Couture (adjective): of, relating to, or being high-end custom-made fashion Cartography (noun): the science or art of making maps Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.
My first idea was the pattern I used to make a vest after making a heavier felt with metallic fabric imbedded – Cutting Line Designspattern #12214 Light & Shadow. I knew the cowl would be a challenge but thought the paper would lay smoothly for the body.
Regrettably this did not work with paper and getting it on/off was a problem. On to the next idea – try Pattern #1028 Artist Vest by Dana Marie Design, Co. – the pattern I used to make my Surround Sound Vest[see July 2013 blog].
Prototype constructed. This pattern worked much better but the fit was cone-shaped. Searching the web for other ideas I came across an amazing paper garment. Here was my solution – add a belt!
Now I pulled out the remaining National Geographic maps and made the actual vest. I planned to have a green belt as contrast and tested accenting the vertical seam lines with a green stripe.
Seeing everything sewn together and upright on the dress form – I decided to keep it simple and not add the extra green accent.
Folding the paper on the dress form to shaped the bust-line, allowing the paper to ‘do what it wanted to do’, created a lovely shape for the neckline. A map of the Alps made the belt with a magnet & velcro closures.
Even though I cannot sit wearing the vest it will be fairly comfortable for the reception. A map pendant necklace and custom name tag finished the look. The gallery suggested creating a QR code linked to the March 2024 blog for patrons to read how Couture Cartography was made.
The opening reception was well attended and I throughly enjoyed talking with attendees!
I am always amazed at the variety and calibre of work members of AAFG create.
Guild member Karen Koykka O’Neal is a paper maker. Her sculpture Seashells by the Seashore has me thinking about a future collaboration for one more paper garment… Making a gardener’s vest from paper made with plant fibers.
Couture (adjective): of, relating to, or being high-end custom-made fashion Cartography (noun): the science or art of making maps Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.
I find maps fascinating! We used National Geographic maps to decorate the nursery. They’re colorful and informational works of art.
In 2015 theAnn Arbor Fiberarts Guildheld a Recycled and Repurposed Runway challenge. I created a hat and purse out of maps using basket weaving techniques. [see March 2015 blog Cartography Chic]
In November 2023 AAFG offered a virtual workshop with UK paper artistJennifer Collierto ‘create a fashionable, small paper dress from ordinary office supplies and recycled materials easily source at home.’ I’ve been sewing garments since high school and the sewing concepts are the same… BUT working with paper is NOT the same as working with fabric! Jennifer guided us through several exercises and then we moved on to design and create our own paper dress using her 6 in x 8.5 in/15.25 cm x 21.5 cm template as the starting dress pattern.
The workshop was fun and got me thinking…..could I make a full size, wearable dress???? I would use National Geographic maps that I’ve been collecting for years to go with my hat and purse. Over the next 2 months I thought about possible dress patterns I have that might work and searched online for different videos posted showing what techniques others have used to create full size garments.
I found a great article from theVictoria and Albert Museumabout paper dresses being a fashion item from 1966-1968. “The perfect expression of fashion’s own fickleness, these two-dimensional shift dresses were cheap and ‘disposable’ – designed to be worn only once or twice – and proved ideal vehicles for the bold, graphic prints that had become so popular during the decade.”
By February I was ready to start! I pulled out my box of maps and began to sort them into National Geographic and AAA road maps as well as size and color groupings. These maps would take over much of the floor space in the house for the next month!
I chose a halter sundress made for a 1950’s themed gathering for my pattern and began my prototype for the skirt. I quickly learned paper does not drape like fabric! The skirt is too stiff. I tried crumpling the paper which helped and I liked the texture but this ‘look’ would not work well with the detailed printing of the maps and I need to rethink how will I get into and out of the dress. Back to the drawing board.
More searches for inspiration photos brought me to a 1950’s cocktail dress. Box pleats would be a better choice for the skirt and a wrap dress design would be easier to put on/take off. On to the next prototype! I need 6 yards worth of maps to make the skirt and fitting a bodice was a challenge as darts do not work that well with paper.
Once the bodice pattern was sorted the next step was to make the bodice using the road maps as a test. Now I was ready to make the real thing using the National Geographic maps! I had to be careful as some of the maps are from the 1980’s so the paper is fragile along the original fold lines that have been there for 45 years and can tear easily. Bodice done….next step…. the skirt.
I made a tissue pattern for the skirt panel so I could see how best to lay out the maps. 3 full panels and 1 half panel are needed for the skirt. I cut and glued the maps to make a ‘fabric’ large enough for each panel and then sewed the panels together to make the skirt.
