We would fall for knitting and weaving anytime, but it seems the best season for both is fall. Maybe it’s the cooler days that makes one want to hold yarns in hand or simply the hygge nature of each. So…it’s fitting that the last several classes on our calendar are either knitting or weaving. Last week that included knitting with Mary Germain and weaving with Connie Westbrook. A continuation of the Creative Knitting Retreat followed the first session and Mary shared her expertise in all areas of knitting with a second group of students, offering guidance on techniques, patterns and sizing, not to mention problem solving. The table was set (literally) for Connie Westbrook’s weaving class, The Thrill of Turned […]
Weaving – Scandinavian style
Classic (and classy), with clean lines and simple designs that are visually pleasing, is what comes to mind when describing the handwovens in Connie Westbrook’s Simply Scandinavian class. Connie brings so many of her own beautifully woven pieces as samples of projects suitable for the students. We’re sure choosing just one or two to weave is not an easy decision to make! Some very fine threads go into these woven treasures, used for special occasions or everyday. We remember one of our weaving instructors saying that handwovens are meant to be used on a regular basis. Only when they’re part of the collective memory of family and friends over time, are they considered heirlooms. This is true of any work […]
It’s a warp…and a wrap!
Two weaving classes, Simply Scandinavian with Connie Westbrook and Rag Rug Weaving with Deb Sharpee, wrapped up our 44th season of classes with many yards of warp! We can think of no better way to finish classes than to have a studio full of weavers working at Sievers looms, the foundation of Sievers School. Connie’s beautiful Scandinavian-inspired handwovens provided lots of possibilities for students’ class projects, focused on clean lines and simple designs. The class wasn’t only about weaving, it also included a tour of the Washington Island Stavkirke and a daily afternoon “Fika” break with treats. Last year we shared Connie’s delicious chocolate cake recipe, which made another appearance this year. We may try to obtain Tuesday’s special Swedish […]
Velkommen
Velkommen til Simply Scandinavian, our last class of the 2021 season. Connie Westbrook was kind enough to offer it twice this year, in June and October, and both times focused on projects with the clean lines and simple designs of Scandinavian weaving. Like the class held in June, Connie shared her beautiful handwoven samples and ideas, offered afternoon fika (not just for Swedes, it’s time for friends to take a pause, share a cup of coffee or tea and a little something to eat), arranged for a guided tour of the Stavkirke and created a welcoming atmosphere for her students. From an array of weave structures and patterns including Halvdräll, Monk’s Belt and Scandinavian Snowflake, students wove table linens, pillow […]
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 […]
