Radical Mycology Workshop May 26

Howdy folks! Here’s a fun event to put on your radars – a Radical Mycology workshop happening at the Planet Repair Institute on May 26th, between 2-5 PM.

Join Peter McCoy, co-founder of Radical Mycology, Leila Darwish, author of Earth Repair, and James Weiser, co-founder of Amateur Mycology to discuss the next evolution in stewardship: community scale remediation and the direct rehabilitation of polluted environments. This presentation will introduce the role of fungi, plants, and bacteria in cleaning up and restoring  ecosystems damaged by heavy metals, as well as chemical and biological contaminants. Concepts of fungal cultivation and remediation will be explored along with numerous ways to integrate these species (as well as bacteria and plants) into a more sustainable and natural way of life. To be followed by a Q&A session and, time permitting, a small mushroom bed installation.

 

See you there!

VBC, Here we come!

The Planet Repair schedule for the upcoming Village Building Convergence 13 is all set! Here’s your official invite to join our team -  behold, these awesome builders:

Eva Edleson

Molly Murphy (an actual “MudGirl” from Canada!)

Sarah Frances Michaelson (from Minneapolis!)

and Jane Gray (from Sellwood!)!

Together they will lead a dazzling array of projects, including finishing various long-standing projects and some pretty impressive new ones that contribute energy-impact as well as beauty. Though this year we will see most of our natural building work completed, we will also host a few permaculture workshops as we get ready to host our third-annual urban permaculture design course which begins in June! See you soon!

 

Workshop Schedule at PRI:

Friday, May 24th- Planet Repair will be hosting students from Victoria, BC at the VBC13 central venue.

 

Saturday, May 25th-

Natural building projects at PRI will begin with completing natural plasters on the famous Chicken Palace, and work will begin in converting an existing cob chimney into a functional cob oven. 

 

Sunday, May 26th-

A- Natural building projects will proceed, with more work on the chimney-to-oven conversion, as well as installation of a decorative cob thermal-mass wall in the existing greenhouse.

 

B- From 2 to 5pm, Peter McCoy, co-founder of Radical Mycology Convergence will be conducting a hands-on workshop on fungi cultivation and fungal bio-remediation! This should be good! Pass-the-hat donations accepted!

 

Monday, May 27th-

Natural building work will proceed on both the oven projects and the thermal mass wall. We will also begin work on plastering upper gables on the main house. This will be highly decorative and will likely involve inlaid mosaic glass.

 

Tuesday, May 28th-

Work will proceed on natural plasters on both the main house and the garage gables.

 

Wednesday, May 29th-

A- Natural building projects will continue, and we may begin work at a neighboring site. This new project will be either a new cob oven or a special kind of interactive installation.

 

B- From 2 to 5pm we will host a special permaculture discussion on the overall plant-based vision of permaculture at VBC. What do urban dwellers really want and need? What will they tend and use? What guilds are most effective in these conditions, and which will help us transition as the climate inevitably shifts to higher temperatures? How do we adapt and thrive? 

 

Thursday, May 30th-

Natural building projects will proceed, now including work at adjacent homes.

 

Friday, May 31st-

More work on natural building projects. A special note for homeless activists and advocates: Massive and awesome activists Andrew and Joline Heben will be staying at PRI and would be happy to speak with others who may be interested in setting up self-help villages in their own communities.

 

Saturday, June 1st-

Activity at our site will conclude and begin to taper off as many of thePRI community will be out at Share-It Square, SE 9th & Sherrett, helping to install the new community piazza design!

 

Sunday, June 2nd-

Site will be closed for central activities.

Garden Themed Garb!

We’re excited to announce yet another PRI resident’s creative venture! Sarah Heath has just launched her new business website http://www.gardensglory.com/! Please take a look at what she’s been making! 

Create Your Own Hand-Bound Book

Howdy folks!

On the wavelength of hand-made lives, we’re excited to announce PRI resident Jane Gray will be teaching a course on making hand-bound books through People’s Co-op in May. See the little event blurb below for more information. Hope to see you there!

Discover the magic of sewing 100% reclaimed materials into your very own book. In this 2-day workshop, we will explore the Coptic stitch and basic binding techniques to introduce you to the creative world of bookbinding. No experience necessary. All materials provided.

Cost is $40 (Saturdays, May 18th and 25th, 1:30-5:30 PM), workshop will be help in the People’s Co-op Community Room. I’m open to partial trades as well. To register, shoot me an e-mail a.janegray.m@gmail.com or give me a call (571-242-5263).

Making My Bed, Literally

PRI resident Sarah Heath tells of her experience constructing a bed.

