Gourd Crafts

Crafters wood burning gourds.

Last month, Ella E. helped us learn wood burning on gourds. We started small with some pieces she sawed out of scraps. Ella says never to throw away any gourd parts. They can come in handy for ears, handles, and as in this case, for jewelry. She likes to add wooden beads and other natural ornamentation. As you can see from the examples above, she is learning her craft. I made a fish necklace for my first project. It wasn't half bad. Of course, to become good at it, a person has to be willing to invest in a good wood burner and spend a lot of time practicing. Turtle Feathers is a good place to get tools.

Dianne's Gourd Projects

I love working on gourds very much. Ella says it's a fever. So I have tried my hand at a couple of bowls. The ones above are still a work in progress. I'm going to lash some long pine needles around the rim of the frog with turquoise sinew and add some turquoise beads that look like leaves. I will also spray it with a coat of clear sealer. I used turquoise shoe dye, and just sort of dabbed it on. I didn't try to cover the whole thing. On the sun, I used a bright orange shoe dye. I burned the design using pyro paper. You can print the design on inkjet or laser and burn directly over it. It eliminates tracing, and it won't burn. It's also available at Turtle Feathers. I used a yellow oil colored pencil to color in the center of the sun. I used a technique Ella taught me on the inside. I tore small pieces of colored tissue, dipped them in diluted Elmer's glue, and overlapped them on the inside. The tissue I used was from a florist shop. It's a little thicker and more waxy than regular tissue, but regular tissue will work just fine. Ella even uses decorative napkins and wrapping paper. The main thing is just to be creative and experiment with different textures and materials. The only thing I need to do to finish this project is to seal it.

Chair and Footstool Caning

Mrs. P. from a neighboring club came out to give us a workshop on caning. We started out with footstool kits, and did a "simple" diagonal weave. Becky, who was already familiar with the technique, tried her hand at bottoming an antique chair. It was an amazing transformation for a treasured piece. Stella, who received a blue ribbon for her footstool at the local fair, cannot work hard without sticking her tongue out. This was a labor intensive workshop, but we learned an ancient, traditional skill and how to restore chair bottoms to their original splendor.

Pot Luck and Long Handles

Each December, we hold a pot luck supper to celebrate Christmas and to fellowship together with all our club members. For this meeting we also did a little Christmas craft. We took a couple of white, footless athletic socks for youth and embellished them to look like a pair of long-handled underwear. They make a really cute and rustic decoration for the holidays.

Valentine's Day Projects

For Valentine's Day, we wove paper baskets and filled them with hard, wrapped candy for the residents of the local nursing homes. We also created roses from Hershey's kisses and cellophane, placed them in Pom juice bottles sprayed white and embellished with red ribbons and glittery foam hearts.

Twig Wreaths

Twig wreaths are made from bundles of twigs snapped from the local landscape and embellished with other natural elements such as nuts, pods, seeds, and dried flowers. They can be used anytime of the year, not just at Christmas. They are easy and fun to make, and they look really good.

Grandma's Yellow Plate

Cheryl led a seminar entitled, "Grandma's Yellow Plate." We discussed the significance of memorabilia, and why it is important for heirs not to have to squabble over treasured and sentimental items when you're gone. We also discussed the symbolic value of ordinary items, such as this lunch box which Betty's husband carried back and forth to work for more than 50 years. Sentimental items are also vehicles for storytelling, and this type of oral literature has been with our people since the Anglo-Saxon era in England.

Glass Etching

We learned how to etch glass by decorating glass vases. Then we arranged silk flowers in them at the direction of Shannon.

Paper Bag Baskets

One night, we made baskets  using paper bags, paper ribbon and fabric strips. They are very decorative and surprisingly sturdy. They can be customized to suit any decor.