On a shelf at home, we re-discovered the book, “Mama Crosses the Door” by L.A. Davison. Mr. Davison lived across the road from Sievers (in the house with the windmill) and served as both the Washington Island School principal and a high school teacher for more than 20 years, covering the time when Butch, Ann, Cindra and later, Carolyn and Barb were in school. His book of poetry and Washington Island advertisements was published in 1956 by the local Lions Club. With the delicate flowers of May blooming now, it’s the perfect time to share his poem, “May on the Island”. The month of May has been away, but now that it’s returned it has brought back to Islanders the […]
Nothing Gold Can Stay
It was a beautiful fall and we’re grateful it lasted a good, long month. Consider this an ode to the fall colors and scenes on Washington Island. Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. So dawn goes down to day, Nothing gold can stay. –Robert Frost Our hearts hold on to the beauty of those colorful fall days until they come again!
In season
Appearing in the woodlands, along the shore and even the roadsides are the lovely, delicate flowers of late spring on Washington Island. From all corners of Washington Island and within, there’s always something in season to explore!
Never enough October
October on Washington Island is definitely a favorite! We can never get enough of the cool, crisp days and colorful woodland views. This year it seems the leaves have glowed more vibrantly and lasted longer than usual. We have savored every moment. In these last few weeks, our studios were rented two separate times. Besides working on weaving, quilting and other projects, relaxation and exploration were part of each day. Soon, more of the leaves will be on the ground than in the trees. We’re seeing the transition already as we begin this last week of October and the last week of our 2020 season. Another plus this time of year are later sunrises. We’ll savor these, too!
Knitting and fall colors
The first week or so of October has traditionally been the time when the Creative Knitting Retreat class with Sandy De Master and Mary Germain is scheduled, along with the Open Knit Studio time. As it turns out, this year was no different…except in many ways. Each group was small in numbers (but not in projects!), with plenty of distance within the studios. The usual non-knitting activities like the fashion show, group dinners and attendance at Columbus Day weekend events around the island were put on hold for another time. We missed seeing so many of our friends, as we have throughout the season, but know that we will see you all again when the time is right. While the […]
Stashes
The subject of stashes (yarns, fabrics, books, fiber art tools and/or supplies) is a common topic of conversation among fiber artists. This year, more than most, we’re guessing the stashes out there were used (at least partially…), sorted through, organized, admired or donated due to the fact that we’ve all been spending more time at home than usual. This year and last, Sievers has had a class for weavers to specifically “bust the stash”, taught by Judie Yamamoto. During the last week in September, the four students in class were able to create new combinations with yarns from their stashes, including using these hand-dyed wools. If the definition of stash is to hide away or store in a secret place, […]
Washington Island summer
It’s time to share more photos of Washington Island, summer-style. Water levels are still exceptionally high. There’s water on the ferry dock and across the road leading to the Jackson Harbor town dock. The fields are filled with corn, summer blooms, butterflies, Whitetail Deer, Sandhill Cranes and hidden (and not-so-hidden) lavender. As far as an update on Island happenings in general, more events have been postponed until 2021, including the Death’s Door BBQ, Lions Club Fly-In Fish Boil and Island Fair and Scandinavian Dance Festival. In addition, Rock Island State Park is closed for the season to all visitors. The Friends of Rock Island continue to share information on their Facebook page. The newly christened W.I. Ferry Line vessel, Madonna, […]
Seasons
In more ways than one, we are transitioning between seasons. The golds and yellows of early fall… …quickly turned into the browns and bare branches of late fall… …and as of today, turned even more quickly into a winter scene. Seeing the photos above, it is hard to believe only 14 days ago our last class of 2018 concluded! Now, the Sievers Shop items are being returned to the artists and we’ll soon begin to work on the 2019 schedule, marking our official 40th anniversary of Sievers School. This season, we offered 37 classes taught by 31 instructors. The total number of students was 364 and 82% of those enrolled had been here previously. […]
