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Our Instructors
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Lorrie Grainger Abdo
In 1995 Lorrie learned how to make handmade
paper at Sievers. That
weekend changed the direction of
her professional life and she has not stopped playing with paper and
pigments since! Her paper
mosaic pieces feature the freedom
of colorful expression through a surface design technique called paste
painting, yet highlight precise craftsmanship as well. Lorrie
is detailed in her instruction and fun with her delivery, encouraging
students to play. Lorrie
serves on the Handmade Paper Guild board, is a member of Signature
Artists Cooperative, and teaches workshops throughout her home
state of Michigan. |
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Jackie Abrams
Jackie has been a basketmaker since 1975,
when she first apprenticed to an 81-year-old traditional White Ash
basket weaver. Since
1990 she has explored plaiting techniques, the use of heavy cotton
paper as a weaving material, and the possibilities of their use in
contemporary basketry. Jackie exhibits her work at shows, galleries
and museums. It has won awards and been included in numerous
books. From her home in Brattleboro, VT, Jackie travels to teach
throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia,
and in Ghana, Africa.
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Nancy Adams
Nancy’s interest in fibers and
weaving ran the gamut from owning and raising her own flock of sheep,
to spinning their fleece, to weaving with it. She came to Sievers
in 1986 for her first weaving class, and has returned almost every
year since that time for more. In 2002 she became an assistant
instructor with longtime friend and fellow weaver Louise French for
intermediate weaving classes at Sievers. Now Nancy is excited
to have the opportunity to share her love of weaving by teaching it
to others. Nancy makes her home in Rochester, MN.
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Carol Anderson
Designer and owner of Cottage Creations, Carol
publishes and supplies knitting patterns to over 500 shops nationwide. Her
illustrated booklets have particular appeal for the advanced beginner
or intermediate knitter and range from scarves to afghans to sweaters,
with the “Wonderful Wallaby,” no doubt, her trademark
design. A retired teacher of Special Needs students and mother
of four, Carol lives with her husband Paul on their St. Ansgar,
IA farm. “A perfect day,” says Carol, “includes
at least two or three hours of knitting!”
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Jacki Bedworth
After being in class taught by Jo Campbell-Amsler
at Sievers in 1992, Jacki went on to
specialize in creating traditional willow
baskets. At her Grantsburg, WI home studio she cultivates
almost a dozen varieties of willow for
use in weaving. Jacki
currently works as a historic interpreter
at a reconstructed 1804 fur post, where she portrays “Makukewye” (Basket
Woman). She
also teaches workshops, demonstrates
her craft at historic re-enactments and
weaves baskets on commission for historic
sites such as Plimoth
Plantation. |

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Jeanette Biederman
Jeanette is an accomplished artisan whose
work shows a great respect and appreciation
for the history and lore of basketmaking. She enjoys working
with color, and makes a wide variety of traditional and contemporary
basket styles. Jeanette
and her husband Rich Prange offer basketry
classes at their Merrill, WI home studio, Tisket A Tasket, and
teach throughout the Midwest. Interested
in other fiber arts, Jeanette learned
to make ‘Stained Glass’ Sweater
Vests and Coats from their originator
Linda Davis in a 2001 Sievers class and has continued to create more
ever since, teaching it and selling her work in the Sievers Shop. |

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Jo Campbell-Amsler
Teaching throughout
the United States for guilds, basket conferences
and art schools, Jo instructs her students
in rib-style techniques for baskets made
of willow and other gathered materials. From
her eastern Iowa home studio, Willow Ridge,
she creates a wide range of baskets, from
traditional forms to sculptural one-of-a-kind
pieces. Jo’s
work has been featured in magazines and books,
and selected for numerous exhibits across
the U.S. In September of 2011 she hosted
a basket tour to Ireland, visiting with willow
basket weavers there, and learning new skills
and techniques.
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Betty Glynn Carlson
Betty has been a weaver since 1972, but
when she discovered Navajo weaving she felt a special kinship with
this simple way to weave that invites stillness and reflection. In the Navajo tradition
it has been said, “You must spin your warp threads strong
enough to hold your prayers.” When Betty sits at her
Navajo loom she seeks to honor this tradition. Each rug grows
out of her contemplative practice, and in the process of weaving,
the wool yarns are woven together with the threads of life. Betty’s
rugs have been exhibited at juried shows
in the Midwest, and she regularly teaches Navajo
weaving at the Weavers Guild of MN. |

