December certainly made itself known, including here on Washington Island, with at least 10″ of snow, strong winds, power outages and disrupted ferry trips. Sunday may have been the day to stay indoors, but Monday morning offered the opportunity to capture some pristine woodland scenes and evidence of continued high water levels. December finds us in the office, putting together all the details for the 2020 Schedule of Classes since in less than two months, it’s registration time!
Sievers stories
We have included a number of Sievers stories here during this past year. Thank you to everyone who shared their story with us as part of our 40th anniversary season! As part of the early Sievers School story, we found this in a 1981 flyer written by Walter Schutz. He begins, “Be the one…in your group of friends who can show off exquisite, one-of-a-kind hand woven jackets, scarfs, table linens, rugs, wall hangings. Be the one who is admired and perhaps envied for the skill of her hands. Be the one who has found contentment and happiness by doing something just for yourself for once. Be the one who has taken advantage of the joys and fulfillment that has come […]
Forty and forty-one
These were two of our favorite numbers this year! Forty for Sievers School’s 40th anniversary year and forty-one for our 41st season of teaching classes. With the origin of Sievers based on weaving, it was very appropriate that our last two classes were #40, Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams and assistant, Susan Johnson and #41, Magic Carpet Ride:Rag Rug Weaving with Deb Sharpee. It was the perfect way to finish our 2019 season and mark those two milestones. From a variety of samples, perfect for beginning weavers, students learned the basics of weaving on a floor loom and were able to finish their first project and then go on to dress the loom and weave a second piece. Most of […]
Sunrise to sunset
Daryl Lancaster’s class, “Garment Construction Intensive” allows students to transform their hand-dyed, handwoven or other special fabrics into outstanding wearables. In order, it was Garment/s (yes!), Construction (yes!) and Intensive (yes!), with the students taking all three words to heart, working day and night. Each time we visited the studio it seemed as if everyone was either cutting, pinning, sewing, pressing or modeling. And why not, when the results are worth every minute! It starts with planning where the pattern pieces should be placed on the fabric, especially if you want to capture certain features of special yardage. All the fabrics and new skills learned come together through the week, resulting in creative, custom results. Besides spending time sewing, one […]
Crisp, clean and simple
These were some of the adjectives Connie Westbrook used to describe the lines and designs typical of Scandinavian style weaving for her class, “Simply Scandinavian”. Connie’s handwoven samples had those qualities, although “simple” would not be one of the words that first come to mind. Students followed suit in their own work. Whether it was one, two, (or more!) projects completed in class, all reflected the spirit of Scandinavian design. One of the students in the class, Deanna S., had taken advantage of this offer when she came to the Island in February of 1987 and bought a Sievers Loom (which she still has). Ann had given her the free lesson! We found a copy of this Handwoven magazine ad […]
Knitting with friends
Many hands were in motion throughout last week’s Creative Knitting Retreat with Sandy De Master and Mary Germain and in the Open Knit Studio. Each person was working on a different project, (actually on multiple projects!) and that made for a “stone soup” of pattern, yarn and project ideas that any knitter would savor. As always, there were new and returning projects brought to class, including lots of color work, Fair Isle knitting and Latvian or Estonian mittens. New friendships were made and returning friendships enriched. Many came to class together as established friends. Two “Sievers stories” are shared here, first from Eileen P., “My friend Cindy and I have been coming to classes at Sievers for years. These retreats […]
Reclaim and re-purpose
Using materials at hand was the focus of the weaving students in Judie Yamamoto’s “Busting the Stash” class as was building a Bent Willow Chair with Ken Workowski, our last two classes in September. Finding a new purpose for leftovers and yarns that one never seems to know what to do with, resulted in fresh discoveries. Brainstorming, yarn swaps, working with color and texture, creating new combinations and moving out of the comfort zone made everything old, new again! Re-purposing natural materials is essential in building a Bent Willow Chair. Ken and Michelle’s business, The Nature of Things, showcases their craftsmanship in using natural and sustainable materials. They diligently seek out and prepare the correct size and length willow so […]
Carving out some time
Carving out some time, or in Walter Schutz’s words, “doing something nice for yourself” is often mentioned at Sievers class introductions and graduations. It’s an old-fashioned interpretation of today’s self-care. In literal terms, students in Jerry Landwehr’s Woodcarving class were able to carve out some time working on a Nuthatch or carving a face into a walking stick. One bird migrated back from a previous class and there were others that kept watch over the students as they worked. Practice blocks allowed the opportunity to create just the right expression on the students’ newly carved companions. Doing something nice for themselves is what Jeanette Biederman’s students have done in class together more than once (or twice). Renewing friendships, making baskets […]
