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 […]
Three classes and one message
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 […]
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. […]
Gifts given
Many students have said that a class at Sievers is a “gift given to myself”. If the first two classes are any indication, what’s inside those gifts are color, inspiration, learning and sharing as well as new and continuing friendships. It began with the Open Quilt Studio in early June. How fun to see all the fabrics unwrapped and quilt tops created during the week! Susan Hoffmann, one of our instructors, was here as a student in the Open Quilt Studio and presented us with a very special gift which has been added to our Permanent Collection and is on display in the Sophie Studio. “Carolyn’s Woods” was inspired by a photo shared on this blog a few years ago of the daffodils at Sievers. The technique is Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric and is the […]
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 […]
Fiber friendships
We received a wonderful surprise gift from the Batik class of 2015 and instructors Mary Jo Scandin and Thom Scott after this year’s class introduction. Last year, each of the students and teachers had made a batik panel based on a color challenge that was later assembled, backed and sewn by Thom (he also did the bottom Sievers School of Fiber Arts panel). Now hanging from the beams in the Walter Studio, this is really a gift to all of Sievers – including you! Thank you batik artists for the banner and for your friendship! The buckets were brimming and the wax pots were in use for the next seven days of class time. The clotheslines were filled with works in progress… […]
Crackle and Kringle
Starting last Monday morning, the students in Nancy Adams’ Crackle Weave class spent the past five days weaving lovely shawls, scarves, table runners, towels and even a rug. This group of Sievers alumni have not only had a week with wonderful instruction, inspiration and sharing, but they’ve also been treated daily by their teacher, Nancy, to the fuel that has kept them going – fresh kringle from the Danish Mill. Happiness is Crackle……….and…………….Kringle!
Spinning and weaving, as promised
Dyed fibers and yarns from past years came back to visit the spinners during Spinners’ Retreat (or perhaps more aptly named Spinners’ Advance!) class with Deb Jones. The drum carders were put to good use as were the wheels during this 5-day class. We’re looking forward to Deb’s next class, “Dyeing to Knit”, August 21-24, where students will dye yarns that create “Fair Isle” and striping patterns when knit. The weavers, with instructor Nancy Adams and assistant Susan Johnson, wove not only their projects on the looms, but themselves together as a group during the week. We will also see Nancy Adams again when she returns to teach “Beyond Beginning: Weaving” from September […]
