Last week, both classes brought the outdoors in by using some of nature’s gifts including birch bark, leaves of all kinds, roots, and willow in many sizes and lengths. Karen Tembreull’s Eco-Printing on Birch Bark class started with printing a journal cover using leaves, imprinting the design onto sheets of birch bark using a steaming process. This was one of those classes where you want to be there to watch each and every step from start to finish. Assembling the pages and binding the books, then embellishing and embroidering the covers, resulted in some very special pieces, marrying nature and art. What a joy to hold these woodland treasures in hand! We welcomed a new Bent Willow Chair class instructor […]
Vegetable or Mineral
During the visits between Karen Tembreull’s Explorations in Twining class and Kay Rashka’s Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp last week, exclamations of “these two classes couldn’t be more opposite” were heard. That may be true when it came to the materials used and the manner in which they were manipulated, but the work was equally matched in artistry. These petite, twined baskets started with a vintage spigot handle as a base and incorporated cedar bark, waxed cotton, rush, roots and freshly cut Siberian Iris leaves from the Walter Studio garden. A variety of shapes and combinations of materials made for unique treasures. Karen brought bundles of prepared barks to use in the baskets and several examples of her own twined pieces. […]
Fiber in common
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 […]
May Miscellany
It’s official! The information packets for Class#1, Open Quilt Studio, were mailed today. On June 5, those students will be the first to arrive of 322 registered so far. We’re already getting the buildings ready as our initial guests will be the W.I. Art Association artists utilizing the Walter Studio starting on May 22. After 20 years, one part of getting the buildings ready meant it was time to sand and then re-varnish the floor of the Sophie Studio, making it nice and shiny again. Many beautiful and special items have already arrived for the Sievers Shop. We will be open daily, 10-5, starting Monday, May 22nd. Until then, as temperatures permit and if we are in the office, we’re happy to greet you. One […]
Setting the table…Sievers style?
You could say the students set a “Sievers-style table” last week with (Dresden) plates and (Birch Bark) bowls created in class and what a lovely table it was! Let’s start with the plates as they came together, piece by piece in the Dresden Plate Inspirations class with Judy Hasheider.
Patchwork all around
While Karen Tembreull’s Patchwork Birch Bark Basket class continues, another great week of quilting with Ellen Graf came to a close this morning. Students brought several different quilts in progress or ideas to the class and Ellen imparted her quilt design and technique expertise in order to help move the quilts on to completion. In the basket studio, beautifully stitched and embossed birch bark is gracefully formed into these cylindrical, lidded baskets. This week, patchwork was the word!
