There are many ways of weaving and many types of looms. Last week in one class, upright frame looms were used to teach the ways of Navajo weaving, and in another class, students learned the basics of weaving on a table loom. Although geared for beginners, each class could be used as a refresher, too. In the Navajo Weaving Techniques class taught by Betty Glynn Carlson, the looms are warped with one continuous warp and authentic Navajo wool yarns are used to create the designs. There are no mechanical parts involved in Navajo weaving, it’s just the wool placed in the warp and tamped down with a comb-type beater in the hands of the weaver. Betty has offered Navajo weaving […]
Batik and willow basketry
Two of our favorite fiber art classes (along with the other 35 this year!) are batik and willow basketry. Luckily for us they were recently in session, back-to-back, in the Walter Studio. For each, their signature fragrance fills the studio, with either the warm beeswax or the sweet scent of willow and other fresh-cut botanicals. In the Introduction to Batik class taught by Anne Landre, students layered colors on cotton fabric, working with beeswax. Designs were created by drawing or tracing directly on the fabric, by using templates or by working with antique copper stamps (tjaps). Then, a repeated series of wax applications and different dye baths were repeated to achieve fabulous results. With a combination of precision and surprise, […]
One, two, three…it’s August: Part 2
You can never have enough of a good thing! In Stephanie Robertson’s fabric dyeing and printing class, all available resources are used to create art on cloth. Screen printing, rust and ice dyeing, direct painting, mono-printing, photo emulsion…all that and more are part of the fabric journey taken by students during the week. Realizing there were 45 photos of people, processes and works in progress from this year’s class, it made sense to create one post to show as many as we could! You’ll see most of the techniques featured in the fabrics and garments below. How did the fabric, shown above on the right, come to be? By a process similar to the photo below, on the left, with […]
One, two, three…it’s August: Part 1
All of a sudden, mid-summer is here. The first half of our classes have flown by! The start of August saw three classes in session, Embroidery: Basics and Beyond followed by Bead Embroidery: Cabochons both with Francie Broadie, and Finding Our Way: A Dyeing Journey taught by Stephanie Robertson. With all the fiber activity during those three classes and dozens of photos between them, we’ve made this a two-part post. In the embroidery class, students learned basic stitches, transferred patterns to fabric and created samplers or worked on their own special designs. The two samplers shown below incorporate each of the stitches learned in class. For the next group of students, Francie put a spin on embroidery by incorporating beads, […]
Marveling over marbling and mittens
It’s a marvel to see all the different fiber arts in action during the course of a Sievers season. This past week was no exception with classes in Marbling: Paper and Fabric, taught by Joyce Gitter and Baltic Knitting Extravaganza with Mary Germain. Whether you achieve instant results when lifting the paper or fabric off the marbling tray, or reveal a mitten pattern row-by-row on knitting needles, the marvel is in the making. Using acrylic paints, a carrageenan bath and various tools and combs, the magic of marbling makes for a lot of fun experiments in color and design. Plus, you have all kinds of cool fabrics and papers to play with later! To learn the techniques of Baltic knitting […]
Come…enjoy, share, & learn
“Come…enjoy, share & learn” were words used many times over in past Sievers School brochures. Since then, we’ve incorporated the statement, “An experience awaits you…”. Both of these sayings could apply to any Sievers class, but none more so than two recent ones, Rigid Heddle Weaving with Deb Jones and our second Open Quilt Studio of the season. Deb Jones of The Fiber Garden, makes every class she teaches an experience. From the outstanding instruction, to the personal attention given to each student, to the full array of equipment and tools she brings (which she magically packs into her “Mary Poppins” van), to joining students together for dinners out and about on the Island, she brings all of it together […]
Evolutions
When Sievers first offered fiber arts courses in the summer of1979, fifteen classes were scheduled. There were seven weaving, six spinning, one stitchery and one textile printing class listed in the brochure. The following year, quilting, basketry and dyeing were added. Fast forward 45 years and you’ll find those subjects (and many more) included in the 2023 list of classes. The three most recent classes show an evolution in the subjects of stitchery, basketry and weaving as compared to those very early classes at Sievers. Japanese Temari, taught by Kathy Broer and Judith Yamamoto, is an example of a stitchery class that’s evolved beyond “the basic embroidery stitches applied to a pillow or tote bag, trapunto wall hanging or stuffed, […]
A quick pop-up shop
It’s time for a quick pop-up shop! Perhaps you’ll have a chance to come for a class or visit us in person, but if not, we want to share a few of the items in the shop for your virtual shopping. We’ll begin with this special, 36-page handmade book with a Door County theme. Jewelry (featuring metalwork, beadwork, Washington Island birchbark, leather, pyrography and watercolor, Lake Michigan pebbles and more), handknit and handwoven wearables, gifts, home goods and accessories, too! (Here’s a hint – for a better view, right click on the photo and “open image in a new tab”.) Items for making and taking! As always, the best way to contact us with an order using your credit card […]