I devised a way to extend the sewing table to support the 6 yards that make up skirt panels and tested sewing the prototype full skirt to the bodice.
With the map skirt and bodice sewn together I gingerly tried it on. The dress CAN be worn…very carefully while standing. No sitting down!
The last piece to be made was the shawl collar which took multiple hours figuring out the best way to lay the maps and make it double sided. Sewing it to the bodice without tearing sections of the dress was extremely tricky. I used magnets for the closures and made ‘buttons’ by cutting the ring section from plastic compass party favors to be glued onto the dress.
Couture Cartography was completed as the clock struck midnight.
The dress along with the hat and purse will be on display at theVillage Theaterin Canton Michigan the month of April as part of the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild exhibit.
This project was challenging and pushed my creativity and problem solving abilities. Though I have no plans to make another dress out of maps in the near future I will make a sleeveless top or vest from maps to wear at the artist reception on April 4, 2024!
I’ve been working with cloth and fiber since I was a kid. Anyone who works with fabric, yarns and fiber knows you end up with bits and pieces of leftover scraps. I struggle with throwing away those bits and pieces because my fiber teachers and role models lived through the Great Depression and/or rationing in WWII. “Waste not…want not,” was the mantra. “You can’t throw out a perfectly good piece of cloth. Save it….you’ll use it for some project in the future.” This became even more ingrained once I started weaving and felting my own cloth. After all the money, time, energy and effort (even blood, sweat & tears at times) I was not about to throw out any bit of cloth or loom waste warp yarn .
As the years have gone by, not only do I have a serious stash of yarns and felting fibers
but my pile of scraps has grown too with odds & ends of yarns, oddly cut handwoven fabric from making fitted garments, plus all the muslin test garments and scraps.
The Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild kicked off the new year with a workshop by Thom Atkins called ‘Scrappy Improvisations’. Thom’s an amazing quilter who plays with fabric scraps to test new ideas and create new fabric.
“Drawing from his unique mix of whimsical imagery, abundant textures, and blended techniques, Thom will inspire your improvisational spirit and unlock your sense of play as you turn leftover fabrics into a cohesive new piece. Gather all the odd fabric scraps from your stash to give them new life as an abstract art quilt composition. Finally, a way to put all those little bits to good use!”
Handwoven fabric is not as easy to save small bits so I don’t have many but I have LOTS of felt scraps! I signed up for the workshop to push the parameters of my creativity and try some new ways to use my scraps. There were 13 in the workshop. Most used commercial sewing/quilting fabric and 3 of us used felt, handwoven fabric, and velvet.
Using glue and pins to hold things in place we laid out our bits and pieces which would eventually be sewn into position.
My scraps ranged from light weight/soft prefelts to pieces that were fully felted to fabric on one side. I used commercial prefelt as base hoping it would be able to grip onto the pieces that were well felted already.
Using glue to tack pieces in place was interesting but did not work that well with felt so I needle felted pieces to hold them in place….stabbing myself in the process. (Yup…me and sharp implements…not a good combination so needless to say I don’t do much needle felting.)
One of the reasons I enjoy workshops is seeing what others are doing. I always come aways with new insights when it comes to design.
Once I had my felt piece holding together enough to take it home I used some scraps Thom brought to practice the glueing technique putting pieces together to make a solid fabric square. I can continue to add pieces to it and then the edges will be stitched down and will then be used as a base fabric for a future project.
Because I wasn’t sure all the pieces would felt together, once I got home I used thread and yarn to tack the heavier felt scraps to the prefelt backing, then wetted it down and began to roll. My ‘Scrappy’ design shrank about 25% and each of the ‘already felted’ scraps were able to lock into the pre-felt backing.
I will definitely continue to play with using scraps. Time to access my inner ‘Picasso’.
2023 has been a year filled with workshops, demonstrations,exhibits, making new & reimagining old creations, sharing textile stories & history, and best of all… camaraderie with fellow fiber fanatics.
May the New Year bring you joy! For me 2024 will bring a new challenge: making a full size, wearable (at least for a runway walk) Paper Dress. Wish me luck!!
I have two great artistic loves – fiber and stories. Each of these areas can be very solitary as I work alone playing with textures and colors creating actual items or storylines and spoken word creating images seen within the depth of imagination. October has been a month of being out and about with others sharing artwork and stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to Zoom I spent an evening with thePeninsula Weavers & Spinners Guildin Port Townsend, Washington presenting Tales from the Weaving Room which explores 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild is back in the lobby of the Power Center for the Performing Arts from October 13th through December 10th. My felt piece Confetti is part of the exhibit.
