…a colorful quilt. ….being inspired by nature. …warm woolens. …wildlife in the backyard. …watching clouds and sunsets (especially the ones on Washington Island). As promised last time, the Open Quilt Studio “challenge quilt” border fabrics were on before class was over. Everyone likes…a colorful quilt. In Susan Hoffmann’s Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric class, students worked with the same set of fabrics. Although they all started with the same theme, there were as many variations as students, each person creating a unique woodland scene and …being inspired by nature. The Spinning Art Yarns class taught by Deb Jones used a variety of fibers and combined them into special and fanciful yarns by using the drum carders, picker, spinning wheels and plying in order to have some one-of-a-kind…warm […]
Don’t hurry pleasure
“How long does it take to make that?” is certainly a question we hear often as do many quilters, knitters, weavers, basketmakers, spinners and other makers. As they say, don’t hurry pleasure! Ellen Graf’s Drafting in Quilt Design class demonstrated that it’s not only the time spent sewing, pressing, piecing and finally, quilting, that goes into each unique quilt, it’s the time planning, drawing, experimenting and seeing ahead to what it will look like when finished. As far as we could see ahead, each and every quilt will be a treasure! Ellen always shares her excellent techniques with her students and we look forward to seeing the quilts started in class make a return visit to Sievers. The early summer rains helped produce extra-lush botanicals and the […]
Fiber in common
Do baskets, barks and mittens have anything in common? Yes, especially when they’ve been the focus of recent classes at Sievers School of Fiber Arts! Stacks of baskets were created in Jeanette Biederman’s Splint-Woven Basketry: Independent Study class, with some completely finished and some ready for the final touches at home. Next year, the plan is to take a photo that includes all the baskets made during the week. Might need to stand over by the barn to fit them all in the camera lens! Instead of a stack of baskets, how about class time spent on one perfect Winnebago Picnic Basket? Even Schoolhouse Beach may not be ready for this beauty! Learning the techniques of making Latvian mittens followed by a separate class on Latvian Mitten Design with Sandy […]
Two weeks…three classes
There have been great things to share with you from the three classes that took place through the end of June, Batik with Mary Jo Scandin and Thom Scott, One-of-a-Kind Jacket with Mary Sue Fenner and Knitting on Location with Carol Anderson. Taking advantage of the sun when it appeared, the batik class sometimes had to resort to “inside sunshine” to dry their pieces. Nothing could detract, however, from the artworks these talented students made or worked on during the week. The official title of this class is Batik: Ancient and Modern. We know the “ancient” doesn’t really refer to our early days, shown in a photo from a 1989 class with Mary Jo Scandin (in the aqua sweatshirt), but we wonder now, […]
Simple and Natural
What an appealing combination for last week’s Sievers classes! Simple and natural in Connie Westbrook’s Handwoven Homespun Fabric class, using natural cotton/linen blend yarns in neutrals with just a splash of color and woven in simple plain weave. At the same time, simple and natural in Donna Kallner’s Natural Dye Retreat, with materials harvested from the grounds at Sievers and on Washington Island used to dye silk, wool and cotton. Projects included towels, curtains, bread cloths and totes and with plain weave, the weaving goes fast! The leaves from indigo plants produced these vibrant blues, illustrating that revealing the final results from leaves, barks and berries is part of the process and joy of natural dyeing. To see more and experience some of […]
Together again
It didn’t seem like an entire year had passed since the Creative Knitting Retreat with Sandy De Master and Mary Germain and Carving Songbirds class with Jerry Landwehr met again at Sievers this past week and weekend. Coming together like caramel and apples, or turkey and stuffing (if you were on Washington Island over Columbus Day weekend, you know what I’m referring to…), the knitters and woodcarvers had the opportunity to savor a favorite hobby or get a taste of something new. A lot of knitting projects were out on the tables during the week, but a main focus was spending time catching up with knitting friends. Projects included Fair Isle knitting, lace, color knitting and working with beautiful Washington Island handspun yarn. […]
Through July
It’s hard to believe we are approaching the half-way mark of our classes, but we’ve found ourselves there. Bringing us through the end of July were three classes which overlapped a day or two on each end, Lynn Schuster’s Boundweave Rug Weaving, Deb Jones’ Spinner’s Color Workshop and Susan Hoffmann’s Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric. We started with Boundweave Rugs and the gorgeous wools and colorful designs created by each of the students. One person was able to finish two rugs in class…a first in our recollection. (Some late hours were definitely involved. We wondered if she wove after the 2 a.m. timer on the outdoor lights went off. As some weavers know, that would not be a first!) While […]
Patterns, Part Two
More and more patterns! In both Ellen Graf’s Quilt Design class and in Fair Isle Design with Janine Bajus (assisted by knitting “angels” Sandy De Master and Mary Germain), we have been treated to another week of beautiful patterns. Whether inspired by colors, shapes or nature, the quilts and knit swatches all ended up as our favorites. See for yourself… The confidence to go forward with your own design was an important part of each class. Using inspirational photos or pictures and 200+ colors of Shetland yarn, the process and joy of developing your own Fair Isle design was the focus of the three-day class with Janine Bajus. We all need reminders to foster our innate creativity and fully appreciate the world […]
