We’re transitioning today from a week of Open Quilt Studio where 18 quilters worked in both studios and took advantage of their unstructured time to explore the Island’s back roads, restaurants and shops to a three day class in Machine Quilting with Julie Lambert. Here’s a patchwork quilt of images from this week. If “q” is for quilting this week, what do you think “b” stands for starting tomorrow?
Spinning and weaving, as promised
Dyed fibers and yarns from past years came back to visit the spinners during Spinners’ Retreat (or perhaps more aptly named Spinners’ Advance!) class with Deb Jones. The drum carders were put to good use as were the wheels during this 5-day class. We’re looking forward to Deb’s next class, “Dyeing to Knit”, August 21-24, where students will dye yarns that create “Fair Isle” and striping patterns when knit. The weavers, with instructor Nancy Adams and assistant Susan Johnson, wove not only their projects on the looms, but themselves together as a group during the week. We will also see Nancy Adams again when she returns to teach “Beyond Beginning: Weaving” from September […]
Island flora and fauna
It’s time to share some of the Island roadside nature scenes from this week. Lady slippers are still in bloom and with the warmer temperatures, some of our animal friends are making their way out of the marshes. The garden is especially colorful this spring and we’ve come to the wonderful time when the Siberian iris are in bloom in front of the Walter Studio. The Island is always dressed for the photographer, whether it’s daytime, after a rain or at sunset. These two warm and fuzzy friends… …remind me to bring you more photos (soon) of the spinners in Spinners’ Retreat with Deb Jones and the weavers in Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams […]
Patchwork all around
While Karen Tembreull’s Patchwork Birch Bark Basket class continues, another great week of quilting with Ellen Graf came to a close this morning. Students brought several different quilts in progress or ideas to the class and Ellen imparted her quilt design and technique expertise in order to help move the quilts on to completion. In the basket studio, beautifully stitched and embossed birch bark is gracefully formed into these cylindrical, lidded baskets. This week, patchwork was the word!
Sievers Gathering-Save the Date
Save these dates for the Eighteenth biennial Sievers Gathering – September 25, 26 and 27! The Gathering is a weekend of workshops, evening programs, demonstrations, vendors, a fiber arts garage sale and celebration of student and instructor-made fiber arts. The entire event is open to the public with most events taking place on Saturday, September 27. New this time will be two workshops that begin on Thursday at 2pm and run until Friday at 4pm, “Surface Design on Paper” with Lorrie Abdo and “Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric taught by Susan Hoffman. These will be joined by a Friday afternoon workshop from 1-4pm, “Willow Garlic Basket” with Jacki Bedworth. Our Friday evening program will feature Daryl Lancaster speaking on “Parallel Threads that Parallel Life”. Saturday’s […]
Graduation and Studio Time
Five Washington Island high school seniors will graduate tonight (four girls and one boy), so this is a good time to share something about our 2014 Sievers Scholarship recipients. The Elisabeth Beinert Scholarship has been awarded to a student who is enrolled in John Mullarkey’s Tablet Weaving class in July. Our Doreen Speckmann Scholarship is going to a student who is taking Kay Rashka’s Etched Metalwork Jewelry class in September and last night at the Washington Island School’s awards presentation, Sophia Hagen received a Sievers scholarship in the amount of $500.00. Sophia will be attending St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI this fall and has won numerous awards all through high school for her drawings and paintings. Sophia is also one of the waitresses […]
Now we’ll go inside
In between leaves unfurling and crabapple blossoms opening the past few days, the studios have been busy with the sound of sewing machines sewing Stained Glass Sweater Jackets with Jeanette Biederman and with chair cane weavers under the instruction of Rich Prange. In the first half of June, we will see our Open Studio friends, then quilt with Ellen Graf and create Patchwork Birch Bark baskets with Karen Tembreull. Hooray for June!
Our Island Spring
We are in the midst of the loveliest of spring days and we want you to be a part of it! The birds, wildflowers, blue sky and many shades of green are everywhere you look. All along the entrance path to the Jackson Harbor Ridges, the dwarf lake iris are blooming. These two-inch or so beauties are certainly a rare treat. Imagine your own Island spring day…
