
A CRAFTY CHRISTMAS KEEPS COSTS DOWN!
“Never throw anything away!” was Barbara Marshall’s advice when she showed us how to make Christmas decorations at our October meeting. Cereal packets, bits of old jewellery, foil sweet wrappers and even the cardboard ring from a roll of sticky tape were transformed into every sort of festive trimming but, thanks to Barbara’s creativity and insistence on professional finish, the results were more like top of the range at John Lewis than anything from ‘Blue Peter’.
She started with tree decorations simple enough for children to make - three red felt hearts stuck to a piece of gold ribbon or cardboard shapes covered with Christmas paper and decorated with ribbons, gold braid or ‘Christmas confetti’ (big bags of shiny coloured bits sold in hobby shops). Finishing each shape off properly with a contrasting coloured backing hiding the ends of a ribbon hanger makes the difference between ‘home-made’ and expensive-looking ‘hand-made’.

Making your own crackers can be much more satisfying than buying them because you can put in little gifts you know your guests might like, such as a packet of seeds for a keen gardener. Toilet roll centres need to be perforated at intervals with scissor points to ensure that they pull apart and ‘bangers’ can be obtained commercially. An outer covering of gold tissue wrapped with a lace doily looks luxurious or coloured crepe paper can be used.
Barbara said that this year’s Christmas theme seems to be ‘hearts’. She bought some expensive Christmas material for hers but backed them with plain red or green cloth to cut the cost and show up the patterned material to better effect when several are hung together. Any old cotton wool can be used for padding, the hearts can be trimmed with braid and eight hearts sewn to a florists’ metal ring make a fashionable wreath. Christmas stockings can be made from contrasting materials trimmed with just one or two strips of expensive braid mixed with cheaper ribbons. We were shown how to make baubles, Christmas trees, angels, Santas and more, all with a creative twist. An odd earring is perfect to complete a festive hanging and honesty seed pods can be painted with nail varnish to strengthen them so they can be threaded on string. Barbara ended her talk by showing us some amazing items - Christmas flowers, cushions and a sixty piece hanging star - which all needed some skill to make but were fully explained in her new book which she had on sale with other useful craft accessories.
President Penny Bailey had begun the evening by welcoming two new members who bring our number up to forty-three. Glenbrook WI in New Zealand with whom we correspond has only about ten members but during their winter months they make ‘a car load’ of rugs, hats, jumpers, bootees and bed socks for distribution to hospitals and rest homes! We learned from their latest letter that mid-winter (i.e. July) ‘Christmas’ dinners are becoming popular, but it has been a sad time after the year of disasters in New Zealand and there can be no rebuilding on some of the land because it is too unstable.
Arrangements for the Scrabble, Walking and Cinema Groups were discussed at the meeting and a craft ‘taster’ day for anyone interested in contributing to the Community Craft hangings for the Diamond Jubilee has been organized for November 5th. Our next talk is ‘Do you know what Hypnotherapy is?’ by Janice Johnson. To find out if you do, come to our meeting on November 9th when visitors will be very welcome.