Over the years I’ve learned lot working along side fellow guild members as to what all goes into arranging and hanging an exhibit. The Power Center is not an easy venue because of the cement walls and fixed hanging peg locations set every 24″.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Presenting my workshop Painting with Wool for the fall term ofElderwise Learninggave me the opportunity to spent several hours with a small group of adults teaching the basics of wet felting and helping them create small pieces of artwork.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a great time being interviewed for a local talk show Celebrate Michigan which highlights the people, resources and activities that make Michigan a great state. The show is part of Madonna University’s Broadcast & Cinema Arts Program and is recorded at the TV studio on campus. It is overseen by industry professionals giving students real world experience as producers, directors, writers, along with lighting, sound and camera work. The student producers, director and crew were great and host Chris Benson made me feel at ease. We talked about storytelling, fiber arts and I told a story. After we finished the taping several tied on the felt mask and the hat woven from National Geographic maps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As October comes to a close I shared the stage with fellow storytellers Jean Bolley, Jennifer Pahl Otto, Jeff Doyle, Mike Cox, Robin Nott and Larry Castleberry for the annual Scary Stories Festival at theHowell Opera Houseto raise funds for the eventual restoration. The Opera House built in 1881 and has sat frozen in time since 1925. This is my favorite venue for telling creepy, spine tingling tales.
It’s been a busy month spending time talking shop with fellow artists and introducing people across the country and down the road to the worlds of fiberarts and storytelling.
TheAssociation of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyersheld its biennial summer school this year at Harper Adams University near Newport, Shropshire England. I arrived a few day early with fellow Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild members Helen Welford and Laurie Jones to spend a few days in Shrewbury and the surrounding area prior to the start of Summer School.
One of our day trips was to Powis Castle and Gardens to see the exhibit by Kaffe Fassett, a fiber artist best known for his colorful designs in the decorative arts.
Another day trip was to Coventry to visit the memorial of theruined Cathedral Church of St. Michael. After the AGWSD Summer School in 2019, Helen created a felt wall hanging depicting the scorched structure with a field of poppies in the forefront as a way to honor those who died in that attack. During WWII the most severe raid, which the Luftwaffe code-named ‘Moonlight Sonata’, was on the night of November 14, 1940. An estimated 568 people were killed and 4,300 homes destroyed, along with St Michael’s Cathedral. A conscious and collective decision was taken to build a new cathedral and to preserve the ruins as a constant reminder of conflict, the need for reconciliation, and the enduring search for peace.
Then it was on to Harper Adams University for Summer School.
Day 1 –Harper Adams Universityis an Agricultural University that supports local producers and farmers, is passionate about sustainability and the meat served in the dinning hall comes from the University’s farm where possible. Here we saw plenty of AG humor: a 6 foot pair of welly boots and building names like The Welly Inn (student bar), Feed Store (groceries), Graze Cafe (coffee shop) and The Barn (student night club).
Housing was in the residence halls where I had a view of the sports pitch. There’s nothing like spending a week sleeping on a dorm mattress to bring back memories of college years gone by.
This year 17 courses were offered with 280 participants attending. After gathering for general information and announcements we all headed off to our course workrooms. My course was Wet Felting and Surface Design withSarah Waters. Sarah outlined the activities for the week ahead and had plenty of examples for us to look at and touch.
Day 2 – Our room had plenty of space to work and was well lit. I wish I had been able to bring the bed-risers I use at home to raise the table to a more comfortable height for working.
We spent the day making pre-felts (partially felted), cutting them up, then using the pieces to make something new.
We also had the appearance of the first of our wee visitors: Gnobert the Gnome and Wally – a very matted fleece that certainly did not come through the washing process successfully.
In the evening we gathered for a Craft & Chat to reconnect and catch up with folks. I had the pleasure of ending the evening by telling fiber folktales to one of the best audiences of weavers, spinners, dyers, and more!
Day 3 – Working with plastic shapes and masking tape as resists to create 3D lines and craters.
Hilda the Hedgehog joined our class to hangout with Wally and Gnobert.
Alan Parker was indispensable throughout the week as The Sharpener of Shears.
Evening activity – the silent auction filled with books, equipment, yarns, fiber, fleeces and more. I was the winning bid for a beautiful knitted lace scarf made from spun nettles. (Making clothing from stinging nettles to free loved ones from enchantment is found in many folktales!)