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Mary Curran
As an artist and teacher, Mary uses multiple
media (fiber, paper, leather, found objects, etc.) to produce 2- and
3-dimensional work, which she shows and sells in Northeast Wisconsin. She
believes that creativity is an essential cross-life skill, and includes
tips and experiences in each of her classes. From her home in
Green Bay, WI, Mary works with the local Arts Event Inc.’s Design
Committee, operates her Twa Corbies studio, teaches at Swanstone
Gardens’ nature craft school, and serves as a Reiki Master
Practitioner.
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Sandy De Master
An avid knitter since 1970, Sandy took up
spinning in 1988 and soon began a life of raising and breeding
Finnsheep and marketing their wool. Her main interest is in ethnic
and traditional knitting, and she enjoys designing traditional mittens,
socks and sweaters based on the patterns of Fair Isle and Shetland,
Latvia, Estonia and Finland. Sandy and her friend and co-teacher
Mary Germain co-published an article
and pattern on Latvian knitting in Piecework magazine. They
have taught knitting classes at Sievers
since 1999, as well as throughout the
Midwest, and offered Latvian Mittens classes on both coasts. |

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Christi Eales Ehler
Christi enjoys exploring many different
on- and off-loom fiber techniques, including weaving and basketry. She
finds inspiration in historic textile traditions from all over the
world and in her love of nature, as well as in contact with fellow
weavers and students. Past President of WI Handweavers, Christi
has taught weaving to area guilds, and at the WI Spin-In and Midwest
Weavers Conference. Her work has won awards at the WHI annual
exhibit, other juried WI art fairs, and been featured in Handwoven magazine.
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Daniel Essig
Born in St Louis, MO, Daniel studied
at Southern Illinois U., Penland
School and the U. of Iowa. In
2000 he moved to Asheville, NC where
he maintains a full-time studio at Grovewood Gallery. Dan
lectures and offers workshops at book centers, craft schools, colleges,
and artist retreats as well as privately. He has created wooden and
sculptural books for over 20 years and is a recipient of the NC Artist Fellowship Grant. His
work is exhibited nationally and
in numerous private and public collections, most recently the Smithsonian Renwick Museum, U. of Iowa
Libraries and Topeka Library. Many of his sculptural
pieces are featured in The Penland Book of Handmade Books.
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Mary Sue Fenner
A Clothing, Textiles and Design major at
U. WI-Stout, art studies at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Polytechnic, England,
Kansas U. and a UW-Milwaukee MFA gave Mary Sue an excellent background
in fibers. A recently retired N.W. Technical College Marketing
Communications teacher, she maintains a business, Fiber Designs, in
her Abrams, WI home. Noted for use of bright colors and her own
handspun yarns, Mary Sue’s clothing and accessories are seen
in area shows, galleries and shops, and featured in Handwoven, Shuttle,
Spindle & Dyepot, Belle Armoire, Altered Couture, Sew Somerset and Haute
Handbags magazines. |

