A trio of classes certainly set a lively tempo in the first two weeks of September! Kay Rashka’s Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp, Susan Frame’s Portable Weaving: Inkle/Kumihimo and Splint-Woven Basketry with Jeanette Biederman comprised quite a medley of materials, equipment and techniques. One word comes to mind for each piece of finished work done by the students… brava! The “brass section” of this trio was definitely the Metalwork Jewelry class. By applying patterns freehand or by etching them using textured mats on various metals (copper, silver, nickel and brass), imaginative, meaningful and playful designs emerge. Then the pieces are fabricated by cutting, sawing, filing, piercing, soldering and more, to create one-of-a-kind art jewelry. Representing the “strings” was the Portable Weaving […]
One, two, three…it’s August: Part 1
All of a sudden, mid-summer is here. The first half of our classes have flown by! The start of August saw three classes in session, Embroidery: Basics and Beyond followed by Bead Embroidery: Cabochons both with Francie Broadie, and Finding Our Way: A Dyeing Journey taught by Stephanie Robertson. With all the fiber activity during those three classes and dozens of photos between them, we’ve made this a two-part post. In the embroidery class, students learned basic stitches, transferred patterns to fabric and created samplers or worked on their own special designs. The two samplers shown below incorporate each of the stitches learned in class. For the next group of students, Francie put a spin on embroidery by incorporating beads, […]
Evolutions
When Sievers first offered fiber arts courses in the summer of1979, fifteen classes were scheduled. There were seven weaving, six spinning, one stitchery and one textile printing class listed in the brochure. The following year, quilting, basketry and dyeing were added. Fast forward 45 years and you’ll find those subjects (and many more) included in the 2023 list of classes. The three most recent classes show an evolution in the subjects of stitchery, basketry and weaving as compared to those very early classes at Sievers. Japanese Temari, taught by Kathy Broer and Judith Yamamoto, is an example of a stitchery class that’s evolved beyond “the basic embroidery stitches applied to a pillow or tote bag, trapunto wall hanging or stuffed, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Latest and greatest
“Unleash your creative spirit…” are the first four words in the class description of Ellen Graf’s recent Latest, Greatest Quilt class. Those words were similarly appropriate for the companion class, Japanese Temari: Four Seasons with Kathy Broer and Judie Yamamoto. They could certainly apply to any Sievers class! The quilting students brought their ideas, fabrics or quilts in progress and with Ellen’s guidance and design experience, planned, pieced, pressed and sewed with creative spirit. The “latest and greatest” of Kathy Broer’s Japanese Temari were on display for she and Judie’s class which focused on four stitches as interpreted by the seasons. Herringbone for Winter, Rose for Spring, Star for Summer and Spindle for Fall. The stunning samples of so many […]
Sievers Pop-Up Shop: Baskets, beadwork and jewelry
With a little quiet time in the shop the other day and the camera at hand, the opportunity came up to focus on some additional items that Sievers students and teachers have sent us on consignment. We’ve tried to capture at least one representation of the many baskets, beadwork pieces and types of jewelry that are in the Sievers Shop this year. In this photo, from left to right are a pine needle basket, a birch bark star ornament, a black ash miniature basket/pin cushion, a birch bark basket and a lidded pine needle basket. These are one-of-a-kinds (but we do happen to have several of the the birch bark ornaments). Prices from left to right and corresponding to the […]
