News from Sievers School

This Is How It Begins…

cfoss — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:59:48 +0000

2010 Schedule In Progress

In the meantime, our Sievers in Winter classes for full-time, part-time and I’m-on-the-Island Islanders begin on Saturday, November 21 with “A Family of Mittens” (recycled sweaters sewn into mittens) taught by Kathleen Morris. Other classes are in January and February:

January 5-7 “Beginning Watercolors and Color Theory” with Cathy Meader

January 8 – 10 “Knitting Retreat” with Sandy De Master & Mary Germain

January 11-14 “Chicken Track Rag Bags” with Connie Westbrook

January 15 – 17 “Household Baskets” with Jeanette Biederman & Rich Prange

January 20 & 21 “Beginning Machine Sewing” with Kathleen Morris

January 26 – 29 “Quilting: Better Basics, Advanced Techniques” with Ellen Graf

February 1 – 3 “Needle Felt Embellishment” with Jeanne Shay

February 4 – 6 “Coiled Basketry” with Lynn Schuster

February 8 & 9 “Fun with Polymer Clay” with Judie Yamamoto

Island Halloween

cfoss — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:08:13 +0000

“The Butcher Shop” was open for business on Halloween night and had about 110 satisfied customers leave with a small package of “Noses”, “Fingers” or “Toes” wrapped in white butcher paper taken from the freezer.

It was also the 25th Anniversary of “The Witches” on Main Road. Because of the wind, the cauldron wasn’t set up outside, however the witches were surrounded by candlelight and glowing pumpkins. The Witches of 2009 agreed to pose for this photo:

Recipe Reminder!

Be sure to send in your recipe for our Sievers Cookbook. The official deadline was November 1st. We’re looking forward to putting this cookbook together. Thanks!

Last Day of Classes 2009

cfoss — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:48:34 +0000

Walking over to the Sophie Studio this morning through the rain and October’s “confetti” (leaves falling from the trees) to visit the last class of the 2009 season, Deb Sharpee’s Rag Rug Weaving, the camera caught these images on our last day of class:

And here’s how diligently the students were working yesterday:

Speaking of “lasts”, Sunday, October 18th, was the last passage through the Door for the C.G. Richter, iconic Island ferry and winter lifeline for the Island for 50+ years, having been bult in 1950. It is headed to its new home in the Caribbean via the Mississippi River. For a great perspective on the C.G. Richter and all things Island, visit Dick Purinton’s Ferry Cabin News blog at www.ferrycabinnews.blogspot.com/

October is the month to…

cfoss — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:19:55 +0000

make a coat from old wool sweaters…

learn how to weave…

harvest the willow patch…

and exclaim how beautiful the foliage is on the silo against a bright blue sky!

October Happenings

cfoss — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:02:20 +0000

There’s been a lot of knitting going on here at Sievers in October. Carol Anderson’s Scandinavian Caps were being worn both in progress and finished…

and then the weekend Knitting on Location class came in and took their projects on the road, including this stop at the Red Cup Coffee House:

Meanwhile, Ken Workowski was working with his students on their Bent Willow Loveseats so that by Sunday afternoon, porches were adorned with the finished products.

Today, Sandy De Master and Mary Germain will welcome a group of knitters who will be working on projects of their own choice, with Mary and Sandy assisting with new techniques, trouble spots, re-working a pattern to customize it and more. On Saturday night as a group, the knitters have already made a reservation for the Harvest Dinner (a turkey dinner with the trimmings) sponsored annually by the Women of Trinity Lutheran Church. Many Island homes will be filled with the aroma of turkey, rolls, squash or pumpkin pies being baked this Friday in preparation for the dinner. Some may also be preparing chili or caramel apples for Saturday’s annual Farm Museum Cider Pressing Party or the Fire Department’s Open House. Sunshine and fall colors have been ordered for the weekend!

Autumn on the Island

cfoss — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:27:52 +0000

Although the temperatures lately have been a bit more like summer than fall, today is officially the first day of autumn. Only a few leaves on the trees have started to change color, but there are plenty of other places around the Island that tell us autumn is here.

Weaving Today, Tomorrow & Next Week

cfoss — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:12:44 +0000

Weavers in Rita Hagenbruch’s Overshot Odyssey class are finishing up their work in time for tomorrow’s graduation, while Anita Mayer began her class in Explorations in Embellishment this morning. On Sunday, we will continue weaving with Nancy Adams’ Beyond Beginning class and Daryl Lancaster’s A Wearable Extravaganza, where we’re looking forward to seeing the fabrics and then later the jacket or vest students will be making from their handwovens (or specialty fabrics).