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Diane Fitzgerald
Creating with beads is Diane’s passion. Along with
that, she loves to share it with others through writing and teaching. She
is a frequent contributor of articles on the subject to magazines
and is the author of 10 books. Her newest, Diane Fitzgerald’s
Favorite Projects, is due out in March of 2012. Diane
was the recipient of Bead & Button Magazine’s “Excellence
In Bead Artistry Award” in 2008, and honored by the Textile
Center of Minnesota with their “Spun Gold Award” in
2011, for her lifetime commitment to
fiber arts.
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Marianne Fons
A summer regular among the Sievers faculty
for nearly 20 years, Marianne retired from teaching in 2001 to become
co-owner and editor of Love of Quilting magazine. Now
a part-time Washington Island resident, she returns to Sievers, her
all-time favorite teaching venue. Marianne is well-known among
quilters as author with Liz Porter of many best-selling
quilting books including Quilter’s
Complete Guide, and as host of Love of Quilting nationwide
on public television, now co-hosted with
her “quilty” daughter
Mary Fons. |

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Mary Fons
Mary grew up around Sievers and has
many heart and family connections to the Island. She has been making quilts for “4
glorious years,” and co-hosts PBS’s nationally aired Love
of Quilting program with her Mom, Marianne. She is creator,
co-producer and host of Quilty, an online show for rookie
quilters now in its second year, and is Creative Director of Quilty magazine,
set to launch in May 2012. Mary has a deep love for beginner
quilters, and believes carrying the art of quiltmaking into the
21st century is pretty darned important. Visit www.heyquilty.com for
more on the show and www.maryfons.com for
more on Mary. |

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Nancy Frantz
Nancy’s weaving journey began in 1977 when she received
a loom as a gift. Since 1985 she has shared her love of weaving
and fiber arts with students through
the Sheboygan Recreation
Dept., from beginners and up, ages 6 – 86! Her work
has won awards at county fairs, WHI Annual Shows, and Midwest
Weavers Assoc. Conferences, including two “Weaving For
The Home” Awards of Excellence from Interweave Press. Very
active in the Sheboygan Shuttlecraft Guild, Nancy was Co-Chair
of the 2005 MWA Conference. |

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Mary Germain
A knitter most of her life, Mary has taught knitting, weaving and
other fiber arts since 1983, and was owner of The Wool Works yarn
shop in Milwaukee from 1985-96. Her woven and knitted garments
have won awards at the WHI Annual Shows and Harrisville
Designs’ Convergence Contests. Inspired by a Latvian
friend, Mary co-published a Latvian knitting
article and pattern in Piecework magazine with friend and
fellow teacher Sandy De Master. Trips to Latvia in 2001 and
Estonia in 2005 provided Mary with more
knitting inspiration, which she enjoys sharing with her students.
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Thomas Grade
From Menasha, WI, Tom has a BFA degree
in On- and Off-loom Fiber Techniques from U. WI-Milwaukee, and was
among the first foreign artists admitted to Beijing, China’s Central Academy of Arts & Crafts
(1982). His handmade paper and mixed media sculptures, known
for their use of intense color, surface textures and pattern plays,
are inspired by his world travels. Recent commissions include
the Outagamie County Airport and Paper Discovery Center in
Wisconsin. Tom actively promotes paper art across the state,
as an instructor and through school Artist-In-Residence programs. |

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Ellen Graf
In 1992 Ellen made her first quilt in a class
at Sievers. Since then, she has made many more and received numerous
awards, including at the American Quilter’s Society Show in
Paducah, KY, and the International Quilt Festival in Houston,
TX. They
have also been seen in Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine and
the AQS Quilt Art Calendar. Ellen’s year-round
home on Washington Island allows
her to share her love of quilting in summer and winter classes at
Sievers. Teaching enables her
to share good technique, while encouraging
students’ individual creativity.
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Chad Hagen
Chad has explored the resist dyeing and
surface design of hand felted wool since 1979, with BA and MS degrees
from U-WI and MFA from Cranbrook. Her dyed, pieced,
beaded and stitched felt work has been seen on the covers of Surface
Design Journal, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot, and Fiberarts magazines
and in major collections. Chad writes extensively on art and
feltmaking, including 3 Lark books: Fabulous Felt Hats,
Weekend Crafter: Feltmaking, and Fabulous Felted Scarves. She
teaches workshops in the U.S. and Europe, and maintains a full-time
studio in Asheville, NC. |

