Each day feels more and more like summer with all the leaves and flowers out, stirring in the warm sunshine. Early this spring, a maple tree was transplanted just outside the Walter Studio. It seems to have taken to its new home quite well. We’ve had plenty of water to keep the new tree growing, but not as much as this tree has! Our new neighbors have opened as the Inn at Frog Hollow and are taking reservations. Welcome, Dan and Dawn Nelson! They join our next closest lodging neighbor, Jackson Harbor Inn, in our favorite part of the Island. The Washington Island Ferry Line will be expanding their schedule to eleven trips at day, starting June 11. In Sievers […]
Sunrise to sunset
Daryl Lancaster’s class, “Garment Construction Intensive” allows students to transform their hand-dyed, handwoven or other special fabrics into outstanding wearables. In order, it was Garment/s (yes!), Construction (yes!) and Intensive (yes!), with the students taking all three words to heart, working day and night. Each time we visited the studio it seemed as if everyone was either cutting, pinning, sewing, pressing or modeling. And why not, when the results are worth every minute! It starts with planning where the pattern pieces should be placed on the fabric, especially if you want to capture certain features of special yardage. All the fabrics and new skills learned come together through the week, resulting in creative, custom results. Besides spending time sewing, one […]
Going Well Beyond
It’s time to catch up on the two classes that took place before the Gathering, Beyond Beginning Weaving with Nancy Adams and Garment Construction Intensive with Daryl Lancaster. The beautiful handwovens as well as the exceptional garments created went well beyond anything either class description could convey. Nancy guided her students through weave structures such as shadow weave, overshot and log cabin for shawls and elegant home handwovens. This class was woven together in other ways, with friendships formed at Sievers. One of the students celebrated her 80th birthday during the week. What an inspiration! Daryl brings so much to her class…her treasure trove of garments, skills and positive energy. New students work on the tailored “Daryl Jacket” and returning […]
Two, four, eight
Last week meant weaving on two, four or eight-shafts in either Daryl Lancaster’s Advanced Inkle Weaving Techniques (two) or Nancy Adams’ Honeycomb and Waffle Weave (four and eight). In the inkle class, intricate designs included name drafts, pick-ups and turned Krokbragd. The inkle weavers are proudly showing their looms with all the special techniques they learned in class with instructor, Daryl Lancaster. You can read more about Daryl, her travels and the classes she teaches on her own blog, www.weaversew.com. To create honeycomb or waffle weave, a four- or eight-harness loom is in order and students in Nancy Adams’ class made one, two or six (!) pieces including scarves, pillow covers, towels and table runners in this wonderful textural weave. […]
Beautiful, inside and out
Whether students were gathering willow from outside the Walter Studio to incorporate in their baskets or perfecting seam finishes inside their handmade garments, the finished pieces in both Jo Campbell-Amsler’s and Daryl Lancaster’s classes were beautiful, inside and out. As you can see, the willow in the Sievers patch has grown tall this year. Here, Ann and Stef are pictured in front of the tallest portion, approaching 9 feet. Some of this willow, along with the materials Jo brought for class was used to make a variety of rib-style baskets, trays, a creel and more, inspired by Jo’s own work. Willow basketry is just one beautiful way to bring the outside in! If the inside of your handmade garments are as beautiful as […]
Wonderful Wearables
After her Inkle Weaving class in the morning, Daryl Lancaster made the transition to her five/seven-day Garment Construction Intensive class in the afternoon, welcoming students for week of sewing, creating jackets and other wearables. There were lovely handwoven and other special fabrics, interesting patterns and ideas…so let the cutting and sewing begin! Some students worked on one garment during the week, new students to this class took a “Daryl Jacket” from start to finish, while others started a number of garments and will finish them at home, getting Daryl’s help with fitting and design ideas. One unexpected, but fun addition to this class was a foray into dyeing silk yardage for linings, creating custom colors to match these custom garments. You’ll be able to read […]
Shuttles in motion
Whether they were small shuttles in the hands of inkle weavers or larger shuttles in the Beyond Beginning Weaving class, all were in motion during the past week in class with Daryl Lancaster and Nancy Adams. I’m not sure we’ve had that many weavers at one time, but because it was so fun, we might have to do it again! Inkle weaving has great possibilities beyond simple bands or trim. You can go from the basics to extra special in just a few days. There was such a great variety of handwovens from the “beyond beginner” weavers! Runners, scarves, towels and a wall hanging were just some of what was woven in class. I think a lot of shuttles were in motion to complete this wall […]
It’s August…and awesome
Our beaders have come and gone as have the fabric printers and dyers, inkle loom weavers and now we’ve just said farewell, or “until next time”, to Daryl Lancaster’s Garment Construction Intensive class and Jo Campbell-Amsler’s Natural Fiber and Willow Basket makers. Starting with much different raw materials, each class took home lovely finished pieces. We continue our awesome August starting today with Carol Anderson (look for “Knitting on Location” photos next), Lynn Schuster’s Coiled Basketry, Judy Hasheider and her quilters and then finishing with Deb Jones teaching the essentials and more to new spinners and dyers.
