Linda Schutz's shop in downtown Carver is
filled with unique creations.
Art that is personally yours…
at the Hazelnut House
By Tama Westman Published April 7, 2005, Let’s Go!
When Linda Schutz, a work-at-home divorced mother of three needed to get out of the house, she raised her passion for art and design to the next level and opened her own studio, Hazelnut House, in downtown Carver. “I sometimes wonder if I should have called it Hazel’s Nut House instead,” she laughed.
A textile artist, Linda’s original and often, controversial art quilts are born only after she gets a feel for what the quilt wants to be. “Each piece tells a story,” she said.
“I think of fabric as paint. I dye my own fabrics to get the colors I want- a lot like the old Masters' who mixed their own paints. I prefer to work with highly saturated, pure colors. You rarely find that intensity available in commercial fabrics. My measuring stick? If it hurts to look at it, it's gotta be good!”
Life is her canvas
Using fabric as her medium, the intimate features of many of Linda’s quilts sometimes intimidate, but never fail to impress. Afterglow, an award-winning art quilt that saw the designer thrown out of the Lutheran Brotherhood Quilt show, depicts two lovers basking in those twilight moments after lovemaking. “I wanted to move beyond the traditional, repetitive geometric style usually associated with quilts.”
Afterglow was the first in a series of designs featuring unadorned subjects. Another quilt, Sometimes We Just Talk, shows a naked man sitting on a chair facing the bare legs of a woman lying just off canvas.
“I did the nudes to open people’s minds,” Schutz said, “to see quilting as an art form. I’m not trying to offend anyone. When nudes are seen in oil and sculpture, they aren’t vulgar, they are accepted as artwork.”
Not your average agéd granny working a traditional nine-square, Schutz is a hips-swinging, eyes-sparking, sassy, sexy woman who uses quilting as her artistic medium.
“I love to teach others how to do this,” she said. “To me, there is nothing more fun than bringing a favorite picture to life in an art quilt made by your own hand.” Whether you want something fabulous to hang on your wall or a comfy quilt for the sofa that blends with your décor, why not use life as your canvas and create the spectacular?”
Margaritas anyone?
Letting her imagination run wild, Schutz ironed flat a piece she’s calling 5:00.
“I found this really fun fabric with tortilla chips on it. I thought chips and salsa… happy hour… margaritas… and suddenly the five o’clock happy hour quilt was born. “Look, you can even see the salt on the glasses, she exclaimed.
“I didn’t know I could do this, I didn’t have any formal training, didn’t mentor with anyone. I just woke up one morning and thought, I can do this.”
Ten years later, Schutz' striking art designs have pinned top awards. She was one of several artists to have her work included in a collection of quilts in the Hoffman challenge in 1995. In 1997, she was a guest artist on the Smithsonian Art Train when it came to the Twin Cities. Locally, she has been honored with various ribbons at many quilt shows. Including first place in the viewers choice category at the 2003 Minnesota quilt show in St. Paul. This year, the American Quilters Society recognized a Schutz original and honored her with an inclusion in their 2005 art calendar.
The un-quilt shop
“What really turns me on are the surprised expressions of both men and women when they visit the studio. They are usually blown away by the vibrant colors. One woman told me she never knew quilts could be like this.”
Abandoning the traditional, Schutz occasionally uses colored pencils and paint on fabrics to highlight certain elements of the design. Just as viable as a painting,” she said, “this is art.”
Taking each day as it comes, Schutz maintained, “A man would have a plan, I’m not a man.”
“I do a lot of commission work, creating art quilts for people based on an idea they have, colors in their décor, a cherished memory or photo.” Rubbing her dyed-blue hands together, she laughed, “I dye a lot more often now too, because quilters who can’t find the colors they want in the regular fabric shops, have learned to come to the Hazelnut House. For non-quilters, I have wearable art and hand-dyed scarves, there’s a lot of lovely things to see and do here, whether you quilt or not.”
The Hazelnut House is not your typical quilt shop; Schutz likes to call it “the un-quilt shop.”
“Most quilt shops have set dates for classes and lectures,” she explained, “We work one-on-one together in an intimate setting for as long as you like. By keeping classes small, what you learn elsewhere in six hours, I can teach in two. It’s up to you.”
Waving an arm to encompass the whole space, she said, “This is a studio - a place to be inspired, to explore new artistic ventures and to hand-create tangible life pictures that you will love forever.”
Tailor-made classes
“There’s nothing better than bringing the beauty of nature inside, especially in Minnesota,” Schutz said. “You can come by yourself, or book a class with a few friends. We will work in the studio, either with your sewing machine, or with the Juki and Pfaff machines in the studio.”
Choose a photo of a single bloom from your own garden. Schutz will show you how to reproduce it on fabric, share threadwork techniques and help you to complete an original 18”x18” finished quilt, ready to bind and hang in your home.
Supplies: chocolate, favorite music, a few good friends, the ability to have fun and the willingness to learn.
“Seriously,” she laughed, “when you call to book a session, I will tailor it to what you want to do, whether that’s Blossoms & Blooms, Mosaics, long-arm quilting, or your own idea. An entertaining and enjoyable experience, you won’t even realize you are learning design theory and techniques that transfer to many other art forms. I’ll send you a supply list, but it basically boils down to fabric samples in the rich, glorious colors you want to work with to create your one-of-a-kind masterpiece.”
Unless otherwise noted, all content Copyright © 2004-2008 by Linda Schutz
