January 29, 2003
Exhibit weaves through history
Textiles in Time runs until March 1 at Grand Traverse Heritage Center
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Weaving history into fabric, the Textiles in Time: Comfort Through the Hands exhibit at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center showcases the history of hand-crafted textiles. The exhibit includes examples of quilts, hook rugs and overshot weaving.
The display also features samples of wool and a variety of spinning wheels to demonstrate the origin of the thread used in the weaving. An automated sock-knitting machine from the 1920s invites patrons to turn the crank and make a few rows of a sock.
Most of the works and equipment in the exhibit is drawn from the community.
"We wanted to showcase a little bit about the history of textiles and the process of what goes into making these things," said Daniel Truckey, the Heritage Center's curator and co-curator of the textiles exhibit with Cathy Siterlet.
"It's a very tactile thing," he noted. "That's because quilting, rugging and weaving are utilitarian, things to be used that are also works of art."
Saturdays through March 1 will feature craftspeople from around the region demonstrating their work. Last Saturday, the Northland Weavers Guild brought a variety of handlooms, lap looms, spinning wheels, weaving materials and also a variety of finished pieces for display.
"We wanted to showcase some local artisans, people in our community who were weavers, ruggers and quilters," Truckey said. "A neat thing about textiles is that it is a group activity, quilting bees still exist today."
Midge Obata of Glen Arbor demonstrated Saturday afternoon the ancient art of twining, weaving strips of materials into complex patterns. A weaver for 50 years, Obata has been twining for two decades and is always on the lookout for fabric bargains to add to her inventory.
"You can use twining to make rugs, mainly, or tapestries and also purses," Obata said. "People actually twined before they began weaving, using natural materials to make mats for the floor, roofs or baskets."
Martha Zahn of Interlochen demonstrated a barn loom owned by the Con Foster Museum. This large loom is a great way to show the intricacies of the warp and weft that go into weaving a cloth that is tight, even and has a pleasing pattern.
"Weaving is just one of the things I do, I also sew and knit," said Zahn, who is also a volunteer at the museum. "The creation is the satisfaction."
Marty Fox brought along her warping board to demonstrate how to wind a warp before weaving, making all the threads the same length. The veteran weaver has worked and played in fabric arts for years. An art teacher at West High School, Fox teaches a traditional American arts class where she introduces a variety of fabric handcrafts. Some of her students really connect with the weaving, she said, drawn to the history as well as the creations.
"I teach it once a year and once they start they really enjoy it," said Fox, who also teaches sculpture, pottery, metals and jewelry. "Fabric arts are something I've always enjoyed and want to teach to young people."
The Textiles in Time exhibit runs through Saturday, March 1, at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. For more information, call the center at 995-0313.