It came before we knew it…the last class of 2024, Boundweave Rugs with Lynn Stracka Schuster. What a wonderful way to put the finishing touches on this season. The week was a combination of beautifully woven rugs, meeting new-to-Sievers students, welcoming back those returning for another class, outstanding instruction and continued gorgeous fall weather. Lynn brings many of her own rugs as inspiration and displays them in the studio as students arrive. Using that inspiration, students design their own rugs, choosing from a colorful array of rug wool and a range of motifs. So many possibilities! You might think the thickness of the wool makes the shuttles fly fast, but the thoughtful color changes create a different pace of weaving, […]
Farewell September
It’s hard to say goodbye to this September. Warm and sunny weather throughout, lots of weaving happening in the studio, and many visitors, including quite a number of Sievers Alumni. (Did you know we keep a calendar in the office to write down those who aren’t here for class, but stop in while on the Island? In the last 10 days, we’ve recorded 18 names. How fun!) We continued weaving in September, first with Betty Glynn Carlson and her Navajo Weaving Techniques class. Several students were new to weaving in general, or to Navajo weaving, and a few returned with either a work in progress from a previous class or worked on a piece which needed the last few rows […]
September days are here
From a poem recited by our teacher in grade school days, we hold in our memories the words, “…September days are here, with summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.” So far, this September has been exactly that. With one class in session each week this month, we’ll be sharing September studio and island views in two blogs. We begin by featuring the classes Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp with Kay Rashka and Double Weave with Judith Yamamoto, assisted by Lynn Novotnak. From creating etched designs on metal with stamps or by hand, to cutting, forming, piercing and more, students in the Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp made personalized textured art jewelry in this busy four-day class. Kay brings a […]
Beginning, beyond and boxes
Classes in Beginning Weaving on a Table Loom, Beyond Beginning: Weaving, and Cartonnage: Four-Drawer Tower Box have made their mark these past few weeks of August and we expect those students went home with “happiness in their hands”, as has been done many times before. Starting at the beginning, Nancy Frantz gave students the opportunity to try weaving while learning the basics of preparing a warp and dressing the loom. Students then went on to weave a sampler or a set of mug rugs, all in a matter of three days. Beyond beginning projects appropriate for those with some weaving experience was the focus of Susan Frame’s class. From scarves to rep weave to double weave wool blankets, the class […]
Still ringing true
In the 1982 Sievers class brochure, Walter Schutz wrote, “All who attend carry home with them not only the techniques of their chosen fiber art but also rich memories and lasting friendships.” Here we are, 42 years later and those words continue to ring true. It’s generally the case that several small groups of friends come together for our Open Quilt Studios. With a retreat atmosphere and the freedom to sew and quilt (or knit, explore and shop) when you want, there’s a unique balance of productivity and “permission” during the week. There were new pieces in the works every day and once in awhile, quilt blocks or a top make a repeat appearance. We could see them over and […]
Making the most of June-Part 2
Continuing on with our June classes, we’ll see more from Ellen Graf’s “Your Latest, Greatest Quilt” class and the Batik Alumni Studio with Mary Jo Scandin, along with some terrific weaving done in the “Introduction to Overshot” class with Nancy Adams. Here’s where we left off, starting with the busy hum of sewing machines, creating big, beautiful designs from small pieces. Like most quilters, these ladies were an organized group! Stacks of pre-cut pieces or pre-made blocks from home were labeled carefully and kept in order, ready for precise placement. Ellen helps each student bring their ideas and vision together, making their “latest, greatest quilt” extra special. Batik alumni gather with Mary Jo (who is ever-creative and always evolving), to […]
Something old, new, borrowed and blue
This age-old proverb usually isn’t associated with classes at Sievers, but it seemed fitting for the pair of classes held last week, Beginning Weaving on a Floor Loom with Susan Frame and Shibori and Indigo Dyeing with Anne Landre. Learning to weave on a floor loom certainly represents something old, or in more meaningful words, a continuity from the past. As you probably know, Sievers all started with looms and weaving. At the start of Susan’s class, Ann shared one of the first ads for Walter Schutz’s plan sheets for a table-sized Sievers Loom from the Fall/Winter 1974-75 McCall’s Needlework & Crafts magazine. Some of the many addresses Walter used for McCall’s ads were: Box 5M, Fifth Avenue, North Bay, […]
2024 Sievers Preview
February 1st will be here in only three weeks! That day, all of our 2024 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 2024 brochure is the handweaving of Judith Yamamoto. Judie first came to Sievers as a student in Mary Sue Fenner’s 1981 Basic Weaving class and the following year, she offered a class in knitting. Since then, she’s gone on to offer another 100 classes at Sievers and has been a student here 35 times. Thank you, Judie, for being part of Sievers for […]
