Barbara Schutzgruber – Storyteller & Weaver

2020 and 2021 were tough years because Covid 19 brought an end to in-person gatherings. This was especially true for those of us who love the fiber arts. Yes, we made due with presentations and workshops online with Zoom but for those of us who are tactile, there’s nothing like seeing something up close and being able to touch it. 2022 has been a year of slowly coming back to meeting in person but still not gathering as often as as we did BC (Before Covid).

To kick off 2023 the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild has begun a series of ‘Fiber Spa’ days to help members reconnect with each other and especially with the new members who joined over the past 3 years.

WHAT IS FIBER SPA?
Fiber Spa is a monthly time and space to nurture our love for the Fiber Arts amidst our crazy lives.
We at the Fiberarts Guild miss all of you – we miss the contact with friends, sharing about our work, exchanging ideas, and generally talking about art – so we decided to create studio time where all are invited to participate. While the monthly Fiberarts meetings are full of information, Fiber Spa will offer the opportunity to really get to know each other.
We will have some demonstrations
(always good to get the artistic juices flowing),
access to the guild library and we will have lots of time for work.
Bring your work (whatever you want to work on), your lunch and beverage.
Remember, it is a “Spa”, a place to enjoy yourself, so you are free to come when you can and leave when you must.

Our first gathering was January 7th. We had a good turn out and enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones, talking about our works and fiber art and getting advice from others as to how to problem solve when something isn’t working just right. Long time member and current president Anne Flora gave a demonstration on felted flowers and members were able to create their own flower pins to take home.

The original plan was to hold Spa days on the first Saturdays in January, February and March but we had such a great time we added the third Saturday in January and February to the schedule.

January 21st Fiber Spa – I volunteered to bring a variety of looms for people to try.

WEAVING THROUGH THE AGES
Have an opportunity to try your hand at weaving on the types of looms that have been used over the centuries from the Paleolithic Era to the 21st Century: backstrap, warp weighted, floor, belt, inkle, tapestry, and Brinkley.

Many of the members who were there are not weavers, and even for some who are, this was their first chance to play on a wide variety the looms and ask all kinds of questions for the entire period of Fiber Spa. One member was so excited that she promptly ordered a backstrap loom when she got home.

Our next Fiber Spa will be February 4th and member Jan Frank will demo how to use embroidery to enhance the design, color, and texture of fiber.

2023 has gotten off to a great start.
What could be better than working on a project
while deepening ties with old friends and making new ones!