Crafts still popular at WI show
The wide array of handcraft work on display at the SHB Federation of Women’s Institute’s show last week debunks the myth that interest in this work is dying.
Karoline Francis, who was a WI member in Tararua before moving to Feilding, was back with her handcrafts and took out the champion of champion, supreme winner for her handspun and woven Romney wool shawl.
“There’s four months work at least in one of these, spinning the wool and then knitting,” 78-year-old Karoline said. “I only started spinning and weaving in 2008 and I’ve done one of these for each of my nine grandchildren.”
Having to spin the wool three times, it takes more time to spin than it does to knit each shawl.
Karoline lived in Tararua all her life before her recent move to Feilding and said she started sewing before she went to school.
“I made clothes for my teddy bear, because I didn’t have a doll, as it was the war years,” she said. “As children we were not allowed to sit and do nothing and I still can’t sit and do nothing.”
Despite having problems with her eyes, Karoline said her craftwork is therapeutic.
“I’ve never had money to buy things,” she said. “I did art and learnt about using colour through that. My grandmother was marvellous at artwork and my mother taught me too.”
Karoline took a second placing for her large biography quilt which depicts her story in each block.
“I’ve also written a two-page story on each block,” she said. “The quilt tells my life story, from the teddy given to me, the first cow I put the cups on and the one record I had to play. I played the bagpipes for 40 years and I battled cancer. This is my life cycle and there are even blocks that are a memory of when I was a hospital volunteer and the patients referred to me as the angel.”
The large centre block of this quilt reflects the acre of garden Karoline had at Konini.
And her recycled quilt, which took a first placing, is made from pieces she’s acquired from op shops.
“A shirt, skirt material, it’s surprising what you find in op shops,” she said.
Horoeka Ti Tree Point WI members won first prize in the card table competition, gaining 45.5 points out of a possible 50 and Pam Henricksen won a first and second prize for her hardanger work. Hardanger is a form of embroidery traditionally worked with white thread on white even-weave linen or cloth, using counted thread and drawn thread work techniques.
Pam said it could take her a couple of months to complete one piece.