After our last class ended, we began to look forward to one more highlight of the season! An event coordinated by Jo Campbell-Amsler and Lee Zieke Lee, Willow Connection 2023 brought together a group of willow basketmakers and enthusiasts from all parts of the country for four days of willow harvesting, basketmaking and sharing. The group harvested the entire Sievers willow patch in one morning, which ended up being the one time it didn’t rain during the time they were here! The fresh cut willow, along with other materials brought by the participants, was used for making baskets and sculptural pieces. Wrapping our season up with willow added more wonderful memories to the ones we already made in 2023! We’re also […]
Batik and willow basketry
Two of our favorite fiber art classes (along with the other 35 this year!) are batik and willow basketry. Luckily for us they were recently in session, back-to-back, in the Walter Studio. For each, their signature fragrance fills the studio, with either the warm beeswax or the sweet scent of willow and other fresh-cut botanicals. In the Introduction to Batik class taught by Anne Landre, students layered colors on cotton fabric, working with beeswax. Designs were created by drawing or tracing directly on the fabric, by using templates or by working with antique copper stamps (tjaps). Then, a repeated series of wax applications and different dye baths were repeated to achieve fabulous results. With a combination of precision and surprise, […]
Natural baskets and possibilities
“Open your eyes to the possibilities around you!” Students in Jo Campbell-Amsler’s Natural Baskets: Grow & Weave class last week did just that by starting from the ground up, exploring a variety of natural materials that could be used for basketmaking. Using willow, bark, iris and daylily leaves, roots, vines, sticks and branches, several rib-style baskets took shape in students’ hands during this four-day class. Creating a basket from gathered materials embodies mindfulness. From the harvesting to the weaving to the enjoyment of using, these baskets continue to give back to the maker. Retaining their natural colors and sweet, grown-in-the-sun scent, they hold well-cultivated memories. Taking note of what’s around you and how you can incorporate it into your art, […]
Sievers willow family tree
Sievers and willow have a long history. We begin by going back to 1980, our second year, when Char TerBeest-Kudla offered the first class in basketry at Sievers. Focusing on willow, the class description read in part, “You will use natural materials found right here on our rustic, beautiful Washington Island. What you learn you put to use wherever you are.” Four students that first year quickly grew to 12 in 1981. One of those 12 students was Jo Campbell-Amsler, who became the Beginning Willow basketry instructor in 1991 and has continued to offer classes in willow since then. In Jo Campbell-Amsler’s 1993 Beginning Willow class, two of her students were Donna Kallner and Jacki Bedworth. 1993 Beginning Willow Basketry […]
June news and views
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 […]
A Natural Combination
It’s hard to imagine a nicer combination than combining willow and driftwood to make a basket! In Jo Campbell-Amsler’s class they did just that. These one-of-a-kind baskets took some planning, determining the best use of the driftwood depending on it’s size and shape and how it should be featured in the finished piece. With many options to explore, each student had the opportunity to create more than one basket during the four-day class (some went home with two or three baskets, plus prepared frames for more). Washington Island is blessed with many of nature’s gifts…willow and driftwood among them. We love the late-August wildflowers along the roadsides and in the fields, just one of those many gifts given. May […]
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 […]
Animal, Vegetable and Mineral…?
I guess you could classify the previous three classes that way with Navajo Weaving taught by Betty Glynn Carlson representing “animal” for the authentic wool yarns used, Natural Fiber Basketry with Jo Campbell-Amsler as “vegetable” for the willow, grapevine, Siberian Iris and Daylily leaves incorporated in all shapes of baskets and the Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp with Kay Rashka as “mineral” for the sheets of copper, brass and silver as base materials. Some students brought back Navajo rugs started in (or finished from) a previous class and others started their first pieces. The steps along the way to a finished rug involve patience, thoughtfulness and perseverance. The many varieties of willow, barks, leaves and vines gathered here on the Island or brought by […]