Rita’s overshot samples are wonderful, as you can see, as well as the projects students have been working on.

Felt, Basket, Quilt!

cfoss — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:59:50 +0000

We just finished a busy week with three classes in session at one time, Jeanne Pfister’s Quilt Embellishment class in the Sophie Studio, Chad Hagen’s Fabulous “Bark” Felted Scarves and then her Felt, Resist, Bead class in the Walter Studio and Jo Campbell-Amsler’s Step-By-Step Willow Basketry class in the Barn Studio. Between the three classes, students (and teachers) came from Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana, California, Iowa, North Carolina, Ontario, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Quilt Embellishment

Felt, Resist, Bead!

Step-By-Step Willow Basketry

Walter Studio has a Visitor

cfoss — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:32:42 +0000

For the past several days, a small spotted fawn has been grazing outside of the barn and all around the Walter Studio. It patiently posed for photographs when Judy Hasheider’s quilting class visited Judie Yamamoto’s polymer clay class.

Recipe Reminder

We are still receiving recipes and are looking for more for our 30th Anniversary cookbook which we will begin working on after November 1st. If you like, you can email a recipe to sievers@itol.com.

The Rain Came…But It Couldn’t Stop the Dyers!

cfoss — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:16:36 +0000

Last Friday afternoon, soon after Deb Jones began her “Yarns to Dye For” class, it began to rain…in torrents. The official Island measurement was 5.53″ of rain, mostly within a span of two hours. For the first time in anyone’s memory, a flash flood warning was issued for the Island. Students had been winding lengths of yarn to dye (for the self-patterning socks) on the split rail fence in front of the barn when it started to rain. They quickly worked to finish winding and went back to the Walter Studio to begin dyeing their yarns.

In the meantime, Lynn Schuster’s “Coiled Basketry” class was working on their baskets in the Sophie Studio.

On the weekend of September 4-6, we look forward to Ken Workowski’s “Bent Willow Chair” class. This student (from last year’s class) is shown putting the seat and back pieces on her chair. This is definitely a noticeable take-home project!

Check Out the Latest Handwoven Magazine!

cfoss — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:04:16 +0000

Our own Connie Westbrook has an article and photo on page 34-35 of the September/October 2009 issue of Handwoven magazine with her random warp waffle-weave towels. Connie has worked at Sievers for the past two years and first came to a weaving class here in September of 2003. Last winter, she taught her first class in Fast & Fun Random Warps & Mixed Weaves as one of our “Sievers in Winter” classes. When she’s not working at Sievers, Connie likes to weave at her home in Sherwood, WI or at her cottage on the Island. She also demonstrates weaving as a volunteer at the W. Island Farm Museum, is part of the Island Weaving Study Group and sells some of her work in the consignment shop at Sievers. Congratulations on the article, Connie. We are looking forward to more!

Today at Sievers

cfoss — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:46:57 +0000

A beautiful sunny day, perfect for drying handmade paper, or if you’re a quilter, perhaps you would rather be sewing…

…and at the end of the day, an Island sunset.

Books and Blue Ribbons

cfoss — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:34:47 +0000

This morning on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Larry Meiller Show”, Dick Purinton of the Washington Island Ferry Line was interviewed about his new book, Words on Water – A Ferryman’s Journal and Island life in general. If you would like to try and access the interview, there are audio archives of the show at www.wpr.org/larrymeiller. Click on “Previous Program” until you find the listing for 11:00 am on Wednesday, July 22.

We received a note from Terri and Emily (mom and daughter) who took the Beginning Weaving on a Table Loom class. Terri reports that Emily earned a blue ribbon on her weaving sampler and took Reserve Champion for her Cherry-Rhubarb Jam she made using the recipe from Sunset Resort. Good job, Emily!

Landscape Quilts and More

cfoss — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:16:11 +0000

Only photos can best describe the landscape quilts made in Natalie Sewell’s class last week and even then, they can’t come close to the real thing. Again this year, the projects were stunning and ranged from desert scenes to woodland glades.

Upcoming classes include Inkle Weaving with Christi Eales Ehler, August 7 – 9; Refresher Weaving with Nancy Frantz, August 16- 21; Antler Basketry with Rich Prange, August 21 – 23; New Ways in Polymer Clay with Judie Yamamoto, August 23 – 26 and Felt, Resist, Bead! with Chad Hagen, August 30 – September 4, and in the words of Walter Schutz, “much, much more”!

