As you probably have heard, Saturday, November 28 is Small Business Saturday. This year marks its 10th anniversary, celebrating and supporting small sellers. In that spirit, we’d like to share a number of links that feature handmade fiber arts, yarns, patterns, books, instructions, materials and more from our instructors, both past and present, as well as links to local online shops as listed by the Washington Island Chamber of Commerce and adding to that, two of our past Sievers Gathering vendors. Handwovens, jewelry, baskets, rugs, handmade felt and more from Lynn Schuster. https://www.etsy.com/shop/LynnSchusterDesigns Nalbinding, looping, homegrown indigo and other plant-dyed handspun and mill-spun yarns and scarves from Donna Kallner. https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaKallnerFiberArt Zoom classes and gallery of work by Nancy Akerly. http://www.libertygrovepaperarts.com/ […]
Season wrap-up
The last day of our 2020 season of classes was as always, bittersweet. We missed seeing so many of you this year, teachers and students alike. On the other hand, we were grateful for the classes that were able to be held. By early March, we had already registered 305 students. In the end, we had 41 students attend two open studio sessions and six classes taught by five instructors, two of which live on Washington Island. We also rented the studios three separate times to Sievers alumni. Going back, only the first year of classes in 1979 had a comparable number of students…33. That being said, it’s not quantity, it’s quality! And we finished the season in the same […]
Pop-up Shop #6: Holidays and handmade
It’s time for another pop-up shop before most of the items are returned to the artists now that our season is coming to a close. We’ve covered a wide representation of handmade work from our students and teachers earlier, so for this pop-up we begin with a holiday theme. These stockings are made from “tattered quilts with vintage jewelry, laces and linens” and measure about 5″ x 16″. $40 each (Limited quantities on all of the handmade work shown above.) For the do-it-yourself-ers who want to knit or weave their own handmade holiday trimmings, a pattern and yarns for wee elves as well as ideas for gifts made with rigid-heddle, inkle and pin looms are also available. For winter handmade […]
Never enough October
October on Washington Island is definitely a favorite! We can never get enough of the cool, crisp days and colorful woodland views. This year it seems the leaves have glowed more vibrantly and lasted longer than usual. We have savored every moment. In these last few weeks, our studios were rented two separate times. Besides working on weaving, quilting and other projects, relaxation and exploration were part of each day. Soon, more of the leaves will be on the ground than in the trees. We’re seeing the transition already as we begin this last week of October and the last week of our 2020 season. Another plus this time of year are later sunrises. We’ll savor these, too!
Knitting and fall colors
The first week or so of October has traditionally been the time when the Creative Knitting Retreat class with Sandy De Master and Mary Germain is scheduled, along with the Open Knit Studio time. As it turns out, this year was no different…except in many ways. Each group was small in numbers (but not in projects!), with plenty of distance within the studios. The usual non-knitting activities like the fashion show, group dinners and attendance at Columbus Day weekend events around the island were put on hold for another time. We missed seeing so many of our friends, as we have throughout the season, but know that we will see you all again when the time is right. While the […]
Stashes
The subject of stashes (yarns, fabrics, books, fiber art tools and/or supplies) is a common topic of conversation among fiber artists. This year, more than most, we’re guessing the stashes out there were used (at least partially…), sorted through, organized, admired or donated due to the fact that we’ve all been spending more time at home than usual. This year and last, Sievers has had a class for weavers to specifically “bust the stash”, taught by Judie Yamamoto. During the last week in September, the four students in class were able to create new combinations with yarns from their stashes, including using these hand-dyed wools. If the definition of stash is to hide away or store in a secret place, […]
Fall colors and studio time
Every day the trees are increasingly “showing their stuff” and both we (and the wildlife) are enjoying the changing views! The fall color report indicates Door County currently at 5% with the third week of October expected to be the peak of color. We recently had a small group of quilters rent the Walter Studio for a week. As always, they brought several projects to start, to complete or to bring closer to completion. It always feels best when there is activity in the studio! With several October classes cancelled, we are still offering studio rentals with availability in the Walter […]
September
September… not quite summer and not quite fall. It’s one of those in-between months that gives the best of both seasons and we often wish it would last a little longer than it does. Re-scheduled to Saturday, September 12, Local Yarn Store Day was created by a committee of shop owners and yarn manufacturers to celebrate brick and mortar yarn shops. They note, “contrary to popular belief, the majority of yarn is purchased through local brick and mortar shops…”. As a local yarn shop, we started small, but have expanded our weaving and knitting yarns over time and in particular since 1996 when classes moved from what is now the shop into the (then newly-built) Sophie Studio. […]
