In the 1982 Sievers class brochure, Walter Schutz wrote, “All who attend carry home with them not only the techniques of their chosen fiber art but also rich memories and lasting friendships.” Here we are, 42 years later and those words continue to ring true. It’s generally the case that several small groups of friends come together for our Open Quilt Studios. With a retreat atmosphere and the freedom to sew and quilt (or knit, explore and shop) when you want, there’s a unique balance of productivity and “permission” during the week. There were new pieces in the works every day and once in awhile, quilt blocks or a top make a repeat appearance. We could see them over and […]
Sharing Sievers and Washington Island
Sievers and Washington Island have recently been mentioned in several media formats, starting with this book, Small-Town Wisconsin. The book covers towns and villiages with populations of under 5,000 and twenty of the fifty places featured have a population of under 1,000. In the introduction, the author writes, “This book features fifty examples of destinations with something significant in their character that defines and enriches their location.” We were pleasantly surprised to see Sievers as the featured story for the piece about Washington Island. The 195-page book has lots of interesting stories and many color photos. We have this book for sale in our shop at $27.95. If you would like a copy, please use our Contact Us page to […]
Come…enjoy, share, & learn
“Come…enjoy, share & learn” were words used many times over in past Sievers School brochures. Since then, we’ve incorporated the statement, “An experience awaits you…”. Both of these sayings could apply to any Sievers class, but none more so than two recent ones, Rigid Heddle Weaving with Deb Jones and our second Open Quilt Studio of the season. Deb Jones of The Fiber Garden, makes every class she teaches an experience. From the outstanding instruction, to the personal attention given to each student, to the full array of equipment and tools she brings (which she magically packs into her “Mary Poppins” van), to joining students together for dinners out and about on the Island, she brings all of it together […]
Wonderful and better
It was a wonderful week of Rigid Heddle Weaving with Deb Jones and the only thing that could have made the week better was to have an Open Quilt Studio at the same time…so we did! Some of the weavers were beginners and some had previous rigid heddle experience, so there were intermediate-level techniques and project ideas, including weft-faced weaves. Beginners started with scarves, then made a sampler, then had time for at least one more project. The instructor, Deb Jones, first came to Sievers as a student in Franie Philps’ Intermediate Spinning class in 1991. She continued to take spinning-related classes with Deb Menz as well as weaving, marbling, papermaking, feltmaking and coiled basketry. In 1999, less than a […]
Catching up
It’s been three weeks since our last post so it’s well past time to catch up with what’s been happening at Sievers. After a short break in classes over the Fourth of July, Sandy De Master and Mary Germain were here for their Baltic Knitting Extravaganza class. Knitters new to Latvian and Estonian knitting began with a lined, ornament-sized mitten and went on to design their own pair or other project. The hardest part is deciding which of the many great color and motif inspirations to choose! These mittens deserve a hand (and these hands deserve the mittens)! What can we say about Rigid Heddle Weaving with Deb Jones? It’s a fast-paced weaving experience, complete with excellent instruction, beautiful yarns, […]
Taking the plunge
It is an Island tradition for some to run down the rocks from the top of Schoolhouse Beach and dive into the clear, cold water. You can imagine how invigorating and refreshing that would be. This year, Sievers “took the plunge” on a new class, Rigid Heddle Weaving. We wonder now why we waited so long. When Deb Jones offered this class for our 2019 season, we knew immediately that it was the right time with the right instructor. Like Schoolhouse Beach, this new class was invigorating and refreshing! Everyone started with a simple scarf. Learning to warp the loom and seeing their scarves take shape on the loom happened in only a couple of hours. The scarves on the […]
