Sievers School of Fiber Arts

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Carving out some time

September 26, 2019 By Carolyn Foss

Carving out some time, or in Walter Schutz’s words, “doing something nice for yourself” is often mentioned at Sievers class introductions and graduations. It’s an old-fashioned interpretation of today’s self-care. In literal terms, students in Jerry Landwehr’s Woodcarving class were able to carve out some time working on a Nuthatch or carving a face into a walking stick. One bird migrated back from a previous class and there were others that kept watch over the students as they worked. Practice blocks allowed the opportunity to create just the right expression on the students’ newly carved companions. Doing something nice for themselves is what Jeanette Biederman’s students have done in class together more than once (or twice). Renewing friendships, making baskets […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings Tagged With: Basketry, Jeanette Biederman, Jerry Landwehr, Woodcarving

One of a Kind

July 15, 2019 By Carolyn Foss

“Just” another week at Sievers…two fashion shows, daily potluck class lunches and a dinner, more than 66 one-of-a-kind garments made by Mary Sue Fenner and at least 22 of Jeanette Biederman’s baskets for inspiration. Plus, at the end of the week, the students went home with the new garments or baskets they made. Wow! An impromptu invitation from the Red Cup Coffee House quickly evolved into the first fashion show of the week. You can see a selection of the garments on our Facebook or Instagram pages, some of which were made by the students and some by Mary Sue. (There are basket photos there and more from the final class fashion show, too!) Using their own handwoven, hand-painted, hand-dyed […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings, Beading/Stitchery/Wearables Tagged With: Basketry, Jeanette Biederman, Mary Sue Fenner, sewing

Baskets and Bluebirds

September 19, 2018 By Carolyn Foss

When “happiness is in your hands”, it shines through in the finished work, just like the baskets made in class with Jeanette Biederman and the bluebirds from Jerry Landwehr’s Carving Songbirds class. The week was filled with patterns, colors and a multitude of baskets just like previous Independent Study classes!  A number of students focused on trays with many complex designs seen in the studio.       We like to think the happiness generated in class was tucked inside all these baskets before they went home!                    Using basswood or butternut and starting from a rough-cut form, the carving students brought their bluebirds to life in just two days time.       If “happiness is in your hands” could these be […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings Tagged With: Jeanette Biederman, Jerry Landwehr, Splint-Woven Basketry, Woodcarving

Three classes and one message

June 22, 2018 By Carolyn Foss

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 […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings, Book Arts/Paper Arts, Weaving Tagged With: Beginning Weaving, Jeanette Biederman, Marbling, Nancy Adams, Nancy Akerly, Splint-Woven Basketry

Fiber eclipse

August 29, 2017 By Carolyn Foss

Although we witnessed a darkening of the sky (some of it due to general cloud cover and a small rain shower) during the total eclipse on August 21, it turned out that these crescent shadows were our most visible evidence of the event at Sievers.  With one of the definitions for eclipse or eclipsing being “to surpass; outshine”, we felt that for us, the classes held that week joined our other 37 classes in their own “fiber eclipse”. Watching the baskets in Jeanette Biederman’s Independent Study Splint-Woven Basketry class come together is always inspiring.  Sunrise to sundown, busy hands were weaving colorful patterns.  Luckily, there’s no need to hide your eyes from this kind of eclipse!             Not to be outshone, students in Daniel Essig’s two classes, Tools of the Trade […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings, Book Arts/Paper Arts Tagged With: Basketry, Book Arts, Daniel Essig, Jeanette Biederman

Fiber in common

July 17, 2017 By Carolyn Foss

Do baskets, barks and mittens have anything in common?  Yes, especially when they’ve been the focus of recent classes at Sievers School of Fiber Arts!    Stacks of baskets were created in Jeanette Biederman’s Splint-Woven Basketry: Independent Study class, with some completely finished and some ready for the final touches at home.  Next year, the plan is to take a photo that includes all the baskets made during the week.  Might need to stand over by the barn to fit them all in the camera lens!       Instead of a stack of baskets, how about class time spent on one perfect Winnebago Picnic Basket?  Even Schoolhouse Beach may not be ready for this beauty!    Learning the techniques of making Latvian mittens  followed by a separate class on Latvian Mitten Design with Sandy […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings, Dyeing/Knitting/Spinning Tagged With: Bark and Roots Basketry, Basketry, Jeanette Biederman, Karen Tembreull, Latvian Mitten, Mary Germain, Sandy De Master

Weaving Patterns

August 29, 2016 By Carolyn Foss

There were a number of comments this past week from Rita Hagenbruch’s Overshot Odyssey class and Jeanette Biederman’s Choctaw Diagonal Basketry students how the woven patterns in each seemed to mirror each other.  Starting with one plain length of reed or cotton, the intricate designs of each were built row by row.     Most overshot is woven with a light-colored warp, but this blue on grey turned out splendidly!    Basketry may look dangerous, but it’s not.  (Until you get hooked on making them.)             It’s good that digital cameras have no film…you can take as many photos as you wish of the beautiful weaving patterns in baskets and handwovens!    We’re already on to our next classes with introductions held this afternoon for […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings, Weaving Tagged With: Choctaw Basketry, Jeanette Biederman, Overshot Weaving, Rita Hagenbruch

Patterns, Part One

July 12, 2016 By Carolyn Foss

Patterns in basket designs and in Fair Isle designs have surrounded us this past week.  Jeanette Biederman’s Splint-Woven Basketry: Independent Study class worked on baskets of all shapes, sizes and colors.          The students in Sandy De Master and Mary Germain’s Fair Isle Techniques class had a choice of two colorways to make a teddy bear sweater, the small size allowed it to be completed in class.  The little sweaters incorporated corrugated ribbing, two-color knitting, armhole and neck steeks and finishing.  Many teddy bears, a sheep and a sock monkey came along to class for their “fittings”.          New and continuing friendships were an important part of these past few days, a “pattern” that’s repeated in many classes at Sievers.  […]

Filed Under: Basketry/Furnishings, Dyeing/Knitting/Spinning, Sievers School Tagged With: Fair Isle Knitting, Jeanette Biederman, Mary Germain, Sandy De Master, Splint-Woven Basketry

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