Day 4 – This is a half day in the workroom. The morning was spent making 16 tiles by cutting and embellishing a larger piece.
The afternoon is set aside as free time. I signed up for one of the afternoon outings – Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron in Ironbridge to tour the workroom for the Costume Project which produces bespoke costume especially representing the area in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. There are 3 levels of interpretation: –Reproduction – costume for display – a faithful copy of an original historic textile or a copy from a painting. –Reconstruction – costume for part of a handling collection and can be worn. It is a copy which retains the look and function of the original costume but is graded to modern sizes and often uses more robust materials and fabrics. –Re-invention – costume for handling and wearing but using historic costume as the inspiration to create a modern interpretation that explores key functions of the original designs.
They were currently creating items to be part of a fashion through the ages event which also included steam punk and 20th century fashion. I got to try on a Re-invented Rucksack Corset made from modern materials that are used to make hiking, climbing and camping equipment.
Evening session – a lecture byTeresinha Roberts– The Silk Route. This was a fascinating talk on silk worms, the production of silk fabric and the silk trade over the centuries.
Day 5 – Adding fabrics to our felt plus stitching and tying to add as embellishments. I made a 2-sided piece that incorporated dimensional elements of felt lollipops and pebbles.
The west facing chainlink fence was great place to hang our wet felt and towels to dry during the entire week – especially on windy days.
Gnobert, Wally and Hilda obviously let it be known that this was a wonderful place to hang out as our community of wee visitors continued to grow each day.
Evening session – another fascinating talk – The Emergence of the Gored Tunic in the First Millennium bySarah Thursfield.
Day 6 – Time to try some of the many techniques Sarah showed us. I made 2 more pieces layering prefelts and silk fabric as well as making 3D bubbles.
The Trade Show opened featuring 24 vendors selling equipment, fiber, dyes, fabric, garments and accessories.
Day 7 – The final day. Time to finish projects, begin packing the workspace and organize our display for the afternoon open house & walkabout when everyone attending, along with the public, are invited to see what each course has been doing.
Evening festivities – the Gala Dinner followed by the Fashion Show where attendees can strut their stuff from garments to woven yardage.
Summer School brought discovery, friendships and inspiration. My mind is churning with new ideas for the next project. This was a grand week!
I’ve been the volunteer resident weaver at historicCobblestone Farmin Ann Arbor, Michigan since 2015.
The age of our Union Loom has not been documented but by the wear & tear it could easily be 100 years old or even older. Union Loom Works produced rug looms from 1880-1940 and the basic design did not change during that time.
I enjoy weaving on the Union Loom – though at times she’s a bit quirky and temperamental. [See February 2016 blog post Weaving at Cobblestone Farm ]
The farm has a number of outbuildings: carriage, ice, hog and pump houses, a wood shed and barn.
The barn has a variety of displays and this is where the loom is being assembled.
This is a countermarch loom which is much larger and more complicated than Cobblestone’s Union Loom. Countermarch looms are known for their clean, large shed created by harnesses moving up and down with each press of a treadle. They have great flexibility and can be used for rugs and heavier household items such as blankets and floor runners as well as finer fabrics for home decor and clothing.
Sue and Steve have had their work cut out for them. The loom had been in storage for 50 years and there is no manual to know if all the parts were even still there. It has a maker’s mark on the cross beam Made Oct 15, 1941 AJB and resembles aCranbrook/Bexell loombut there have been modifications. Other AAFG guild members have been helping to figure out how to get all the parts to work.
Great progress has been made this summer and Sue is getting ready to actually start weaving! The Pittsfield Township Historical Society hopes the loom will become a catalyst for future demonstrations and related farm-based fiber skills such as dyeing, spinning, and felting.
Michigan League of Handweavers held their annual conference in Holland Michigan June 9-14, 2023. This year’s schedule included keynote speakers, seminars, workshops, guild exhibits, plus juried exhibits for garments & accessories, fine art and functional art.
Guild exhibits are always fun, interesting and a great place to get ideas for different ways to exhibit one’s work. This year’s theme was Bridging the Peninsulas with the suggestion of blue as the color palette. My part of the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild‘s entry was a table runner Straights of Mackinac inspired by an aerial view of the Straits of Mackinac (connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron) and the Mackinac Bridge (a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the 5 mile/8 kilometer-long bridge is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere).
