The 2017 calendars are almost ready to be turned to February, making us wonder, where did the time go? I guess we can say that the days have been spent preparing this year’s Sievers schedule and getting all the class descriptions and information ready for February 1st and the opening of registration. Featured on the cover of our flyers and brochures this year is a photo of the colorful and intricate Japanese Temari made by Judie Yamamoto. (Click here for 2017 Catalog) Many of the teachers who offered classes in 2016 will be back to teach in 2017. Those on sabbatical this upcoming season are Lorrie Grainger Abdo, Janine Bajus, Betty Carlson, Mary Hettmansperger, Julie Lambert, Rich Prange and Connie Westbrook. We welcome back Ruth […]
From our nest to yours
Our warmest greetings go out to you over the holidays and as winter begins. Whether you are like the winter birds, staying home and finding ways to keep warm or if you have left your nest for a southerly location, we look ahead to the day your wings bring you back to our neck of the woods. Ode to Winter …While a world drifts to sleep Leaves curl and flowers bow Birds take flight to a further place A touch of frost creeps in Stealing the landscape of its colour Soon all shall be held motionless In the still of a winters season Now in all its changing The beauty and perfection of life Is left open to be […]
Beach Scenes
There’s no place like the beach…even in December. Before the snow falls and changes the scenery, covering the patterns found in the rocks along the Lake Michigan side of Washington Island, it was time to see what could be discovered, up close and afar. A speck in the distance from the photo below revealed the fish tug Seediver heading south. These geese and swans could be on their way south, too. We’ll be here, “up north”, enjoying the winter beach scenes!
Keeping Warm
It’s not just within the studios that the memories of time spent together with like-minded friends creating fiber art remain. Now, they are also included in the main building, Jackson Studio. It was time to replace the siding and as you can see, Styrofoam insulation boards used for fabric printing, quilting and more in class are now covering the bare cinderblock and are helping to keep us warm. Thanks, Nancy for this piece of foam and the “Scandin” sawhorses really helped, too. Expert carpenters and the warm sunny days made for a great finish! We’ve had warm November sunsets that just a few days ago were followed by below freezing temperatures. It’s looking more and more like November should, starting with […]
Serenity now…Island style
Today is a good day to remember the quiet scenes from this fall captured these last two weeks on Washington Island. And sunsets… before, during and after. Take time for your own quiet moments, today and everyday, wherever you are!
Fall reflections
Before the leaves are gone, we want to share some of the views around the Island of the trees, dressed in gold. There could be a photo from every road and path on Washington Island with the same beautiful colors. (That would be a lot of photos!) They came into peak a little later than usual this year and have stayed a little later, too. How lucky we are to be surrounded by beauty in each direction! With strong winds today and more predicted, the colors will soon be blanketing the ground, in preparation for winter. We’ll be sorry to see them go. It’s not all gold, red, brown and orange in October, there are all the colors of […]
Finishing with a flourish
Finishing our 2016 season of classes with a flourish of color and design were eight students in Deb Sharpee’s Rag Rug Weaving class. It’s such fun to see the rugs come to life. Many times, the fabrics used in the rugs have stories behind them. Every time, students go home with one, two or more rugs that are sure to delight the floors awaiting them! This teal and grey Diamond rag rug is a gem! Deb brings a mangle for students to prepare fabric strips for weaving. These rugs are sure to make happy feet! When we started our first class of the season on June 3, we didn’t realize how quickly the next five months would […]
Simple and Natural
What an appealing combination for last week’s Sievers classes! Simple and natural in Connie Westbrook’s Handwoven Homespun Fabric class, using natural cotton/linen blend yarns in neutrals with just a splash of color and woven in simple plain weave. At the same time, simple and natural in Donna Kallner’s Natural Dye Retreat, with materials harvested from the grounds at Sievers and on Washington Island used to dye silk, wool and cotton. Projects included towels, curtains, bread cloths and totes and with plain weave, the weaving goes fast! The leaves from indigo plants produced these vibrant blues, illustrating that revealing the final results from leaves, barks and berries is part of the process and joy of natural dyeing. To see more and experience some of […]
