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 […]
Boundweave and a pop-up shop
We’d been waiting for this for a long time! Since the class in 2020 was not able to be held, it had been five years since the last Boundweave class. It’s such a treat to see the rugs Lynn Stracka Shuster brings and the ones students plan, design and weave themselves. Sharpen your colored pencils and watch the rugs come to life on the looms! One of the students, who has taken many weaving and knitting classes here, had first come to Sievers for Lynn’s Boundweave class in 1997. She brought her rug back to show us now that it’s been 24 years off the loom. Another student used one of our table looms to weave her project. There’s a […]
Sievers and weaving
Continuing with a little more history, you may recall Sievers started with plan sheets to build a loom. The first print advertisement was placed in American Home Crafts magazine in 1974. In Walter Schutz’s own records, he notes on January 26, 1974, “Got our first request for our loom plans from Allen Roberts who owns north of us on Green Bay Road”. The first order of plan sheets placed from this ad was on April 15, 1974 for $9.00. About 50 orders were received in the first four months. Soon after, floor loom plans were added and Sievers began to become a name associated with weaving. Sievers School continues to offer more classes in the weaving category than in any […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rag Rug Weaving & Fall
Wow! Where did the time go? Our final class of the 2017 season, Rag Rug Weaving with Deb Sharpee, finished last Saturday. It seems like such a short time ago when we greeted the first students on June 5. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun! As usual, the rag rug studio was filled with colorful fabrics, great design inspirations and ideas, laughter and friendship. From the start when the carpet warp rolled onto the looms to the finish when quite a variety of rugs and runners rolled off, not a heddle, shuttle, sewing machine, student or teacher were idle. Instead of full-sized rugs, some of the students wove runners like the one on the left. In preparation for the rug on the right, the […]
Finishing with a flourish
Finishing our 2016 season of classes with a flourish of color and design were eight students in Deb Sharpee’s Rag Rug Weaving class. It’s such fun to see the rugs come to life. Many times, the fabrics used in the rugs have stories behind them. Every time, students go home with one, two or more rugs that are sure to delight the floors awaiting them! This teal and grey Diamond rag rug is a gem! Deb brings a mangle for students to prepare fabric strips for weaving. These rugs are sure to make happy feet! When we started our first class of the season on June 3, we didn’t realize how quickly the next five months would […]
Weaving Rugs, Part II: Rag Rugs
With a flourish, we finished our last class of the 2014 season. Deb Sharpee’s Rag Rug Weaving class wove wonderful and colorful rag rugs (one eight-footer!), runners and placemats. From recycled sheets to new batik pre-cut strips, the fabrics shone through in the finished projects. The magic carpet ride lasted all week… An extra special addition to the last week of class was the arrival of willow harvesters Jo Campbell-Amsler, Jacki Bedworth, Donna Kallner and Lee Zieke Lee. Thanks to them, the willow patch is ready for hibernation until next spring. After today, we will miss the sound of students’ footsteps…what we’ll have instead is the sound of the remaining leaves falling on the paths to the studios […]
