Fiber arts may be the focus of Sievers classes, but many times, it’s equally about the friendships. That’s certainly true of the Batik Alumni Studio, facilitated by Mary Jo Scandin as well as the two overlapping classes last week, Your Latest, Greatest Quilt with Ellen Graf and Independent Study in Basketry with Jeanette Biederman. In each group, long-standing friendships have been formed, with some of those Sievers-class friendships going back more than 30 years! We know from each group that several get together during the Sievers “off season”, maintaining their connection not only to their chosen fiber art, but to each other. In the batik studio, there’s an ever-changing landscape of pieces in various stages of drawing, dyeing, waxing and […]
A great start
The first three of our 2023 classes, Open Quilt Studio, Shibori & Indigo Dyeing with Anne Landre and Weaving: Four Shafts or Less with Nancy Adams were a great start to the season! To begin the Sievers year, 14 quilters, some in each studio, spent five days pressing, piecing and ultimately producing a number of beautiful quilt tops and works of art in fabric. After several months of unoccupied studio space, what a treat to have it filled again with the creativity and talent of our Sievers friends! The Shibori and Indigo Dyeing class could be considered epic in the amount of techniques the students experiemented with as well as the resulting fabrics and garments each took home. It was […]
May on the Island
On a shelf at home, we re-discovered the book, “Mama Crosses the Door” by L.A. Davison. Mr. Davison lived across the road from Sievers (in the house with the windmill) and served as both the Washington Island School principal and a high school teacher for more than 20 years, covering the time when Butch, Ann, Cindra and later, Carolyn and Barb were in school. His book of poetry and Washington Island advertisements was published in 1956 by the local Lions Club. With the delicate flowers of May blooming now, it’s the perfect time to share his poem, “May on the Island”. The month of May has been away, but now that it’s returned it has brought back to Islanders the […]
Local Yarn Store Day is everyday at Sievers!
Today is officially Local Yarn Store Day 2023. Generally held at the end of April, LYS Day is a reminder of the importance of small businesses and a celebration of brick and mortar yarn shops. It serves as a spotlight on creating an enviornment of knitting and fiber art inspiration, something we’ve enjoyed doing for 44 years. Coincidentally and with perfect timing, the Shetland Wool Week annual hat pattern was released late yesterday. The Shetland Wool Week patron for 2023 is Alison Rendall, a talented and prolific Fair Isle knitter. Alison’s hat is a distinctive design that incorporates traditional elements together with a flower motif. Two of the versions use just two colours – a design led decision by Alison, […]
April’s anticipations
April means ice and snow are retreating or only passing through. It also means preparations for the season ahead and for us, getting the shop and studios ready in anticipation of seeing all our Sievers friends again soon. Just eight weeks from now, the Washington Island Art Assocation’s Spring Open Workshop and our own first Open Quilt Studio will have already taken place. By then we trust the ice and snow will be a distant memory! We occasionally find old photos of Sievers in one or another of its previous identities. This is from a 1950’s advertisment. The cabin seen at the back left of the main building is the Teacher’s Cottage, before it was moved to its present location. […]
Counting down…37 years
2023 marks Cindra Hokkanen’s 37th year working at Sievers. In 1986, Cindra (then Anderson) began working for Walter Schutz, assisting Ann in the operation of Sievers School of Fiber Arts. When Walter sold the business to Ann and Butch, Cindra took on Ann’s office duties. On the occasion of her 25th year at Sievers, Cindra sent a note to Ann and Butch saying, “Who knew, when you asked me if I’d like to fill in, what a great adventure that would turn out to be?” As she enters her 37th year at Sievers, each and every day we feel the influence of her sparkling nature and the impact she has made in our lives and in the lives of our […]
Winter words and views
It sifts from leaden sieves,It powders all the wood,It fills with alabaster woolThe wrinkles of the road. It reaches to the fence,It wraps it, rail by rail,Till it is lost in fleeces;It flings a crystal veil. –Emily Dickinson Our snow cover has been changeable, adding up from blizzard-like snow storms and then waning from above average temperatures. Before it melts away again, we’re sharing some Washington Island winter views. Thank you for the wonderful response during our first week of registration! We are looking forward to seeing you this year whether you’ve signed up for a class or just happen to stop in while visiting Washington Island!
2023 Sievers Preview
February 1st will be here in only three weeks! That day, all of our 2023 classes will be open for registration and the class descriptions, along with complete information, will be available on our website. The site will be in “maintenance mode” soon, but available again for registration on February 1. Featured on the cover of the 2023 brochure are some of the many colorful splint-woven baskets made by Jeanette Biederman. Thank you, Jeanette, for all the beautiful baskets and equally beautiful friendships you’ve made with us and your students over the past 32 years! Many of our instructors are returning in 2023 and we welcome two new teachers this year, Joyce Gitter and John Rezachek. Both Joyce and John […]
