Many hands were in motion throughout last week’s Creative Knitting Retreat with Sandy De Master and Mary Germain and in the Open Knit Studio. Each person was working on a different project, (actually on multiple projects!) and that made for a “stone soup” of pattern, yarn and project ideas that any knitter would savor. As always, there were new and returning projects brought to class, including lots of color work, Fair Isle knitting and Latvian or Estonian mittens. New friendships were made and returning friendships enriched. Many came to class together as established friends. Two “Sievers stories” are shared here, first from Eileen P., “My friend Cindy and I have been coming to classes at Sievers for years. These retreats […]
Stories
Each hand crafted piece has a story and the pieces made in last week’s Navajo Rug Weaving class and Open Quilt Studio all have their own stories. The reason for the choice of colors and design, who it may be given to and why, what it will remind the maker of each time they see it or what was happening around them during the process are all parts of the story. We have a story for you, too. Once upon a time, a group of people met at Sievers School for a Navajo Rug Weaving class with Betty Glynn Carlson. They started by warping the Navajo looms and choosing colors and designs that were to be the words of the […]
Quilting time
So many quilts, so little time… Even five days (and nights) of uninterrupted sewing in the Sievers Open Quilt Studio never seems like enough time, especially for us. What a treat to see the variety of works in progress. Fourteen quilters can certainly put on quite a display! A neighborhood family of Sandhill cranes and a sunset created their own displays during the week. Time to quilt and time to enjoy Washington Island makes for a wonderful start to our season of classes!
Technique & Design
Although those words were incorporated into only one of the class titles this past week, they certainly apply to all three that were in session! In the first class, Landscape ‘Painting’ with Fabric with Susan Hoffmann, students worked with fabrics to create a woodland scene. Basic art techniques were covered as they apply to these textile landscapes. Although the designs of the finished products are similar, each person interprets their view differently, some incorporating birds or other background elements. As an added bonus, students had time to work on four-season fabric postcards. At the same time, in the second session, Open Quilt Studio, there were so many techniques and designs between the quilters, many of whom were working on more than one project, that I’ll […]
Threads in common
A common thread from the Open Quilt Studio week through the Japanese Temari class was…thread! As usual, quite a few quilt projects were started, finished or continued and ideas shared in the studio time. Whether it was finishing an eight-year project or experimenting with a new technique, it’s always inspiring to see the one, two (or more) pieces being worked on by each person during the week. A magazine photo was the inspiration for the start of this Landscape ‘Painting’ using fabric. The fabric artist and maker, Susan Hoffmann, will be teaching this technique in a class at Sievers in July featuring a scene with birch trees and golden leaves. Quilts blocks and tops, bright and beautiful! Some of the fabrics used in the piece on the left are from Sievers […]
Getting Ready
The time is coming closer for the start of our 38th season! First we will see the Washington Island Art Association artists in the Walter Studio the week of May 23-27 and Class 1, Open Quilt Studio starts at 2pm on Friday, June 3. Lovely consignment items, yarns and books have arrived and the shop is filling its corners with all things fiber. Although our official opening day for the shop is Monday, May 23 with daily hours of 10-5, if you see that we’re here, come on in! [intense_row] [intense_column size=”6″ medium_size=”6″ small_size=”12″ extra_small_size=”12″][/intense_column] [intense_column size=”6″ medium_size=”6″ small_size=”12″ extra_small_size=”12″][/intense_column] [/intense_row] [intense_row] [intense_column size=”4″ medium_size=”4″ small_size=”12″ extra_small_size=”12″][/intense_column] [intense_column size=”4″ medium_size=”4″ small_size=”12″ extra_small_size=”12″][/intense_column] [intense_column size=”4″ medium_size=”4″ small_size=”12″ extra_small_size=”12″][/intense_column] [/intense_row] Knitted samples made over […]
