The season of fall is well upon us and as always, it reflects the changes that occur in nature and in all things. However, something that hasn’t changed at Sievers during the fall for many years has been a class in making a bent willow chair with Ken and Michelle Workowski. Fall happens to be the best time to bend the heavy-duty Sandbar willow used for the arms and back of the chair due to its ability to flex in the extreme without splitting when nailed . Ken Workowski first came to Sievers as an assistant to Rich Prange for the Bent Willow Chair class held in October of 2004. With Rich’s retirement from teaching the class the following year, […]
Fall is for weaving
Coinciding with the first days of fall were two weaving classes, Beyond Beginning Weaving with Susan Frame and following that, Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams and assistant instructor, Susan Johnson. What better time than fall to add to your weaving repertoire or to learn something new? (Actually, any time is good, but fall does have that special “time to start a project” feel.) In the Beyond Beginning class, students had a choice of projects, suitable for the shorter, four-day time frame. Susan wove and brought several examples including doubleweave blankets, scarves and samplers. Not only was it time to start fall weaving projects, it was time to finish them, too, as one scarf was woven and off the loom on […]
Basics and beyond
It’s always good to start from the beginning. With the two classes last week, students in one did just that, while the other was geared for beyond beginners. Interestingly, the three instructors for these classes started at the beginning and have gone well beyond here at Sievers. In the Quilting 101: Boot Camp, co-teachers Ellen Graf and Jackie Barry started students off with the basics of how to choose fabrics, accurately measure and safely cut fabric and sew patchwork blocks while establishing good techniques. Learning four different blocks and combining them, students created a wall hanging or table topper. Speaking of starting with the basics, Ellen came to Sievers for a Basic Spinning class in 1983, returning later for beginner-level […]
September days are here
The first several days of September have certainly mirrored the lines from the poem by the same name, capturing the “.. summer’s best of weather, And autumn’s best of cheer.” Other bests of September have been happening in our recent classes, including Splint-Woven Basketry, Navajo Weaving and Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp. Basketmakers used their five days in the studio to full advantage, creating baskets of all shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. Add to that the new and renewed friendships, the many offers of helping hands with each others’ baskets and simply, but most importantly, spending treasured time together. Putting most of the week’s worth of baskets in one photo makes for quite an impressive display! From preparing the Navajo loom […]
Pop-up shop and scenery
It’s time for another pop-up shop! Featuring a selection of items, we enjoy sharing the variety of fiber art and fine crafts handmade by our students and teachers with you including jewelry, handwovens, wearables, gifts, baskets and more. Earrings made with a variety of materials, etched copper, birch bark, jasper, wood with pyrography, leather and glass. We hope you’ve had a chance to visit in person, but if not, we’re happy to be able to share a little of the Sievers shopping experience with you in this way. The 2022 Shetland Wool Week free hat pattern was released early this summer and this year’s design is titled “Bonnie Isle Hat”. The waves and swimming fish sure made us think of […]
Three of a (fiber art) kind
Perhaps the art and practice of batik, beginning weaving and cartonnage might not have much in common, but from August 15-25, these three (one-of-a-kind!) classes certainly shared the joy of learning, making and being creative. This was the first year we’ve had an Introduction to Batik class since…way back. Our batik classes evolved over the years to a studio week for experienced batik students, so when Anne Landre offered to teach an introductory class with Karen Zeman, we enthusiastically said, “Yes!”. Anne brought many, if not all, of her Indonesian tjaps, which allowed beginners to apply an entire design in wax at one time on the fabric. After applying the wax, the cotton or rayon fabrics were dyed one or […]
Natural baskets and possibilities
“Open your eyes to the possibilities around you!” Students in Jo Campbell-Amsler’s Natural Baskets: Grow & Weave class last week did just that by starting from the ground up, exploring a variety of natural materials that could be used for basketmaking. Using willow, bark, iris and daylily leaves, roots, vines, sticks and branches, several rib-style baskets took shape in students’ hands during this four-day class. Creating a basket from gathered materials embodies mindfulness. From the harvesting to the weaving to the enjoyment of using, these baskets continue to give back to the maker. Retaining their natural colors and sweet, grown-in-the-sun scent, they hold well-cultivated memories. Taking note of what’s around you and how you can incorporate it into your art, […]
Three classes: Parts two and three
Following up from our previous post, the final two classes of three, Beads! Glorious Beads! and Embroidery: Basics & Beyond, both taught by Francie Broadie, show the continuation of fiber fun from the first week of August. Some beads stand alone, but in the beadwork class it was all about creating one or more beaded beads each day. Using multiple stitches, students experimented and explored different designs and shapes. A dodecahedron made with beads? Of course! Swapping beading needles and threads for embroidery needles and floss, Francie then welcomed a new group of students to a two-day class in embroidery. It’s been a number of years since we’ve offered a class dedicated to this particular subject. Adding a modern feel […]
