Barbara Schutzgruber – Storyteller & Weaver

September was filled with preparations for events
that would keep October VERY busy!

The Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild was back in the lobby of the Power Center for the Performing Arts September 14-October 23. Hanging the exhibit is always an adventure with curved concrete walls and fixed hanging peg locations set every 24″.

I had 3 pieces accepted – Fire on the Horizon, Meander, and Hiking the Coastal Path.

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Next came presenting another program for Elderwise of Ann Arbor in mid October. When Beaver Was King is an eclectic mix of factual information and stories, plus the process of how beaver tall hats were made.

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It was a pleasure to share the virtual stage telling stories for adults from the dark and gruesome side of the Brothers Grimm presented by Stories with Spirit. I’ve added new story to my repertoire The Castle of Murder found in the first edition of the Brothers Grimm.

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I answered the call for volunteers to help with the hands-on activities ‘Crafternoons’ offered in conjunction with the exhibit Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. Once a month during the exhibit visitors have the opportunity to explore a different type of fiber art – embroidery, weaving, design, sewing and knitting, – watch demonstrations and meet artists. The focus for the October session was sewing, both by hand sewing on buttons with plastic mesh and tapestry needles, and using a machine to make a crazy quilt. It was fun afternoon and the exhibit is fabulous!

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The 27th Annual Weaving History Conference sponsored by the Thousand Islands Arts Center in Clayton, NY was held virtually October 24-26. I presented Tales from the Weaving Room exploring the connection between the skill, tools and often magical looking processes developed to make cloth and how they are reflected in the stories women told each other as they worked throughout the year to clothe their families and communities.

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With October winding down I finally caught up on some projects: making a tall broom after taking the hearth broom workshop at the Michigan Fiber Festival in August and making a dye bath using red onion skins I’d been saving since May.

Mordants can in many cases produce different colors and red onion skin can produce a green color. I used tin, iron and alum which produced a lovely range of browns but no green.

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Halloween finishes the month with the annual gathering of some interesting characters at my house!