How to See the Island

cfoss — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:44:20 +0000

During the week of Donna Kallner’s “Local Color: Landscape Surface Design” class, eight students and their digital cameras explored the Island, took wonderful photos that they printed onto fabrics using an inkjet printer and then stitched, embroidered and beaded their Island landscapes. The week of sunshine also gave them time to experiment with sun printing. What a great way to combine Sievers class time with seeing parts of the Island that many students had never had the time to do before. Here’s a few of their projects from the week:

Today there are two classes in session, Nancy Frantz with Beginning Weaving on a Table Loom and Shirley Ver Hage teaching Purses, Purses, Purses! Both classes were busy at work this morning:

During the class introduction, two students who had been roommates 30 years ago and had lost touch recognized each other and are now spending the weekend sewing purses and catching up after all this time. This isn’t the first time a re-connection like this has been made here. What will be the next fun surprise at Sievers?

Another Great Week!

cfoss — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:02:29 +0000

With Mary Sue Fenner’s Weave, Cut & Sew class finishing this morning with the traditional fashion show on the boardwalk at Sophie Studio and Jeanette Biederman’s Independent Study in Basketry class here for 7-days until July 5, a lot has been happening at Sievers. The Walter Studio is knee deep in baskets and the yardage and garments woven and sewn in just 5 days is almost not to be believed. We’re looking forward to see what you will achieve in your time here at Sievers!

First Day of Summer at Sievers

cfoss — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:00:14 +0000

The Summer Solstice yesterday brought with it, as promised, real summertime weather which will continue all this week while Nancy Adams is here teaching Beginning Weaving and Mary Jo Scandin is teaching Batik. Already by this afternoon, students were well on their way to a creative week.

Last week’s Sewing with Exotic Silks class finished on Sunday morning with an inspiring fashion show:

Next Fashion Show: Mary Sue Fenner’s Weave, Cut & Sew class on July 3rd!

A Sievers Cookbook is in the Works!

cfoss — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:58:49 +0000

To help celebrate our 30th anniversary, Sievers is collecting recipes (and has been for some time) for a three-ring bound hardcover cookbook. Recipe collection sheets will be in each student folder, or you can mail or email a recipe to us. We are asking that the recipes are returned to us no later than November 1 so that we can send them to the cookbook publisher in time for us to have them by the start of our 2010 season.

Sievers Scholarship Awarded to a 2009 Island Graduate

Again this year, Sievers has awarded a scholarship in the amount of $500 to a graduate of Washington Island High School who has benefited themselves and the community though their participation in the arts (music, theater, dance or visual arts). This year’s scholarship was awarded to Rylee Johnson who will be attending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, majoring in Education. Rylee has been very involved in Island Players (the Island’s community theater group) and has shared the stage several times with Cindra. Last year’s Sievers Scholarship recipient, Lydia Foss , will actually be working at Sievers this summer while on her break from Lawrence University.

30 Years and Counting!

cfoss — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:16:40 +0000

Our first class of the 31st season at Sievers School of Fiber Arts began this morning at 9 a.m. with seven weavers in Judie Yamamoto’s Summer & Winter and Other Tied Weaves class. As you can see, they were already threading their looms this afternoon.

Also, the Washington Island Art Association is renting the Walter Studio for it’s Spring Open Studio this week. Twelve painters arrived this morning to take advantage of the sunny studio space. A visit with the weavers on Thursday is already planned.

Many beautiful handmade items have arrived for the shop and new things are coming in every day. It’s an exciting week at Sievers!

Sievers School Open House

cfoss — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:46:59 +0000

Our 30th Anniversary Open House on Saturday, May 2nd was a great success! The beautiful weather brought many Islanders and visitors out to Sievers to tour the buildings, see the displays of the past 30 years of Sievers history and the many lovely “Sievers in Winter” finished class projects, and to “make and take” a hand painted silk scarf with Kathy Sorensen. So many comments were heard about how adorable the Teacher’s Cottage is and how cozy the dorm feels. Kathy’s silk painting demonstrations and teaching more than 50 people who painted their own scarves was a definite highlight. So many people got the chance to experience just a little bit of what a Sievers class is all about and how you can surprise yourself with what you can create in a short time.

It was fun to see Judy Hasheider and her group of quilters come for the morning, and Sandy De Master and husband Larry, who bicycled from the ferry dock. Our long distance visitors were from Sweden, who had been staying in Door County and wanted to see the School.

Here’s a few photos from Saturday: