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Vol. 53 No. 7
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By-Hand Festival Springs Into Spring Article & photos by Barb Fisher Covering community events for publication is the best job ever, and this past weekend I enjoyed another amazing display of our home-grown talent. It took me a couple of visits to absorb all the displayed items for me to pass on a description to my readers....you really had to be there. My take home experience covers only a fraction of the varied and amazing talent that we have in our and neighbouring communities. One of a kind gifts just in time for Mother's Day were on display and the room was buzzing with excitement. Needlework tables were dotted amongst the vendors, artists with needles in hand creating another treasure, either because crafters' hands are never idle or they were feverishly filling the gaps left by their sales. Jeannie's Creations, Kurin Riopel and April Michel offered knitted, crocheted and sewn gifts from infant to gramma defying her insistence that she doesn't need anything. Rachel Presse - Rachel's Weaving. Rachel, from Chapleau has been a regular presenter for the past few years and her beautiful hand loomed blankets and tea towels have been hand woven with love and much skill; soft as a cloud and inviting you to snuggle in. Allyson Fortin and daughter Haley - A and H Hobbies. These two talented crafters are always adding something new to their display. Haley is following mom's footsteps and has her own line of crafts, the proceeds of which will give her some extra fun-money on her school trip. Sam Dawyd - scroll work. Quietly sharing Allyson's exhibit table, her dad Sam also had a great display showcasing his own talents. Before him stretched an amazing array of pens, knives, plaques and wallhangings all worked by Sam using his very fine scroll saw and lathe. Sam is one of the original presenters at By-Hand and got started in his craft over
40 years ago when his wife bought him a scroll saw, and the rest is history. Frank McRae - featured his woodworking genius with a wide variety of wall hangings depicting wildlife scenes, and machine replicas with intricate moving parts cut from wood pieces employing an ancient art technique called Intarsia. It is an elaborate form of marquetry whereby different patterns of wood are inlaid in one another to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The final productions are amazing. Maria Reid - sewing. Maria is a long time presenter at the festival exhibiting a wide range of sewn items. New this year is her soup cozy, a fabric pad containing a washable microwavable fabric that can be put in a microwave oven under your bowl of soup with easy retrieval when removing hot dishes. B Belle Bath and Body products. This talented gal offers the ultimate fun bath experience by using her wide range of bath bombs, salts and body lotions all made by hand which cleans, moisturizes and leaves a fresh fragrant for a relaxing interval in a busy life. Be prepared to be pampered. Laura Mitchell - jewelry, Blue Canoe Creations. Laura is a regular presenter showcasing her line of jewelry inspired by nature using wood, agates, turquoise, jasper and other gemstones. She also carries a line of teething products made from food grade silicone, including necklaces for mums, teething toys, soother clips and carrier rings. Ron Hale - Big Water Pottery. Ron continually experiments combining different coloured glazes and techniques in recreating local landscapes sketched on clay tiles, stained and glazed. Great little pieces depicting our hometown beauty. Jim Sanders - pottery. Jim has been a well known potter in our area for many years and has renamed his enterprise as "Flood Mud Pottery" after the infamous flood which caused
devastating damage in our area a few years back. He survived the calamity and came out stronger churning out more fine pieces. You can't put a good potter down. Susan Blatensky - plastic canvas. Susan starts with a simple sheet of plastic full of holes, cuts the sheets into shapes, then weaves yarn through the holes and creates the most remarkable creations: doll house furniture, toys, novelty baskets, tissue box covers and trinket carrying trains. William Barner - jewelry. William is known for his beautiful line of self fashioned jewelry -"Twisted Jewelry" but is constantly evolving his business to expand into other enterprises. This year he showcased an impressive array of illuminated picture lamps, Edge-Lit LED lamps which are sections of glass with picture scenes etched in the glass. They are 12 volt powered and a colour change phase can be controlled by remote control. Sorry that my coverage defies logical description; you had to have been there to appreciate how beautiful they are. George Karasek is a very versatile guy. He grows monster vegetables in his backyard, fashions hats and moccasins out of his trapline pelts, and bottles the most delicious beet preserves; beets to beat the best of Bick's! Linda Peterson - native crafts. Linda displayed a wide range of native crafts all of which family and friends design themselves. It was a great opportunity for shoppers to select a unique gift for a keepsake or sharing. Taylor's Custom Metal Pieces. This is Taylor's first year at the Festival to kick off his newly discovered hobby and talents in fashioning beautiful metal flower pieces intricately pieced together in fine detail. Taylor's interest in his craft was hatched in the metal fabricating class at high school, and bonus, most of the material is recycled from discarded scrap metal appliances.
Sandra Lowe - author. Sandi is a very talented writer who offers two published books, "Led by Grace" and "The Ley of the Land" with more of her unique ideas in the works. Her writings are inspired by her daily meditation regime from which she learns a multitude of life lessons. These lessons are presented in her writing collection in which each example takes readers through the meditations and miracles that she has experienced, and offers an inspired interpretation and application for life. Suzan Love - author. Travelling from her hometown of Thessalon Suzan is a first time presenter at the Festival. She is a very talented author who is writing a collection of children's books, the Dragonoria series. The first book was on display, with the second published but late in arriving, and the third book currently in draft. The series, targetting children at the age of nine and up enchants and engages readers in an incredible journey of mystery, adventure and remarkable friendships
Business Directory . . . . . . Pg. 6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . Pgs. 9-12 Council News . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 2 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 11 First United Church News Pg. 10 Garbologist Report . . . . . . Pg. 6 Library Column . . . . . . . . . Pg. 2 Michipicoten Chronicles . . Pg. 6 Storytime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 8 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 9
illustrating the very important lesson of our times; it is ok to be different, everyone has worth and a gift to share. Suzan is also a gifted poetess and artist, her books being illustrated by herself, and she proudly displayed also a wide range of painted wall hangings, greeting cards and trinket boxes all adorned with her artwork. Rounding out the talent, also included in the Festival were some fundraising opportunities. Nancy Donald, representing the Lions Club offered for sale flower bouquets just in time for Mother's Day, and Tammy Asselin offered for sale a compilation cook book "From Our House to Yours" as a fundraiser to support Wawa Women's Curling Club. To sum up my experience covering this spring's By-Hand Festival - AWESOME. Thanks again to the organizers, volunteers and talented exhibitors in supporting another great event combining excellence in talent
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