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 […]
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 […]
2023 Sievers Preview
February 1st will be here in only three weeks! That day, all of our 2023 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 2023 brochure are some of the many colorful splint-woven baskets made by Jeanette Biederman. Thank you, Jeanette, for all the beautiful baskets and equally beautiful friendships you’ve made with us and your students over the past 32 years! Many of our instructors are returning in 2023 and we welcome two new teachers this year, Joyce Gitter and John Rezachek. Both Joyce and John […]
Three of a (fiber art) kind
Perhaps the art and practice of batik, beginning weaving and cartonnage might not have much in common, but from August 15-25, these three (one-of-a-kind!) classes certainly shared the joy of learning, making and being creative. This was the first year we’ve had an Introduction to Batik class since…way back. Our batik classes evolved over the years to a studio week for experienced batik students, so when Anne Landre offered to teach an introductory class with Karen Zeman, we enthusiastically said, “Yes!”. Anne brought many, if not all, of her Indonesian tjaps, which allowed beginners to apply an entire design in wax at one time on the fabric. After applying the wax, the cotton or rayon fabrics were dyed one or […]
Swirls, curls and waves, oh my!
So many designs…so little time! In the Marbling: Paper and Fabric class with Nancy Akerly and her assistant, Joyce Gitter, three days allowed for the exploration and creation of many designs and techniques including French Curl and Spanish Wave, but we’re sure the possibilities of so much more continues to swirl through the minds of the students even now. Step-by-step the process for each design is thoroughly explained and practiced. Even unexpected results can become favorites! Besides marbling on plain and printed papers, students used cotton, silk and rayon for fabric pieces, scarves, shawls or small garments. What a creative, fun and color-filled class providing (almost) instant gratification! Thinking about marbling brought the Stavkirke to mind and its altar with […]
Niches
In the recent class, Cartonnage: Puzzle Box with Nancy Akerly, students made an array of interlocking small boxes set within a larger, lidded box. Hidden underneath the five inset boxes is a secret compartment. Each serves as a niche for special items, collections or whatever the imagination holds. After being unable to teach in-person last year, Nancy created a number of Zoom classes through her website, Liberty Grove Paper Arts which has links to her videos and much more. We’ve heard from several people that these classes were just what they needed during 2020. We were so glad it worked out that Nancy and her students could return to our studio this summer and the boxes they created in this […]
Small packages
Don’t you think some of the best things come in small packages? “Small packages” as in Japanese Temari and Cartonnage (box making) at Sievers this past week. In the Temari Techniques class, Judith Yamamoto and assistant, Kathy Broer, introduced the art to some students new to Temari and challenged others with more experience to work with complex patterns and to create tiny, jewelry-sized Temari. In Cartonnage: The Magic Box, students focused on the Karakuri Bako, a Japanese box which contains a hidden compartment. Using bookboard, Japanese papers and a good eye for accuracy, these special double-hinged boxes came together with the guidance of instructor, Nancy Akerly. (You can see more of Nancy’s own work at Liberty Grove Paper Arts.) These […]