 

This past weekend I made my bed. I know what you’re thinking… “Big deal, I make mine every day”, or “Woopy doo, great accomplishment”. This was certainly the reaction I received from several friends upon telling them about my weekend venture. However, when I revealed that I hadn’t merely smoothed wrinkled sheets back into place, but rather had sawed, sewn, and stuffed an entirely new sleeping vessel, questions arose. “You actually made a mattress?!”, “Aren’t zippers tricky?”, “Is straw comfy?”. There’s a very distinct type of satisfaction derived from a project like this. In a culture that outsources almost everything, it’s an incredibly empowering experience to be able to make something for yourself that you rely on so heavily for such a basic human need. In participating in my place on this deeper level, I am so much more connected to it, to myself, and to this life. I hope the documentation of this project inspires you to take a more hands-on approach towards your own everyday living. Woohoo!

Top Reasons to Make Your Own Bed:
Absolutely Customizable
Non-toxic
Ergonomic
It’s badass

You can make your bed any way really! Depending on your needs, wants, and abilities, your bed could be a simple wood slat frame like mine or a rocket ship suspended from the ceiling! Feel free to deviate from these instructions at any time if you have a preferred method. Or if you just want to try something out. Experimentation! Here’s how I went about it…

Mattress:
Durable fabric (measurements below)
zipper
durable thread
sewing machine or needles and thimble
stuffing material (straw, wool, fabric scraps, etc)
iron
large work surface (I used a big piece of plywood on top of two saw-horses covered in a sheet.)

 

Preparations and Such!

First decide on the size you want. I chose 46”x78”x5”, though the length ended up being 69” inches somehow. I think it shrank in the wash. It’s okay because I’m short.

Next figure out how much fabric you’ll need and purchase or salvage it. You’ll need two large pieces that are 2” longer and wider than the final mattress size to allow for seems. You’ll also need two width and two length pieces that are 5” wide or however tall your mattress will be. Also include a 2” seam allowance. If you want to add a protective zipper flap like I did, you’ll also need another length strip that’s 4 to 5” wide. This helps keep your stuffing from getting caught in the zipper. You can have the employees at the fabric store help you figure out the yardage.

  

Once you’ve cut your fabric and ironed it if needed, cut one of the side length pieces in half, length wise. Now sew the two pieces together leaving a ¼ to 1/2 “ edge. Iron down and sew zipper face down on the seam. Next use a seam ripper to open up seam and reveal your working zipper.

  

Now Iron your zipper guard (I call it my straw guard J) in half lengthwise. Sew it in place on the inside of the zipper.

Assembly!

Sew all side panels together, making sure not to twist any and that the zipper is facing the inside so when you flip it, it will be right side out. Just like sewing a pillow.

Now it’s time to iron all the edges of your side panels so that your seams remain straight and even. It can be a little tricky feeding so much fabric through a regular sewing machine, so this step is important.

Sew one mattress sized piece on to the side panels, then the other. I would recommend reinforcing these seems at least once with a zig-zag stitch.

Stuffing!

Now you get to stuff it with your choice of material! I chose straw because it is locally sourced, inexpensive, pretty soft, and when it’s time to re-stuff I can mulch with it! Fantastic! Eventually I may look to using other plant fibers in the area that I can harvest myself. With organic materials, always consider moisture and nutrient levels, as you don’t want your bedding to mold or harbor insects. Fill that thang!

  

The Frame:

Now you can build your frame. This design is very simple. Measure your finished mattress and cut pieces accordingly. For my bed I needed two 66” long 2x4s, two 46” long 2x4s, four 17” long 2x4s, nine 46” long 5x1s, and plywood for the headboard if desired.

We’re lucky enough to have good tools around these parts, so I cut the wood with a skill saw. However,   if you are unable to cut your own perhaps a friend could help you out for a trade. Only use these tools when you’re able to do so confidently and safely. You could certainly go the hand tool route, but it does take a heck of a lot longer.  That’s the extra badass way.

Using a pilot bit to create a hole first, screw together the 2x4s and then add legs making sure they are flush with the top of the frame. You can also use 4x4s for the legs and make them however tall you wish.

 

Now place your slats down atop the frame and pilot drill all holes. Screw in place.

You can add your head board or add it in the room as was necessary for me, or else it wouldn’t have fit through the door. I created an arch in the headboard using a jigsaw.

  

Put it all together and then add your favorite sheets and blankets. Voila! Congratulations! You’ve made your very own bed!

VBC 2013

This year’s VBC poster was designed in collaboration – thanks to Planet Repair residents Mark Lakeman and Frances Michaelson for such an inspiring image.

Power of Place

This past February, our very own Jane Gray Morris gave a presentation on Portland placemaking initiatives to kickstart a series of conversations about community engagement in the snowy city of Montreal!

This blog post, entitled Power of Place, was written to capture the event and inspire excitement for initiatives to grow and take hold. Thanks to Michelle Holliday for putting this together!

 

“And still, we are completely unprepared for the moment when Jane Gray Morris of Portland, Oregon’s City Repair project sits unassumingly in front of us and gently cracks open our hearts.  She shows us that our public lives could be filled with powerful moments of creating beauty together.  Of learning across generations.  Of caring for life in all its glorious forms.  Of economy and efficiency infused naturally with art and love and whimsy.  She takes us on a tour of “the more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible,” as Charles Eisenstein puts it.  It’s almost too much to bear. “