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Rita Hagenbruch
Inspired by textiles she has examined on
her travels to Sweden, particularly those for the table, Rita’s weaving brings joy
into her busy life. She loves to share this desire and inspire
others through teaching, at conferences and workshops throughout
the Midwest. Rita’s woven work has received the Handweaver’s
Guild of America’s “HGA Award,” Woodstock
(IL) Weavers Guild’s “Members’ Choice Award,” and
been featured in Handwoven magazine, most recently her Lace
Butterfly runner (May 2011) and her
colorful Halvdräll runner
(Nov. 2011). |

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Judy Hasheider
Judy’s main focus is on the traditional patterns and techniques
that make quilting enjoyable, along with the friendships that evolve
when quilters are together. Her work has been featured in American
Patchwork & Quilting magazines and in the book Color Harmony
For Quilts. She has taught quilting for over 25 years and
gives instruction throughout the year
at Stitcher’s Crossing in
Madison, WI, as well as organizing and
offering weekend retreats. Judy
and her husband have 3 grown children
and own a dairy farm near Sauk City, WI. |

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Barbara Heike
Barbara’s background is in fiber art, but wire-worked jewelry
has a special appeal to her. Since learning and refining
the techniques for Viking Knit jewelry, she has enjoyed working
with this ancient art form and teaching it to others. Recently,
her work was awarded Honorable Mention at the “Artists of
the New North” exhibition at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah,
WI. Barbara is an experienced horticultural educator and
past Director of the Children’s Gardening Programs at the Green
Bay Botanical Garden. She has taught beading and weaving
classes at Sievers, throughout the Midwest
and in her Green Bay home studio, Windflower Studio Arts. |

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Mary Hettmansperger
Fiber/jewelry artist, Mary exhibits and teaches jewelry, basketry,
surface design and quilting across the U.S. and in Australia, New
Zealand, Ireland and Singapore, at such as SOFA, Arrowmont,
Bead & Button, Convergence, national conferences, guilds,
etc. Her work is seen in books (Jewelry Design Challenge, 500
Baskets, Fiber Arts Design Book 7, Fabulous Found Object Jewelry,
Beading With Crystals, and others), on television (PBS’s “Beads,
Baubles & Jewels,” and “Quilting Arts”),
and in numerous magazines. For Lark/Sterling she has
authored and illustrated 4 books: Fabulous Woven Jewelry, Wrap,
Stitch, Fold & Rivet, Mixed Metal Jewelry Workshop, and Heat,
Color, Set & Fire. |

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Flo Hoppe
Full-time artist, teacher and author, Flo
began her career in 1971, teaching herself basketmaking from
a small booklet published in 1924. She lived in Japan and studied there with two master
basketmakers. Her main emphasis is on wicker and Japanese
basketry. Flo exhibits her work worldwide, and teaches throughout
the U.S. as well as in England, Canada, Japan, Russia and Australia. Her
published books are Wicker Basketry and Contemporary
Wicker Basketry, the latter translated into German. Flo’s
trip to Russia resulted in co-authoring
a book in 2009 with Vladimir Yarish and
Jim Widess, Plaited Basketry With Birch Bark. |

