Guarlford Women's Institute
PhotosHere are some photos of Guarlford WI activities. Spring Council Meeting & Craft Rally 2011
The W F W I Spring Council Meeting was held in the Severn Hall at the Three Counties Showground in March 2011, and Guarlford W I entered the Co-operative Class at the Craft Rally which accompanied the meeting. The theme was "Proverbs", and we chose "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" Items entered were a cross-stitched cover for the Garden Group Album, depicting many named species of roses; a corsage of sugarcraft roses; an arrangement of toning blooms; and a scented box card which cascaded out into several layers, all decorated with paper roses. This was truly a 'co-operative' entry with seven members included in creating the items and staging. "Comfort" Quilts on show at the Autumn 2010 Produce and Handicraft Show
Project Linus began in the USA in 1995, when a keen quilter called Karen Loucks, inspired by reading an article about a three year old girl who had been helped through chemotherapy by her comfort blanket, began making patchwork security blankets for the Rocky Mountains Children's Cancer Center in Denver, Colorado, and Project Linus was born, taking its name from Linus, the character in the comic strip "Peanuts" who clung to his security blanket in every scene. The photograph shows some of the 25 quilts made so far by Guarlford ladies, and on September 14th Lynne Adams, local contact for Project Linus UK, who had given us much guidance, came to the Produce and Handicraft Show to collect them. Lynne told us later that one of our quilts had been chosen by a disabled little girl, seven others had been passed to children of families linked with a local Hospice and six more to the neonatal unit at our County hospital. Day of Display and Demonstration 2009
In 2009 the W F W I replaced the traditional County Rally with two separate "Days of Display and Demonstration". Guarlford W I went to the Leigh and Bransford Memorial Hall for a day of cookery and craft demonstrations, together with the exhibition showing what each W I does in Craft and Cookery. Our entry, which displays the skills of some of our members, won a Silver Gilt award. Included are: box-making, flower arranging, a handmade card, a plate of decorated cup-cakes, and a knitted 'scene' ("The Woolshop Lady"). Visit to Avoncroft 2008
After an entertaining and informative talk in August 2007 about the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings near Bromsgrove, a most enjoyable guided tour of the Museum itself was arranged for members in the Spring of 2008. The many exhibits cover a large site, and the photograph shows members looking at the fibreglass spire, which had been built in 1961 to replace a fire-damaged steeple on a Victorian church in Smethwick. The church itself gradually fell out of use, and it was finally demolished in the 1980s, when the topmost octagonal belfry section of the tower and its new spire were dismantled and re-erected at Avoncroft. For more see www.avoncroft.org.uk. County Home Economics Rally 2007
In 2007 the W F W I tried a new venue, the Worcestershire Rugby Club, for its Home Economics Rally. Pictured is Guarlford W I's entry in the Co-operative Class. The title was "The Four Seasons", and we chose Autumn, 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' as our theme. Seen in the picture are the five elements chosen for the display: apple and ginger tea-bread, oat & cinnamon cookies, a notebook and penholder decorated with Cathedral Window Patchwork, a flower arrangement and a cross-stitched Autumn sampler. Let us know if you have any photos that could be displayed on these pages. |
During
2010 members and other ladies from the village have been creating
"comfort" quilts for Project Linus UK, a volunteer organisation whose
aims are to provide a sense of security and comfort to sick and traumatised
babies, children and teenagers through the provision of new home made patchwork
quilts.