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doll clothes sewing fabric christmas kathy snow

Fabric Stash — The Sewing Genius of Kathy Snow

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doll clothes sewing fabric christmas kathy snow

Little clothes take big skill to make. Doll outfits by Kathy Snow of Dayton, WA

We’ve all probably met one, often without knowing. Chances are, you may be one yourself, even if it’s hard to admit. But your studio gives you away.

Fabricophiles.

People who sew, quilt, craft, and work with fabric often find that their love of textiles runs delightfully amok. Their “stash,” the supply of fabric for future projects, is as fascinating as the projects themselves, because it’s filled with so much possibility.

quilting holiday table runners fabric

Quilted holiday table runners featuring Thanksgiving and Christmas fabric, by Kathy Snow

For Kathy Snow, a sewing artist extraordinaire who, 57 years ago, regularly spent her $5 allowance on enough material to make a blouse or summer dress, fabric is fabulous. The possibilities to be created from her stash, while not endless, are pretty expansive.

The Fabricophile Stash

“I started collecting fabric boards from Joann’s so I could wrap my fabric on them,” the Dayton, WA, sewist says, describing how she and her husband recently re-did the shelves in her sewing room to hold her collection of cloth.

“I have 168 bolts of fabric. Most of them have at least four yards and some have eight yards.

“Plus I have several containers full of fabric for the holidays.

“Then let’s talk about several flats of fabric that are anywhere from one to two yards each.

“Oh, and I have a chest of drawers full of fancy fabrics for costumes or doll clothes.

“And I also have 16 large totes full of various fabrics.”

She has . . . a lot of fabric.

potholders kitchen gifts sewing fabric quilted kathy snow

Mug Rugs and Microwave Cozies are a fun way to use the small pieces from the fabric stash.

Snow, who sews just about every day, creates everything from doll clothes to full-sized quilts, from children’s dresses to mug rugs and microwave cozies, from child-sized aprons to adult kitchen fashion. While she’s game to take on just about any project and simply enjoys her time in the sewing room, Snow confesses an especial liking for Christmas, both the fabric associated with it and the holiday itself.

Christmas Colors

“I love all the pretty red and gold and green, and, well, just about everything about Christmas.

“One thing that makes the holiday so special is getting together with family, and this year I’m hoping for real snow this year for Christmas. The first year we moved here (from California) we had lots of snow, which was a bit of a surprise.” As an added bonus to the holidays, Snow also creates decor for the outside of her house, something she started doing upon moving to the area.

fabric towel kitchen aprons sewing kathy snow

Snow loves making fabric towel aprons, because each one is distinctly different, from the fabric to the trimmings to the towel itself.

“I like creating different decorations for the various holidays, and it makes me happy to display them. And I think it makes others happy to see them.”

Having sewn for so long, Snow has seen trends come and go, more-so with clothing patterns than with the fabric itself. But because of that stash, with some fabric dating back to when her adult granddaughter was a baby, Snow enjoys access to a broad selection of styles and designs. Sometimes, the fabric dictates the project; other times, the project cries out for a particular fabric. Either way, Snow has the means to meet the need.

Visiting Fabric Stores

And of course, because she is a true and genuine fabricophile, Snow is always on the lookout for something new, something different, something unusual, something distinctive from what she already has. She regularly visits fabric stores, both small and big, and speaks with pleasure of her visit to Hamilton, MO, home of the Missouri Star Quilt Company.

“They own the main street. There are nine different shops and a work area for retreats. It was overwhelming to visit each shop.”

Overwhelming, but memorable. As is each and every treasure from her stash, just waiting to be formed and fashioned into a work of creativity, something to bring pleasure to another. The only limitations, really, are time.

“I sure hope I can sew up all this fabric, so my daughter won’t have to deal with it. I need another 20 years, I think!”

And that’s if she doesn’t add any more to the stash . . .

Wenaha GalleryKathy Snow is the featured Art Event at Wenaha Gallery from November 17 through December 20, 2020.

Contact the gallery, located at 219 East Main Street, Dayton, WA, by phone at 509.382.2124 or e-mail art@wenaha.com. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday, and by appointment. Visit the Wenaha Gallery website online at www.wenaha.com.