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Deb Jones
Living in Black River Falls, WI, Deb is an enthusiastic handspinner
and has taught workshops throughout the state, including the Wisconsin
Sheep & Wool Festival. She is the owner of The Fiber
Garden, a year-round fiber arts school, gift mercantile and fiber
shop that has been featured in such magazines as American Small
Farm, Impressions, and Positive Thinking. (More information
can be found at: www.fibergarden.com) For
Deb it’s a means to promote fiber arts and combine her love of
spinning, teaching and country living!
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Donna Kallner
In Donna's work, ancient textile techniques
and old-school natural dyeing combine with new-school surface design
and digital technologies to tell timeless stories. As a fiber arts
teacher and writer, she helps others share their own stories in ways
that are unique to each one of them. Donna teaches and exhibits
her work across the country, and is the author of New Age Looping: A
Handbook for Fiber Artists. Learn more at www.donnakallner.com or facebook.com/donnakallnerfiberart.
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Joyce Krueger
An avid rug hooker since 1976, Joyce is
an active member of the Assoc.
of Traditional Hooking Artists, McGown
Guild, and Cream
City Rug Hooking Guild. She is an accredited McGown
Teacher and has taught since 1984,
at national and international rug schools, for private rug groups
and in her Waukesha, WI home studio, covering all aspects of hooking. Joyce
enjoys personalizing commercial patterns as well as helping students
with original design ideas. She writes articles for and
has her work featured in the ATHA and McGown Newsletters, Rug
Hooking magazine,
several rug hooking books, and has
received awards for her rugs. |

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Daryl Lancaster
Daryl received her degree in Fine Arts in
1977. She has been
sewing for more than 40 years, and has
spent 10 years as a production weaver, selling her handwoven clothing
in craftmarkets and galleries. She
travels the country, teaching garment
construction techniques to handweavers and surface designers, and exhibits
her woven work nationally. Daryl
was Contributing Features Editor for Handwoven magazine for
7+ years, and occasionally writes for
various publications as well as her own blog (www.weaversew.com/wordblog). A
breast cancer survivor, Daryl uses her
work as a vehicle to express who she
is and the path that she has travelled. |

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Anita Luvera Mayer
Living in beautiful Anacortes, WA, Anita
is a designer of contemporary clothing inspired by ethnic originals,
with finishes and embellishments done by hand. Her work, which is personal and often speaks to
women’s issues, has been included in national and international
exhibits. Anita is the author of 5 books and frequently presents
articles in fiber publications. She believes there should be
something magical and unique about
what is worn each day, something to celebrate, and shares that concept
with others through her workshops and lectures for a wide variety
of guilds and conferences.
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Sylvie Nguyen
From Cherry Valley, IL, Sylvie has had lifelong
interests in fiber arts such as sewing, knitting and bobbin
lace making. She
has an MA degree in Adult Education, and is very active as a demonstrator,
teacher and promoter of bobbin lace making, including the publication
of a number of her tape lace designs. Sylvie also enjoys
creative sewing, whether it be for the home, traditional garments,
or a unique project. She especially likes to combine techniques
when working with fabric, as well as sharing
them with others through teaching. |

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Kay Normann
Starting in 1994 with Jeanette Biederman’s Beginning
Basket class at Sievers, a passion was born for Kay. She now
has a studio in her Arizona home, where she teaches friends to weave
baskets. And, her friends bring their friends… After
spending 22 summers on Washington Island, Kay and her husband sold
their vacation home. She now returns to the Island and Sievers
to weave in classes with fellow ‘basket babes’ she has
met at Sievers, continuing their
mutual love of basketry, and to teach Beginning Basketmaking with
her good friend (and former Island neighbor) Drew Tibbetts.
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Carol Huebscher
Rhoades
Living in
Madison, WI, Carol has researched traditional
knitting in Scandinavia and has a special
interest in the wools and techniques for
traditional handspun and knitted garments,
particularly those of Scandinavia and England. She
is the Technical Editor of and frequent contributor
to Spin-Off magazine,
writes for Piecework, and translates
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish knitting books
into English. Carol’s teaching
has taken her around the U.S., including
to SOAR (Spin-Off Autumn Retreat)
and the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival,
as well as to England, Canada, Norway, Denmark
and New Zealand.
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Stephanie Lewis Robertson
Much like a musical conversation, Stephanie
sings to her hand-dyed and –printed fabrics while she works, creating
constructions that reflect her interest in spirituality,
ritual, music and the power of women. Her current work includes
images of labyrinths, spider webs, brain
scans and text, and has been seen in area exhibits and shows. Stephanie’s
day job is as the Program Chair for Fine
Arts at Ivy Tech Community
College in central Indiana. She
lives in Indianapolis with her family
of one husband and two cats. And, she is excited to be ‘coming
back home’ to
Washington Island and Sievers! |

