The past two classes, Boundweave with Lynn Schuster and Cartonnage: The Cottage Box with Nancy Akerly, evoked for us the notions of house and home with their warmth and comforts. Whether weaving a wooly, colorful rug or hand-constructing a small cottage of bookboard and paper, both were “at home” in the hands of the students. Weavers spent the first days planning and designing patterns, with many of Lynn’s own rugs as a starting point. When the weaving starts, the rugs come to life quickly (once you tame all the shuttles!). The heavy-weight wool used in the rugs helps create their homey feeling. Whether on a floor or on a wall, they’ll bring a special warmth. What’s more cozy than a […]
This is September
September at Sievers usually marks certain things. These include: a slight change of pace, the start of cool mornings followed by warm sunshine, apples ripening in the small orchard below the barn and traditionally, a lineup of returning classes. One of those classes is Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp with Kay Rashka. Almost like a “fab lab”, there’s a lot of fabrication techniques with hand and power tools, torches and more in the hands of students making art jewelry. Patterns can be applied freehand or etched from texture mats as a starting point in the design of a finished piece. We welcomed long-time student, Roxanne Gilbertsen, as a new Sievers instructor teaching a 3-day class in Lace Knitting as a lovely […]
Double takes
In our last two classes, Deflected Double Weave and Pop-Up-Book in a Box, there were many opportunities for double takes. From the woven projects to the multiple books and boxes completed, it was hard to believe on first glance all that you were seeing. In the Deflected Double Weave class, taught by Judith Yamamoto with assistant Lynn Novotnak, students jumped into the realm of handwovens that have two-sided designs and floating threads that, when finished, can “deflect” into curves. What an interesting weave structure that requires many second looks to see the intricacies! At the same time, Nancy Akerly was teaching her Pop-Up-Book-in-a-Box class, which combines two great things: cartonnage (box making) and handmade books. The class allowed for extra […]
A fiber arts blend
In these last two weeks of August, we’ll have welcomed seven classes in a blend of spinning, weaving (twice), knitting (twice), basketry and paper arts. It’s a fiber art fusion of favorites! In Spinning on the Ply with Deb Jones, students explored plying their handspun yarn for specific yarn structures and unique yarn designs, blending fibers and building color. Starting with spinning singles and adding plying skills, they created custom handspun yarns from the wide variety of fleece that Deb brings in her “Mary Poppins” van. Nancy Frantz introduces weaving to beginners, or as a refresher, in her 3-day Beginning Weaving on a Table Loom class. Students weave a sampler piece or several mug rugs which takes them through all the […]
Creative power in your hands
In our most recent classes (like earlier ones and ones yet to come), creative power was held in the hands of the students, guided by instructors Anne Landre teaching Shibori & Indigo Dyeing and Introduction to Sashiko Stitching, and Susan Frame for the Beyond Beginning: Weaving class. Going back to 1947, Walter Schutz, the founder of Sievers, had a business named Jackson Studio, selling craft books and supplies by mail order. He wrote, “The escape (from the tempo of everyday life) lies in the creative power you hold in your hands. When you use your hands, you dissolve tension and worry. You open new fields of joy and vision – your cares and worries are pushed into the background.” We […]
Dynamic Duo
In both Stephanie Robertson’s and Francie Broadie’s classes last week, creative energy swirled throughout the studios. From “macro” pieces of dyed and decorated cloth to the “micro” nature of beadwork and jewelry, these classes and teachers formed a dynamic duo. Exploring Our Stories: A Fabric Journey with Stephanie Robertson encompasses many techniques to decorate cloth. Students work at their own pace, independently, and with guidance from Stephanie, as they dye, silk-screen, experiment with indigo, cyanotype, rust and more (you name it) on garments, fabrics that will be made into garments, wall pieces or just to see what happens. Believe me…a lot happens! In her two classes, Mixed Media Treasure Jewelry and Composing Components: Peyote Stitch, Francie Broadie brings her creative […]
Four, three, two-what you can do
What you can do in a day can surprise you. What you can do in four, three or two days, as in these most recent classes, can open your horizons to new hobbies, improve your technique and allow yourself the time to share and learn with others who have similar interests. In four days students worked on color-based challenges, focused on Japanese-inspired colors and learned more about color theory as applied to Japanese Temari in Exploring Color with Temari with Kathy Broer and Judie Yamamoto. The spectrum of samples shared by Kathy and Judie makes you feel like you’re inside a rainbow! In three days, the students in Lynn Schuster’s Closed Coiled Basketry class created small baskets by stitching and […]
Tying it together
There are times when combining different classes in a blog post makes a clear connection and other times a little less so, but in the end, it’s fiber arts and the people who enjoy learning, sharing and creating which tie it all together. Speaking of ties, one of the Open Quilt Studio quilters worked on a piece using her father’s silk ties, having made another a number of years ago for her sister. There were also new quilts-in-the-making, works in progress from previous classes, quilts for family members, quilts from kits and quilts with sea creatures, all-in-all, a room of quilts with structured, unstructured, whimsical and traditional designs. Deb Jones ties together beginning and intermediate Rigid Heddle Weaving students in […]