 

victorian dream santa christmas holiday gourd sculpture art sheryl parsons

Christmas Cheer — The Holiday Gourd Art of Sheryl Parsons

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christmas gourd paper mache santa claus sculpture sheryl parsons holiday art

Santa Claus in gourd and paper mache, celebrating the whimsical aspect of Christmas, by Joseph, OR, artist Sheryl Parsons

When we are children, life possesses a magical fantasy interspersed with reality. This juxtaposition, seamless in the mind of a child, colors our memories and affects the adults we eventually become. For this reason, adults who are wise learn from children as much as they teach them, often by getting “down” to their level.

“My mother was a fabulous artist who loved to share her talents with me,” says Sheryl Parsons, a Joseph, OR, artist who specializes in folk art holiday sculpture made from gourd, polymer, and clay.

autumn harvest christmas holiday santa sculpture sheryl parsons artist

Autumn Harvest Santa, hand-crafted Christmas holiday gourd sculpture by Joseph, OR artist Sheryl Parsons.

“She would get on the floor with me when I was little and show me how to create shape and definition in the pictures we colored in my coloring books. She taught me basic sketching techniques such as shapes and human anatomy while we sat at the kitchen table. We dabbled in pen and ink, along with pastels, and she always had a stack of Walter Foster how-to art booklets around that I loved to look at.

“I dreamed of becoming as good as what I saw in those pages.”

Christmas Gourd & Holiday Folk Art

Parsons’ dream has come true in her folk art and sculpted pieces which celebrate holidays especially enamored by children, most notably Halloween and Christmas. It is testament to the child within that her work finds (adult) collectors from around the world, through her participation in major Halloween craft festivals in Petaluma, CA, (All Hallow’s Art Fest) and Bothell, WA, (Hallowbaloo), as well as selling via her Etsy shop, website, and Reasons to Believe, a year-round Santa Claus shop located in Kirkland, WA.

While art in general has been a part of Parsons’ life  since she was a child with a particularly perspicacious mother, the focus on Santa started years ago when Parsons lived in — really — North Pole, AK.

“I was a stay-at-home mom looking for a way to make some spending money when I came across the Better Homes and Gardens Santa Claus magazines full of artists from all over who used sculpting, carving, and sewing skills to create stunning Santa  figures.

northwood stump wooden santa sculpture Christmas art Sheryl Parsons Wallowa Oregon

Northwood Stump Santa, Christmas gourd art by Joseph, OR artist Sheryl Parsons

“While chopping wood one morning, I noticed that some of the slabs that chipped off when I missed the center of the logs had a shape that would lend itself to painting Santa figures on. The flat sides only needed a little sanding, and the rounded bark backs made for unique pieces.”

Christmas at the North Pole, Utah, & Oregon

Soliciting the assistance of her three children, who earned pocket money by helping their mother paint Santa ornaments and magnets made from wood chips, Parsons sold her work through the Knotty Shop on the Alaska highway.

On moving to Utah, Parsons continued her folk art sculpture, entering, winning awards, and later judging at the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City. Relocating northwards to Joseph, Parsons now shows her gourd and other sculpture work at the art-themed town’s various galleries, and the only bad thing about her new home, from the standpoint of art, is that the gardening season is too short for her to grow her own gourds. But, actually, that’s not a problem.

“It’s funny: gourds seem to find me through friends, yard sales, and so on.

“Two years ago, an artist was moving away from the valley and gave her stash of gourds to another local artist, who then called me — and so I scored ten large bags of gourds of all shapes and sizes for free!”

victorian dream santa christmas holiday gourd sculpture art sheryl parsons

Victorian Dream Santa, Christmas holiday gourds sculpture by Joseph, OR, artist Sheryl Parsons

In addition to working with the gourd, Parsons innovates with repurposed materials, one of her favorite projects involving burnt out light bulbs or discarded glass bottles, which she covers in clay to become Santa, a snowman, or a Halloween-themed piece.

“Candlesticks, vintage tins, salt and pepper shakers, oil, cans, wood textiles bobbins — they’re all inspiration for a new holiday piece,” she adds.

As much as Parsons enjoys Christmas and Halloween, however, neither holiday is her favorite, with that accolade going to Thanksgiving, which she describes as a time to reflect on the blessings of the year past.

Celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween

“There’s little commercialization of the day itself, so for me Thanksgiving is a time for family, and making memories, unencumbered by gift expectations.

“I take each season in turn, relishing in the delight of each, and don’t want to rush into Christmas before it’s time to — although it’s my favorite season to create for.”

