Although we witnessed a darkening of the sky (some of it due to general cloud cover and a small rain shower) during the total eclipse on August 21, it turned out that these crescent shadows were our most visible evidence of the event at Sievers. With one of the definitions for eclipse or eclipsing being “to surpass; outshine”, we felt that for us, the classes held that week joined our other 37 classes in their own “fiber eclipse”. Watching the baskets in Jeanette Biederman’s Independent Study Splint-Woven Basketry class come together is always inspiring. Sunrise to sundown, busy hands were weaving colorful patterns. Luckily, there’s no need to hide your eyes from this kind of eclipse! Not to be outshone, students in Daniel Essig’s two classes, Tools of the Trade […]
Weaving times two
It’s not often we can have two weaving classes in session at once, but this past week it worked perfectly to have Ruth Manning’s Tapestry Weaving class and Nancy Frantz’s beginning table loom weavers here at the same time. The tapestry weavers did some outdoor sketching as one means of design inspiration for their woven landscapes. How exciting to see these small gems be revealed, row by row. Ruth’s own samples along with what the students were working garnered many “oohs” and “ahs”. A visit between classes had one group of weavers impressed with what each were doing in just three or four days of class time. To learn the basics of weaving and complete a project […]
Adornments
It is always a treat for us when Diane Fitzgerald and her class is here. Each day, she and all her students are adorned in a variety of necklaces, bracelets and earrings showcasing the most wonderful, creative beadwork. Every day of class had a different focus with time afterwards to explore the possibilities. A pre-arranged exchange between students gave them all a chance to share some of their work with the rest of the “flock”. Shrinky Dinks© made for lovely, ruffled flower necklaces, or you could adorn yourself with these crystal flowerets. A definite theme prevailed during the week for the class, where the students are known as the “Flamingo Beaders”. Pink everywhere, ranging from a flamingo tablecloth, paper plates and napkins in the kitchen, to numerous mascots, to […]
Compare and contrast
Intricate designs in Japanese Temari was the focus of Judie Yamamoto’s recent three-day class. Sorted into categories such as “Complex 8” and “Complex 10”, students learned how to create the lush swirls and precise motifs on these elegant Temari. Lines carefully measured and marked across the circumference of the ball provided the starting points for the decorative stitching. At the same time, Stephanie Robertson’s Making Your Mark: A Fabric Journey class was in session. Compare the use of color, the variety of designs and the joy of the process. In contrast, no measured and precise lines while dyeing. Instead, the wonderful gift of experimentation and surprise (generally happy surprise) with each unveiling. If the original concept for the fabric doesn’t appear, there’s always indigo for over-dyeing! […]
Happiness is…
…a colorful quilt. ….being inspired by nature. …warm woolens. …wildlife in the backyard. …watching clouds and sunsets (especially the ones on Washington Island). As promised last time, the Open Quilt Studio “challenge quilt” border fabrics were on before class was over. Everyone likes…a colorful quilt. In Susan Hoffmann’s Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric class, students worked with the same set of fabrics. Although they all started with the same theme, there were as many variations as students, each person creating a unique woodland scene and …being inspired by nature. The Spinning Art Yarns class taught by Deb Jones used a variety of fibers and combined them into special and fanciful yarns by using the drum carders, picker, spinning wheels and plying in order to have some one-of-a-kind…warm […]
Don’t hurry pleasure
“How long does it take to make that?” is certainly a question we hear often as do many quilters, knitters, weavers, basketmakers, spinners and other makers. As they say, don’t hurry pleasure! Ellen Graf’s Drafting in Quilt Design class demonstrated that it’s not only the time spent sewing, pressing, piecing and finally, quilting, that goes into each unique quilt, it’s the time planning, drawing, experimenting and seeing ahead to what it will look like when finished. As far as we could see ahead, each and every quilt will be a treasure! Ellen always shares her excellent techniques with her students and we look forward to seeing the quilts started in class make a return visit to Sievers. The early summer rains helped produce extra-lush botanicals and the […]
Fiber in common
Do baskets, barks and mittens have anything in common? Yes, especially when they’ve been the focus of recent classes at Sievers School of Fiber Arts! Stacks of baskets were created in Jeanette Biederman’s Splint-Woven Basketry: Independent Study class, with some completely finished and some ready for the final touches at home. Next year, the plan is to take a photo that includes all the baskets made during the week. Might need to stand over by the barn to fit them all in the camera lens! Instead of a stack of baskets, how about class time spent on one perfect Winnebago Picnic Basket? Even Schoolhouse Beach may not be ready for this beauty! Learning the techniques of making Latvian mittens followed by a separate class on Latvian Mitten Design with Sandy […]
Two weeks…three classes
There have been great things to share with you from the three classes that took place through the end of June, Batik with Mary Jo Scandin and Thom Scott, One-of-a-Kind Jacket with Mary Sue Fenner and Knitting on Location with Carol Anderson. Taking advantage of the sun when it appeared, the batik class sometimes had to resort to “inside sunshine” to dry their pieces. Nothing could detract, however, from the artworks these talented students made or worked on during the week. The official title of this class is Batik: Ancient and Modern. We know the “ancient” doesn’t really refer to our early days, shown in a photo from a 1989 class with Mary Jo Scandin (in the aqua sweatshirt), but we wonder now, […]