Just a few of the guild exhibits:
I took a seminar by LindaShevel Comfortable, Stylish Slow Clothing, Wearable Art, Saori Inspired The beauty of a person emerges when they are comfortable, natural, and true to self. Beauty in clothing arrives the same way. With fibers, threads and yarn, fabric is hand-woven for clothing that is unforced, pleasant, and enjoyable to wear. In this lecture we’ll discuss the design process, and you’ll see a variety Saori inspired tunics, tops, vests, dresses… participation in the fashion show is not required, but many garments will be available for you to try on if you’d like.
I came away with so many ideas for future projects!
Dimensional Weaving with Martina Celerin was my choice for a 3 day workshop. Students will be introduced to a tapestry style of weaving on a simple nail frame loom with pick up sticks (batons). Using reclaimed and recycled materials, many textures and structures will be incorporated and students will work outside of traditional weaving conventions. Participants may want to do some sketches and/or bring weaving ideas, or just let their piece evolve as they are weaving it.
Her work is amazing!!
We wove with multiple strands, mixing yarn types and weaving with non- conventional “yarns”.
We learned the Soumak weave technique, dimensional crochet to make yarn tufts, wrapping techniques for making free standing trees, added reclaimed beads, and experimented with needle felting to create free-standing creatures or objects.
Some people had ideas right from the start as to what they wanted to create. Others (like me) let their tapestry evolve.
All the tapestries woven were creative and uniquely one-of-a-kind!
It was a great set of days filled with inspiration and creativity which I will be playing with for many a project!
What Chicken Little Saw [felted wool with silk fiber embellishment – 24inch / 62cm diameter]
Chicken Little, a.k.a. Henny Penny, is an ancient story with many versions found throughout Europe, Africa as well as Aesop’s Fables and the Jataka Tales of the Buddha in India. It is an ATU 20C Animals Flee in Fear of the End of the World cumulative cautionary tale teaching the lesson of what can happen when jumping to conclusions before all the facts are known, leading to paranoia and mass hysteria. The final consequences range from mere embarrassment all the way to death.
It is true that I rarely know what my end result will be and I certainly never know what the title of a piece will be until it’s finished. As I worked on the piece, adding layer after layer, thoughts of UFOs/UAPs and space junk reentering the atmosphere kept coming to mind along with Chicken Little’s words ‘The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”
Cell Weaves on 8 Shafts. A simple repeat threading on paired shafts creates 4 ‘cells’ which can be woven as Lace, Deflected Double Weave, Monk’s Belt, Overshot, and Honeycomb! Weave a unique sampler that includes all these structures, play with bold color and weave effects, and gain confidence in fabric design. This on-loom workshop requires an 8 shaft table or floor loom, and an adventuresome spirit. Threading guidelines will be provided; you apply the cell sizes and colors! Work (play!) at your own loom, and also learn from other class member’s results!
The format was the same as last year – the workshop would last 5 weeks with us all working at our own pace at home with an evening Zoom session once a week. We were sent instructions for picking our yarns for a 5 yard warp in 3 sections: one color, 2 colors/light-dark, and 3 colors/light-medium-dark. Martha also created 4 different theadings for us to choose from.
She encouraged us to compare a color photo with a black/white photo to have a more accurate idea as to the relative value (lightness or darkness) of each color chosen as the value difference will enhance the structure. With 15 in the class it was very interesting to see all the different color combinations and gave me lots of ideas for future projects using colors I would not normally be drawn to.
To be honest, never having worked with cell/block threadings, I was feeling way over my head after the first zoom lecture because as a self-taught weaver I do not have a working knowledge of the vocabulary. Luckily Martha had excellent definitions, explanations and slides which helped me grow more confident each week:
Lace – plain weave with adjacent warp & weft floats Deflected Double Weave – a two layered fabric in plain weave alternated with either warp or weft floats Monk’s Belt and Overshot – supplementary weft pattern using single or combined blocks on plain weave base fabric Honeycomb – plain weave isolated in individual or combined cells, with heavier outline weft woven selvedge to selvedge.
I liked the textures created in the Lace and Deflected Double Weave.
The geometric shapes in Monk’s Belt and Overshot creates a very different look and feel to the fabric.
Honeycomb was the most playful and dramatic! For each treadling sequence I used different thick outlining yarns including loosely spun silk fibers, ribbon, wool roving, and 6 very thin yarns grouped together and I varied the size of the cells. I’m not sure how I will use Honeycomb fabric in future projects but I really want to play with this some more!
This workshop offered challenging and inspiring moments and has sparked my imagination for future projects.
Barbara Schutzgruber - Storyteller & Weaver 