The celebration of holiday seasons — Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter — inspire the child within, and with every hand-crafted sculpture, Parsons seeks to send a message of goodness and hope:

“For me, I want my art to be something that brings joy, peace, or pleasure to the owner or viewer,” Parsons says.

“I like to focus on the positive, whimsical, and good in life. People and nature are my inspiration: I see the hand of God in all.”

Wenaha GallerySheryl Parsons is the Pacific Northwest Art Event artist from Monday, November 5 through Saturday, December 1, 2018. She will be at the gallery in person during the Christmas Kickoff Holiday Art Show Friday, November 23, from 2 to 6 p.m., joined by Dayton painter Steve Henderson. Also at the show will be live music, artisan treats, a drawing for 3 holiday gift baskets, and up to 25% off purchases of $250 or more made on November 23 and/or 24.

Contact the gallery, located at 219 East Main Street, Dayton, WA, by phone at 509.382.2124 or e-mail art@wenaha.com. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and by appointment. Visit the Wenaha Gallery website online at www.wenaha.com.

Giving Gifts — Tis the Season, All Year Round — Dayton’s Project Timothy

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Project Timothy is located within the St Vincent de Paul building in Dayton, WA

Project Timothy is located within the St Vincent de Paul building in Dayton, WA

Christmas is the season for giving.

It sounds like a Facebook meme, or the inside of a holiday card, and like most pithy sayings, merely brushes the surface of truth.

In reality, people in need — who truly appreciate a timely gift, given — are around all year. Thankfully for those struggling in Columbia County and Waitsburg, there is Project Timothy, an ecumenical ministry spearheaded by the St Joseph (Dayton) and St Mark (Waitsburg) Catholic parishes, but joined by a number of other churches in the area. It provides emergency housing, rental assistance, help with utilities, food vouchers, bus passes, and more for the nearly 700 families that seek its aid every year.

Project Timothy looks to Christ's example as the one to follow. Jesus and the Little Children by Vogel von Volgelstein

Project Timothy looks to Christ’s example as the one to follow. Jesus and the Little Children by Vogel von Volgelstein

“Project Timothy is unique to Dayton,” says Terri Schlachter, president of the 13-member board of the organization. Opening its doors in 1990,. Project Timothy grew out of the energy and vision of Father Paul Wood, who came to the area from the Brooklyn, New York, Diocese, and was struck by the need to collate the benevolent efforts of the Christian community into one place.

“It’s always been meant to be an ecumenical ministry,” Schlachter says. “It’s not just the Catholic Church; it’s the entire community helping.”

Working in cooperation with religious, private, and public agencies, Project Timothy runs from a designated office space in the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store on Main Street. Volunteers staff the office from noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and off hours, clients can reach an on-call volunteer by going through the Sheriff’s Department.

Operating with funds donated by individuals, private groups, Catholic Charities of Spokane, and grants, Project Timothy strives to be a physical interpretation of the apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, a young Greek Christian who eventually became a bishop of Ephesus in the first century, A.D.:

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18)

We are called to look out for the most vulnerable in society. Suffer the Little Children by Fritz von Uhde

We are called to look out for the most vulnerable in society. Suffer the Little Children by Fritz von Uhde

“Project Timothy works very hard to be good stewards of the money entrusted to us by our donors and grants to help those in need,” Schlachter says. There’s only so much to go around, the need is great, and it is a delicate balance ensuring that the funds go where they are most and truly needed, while every person who enters the office leaves with their dignity intact.

Volunteers, who undergo 20 hours of training in interviewing clients and familiarizing themselves with the bylaws of the organization, must be discerning and kind, wise and compassionate, able to make intelligent judgments without being judgmental. On the wall is a list of phone numbers of various agencies, resources, and organizations in the area, and before any client leaves, volunteers review additional options available for assistance and referral.

Putting into practice the things we read is a focal point of Project Timothy. Seaside Story by Wenaha Gallery artist Steve Henderson

Putting into practice the things we read, and meeting the needs of the vulnerable, are focal points of Project Timothy. Seaside Story by Wenaha Gallery artist Steve Henderson

As with most giving organizations, Project Timothy finds itself most in demand in the winter months, when higher heating and electrical bills command more of a family’s budget. December’s activities center around Christmas baskets, some 85 boxes which include foods for a holiday dinner such as a ham, vegetables, potatoes, pie, rolls, and canned foods.