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Mary Jo Scandin
Mary Jo's students
are motivated in their surface design work
by her enthusiasm for color and design, plus
her sense of fun which she readily shares. She
and her husband recently began a new chapter
in their lives by moving to Minneapolis. Mary
Jo anticipates creating a studio in their
new space and to continue working with fibers
and surface design on a regular basis. She
has licensed and marketed her designs as
posters, notecards and plaques, and 3 children's
books feature her painted silk illustrations.
Mary Jo is hoping to establish some art relationships
in Minneapolis and continues to show her
work at galleries in Door County. |

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Lynn
Stracka Schuster
A handweaver and feltmaker since
1978, Lynn has expanded her interests
to a wide and varied repertoire of fiber
arts. She still enjoys handweaving
and feltmaking, and has added silk ribbon
embroidery, beadwork and coiled basketry
to the list. Lynn’s work
has been seen in a number of magazines,
at art museums and galleries, and in
the Sievers Permanent Collection. Lynn
has offered classes at Sievers since
1981. She enjoys sharing her artwork
and creativity through teaching, and
believes that art is a celebration of
life. |

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Deb Sharpee
Deb’s
interest in weaving was first sparked
as a small child, watching her grandmother
weave rag rugs. She now can’t
believe it has been over 25 years since
she wove her first rag rug. Many
miles of warp later, Deb has much to
share with her students. Her work
has been published in Weaver’s,
Complex Weavers Journal, Crafts Report and Handwoven magazines,
as well as in the book Weaving Contemporary
Rag Rugs. Deb and her husband
live on a small farm near Madison, WI,
where she maintains a herd of angora
goats. |

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Robyn Spady
Robyn is a fiber
artist and master weaver who has been weaving
for over 40 years. In 2004 she completed HGA’s Certificate
of Excellence (COE). Weaving has always
been a part of her life, beginning with the
baby blanket woven for her by her great-grandmother
on a loom that Robyn now has and uses daily. She
teaches throughout the United States and Canada,
and has authored many articles and publications. (See www.spadystudios.com for
more information.) Robyn is committed
to turning the weaving world on to four-shaft
weaves, uncommon weave patterns, double-faced
fabrics and narrow warp weaves. |
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Harvey Stahl
A
Door County native who retired after
32 years with the DNR, Harvey has always
been surrounded by the subjects of his
wildlife carvings. He creates them
by utilizing locally cut wood such as
butternut, and collected pieces of driftwood. Harvey
exhibits his work at The Clearing in
Ellison Bay, WI, the town where he and
his wife Rita make their home. Harvey
has taught workshops for Elderhostel groups
and enjoys instilling an appreciation
for wildlife to all of his students,
in addition to teaching them basic handcarving
techniques.
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Drew Tibbetts
20 years
ago Drew took her first basket weaving
class from Jeanette Biederman at Sievers. Since
childhood she had enjoyed all types of
handcrafts, but after making that first
basket, Drew knew she’d found her
favorite. She feels so lucky to have
summered on Washington Island for a number
of years, giving her the opportunity each
year to take more classes and improve her
skills. Drew and husband Jim have
now retired to the Island, and she looks
forward to sharing her love of basket weaving
and Sievers with aspiring new weavers,
co-teaching with her friend and former
neighbor Kay Normann. |

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Connie
Westbrook
Connie discovered weaving
at a local art fair and immediately
knew sitting behind a loom was where
she belonged. She has passionately
pursued handweaving since her first
Beginning class at Sievers in 2003,
patiently and diligently studying
the work of some of the most respected
weavers in the country. She
felt truly lucky when she was asked
to join the Sievers staff in 2007. Connie
is a volunteer weaver at the Island’s Farm
Museum, active in study groups,
has been published in Handwoven magazine,
and recognized for her outstanding
abilities as an innovative weaver. She
believes weaving is meant to be shared,
and is eager to teach others what
she has learned. |

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Heather
Winslow
As a fiber
artist Heather specializes in nature-inspired,
classical handwoven clothing. She envisions
her garment designs as 3-dimensional sculpture,
using subtle simplicity to adorn the body
in a positive way and make the wearer feel “special” by
the very act of putting them on. Heather
loves teaching and does so locally at The
Fine Line in St. Charles, IL, nationally
and internationally. She is the author
of More On Moorman: Theo Moorman Inlay
Technique Adapted To Clothing, and
numerous articles in fiber magazines such
as Handwoven, Spin-Off and Weavers. |

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Ken Workowski
While paging
through Mother Earth News magazine
in 1977, Ken came across an article on building
willow furniture—the perfect opportunity
to combine his carpentry skills with his
love of nature. Thus began a home business
for Ken and his wife Michelle, The Nature
of Things, building home furnishings
that use such materials as willow, birch
and poplar bark. They craft furniture,
baskets, lamps and shades, brooms, mirror
frames, and one-of-a-kind pieces, selling
their creations through art shows and shops
across the U.S., and enjoying their self-sufficient
lifestyle. |

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Judith T. Yamamoto
Judie enjoyed her
Beginning Weaving class at Sievers in 1981
so much, she just kept coming back for more. Now
she teaches and lectures nationally, and writes
about weaving and related topics for magazines. Notable
for its use of color and blending, her woven
work and polymer clay jewelry have been featured
in Handwoven magazine and seen at a
variety of fiber shows, galleries and shops. Judie
lives on Washington Island and demonstrates
handweaving at the Farm Museum on an
antique loom she and her husband restored.
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Our Staff
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Howard & Ann H. Young,
Owners
Ann’s involvement
with Sievers began in 1979, when founder
Walter Schutz asked her to be General Manager
of the school. She soon became an enthusiastic
weaving student and later a basic weaving
instructor. Over the years she was
more and more involved in the school’s
operation and, when Walter retired in 1987,
Ann and her carpenter husband Howard (Butch),
became the owners of three businesses—Sievers
School, Sievers Looms and Sievers
Benchwork, a modular table system for
model railroad hobbyists. In 1989 Ann
added a retail consignment shop, selling
the fiber arts and fine crafts made by the
teachers and students. |

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Cindra Hokkanen
In 1986 Cindra began working
in the office for Walter Schutz and hasn’t
strayed since! She thoroughly enjoys
the variety of her duties at Sievers,
such as writing and editing the school
brochure and web site copy, registering
students, working with the consignment
artists and inventory, processing mailed
and online inquiries and orders, and
interacting with the many Sievers visitors. Cindy
and her husband Tom, who teaches at the
local K-12 school, are both active in
a number of Island organizations and
groups. Her favorites are singing
and community theater.
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Carolyn Foss
Carolyn has
worked at Sievers since 1990, even returning
in the summer when she and her family spent
six years in Washington State. Besides
bookkeeping, Carolyn is the Sievers photographer
whose pictures are seen in the brochure,
online newsletter and Facebook page that
she created and maintains. She is also
responsible for the yarns, book and supplies
in the shop, and sometimes has the pleasure
of giving an impromptu knitting lesson to
a visitor. In addition to knitting,
Carolyn enjoys reading, and walking or jogging
her way through quiet Island mornings.
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Many of our instructors have their own web sites. Check out our Links Page
Return to Top
For class hours, go to the Contact & Registration Page
For housing information, go to the About The School Page
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