Adirondack Chair Art Experiment Part 1, or, My Summer of Insanity

Whew. I just spent the past hour in my garage learning about vintage power tools and pallet wood. I’m glad I waited until it was a blazing inferno in the garage.

I don’t think I posted here about my latest evil plan. My new hometown, Metuchen, NJ, is very big on supporting local artists. I got in touch with the Metuchen Art Council early this year, and they were incredibly welcoming. I have big things happening next year.

After that experience, when the Metuchen Downtown Alliance put out a call for artists, I checked it out. I don’t consider myself to be an artist, but I’m happy to give them some competition. This project definitely didn’t fit my current portfolio. The MDA is going to install 10 artist decorated Adirondack chairs for the “language” project in downtown Metuchen. How could a quilter participate in a project like this? By being creative.

My plan is to photograph local public art and text around town and make a collage. I will print that onto polyester fabric and quilt it. Then I will cut out pieces and upholster each slat on the Adirondack chair. I assumed they would laugh and turn me down. Wrong. I guess my idea was interesting enough, and now I’m in my garage, sweating my girly ass off.

I’ve already done my photography, and there is some cool stuff stashed around this town. Software is my biggest challenge on this project. I didn’t know how to make a large scale image. I have conquered that. Thankfully, before printing I realized that I need to measure the pieces and make sure my images are the right size. I do want some of the photos I took to be useable without being cut. That is my project for tonight.

For the boring bit – here are some photos of the wood being sanded. My Dad’s Rockwell palm sander was always off limits when I was a kid. I was fascinated with it, and always asked to use it. Well, Dad has moved on to a better place (I hope. Some stories lead me to believe he may be a bit toasty right now), and the palm sander has moved in with me. It has been waiting quietly in my various garages for me to come up with a suitably destructive project, and today was the lucky day.

Oh, the best part about the chairs is that they are made from recycled wood pallets! Isaac, the Executive Director of the MDA made them. He was kind enough to give me one that was not fully assembled, as I will have to take it apart anyway. It is soooo awesome to finally get to play with pallets. The last time I tried I broke my saw trying to take it apart, and then gave the pallet away. This time is much more fun.

If you are playing with a vintage palm sander for the first time, here are some tips.

• Wear gloves – it gets really hot.
• Wear glasses – crap flies around.
• Wear a hat – sawdust gets everywhere.
• Wear a breathing mask – see above.
• Hold on tight, because this sucker has a mind of its own.

I also picked up a fun new tool for this project – an electric staple gun. No more screwing around with that old silver thing, like a schmo. I can’t play with that for a little while yet. Sad face. I should probably get a tetanus shot before I get to that part. Just in case.

For those of you curious about the logistics of making outdoor furniture with quilted fabric, here is my plan. I sanded the wood down, and I’m going to seal it with waterproof paint. I am printing my images onto polyester canvas, then quilting the fabric with a light weight polyester batting. I’ll find something lightweight, like nylon, for the backing. Once it is all assembled, I’ll give it a few coats with a spray for waterproofing fabric. Will it last forever? I doubt it. Will it last all summer? Fingers crossed!

The chairs will be installed downtown on June 28th. I’m so honored and excited to be part of this project! In October, they will be auctioned off. If you play your cards right, you could own an original Strauser Adirondack chair, the very first of its kind.

Do you have any fun plans for the summer? I think it is so important that we all keep playing and exploring.