A Night Out at Claymates

At our February meeting, we gathered in at Claymates in Dillsboro to create a unique piece of painted pottery. We pondered and fretted over our clay selections, and then our palettes of paint. Then we settled in to painting, chatting, snacking, and making arrangements to pick up our fired pieces later. It was great fun meeting at a different venue and welcoming new friends to our group. Here are some pictures "before" firing. Coming soon, the "after."

Believe it or not, this pale green chicken will be black & white spotted.

This nubby mug will be smooth and shiny.

This little girl will be spotted and smooth.

We worked and snacked.

Juli painted an egg tray in springtime colors.

Kari painted ornaments.

Shelves laden with greenware tempt you to make future visits.

Upcoming Events for Kountry Krafters

Got the winter blues? Come out to Kountry Krafters and create some great crafts. In February, we are going to Claymates in Dillsboro. In March, Betty is going to show us how to make the lovely Swerve scarves shown above. They are finger-crocheted and work up very fast. Bring enough yarn to make several.

Making French Memo Boards

You start with a blank canvas, literally. We used an 11" x 17" artist canvas purchased at Walmart. A two-pack costs around $8. Next, you cut a piece of quilt batting a bit larger than your canvas. Then place an ironed fat quarter of fabric atop this and fold under edges on back and staple them securely. We used a heavy duty stapler. After the fabric and batting are secured to the canvas, take ribbon and go diagonally across the center and staple on both ends. Space two more lengths of ribbon diagonally one way, and then two more the other way. See Pictures.

To finish, pierce all layers with a sharp instruments and insert decorative brads in the 5 center positions. Take a small bit of ribbon and make a hanger for the center and staple securely. The total cost for materials is around $8. The only thing not available at Walmart are the brads. You can get them at Michaels or anywhere scrapbook supplies are sold.

Carolyn used the black fabric with white ribbon. Becky turned the same pattern fat quarter to the opposite side and used the back with burgundy ribbon. Both were beautiful. Just shows you how a different perspective on things can produce interesting effects.

Joann used colorful dots with grey contrasting ribbon.

Old-fashioned florals with pale ribbons turn out beautifully.

Tonya showed her gator pride with this memo board.

Betty used a bright green batik with black ribbon for this board.

Kari used her favorite owls to make this whimsical memo board.

Pink on Pink Memo Board

At our January meeting we made fabric covered memo boards.

Making An Apple Basket

First we started with a wooden base on which 24 spokes of wide reed were attached. This would be the frame for the basket. Then we took a thin round reed and did a weave around the base for about three or four rows.

Next, we took a small flat reed and built up the sides of the basket using a start and stop method of weaving. This requires cutting and tucking each row rather than doing a continuous weave.

          After more than three hours of intensive labor on our baskets, we called it a night.

We left our baskets to finish another night.

Here are the finished products after another three hours of intensive work. We were very proud and thankful for the help of Junetta and Joann.

Christmas in July

The club had some crafting fun in July with several Christmas-themed projects. We made Stampin' Up greeting cards, string angels and painted wooden ornaments. One of our members, Kari, demonstrates for Stampin' Up, and she will conduct a demonstration on Tuesday, July 30 at 6 p.m.

Kari shows members how to assemble their cards.

Here is the finished product.

String Angel

Spoon Necklaces

Betty made this in memory of her son.

This one was hammered flat and charms added.

The ladies are hammering their spoon beds to flatten them.

The spoons are placed in a vice and the handle is hack sawed off.

At our June meeting, we made spoon necklaces. Everyone brought old spoons and charms to add to their creations. It was a very active project, and everyone enjoyed it very much. We also had fresh fruit and conversation.