As always, the bundles of willow, harvested and prepared by Ken and Michelle Workowski, awaited each student in the weekend Bent Willow Chair class. It’s only a matter of time before the studio is filled with the sound of power drills and within a couple hours the bases of the chairs are put together. The chairs really take shape when the willow bending begins, creating the seat, back and arms. Although the chairs follow the same format, each has it’s own distinct character. This class had two students with the “fastest finish”, completing their chairs by dinnertime on Saturday. It’s been a tradition to order in a few pizzas that night and eat some, work some […]
Simply Scandinavian
Simply Scandinavian or simply fabulous? Definitely both! Connie Westbrook’s class focused on the clean lines and simple designs found in Scandinavian weaving. A table of beautiful samples and Connie herself wearing one of the Washington Island Scandinavian Dance Festival costumes became points of inspiration for the students to weave heirloom-quality table runners, towels, scarves, shawls, pillow covers and more. Yards and yards of towels were woven and for some, then it was onto the next project. If you laid down all the weaving done in this class, end-to-end, you might not reach Scandinavia, but you would certainly reach the hearts of anyone with Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish or Icelandic heritage! Each reveal prompted oohs and […]
Natural and Local Colors
The gathered botanicals and live plants were in place, the mordants were set out and the burners were ready when students in Donna Kallner’s Local Color from Natural Dye class entered the studio last week. Tree and plant leaves were used for ecoprinting on silk and more colors of nature were brought out and preserved in wool yarns through brewing plant dyebaths. Samples and skeins dyed with goldenrod, rhubarb, indigo, black walnut and more prompted exclamations of excitement and discovery during the dye process. Two indigo plants gave their leaves to create beautifully dyed yarns and fabrics. The last morning offered show and tell time and what a display after just four days of […]
K2Tog (Knit two together)
Can you knit both yarn and two groups of people together at the same time? Of course! It all happens during the week of Sandy De Master and Mary Germain’s Creative Knitting Retreat class and the companion Open Knitting Studio. Returning students, new-to-Sievers students, past and present students of Sandy and Mary, Carol Anderson, Carol Huebscher Rhoades and others “K2Tog”, picking up and knitting from year to year, working as established. In both groups, students bring projects of their own choosing. It can be a time to focus on mastering color work as in Fair Isle knitting, starting, working on and/or finishing anything from shawls, cowls, sweaters, hats, mittens, socks, a knitted pig (it’s true!) and more. The Creative Knitting […]
The Sievers Gathering
We want to share some images from the Sievers Gathering with you, held September 27-29. Starting with two workshops on Thursday afternoon all the way through the “wine-down” on Saturday evening, it was a fun, fiber-filled weekend! In the Bead Embroidery/Kumihimo workshop taught by Francie Broadie, students added bead embroidery around a cabochon and finished their pendant with a kumihimo braid. Geri Rock’s students completed two splint-woven baskets in the day-and-a-half Beginning Basketry workshop. Saturday’s events began with the ever-popular fiber arts garage sale. Thank you to everyone who donated and helped organize all the many items. The garage sale brought in just under $3,600! Some of the proceeds from the garage sale will be shared with the W.I. Rec Center, Trinity Lutheran […]
Going Well Beyond
It’s time to catch up on the two classes that took place before the Gathering, Beyond Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams and Garment Construction Intensive with Daryl Lancaster. The beautiful handwovens as well as the exceptional garments created went well beyond anything either class description could convey. Nancy guided her students through weave structures such as shadow weave, overshot and log cabin for shawls and elegant home handwovens. This class was woven together in other ways, with friendships formed at Sievers. One of the students celebrated her 80th birthday during the week. What an inspiration! Daryl brings so much to her class…her treasure trove of garments, skills and positive energy. New students work on the tailored “Daryl Jacket” and returning […]
Another Gathering Update
We are just a few days away from the 19th Sievers Gathering! Tomorrow we’ll begin our two Gathering Workshops and are looking forward to seeing all of you who plan to attend any of our events. Some of what’s been added to the Gathering weekend since the last update include a silent auction of baskets made by Jeanette Biederman and Rich Prange in the vendor area on Saturday. Joining the demos/show & tell in the Walter Studio on Saturday afternoon will be Cindy Steinke and Ginnie Killough with their handmade, tailored garments. Both Cindy and Ginnie have been long-time students at Sievers and just finished the Garment Construction class with Daryl Lancaster. They’ve brought a beautiful array of their finished pieces. Diane […]
Baskets and Bluebirds
When “happiness is in your hands”, it shines through in the finished work, just like the baskets made in class with Jeanette Biederman and the bluebirds from Jerry Landwehr’s Carving Songbirds class. The week was filled with patterns, colors and a multitude of baskets just like previous Independent Study classes! A number of students focused on trays with many complex designs seen in the studio. We like to think the happiness generated in class was tucked inside all these baskets before they went home! Using basswood or butternut and starting from a rough-cut form, the carving students brought their bluebirds to life in just two days time. If “happiness is in your hands” could these be […]
