Gourd Art

Here's a darker version of the gourd chicken.

Here's a highly embellished paisley design.

Barn red and moss green on gold paisley

In April, we decorated gourds with paisley designs and made chickens and gourds out of them. It is quite a process to get the gourds ready to decorate. The dried gourds must be cleaned and sanded smooth. These were painted with a double base coat. When the designs are finished and the pieces dry, they need to be sprayed with a clear coat to preserve them. It was a fun project, and there were many different interpretations of the fowl.

You start with a dried, cleaned gourd like these in their natural form.

Here are all the gourds in their base coats drying in the sun.

The golden gourds looked pretty just as they were here.

Rag Rugs

You can either crochet or braid the rugs.

At our March meeting, Becky showed us how to make old-fashioned rag rugs out of strips of cloth. If you can find the selvage end of cloth on rolls, you can crochet it in a circle to make a rug. Back when all the textile mills were still here in the US, you could easily acquire these rolls. Now it is difficult to find them, and if you do, they are expensive. Or you can rip fabric into strips and sew them together to crochet or braid. Use a Q crochet hook which is a rather large one. If you choose to braid, you then coil the braids into a circle and whip stitch together. It is a good way to use old clothing or fabric to make a useful and decorative household item.

A rag rug made by Liz Wilson out of polyester

Tulle Scrubbies

At our February meeting, Betty taught us how to crochet tulle scrubbies. We all caught on pretty easily, so it was a fun and productive night. We have changed our meeting night back to Tuesday to accommodate several new prospective members. Come join us in March to make rag rugs. If you want to crochet them, bring  a large hook, like a Q. If you want to sew them, bring needles and thread. You'll also need fabric to tear into strips. The meetings start at 6 p.m.

Coiled Baskets

A coiled basket using brown tones and darker contrasting thread

At our first meeting this year in January, we braved the cold to revisit coiled baskets. Many of us were out the first time the group made them. You take narrow strips of cloth and wrap it around cotton clothesline to cover it. Then you use a glue stick to attach it. You set the sewing machine on zig zag and begin sewing your coil together. When the base is the desired size, you begin holding it up to make the sides. You have to hold it up and sew at the same time. You continue wrapping and sewing until your basket is the size you want, and then you finish off. It is supposed to look primitive. The more strings the better.

Making Memory Wire Bracelets

One of the Kountry Krafters, Kari taught us how to make memory wire bracelets with beads. It was a fun and fairly easy project that has endless possibilities of design. You can hang charms on the end of the bracelet to dress it up even more. They make lovely accessories and gifts.

Other jewelry Kari makes

Plastic Canvas Ornaments

Examples of stitched plastic canvas

At our August meeting, crafters made a 

cross ornament on stitched canvas. 

Some of the members who caught on quickly 

were able to advance to another project.

Reed Angels

For our July craft, we made angel ornaments from reeds. It is a great way to use scrap pieces of reed and to create a beautiful decoration at the same time. You need a big bead for the head and six inch pieces of reed. Taper the five bottom pieces and glue into the bead. Stuff a small piece of styrofoam in the bead and glue it to attach the hanger. The wings and arms are made by soaking the reed for a minute and clamping both ends to train it to curve when it dries. The songbook is made by scoring the reed down the middle with a flat screwdriver, then soaking it and gently folding in two. Clamp it until it dries, and it will form the crease of the book. The halo is made from a gold chenille stick glued on the back of the head. Color the eyes or face in with a permanent marker. The hanger is made from gold cord tied in a knot at the end and secured to the styrofoam inside the bead with a short straight pin. You could have the angel holding flowers. Just use your imagination. A simple and fun craft for the whole family. Just use caution with the hot glue!