Winter on Washington Island has meant gentle snowfalls, zero and below temperatures, ice formations and a lake effect snow total that topped 16″ within 24 hours. Some melting happened now and then, but the ground has stayed white and the ice in the harbors thick enough for shanty fishing for some time now. From December through today, our winter time lapse looks like this… One of our favorite parts of winter is hearing from all of you on and after February 1st. As of today, we have 228 registrations. Wow, and thank you! What a wonderful response to mark our 40th season! Soon, the whites, greys and blues of winter will give way to the greens of spring and […]
Sievers Sneak Preview
The days are quickly approaching the February 1st opening of Registration Week. It is such a treat for us to hear from you in the middle of winter, anticipating the time we’ll share when you’re here for class (or for an Island visit). We will be welcoming one new teacher in 2018, Susan Frame. She will open our 40th season teaching Class 1 – Beginning Weaving on a 4-Harness Floor Loom. Susan took her first weaving class in 1982 and has continued learning since, including three classes at Sievers ( in 1988, 1989 and 2012). Since 1989, Susan has had the pleasure of teaching weaving techniques at The Fiber Garden in Black River Falls, WI. She and her husband live in Osseo, WI. Welcome, […]
Blessings
Once each week for the past several months, we’ve been sharing Sievers history, in words and photos on our Facebook page. We will continue these posts in 2018, but on a more intermittent basis. As we come to the end of the year, this blessing of Jackson Studio and Tomson Hall given in 1981 soon after Tomson Hall (the barn) was completed, seemed appropriate. Within the walls of Jackson Studio and Tomson Hall one feels a center of breathless activities and hears a restful breathing Surrounded by hours of moving one finds a moment of quiet stillness In the heart of much involvement one feels the words of withdrawal In the midst of the action of the day there is contemplation And […]
Sixty days and counting?
The first of the month and a new, fresh page on the calendar makes us realize that time will go by quickly as we approach February 1, 2018 and registration week at Sievers. Our schedule of classes is not set yet, but it will be soon. Many of the instructors that have been teaching at Sievers will be returning. Some have decided to be on sabbatical in 2018 and return in a future year. They are: Judy Hasheider, Ruth Manning and Karen Tembreull. Retiring from teaching (but not from taking classes or making baskets) are Beginning Basket Weaving teachers Kay Normann and Drew Tibbetts. Returning to Sievers in 2018 are: Betty Glynn Carlson (Navajo Weaving) Chad Alice Hagen (Sketchbooks and Miniature Book Necklaces), Mary Hettmansperger (Expressions in Jewelry) […]
Between seasons
After holding on for so long, the last of the fall leaves are on the ground and signs of the transition into winter are beginning to appear. We now see a few snow flurries in the air and ice forming on the ponds and shoreline. There’s not much color in the landscape, but it is November, a month when you have to appreciate the subtleties of nature. Island life becomes quieter now. A few more of the seasonal businesses are closing their doors for the winter and will take some time to enjoy hearth and home. Sievers is quiet and busy at the same time as we’re preparing for our 2018 season. Between this season and then, we wish you some quiet time with all […]
November notes
For the most part, it’s just the Sievers crew working in the office during the weekdays now. What was a bustling studio just a couple of weeks ago is quiet, waiting for the next season of classes. This is the time of year for a quick re-cap of the 2017 season. There were 375 students enrolled in 41 classes scheduled. 65 of those students were new to Sievers. Of the 41 classes, 12 were filled and many others were just one or two shy of being filled. (Thank you!) The top 10 states that our students have come from over the years are: Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Florida, Arizona, Ohio and California. States/districts with only one student representing them […]
Rag Rug Weaving & Fall
Wow! Where did the time go? Our final class of the 2017 season, Rag Rug Weaving with Deb Sharpee, finished last Saturday. It seems like such a short time ago when we greeted the first students on June 5. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun! As usual, the rag rug studio was filled with colorful fabrics, great design inspirations and ideas, laughter and friendship. From the start when the carpet warp rolled onto the looms to the finish when quite a variety of rugs and runners rolled off, not a heddle, shuttle, sewing machine, student or teacher were idle. Instead of full-sized rugs, some of the students wove runners like the one on the left. In preparation for the rug on the right, the […]
Carving Songbirds & Fall
It’s not a matter of “whittling away” a few hours at Sievers, instead it’s about bringing to life a songbird from a block of basswood that has been shaped with just a hint of the bird waiting to fly out into your hands. In the first afternoon, the tail feathers, head and beak were formed. Another day and the features of a Goldfinch are all in place and body smoothed by careful sanding. As always, the talents of the instructors and students make for a great sharing opportunity. Flying in for the studio visit, Jerry Landwehr’s own Goldfinch became the centerpiece of the carving table. This week of sunshine is giving us more views of the trees as they continue to change. There are […]
