Inside the studio recently, the focus was on Summer & Winter (weaving), but outside, it’s all about a different season. First things first…weaving. Summer & Winter has reversible areas of pattern and background on both sides with the “summer” side predominately showing the lighter colors and the “winter” side, the darker ones. Lynn Schuster’s handwoven samples, some using fine 10/2 cotton, some using Brown Sheep’s Lamb’s Pride Worsted, gave a real variety of choices for students in planning their own projects. The last morning of class, strong winds knocked power out to the studios. Finishing up, looms were moved a little closer to the windows and cellphones were taped to the task lights to use the flashlight feature so that the […]
Weaving and willow
We continued our fall weaving and willow classes this past week with Rita Hagenbruch’s Loom-Structured Lace and over the weekend, the Bent Willow Chair class with Ken and Michelle Workowski. The chair-makers were in awe over the finely woven shawls, blankets, scarves and runners still on the looms or on display and the weavers were equally struck by the progress that the willow chair students had made in just a few short hours, along with the woodshop atmosphere of drilling and hammering. The weaving class had been in session for four days prior, so each student had made great progress on their projects. Lacy wool plaid blankets and scarves, tencel shawls or scarves with beautiful drape and linen or cottolin lace runners were the projects of choice for this class. […]
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. […]
September at Sievers
September at Sievers features classes in four different types of weaving and one each in jewelry-making, garment construction, willow basketry and willow furniture. The month began with the study of color as it applies to weaving in Judie Yamamoto’s Weaving The Rainbow class. From color theory exercises and examples to the opportunity to weave samples for reference along with a project of their choice, Judie shared her excellent understanding and sense of color with the class. In Kay Rashka’s Metalwork Jewelry Boot Camp, although the sheets of copper, silver and brass shine, it’s really the faces of the students showing and wearing the jewelry they’ve made that shine brightest. Whether hand-etched, drilled, stamped, layered or textured (or all of the above), these one-of-a-kind pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings are as riveting as they […]
Simple and Natural
What an appealing combination for last week’s Sievers classes! Simple and natural in Connie Westbrook’s Handwoven Homespun Fabric class, using natural cotton/linen blend yarns in neutrals with just a splash of color and woven in simple plain weave. At the same time, simple and natural in Donna Kallner’s Natural Dye Retreat, with materials harvested from the grounds at Sievers and on Washington Island used to dye silk, wool and cotton. Projects included towels, curtains, bread cloths and totes and with plain weave, the weaving goes fast! The leaves from indigo plants produced these vibrant blues, illustrating that revealing the final results from leaves, barks and berries is part of the process and joy of natural dyeing. To see more and experience some of […]
Sit back and relax
After a weekend making a bent willow chair with Ken Workowski or a week learning the characteristics of deflected double weave with Judith Yamamoto, each student certainly deserved to sit back and relax, perhaps even in a chair made by their own hand! The chair frames were together by the end of the afternoon, just a few hours into class. Bending and placing the arms and backs took another complete day. Students in the Deflected Double Weave class shared samples of their weaving and the accompanying drafts with each other. When class is done, why not sit back, relax and put your feet up? The fall colors on Washington Island are just starting and we’re looking forward to […]
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 […]
Time to Bead and Weave!
Each day of Diane Fitzgerald’s Anything Goes…with Beads class had a special theme or focus (as posted on the easel in the studio) with of course, time set aside to work on individual projects, some of which incorporated the class “mascot”. We won’t focus on Friday (with sad face, shown above, signifying the last day of class and good-byes said for this year), but instead look back at some of what the students were doing on the six previous days. As the last beads were being stitched into fabulous jewelry, the first heddles were being threaded by the beginning table loom weavers. Instructor Nancy Frantz guided the students through the steps involved in weaving a small sampler that can be used as a runner. As […]
