Fwd: EPISODE 779 LATEST WOOD QUILT interpretation BARN IN ARISDORF SWITZERLAND



Begin forwarded message:


From: ALAN SKEOCH <alan.skeoch@rogers.com>
Subject: EPISODE 779 LATEST WOOD QUILT interpretation BARN IN ARISDORF SWITZERLAND
Date: March 10, 2023 at 10:54:39 AM EST
To: john Wardle <jwardle@rogers.com>, Marjorie Skeoch <marjorieskeoch@gmail.com>


EPISODE 779     LATEST WOOD QUILT interpretation BARN IN ARISDORF SWITZERLAND


alan skeoch
march 10, 2023


Well all the pieces have fallen into place.  Some time has passed since Martin Leuthi and I admired  this
old barn in the village of Arisdorf, near Basel, Switzerland.

“Martin,  I would like to make a wooden quilt patterned after that barn.”
“Look closer, Alan,the farmer is discarding his fanning mill…perched on his harvest wagon now.”
“Really?  Throwing  it out?
“Looks that way to me, let’s ask.”

Yes, it was being tossed.  The mill was old, perhaps early 19th century.  Odd construction.  Long like
a snake as opposed to Canadian fanning mills that are compact like a ground hog.   We took the mill
apart and carefully packed the moving parts as cabin  luggage for the flight to Toronto.  Abandoned the
long sideboards whichI planned to replace but have no done. That was 20 years ago.  The plans
are still in my shop. Never to be replicated.   

So this wood quilt is dedicated to the memory that Martin and I share  Without his fluency in Swiss German
it is unlikely anything would have been done.  Swiss farmers are not exactly the ‘hail fellow, well met’ kind
of people.  Understandable.  Imagine driving up a farm lane in Ontario to inspect farm trash and then
have the nerve to ask if you could buy (or have) some ancient machine.

So while the snowstorms have been raging outside my workshop this February and March, I have
been reliving….recreating….a moment in my lifetime the I treasure.

THE SWISS BARN

Over the past few years I have been gathering wooden pieces…scrap wood…that could be shaped
into a memory.    Unsophisticated.  I am  neither an artist nor an architect.   Just a folk art enthusiast
like Maudie ,,,see the Netflix film, MAUD,  that will help  you understand folk art and either hate it or love it.
The only barn I  ever made collapsed into kindling wood four weeks after I thought it was 
wonderful.  

This Ep[isode has been sent as a testimonial to the good times Martin and I shared while admiring
that Arisdorf barn so long ago. What you see is an impression…not a reality.  DIMENSIONS

about 4’ x 2’.  Built without commercial purpose.  Built because I wanted to build it  I am not soliciting

criticism nor potential market.  If I did either of these, there would be no joy.


alan skeoch’





Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *