Sievers School of Fiber Arts

“Happiness is in your hands and it keeps you young.”
. . . is the slogan that founder Walter Schutz selected when Sievers originated in the early 1970’s.
Together with his wife Sophie (Sievers) Schutz, who was a very accomplished hobby weaver, they wrote the Learn How To Weave booklet that inspired Walter at age 79 to establish the Sievers School of Fiber Arts.

https://sieversschool.com/about-us-our-shop/

My mom taught quilting all over the world, but her most favorite place to teach was Sievers School of Fiber Arts on Washington Island off the “thumb” of Wisconsin’s Door County. I loved getting dropped off in Ephraim and staying with the wonderful Carol Gresko-Lyons and Charlie Lyons while my mom taught on the island.

Since my mom started teaching at Sievers in the early 80’s, they saved everything she ever sent them. They also collected every magazine and newspaper article in a wonderful book which I borrowed last summer while visiting and took pictures of every page. If you’re ever up there I’m sure they’d be thrilled to take it out. You can also check out all of pics of the book along in this flickr album. This old article is kind of hilarious but I’m definitely questioning the “earth-mother woman” description.

I have a few memories of meeting Walter Schutz who founded Sievers back in 1979. Walter described the island as having, “a warm, friendly, benign magic, that wraps itself around, and calms you, and offers you a sense of protection and security”. Now that I’m middle-aged, I much prefer going to Washington Island than staying on the peninsula.

Gotta love the ancient Gutcheon Patchworks ad. Perhaps being a night owl is part of the quilting gene? I was reading the article below by Barbara Wysocki and thought my mom had written it. She was up until 2 in the morning every night quilting.

One of the best parts of staying on the island is being able to stop and visit with the Ann Young, Cindra Hokkanen and Carolyn Foss. Twenty five years ago I worked at a resort in Egg Harbor with “Dirty Dancing” vibes. I was able to convince my mom to trade her silver BMW for my crappy old beater Toyota Tercel hatchback to cruise around in while she taught on the island. I’m pretty sure Ann made that happen. I wish I had pictures of her and Blanche Young rolling up at the resort to trade cars.

Blanche Young used to fly in, from Westminster, California to ride up to the island to teach for at least a week with my mom at Sievers. Blanche made this hilarious ‘I Broke the Only Rule’ quilt for the AQS tribute to my mom years ago. Apparently sewing in the nude was the only no-no. I have fond memories of staying at Blanche’s house seven miles from Disneyland at least once or twice a year with my mom. I always thought of her as my third extra funny grandma. She was almost always a teacher on the quilting cruises.

Sievers has had ‘Eye of the Storm’ hanging in their wonderful gift shop for a very long time. I love the picture above with my mom’s dress tucked in to her underwear, I’m guessing somewhere on the east coast.

Here it is at Sievers looking wonderful. I figured they need at least a couple more quilts, and sent Marianne Fons up with these guys in August:

Ann and Carolyn are on the left with a quilt that I can’t remember the name of, I think it may have garden in the name. Ann and Cindra are on the right with ‘Project Peaky and Spike and Friends’ that was on the cover of a template kit Doreen used to sell. They’re going to rotate them between the shop, the barn and the teacher’s cottage. I have dreams of a Doreen Speckmann Quilt Museum and monarch butterfly sanctuary on the island if anyone has an extra building laying around up there they’d want to give me.

Pictures from our visit up to Washington Island, in August 2022. We’re some of the luckiest people to get to stay at the wonderful house on the lake pictured above. It’s amazing. If you’re looking for a good gift check out Washington Island local Finn Hagen’s etsy site. Zoe loves her Island Wave shirt.