From the crisp, clean patterns of Scandinavian weaving to the infinite patterns created with Shibori resist-dyeing, to twill patterns for beginning weavers, there have been a multitude of patterns in the first few classes this season. We begin with Connie Westbrook’s Simply Scandinavian weaving class and her beautiful handwoven samples including table linens, garments and home décor pieces she brought to inspire the students. Like the samples, each student’s project was unique and beautiful. Each afternoon Fika was served (should’ve taken a photo of those treats!) and a tour of the Washington Island Stavkirke were both extra-special additions to the class. There is no end to the patterns that can be achieved using indigo and the Japanese technique of Shibori […]
Keeping up with keps
After a few warm days, we’re back to a typical Washington Island spring, which means temperatures in the 40’s, a northerly breeze and the need to keep our hats and gloves close by. Recently, those who sponsor the annual Shetland Wool Week announced they are unable, again this year, to conduct an in-person event. Today they released their free Shetland Wool Week 2021 hat pattern. Last year’s Katie’s Kep was so well received, they asked the same designer, Wilma Malcolmson, to design the 2021 pattern. It is called Da Crofter’s Kep, honoring the people who work the land and care for livestock in Shetland. We are offering these kits using Jamieson & Smith’s 2-ply jumper weight yarn for Da Crofter’s […]
Forty and forty-one
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 […]
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 […]
Be All You Can Be
Attention!! The recruits in Deb Jones’ Spinner’s Boot Camp grant permission for you to inspect their field of operations (aka the Walter Studio). Deb brings so much for the students to experiment with, from wheels to blending and carding tools to an amazing array of fleece. It certainly allowed them to be all they can be! In this class, the boot camp atmosphere began with each student receiving a fatigue hat to form a spinning squad. Daily training in techniques and challenges were part of the week’s wooly “obstacle course”. To become a more intentional spinner along with instilling more skills and confidence were the goals of these training exercises. At the end of the first day, the comments were, “I’ve learned so much already”. […]
Three classes and one message
We’ve had the joy of seeing all the students and their wonderful work in Marbling on Paper and Fabric with Nancy Akerly, Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams and Susan Johnson and Independent Study: Splint-Woven Basketry with Jeanette Biederman all within this past week! Looking back, it was 1999 when we last held a class in marbling. After 19 years, new were so many detailed designs. The options of printing on paper (from plain to pages from books, sheet music, maps and more) or fabric gave great options for students. This was the first time marbling has been held in the Walter Studio as 19 years ago, it was about a month away from being finished. As you can imagine, we could share dozens of photos from each […]
First and new
The first class, many first-time weavers, a new instructor and for the first time, using the 8-shaft Baby Wolf Schacht looms in a Beginning Weaving class at Sievers were a lot of “first’s and new’s” to start our season. Besides the first project of a scarf or table runner, students finished a three-piece color gamp. Quite a lot of weaving these happy students were able to go home with! Susan Frame, the instructor, is familiar with using the 8-harness looms for beginners when teaching at The Fiber Garden so we followed suit and, as we anticipated, it all worked beautifully. One of the students attending the class had bought a Sievers loom in 1981 from Walter Schutz (we still have a record of […]
Gifts given
Many students have said that a class at Sievers is a “gift given to myself”. If the first two classes are any indication, what’s inside those gifts are color, inspiration, learning and sharing as well as new and continuing friendships. It began with the Open Quilt Studio in early June. How fun to see all the fabrics unwrapped and quilt tops created during the week! Susan Hoffmann, one of our instructors, was here as a student in the Open Quilt Studio and presented us with a very special gift which has been added to our Permanent Collection and is on display in the Sophie Studio. “Carolyn’s Woods” was inspired by a photo shared on this blog a few years ago of the daffodils at Sievers. The technique is Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric and is the […]
