You could say the students set a “Sievers-style table” last week with (Dresden) plates and (Birch Bark) bowls created in class and what a lovely table it was! Let’s start with the plates as they came together, piece by piece in the Dresden Plate Inspirations class with Judy Hasheider.
Time to Bead and Weave!
Each day of Diane Fitzgerald’s Anything Goes…with Beads class had a special theme or focus (as posted on the easel in the studio) with of course, time set aside to work on individual projects, some of which incorporated the class “mascot”. We won’t focus on Friday (with sad face, shown above, signifying the last day of class and good-byes said for this year), but instead look back at some of what the students were doing on the six previous days. As the last beads were being stitched into fabulous jewelry, the first heddles were being threaded by the beginning table loom weavers. Instructor Nancy Frantz guided the students through the steps involved in weaving a small sampler that can be used as a runner. As […]
Making their mark
For the first week of August, Stephanie Robertson’s class made their marks on fabric by screen printing, indigo dyeing, ice dyeing, direct painting, foiling, experimenting and discovering each day. Each time we walked into the studio the pieces changed as step one led to step two, three, four…and more. The indigo works it’s magic on the odd, but carefully planned combinations of clips and folds and ties. Bright and colorful, with jellyfish or without, the fabrics tell stories and leave their mark within the walls of the Walter Studio. A sneak peek into the overlapping class, Diane Fitzgerald’s Anything Goes…With Beads shows one of their first points of focus: zippers. We can’t wait to share more in the next post!
Through July
It’s hard to believe we are approaching the half-way mark of our classes, but we’ve found ourselves there. Bringing us through the end of July were three classes which overlapped a day or two on each end, Lynn Schuster’s Boundweave Rug Weaving, Deb Jones’ Spinner’s Color Workshop and Susan Hoffmann’s Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric. We started with Boundweave Rugs and the gorgeous wools and colorful designs created by each of the students. One person was able to finish two rugs in class…a first in our recollection. (Some late hours were definitely involved. We wondered if she wove after the 2 a.m. timer on the outdoor lights went off. As some weavers know, that would not be a first!) While […]
Local Color
For the first few days on a walk over to the studio and finding no one there, the question was… where is Donna Kallner’s Local Color to Wear class going next? Off on field trips to Percy Johnson County Park, the Stavekirke, Jackson Harbor Ridges and more, students found in all those places the local color and photographs used in their class projects. The basis for learning, experimentation were their own photos, ones taken on the Island (like the bracelet above with the image of the Stavekirke roof as background), natural dyes, sun and thermofax screen printing on fabric. Combined with found natural materials, beads and stitches, the pieces took shape. A lavender-filled sachet, book covers, bracelets, pins, bookmarks and small art pieces, along with […]
Patterns, Part Two
More and more patterns! In both Ellen Graf’s Quilt Design class and in Fair Isle Design with Janine Bajus (assisted by knitting “angels” Sandy De Master and Mary Germain), we have been treated to another week of beautiful patterns. Whether inspired by colors, shapes or nature, the quilts and knit swatches all ended up as our favorites. See for yourself… The confidence to go forward with your own design was an important part of each class. Using inspirational photos or pictures and 200+ colors of Shetland yarn, the process and joy of developing your own Fair Isle design was the focus of the three-day class with Janine Bajus. We all need reminders to foster our innate creativity and fully appreciate the world […]
Patterns, Part One
Patterns in basket designs and in Fair Isle designs have surrounded us this past week. Jeanette Biederman’s Splint-Woven Basketry: Independent Study class worked on baskets of all shapes, sizes and colors. The students in Sandy De Master and Mary Germain’s Fair Isle Techniques class had a choice of two colorways to make a teddy bear sweater, the small size allowed it to be completed in class. The little sweaters incorporated corrugated ribbing, two-color knitting, armhole and neck steeks and finishing. Many teddy bears, a sheep and a sock monkey came along to class for their “fittings”. New and continuing friendships were an important part of these past few days, a “pattern” that’s repeated in many classes at Sievers. […]
On Location at Sievers
Whether in the studios, at Sunset Resort, the Red Cup Coffee House, Jackson Harbor Soup and Sandwiches or on the boardwalk, last week’s One-of-a-Kind Jacket class with Mary Sue Fenner and Knitting on Location with Carol Anderson had great locations to sew, knit and show. Starting with handwoven or commercial fabrics, a couple of suitcases of patterns and about 70 Mary Sue Fenner Originals, the week was filled with altering patterns and creating fun and inspiring jackets (and more). As always, Carol Anderson brings her full line of Cottage Creations patterns, samples, fun stories and knitting expertise to all locations, Sievers and otherwise. The class worked on specific techniques from some of Carol’s patterns and then had their own projects as […]
