The buildings are buttoned up for the winter months, the handmade work from our students and teachers has been returned and we tend to leave the office before it really gets dark, all things that tell us we’ve entered our “off-season”. Truthfully, it’s more of an in-between season, as we now begin to develop our 2024 schedule of classes. With a little extra time on hand, plans for the quieter months ahead are formulating for all of us on the Sievers staff. For Ann, that means finishing a cabled knit mitten (one is done), along with other mitten and sock knitting, reading collected recipes to save the best and going through old family photos in order to share them with […]
Autumn beauty
It’s hard to pick a favorite season of the year, but fall seems to edge the others out. Maybe because it never lasts long enough. Maybe it’s the intensity of colors combined with the desire to take in as much beauty as we can, before the leaves are gone that makes it so special. In a comment from a previous Sievers blog post, Barbara S. wrote, “I have always loved the fall season on the Island, with its cool, crisp breezes, smell of woodsmoke in the evening, days with bright sunshine filtering through the glorious, vibrant colors of the changing leaves, walks on Schoolhouse Beach wrapped in sweaters and scarves of soft, fragrant wool; caramel apples and bread baked in […]
Wrapping up with willow
After our last class ended, we began to look forward to one more highlight of the season! An event coordinated by Jo Campbell-Amsler and Lee Zieke Lee, Willow Connection 2023 brought together a group of willow basketmakers and enthusiasts from all parts of the country for four days of willow harvesting, basketmaking and sharing. The group harvested the entire Sievers willow patch in one morning, which ended up being the one time it didn’t rain during the time they were here! The fresh cut willow, along with other materials brought by the participants, was used for making baskets and sculptural pieces. Wrapping our season up with willow added more wonderful memories to the ones we already made in 2023! We’re also […]
Pop-up and pop in
We’ve got one more pop-up shop to share with you before our regular hours for the Sievers Shop end on Friday, November 3. On that day, November 3, we are holding an Open House for Cindra’s retirement from 1-3 pm in the Sievers Shop. Although Cindy won’t officially retire until December 31, we want all our Sievers and Island friends to have the opportunity to honor her 37 years of working here. Please join us if you can! Afterwards, all the handmade items in the shop will be returned to the artists, our wonderful students and teachers who share and sell their work here. We’ll still be in the office from Monday-Friday, so if you have a need for yarn […]
Weaving – Scandinavian style
Classic (and classy), with clean lines and simple designs that are visually pleasing, is what comes to mind when describing the handwovens in Connie Westbrook’s Simply Scandinavian class. Connie brings so many of her own beautifully woven pieces as samples of projects suitable for the students. We’re sure choosing just one or two to weave is not an easy decision to make! Some very fine threads go into these woven treasures, used for special occasions or everyday. We remember one of our weaving instructors saying that handwovens are meant to be used on a regular basis. Only when they’re part of the collective memory of family and friends over time, are they considered heirlooms. This is true of any work […]
Knitting season
For a knitter, all seasons are knitting seasons, but it seems especially fitting, and now has almost become tradition at Sievers, to offer a week of knitting in the fall. There’s really no better time to think about cozying up with a project, be it challenging or simply soft and comforting, as the colder weather settles in. One of our two knitting favorites in October is the Creative Knitting Retreat with Mary Germain. Students have the option of a 5-day or 3-day class and they bring spectacular knitting projects to start, or continue, or finish, all with encouragement, instruction and guidance from Mary. We considered ourselves lucky to be able to simply see these beautiful handknits in person! Across the […]
Bringing the outdoors in
Last week, both classes brought the outdoors in by using some of nature’s gifts including birch bark, leaves of all kinds, roots, and willow in many sizes and lengths. Karen Tembreull’s Eco-Printing on Birch Bark class started with printing a journal cover using leaves, imprinting the design onto sheets of birch bark using a steaming process. This was one of those classes where you want to be there to watch each and every step from start to finish. Assembling the pages and binding the books, then embellishing and embroidering the covers, resulted in some very special pieces, marrying nature and art. What a joy to hold these woodland treasures in hand! We welcomed a new Bent Willow Chair class instructor […]
From summer to fall with weaving and woodcarving
Two classes bridged the gap from summer to fall last week. To begin with, what a pleasure it was to watch new weavers create a finished piece, placing thread by thread through the loom. In our last Beginning Weaving on a Floor Loom class of 2023, taught by Nancy Adams and her assistant, Susan Johnson, some students went beyond the expected by weaving as many as three projects, including table runners and scarves. So many lovely choices, suitable for beginners, were on display for students to choose from. The looms were in motion from the very start. And so were the instructors! There’s an extra level of patience and helpfulness in all of our beginning weaving teachers. Nancy and Susan […]
