of The Theater at Cherry Hill will happen as scheduled in July.

–Weave a longer ‘rainbow’ scarf.

–Adjust the hem on 2 pairs of pants.
–Start putting away, organizing, and completing projects that have piled up on my worktable in the sewing room.

–Enlarge the crown on one of the caps I use with the 1840’s dress I wear when demonstrating weaving at Cobblestone Farm.

–Re-work a purse I made from a hard handle and single snap closure to a shoulder strap with a full zipper closure.

–Make several cloth face masks. 

–Finish the alterations started back in January on a jacket I wove 10 years ago. The fit has always been large but I was able to refashion the sleeves from inset to raglan for a better fit and I added faux suede for the cuffs and front band.

–Translate my chicken scratchings for the last 3 projects into readable notes.

–Actually see the top of the worktable again!!

Today is the 29th of March. I still need to organize my notes from the workshops I’ve taken over the past year

and I have a year’s worth of fiber themed magazines to look through

but I might just get all the items ticked off my list before March ends!

The month of March is leaving with a roar but winds can lift kites into the sky.

Spring continues to make her appearance as birds nest on the porch

and daffodils rise again from the earth.