These were two of our favorite numbers this year! Forty for Sievers School’s 40th anniversary year and forty-one for our 41st season of teaching classes. With the origin of Sievers based on weaving, it was very appropriate that our last two classes were #40, Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams and assistant, Susan Johnson and #41, Magic Carpet Ride:Rag Rug Weaving with Deb Sharpee. It was the perfect way to finish our 2019 season and mark those two milestones. From a variety of samples, perfect for beginning weavers, students learned the basics of weaving on a floor loom and were able to finish their first project and then go on to dress the loom and weave a second piece. Most of […]
Crisp, clean and simple
These were some of the adjectives Connie Westbrook used to describe the lines and designs typical of Scandinavian style weaving for her class, “Simply Scandinavian”. Connie’s handwoven samples had those qualities, although “simple” would not be one of the words that first come to mind. Students followed suit in their own work. Whether it was one, two, (or more!) projects completed in class, all reflected the spirit of Scandinavian design. One of the students in the class, Deanna S., had taken advantage of this offer when she came to the Island in February of 1987 and bought a Sievers Loom (which she still has). Ann had given her the free lesson! We found a copy of this Handwoven magazine ad […]
Reclaim and re-purpose
Using materials at hand was the focus of the weaving students in Judie Yamamoto’s “Busting the Stash” class as was building a Bent Willow Chair with Ken Workowski, our last two classes in September. Finding a new purpose for leftovers and yarns that one never seems to know what to do with, resulted in fresh discoveries. Brainstorming, yarn swaps, working with color and texture, creating new combinations and moving out of the comfort zone made everything old, new again! Re-purposing natural materials is essential in building a Bent Willow Chair. Ken and Michelle’s business, The Nature of Things, showcases their craftsmanship in using natural and sustainable materials. They diligently seek out and prepare the correct size and length willow so […]
Four, three, two
The description said, “…let’s celebrate looms with four or less shafts and all their possibilities!” That’s just what happened in the intermediate-level weaving class, Four Shafts or Less, taught by Nancy Adams. All the possibilities translated into an impressive variety of handwovens at the end of the week. Watching the students weave their projects, including towels of cotton and cottolin, 3-shaft Krokbragd using Brown Sheep Company’s Nature Spun sport-weight wool, rep and twill weaves and a shawl while at the same time being treated to eight different types of chocolate-covered temptations, made for a very desirable working studio! Carol S., one of the students in the class, gave us her “Sievers Story” and we’d like to share it with you. […]
Weavers all around
Recently, it was looms to the right of us and looms to the left in Rita Hagenbruch’s Halvdrall and Monk’s Belt class in the Sophie Studio, joined by Nancy Frantz teaching eight beginning weavers on our Sievers table looms in the Walter Studio. The samples Rita brought were so inspiring. Some commented that they could never bring themselves to actually use such fine handwovens. But Rita reminded them that unless they are used regularly at family dinners, holidays and the like, they don’t become heirlooms. Only when they are part of your memories do they become most valuable. This piece (also shown at the top of the page) was fresh off the loom at the time of the class visit […]
Taking the plunge
It is an Island tradition for some to run down the rocks from the top of Schoolhouse Beach and dive into the clear, cold water. You can imagine how invigorating and refreshing that would be. This year, Sievers “took the plunge” on a new class, Rigid Heddle Weaving. We wonder now why we waited so long. When Deb Jones offered this class for our 2019 season, we knew immediately that it was the right time with the right instructor. Like Schoolhouse Beach, this new class was invigorating and refreshing! Everyone started with a simple scarf. Learning to warp the loom and seeing their scarves take shape on the loom happened in only a couple of hours. The scarves on the […]
Felting and weaving
It was a beautiful week for making nuno-felted scarves, felted hats and for our first beginning weaving class of the season. Could the sky have been more blue, the blossoms more delicate and perfect or the studios more exciting with new students and new things to learn? We don’t think so. Combining lightweight silk and merino wool with instruction from Dawn Edwards, students created lovely nuno-felted scarves and flowers. It was our pleasure to welcome Dawn as a new instructor at Sievers and to see all the finished pieces students made in class. A tip of the cap to the Felt Hat class. Wow! So many choices from whimsical to classic shapes with added embellishments making them extra-special. Dawn’s own […]
Roll out the Rag Rugs
New fabrics, recycled fabrics, men’s ties, new sheets and old sheets whether plaid, plain or patterned all found their way into works of art for floors and walls in Deb Sharpee’s Rag Rug Weaving class, our last class of the 2018 season. Most people wove at least two rugs or a combination of rugs, runners or place mats. Laughter and conversation within the class provided some of the fuel that kept the weavers weaving, not to mention the few well-placed jokes in Deb’s handout. According to Deb, the nutshell view of this class is: Design…Arithmetic…Prep…Weave…Finish! This class has been “the closer” for the past few years and it’s a perfect and cozy way to take us from […]