“If we have enough donations, we will include Dayton Dollars so families can buy a little something for their children for Christmas,” Schlachter says, adding that vouchers provided for food, clothing, and other essentials stay in the area, benefiting local businesses.

On the opposite side of the calendar, the month of June finds the organization with a request to fund a very specific purpose:

“We have had donations in the summer with the specific request that they go to swim passes.

“This has been a great asset for families as the price for swim passes has gone up. It (swimming) is a great activity for children, but expensive for some families.”

It quickly becomes obvious that Christmas is not the only time of the year for gifts, and quite fortunately, Schlachter observes, the people in the area are conversant with this. The gift of giving runs both ways.

“It is very clearly the Lord’s work, for after 25 years, Project Timothy is still going, even though there have been some real economic down turns in the American Economy.

“Dayton has some very kindhearted people.

“To help someone you know is really in need, it feels great.”

Wenaha GalleryLocated one block away from the Project Timothy office, Wenaha Gallery devotes every January to a food drive supporting the community food bank, one of the organizations to which Project Timothy refers. Each year, people from within and without the community donate hundreds of pounds of food to the effort.

Contact the gallery, located at 219 East Main Street, Dayton, WA, by phone at 509.382.2124 or e-mail art@wenaha.com. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and by appointment. Visit the Wenaha Gallery website online at www.wenaha.com.

Wenaha Gallery is your destination location for Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Prints, professional customized framing, and original fine art paintings and sculpture by notable Pacific Northwest artists.   Books, gifts, note cards, jigsaw puzzles, and more are also available. Visit at 219 East Main, Dayton, WA.

This article was written by Carolyn Henderson.

 

Christmas Ornament Workshop

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Make your own personalized Christmas ornaments at a fun workshop taught by Wenaha Gallery artist Caprice Scott

Make your own personalized Christmas ornaments at a fun workshop taught by Wenaha Gallery artist Caprice Scott

Christmas is coming, and this is the perfect time to create your own personalized pottery ornament for your tree!

Caprice Scott, porcelain artist extraordinaire, joins Wenaha Gallery in presenting a hands-on, two-part workshop for one extremely reasonable price.

Here are the details:

All materials needed to create your ornament are included within the workshop price

All materials needed to create your ornament are included within the workshop price

Workshop Dates:

Part One: Sunday, November 15 from 1 – 4 p.m.

Part Two: Sunday, December 6 from 1  – 4 p.m.

Cost: $55 for both sessions

Bring a child or grandchild with you for $15 extra

All materials are included within the workshop price. Create as many ornaments as you can out of the clay you are given.

In Part 1, you will learn about pottery and working with clay. The artist will give demonstrations, hands-on instruction, and individual attention as you roll out clay, add texture, determine shape, smooth edges, and prepare your creation(s) for stain or glaze.

In Part 2, you will learn about stain and glazing with demonstration, hands-on instruction, and individual attention as you select the glaze or stain of your choice and add it to your ornament(s). Caprice will talk about the firing process in the kiln, and what happens next.

Caprice will then take the ornaments home to fire in the kiln, and arrangements will be made to pick them up at Wenaha gallery.

Class size is limited to 12, so sign up today — First come, first served!

Call to reserve your spot at 509.382.2124

or

Email Wenaha Gallery at art@Wenaha.com

or

Visit us in person at 219 East Main, Dayton, WA

 

Win Big at Dayton’s Scavenger Hunt!

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Here's the list of questions, and the participating businesses for the Dayton Scavenger Hunt, which runs through December 6, 2014. Drop in to any of the businesses and grab your card today!

Here’s the list of questions, and the participating businesses for the Dayton Scavenger Hunt, which runs through December 6, 2014. Drop in to any of the businesses and grab your card today!

Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt?

By the time we’re old enough to get really good at it, however, they’re difficult to find — but not in Dayton, WA!

Seventeen Dayton businesses have joined together to create a fun hunt for the Christmas Kick-off season that involves grabbing a Signature/Stamp card, visiting each shop, and determining which question on the back of the card has to do with that business — like this:

At Wenaha Gallery, what artist has bird sculptures on display?

or

What type of milk does Little Dipper Dairy use in their cheese?

The Gardener wooden sculpture by Wenaha Gallery artist Jordan Henderson

It’s a sculpture! Ah, but not a bird. Keep looking and you’ll find the answer to question 6. (The Gardener Sculpture by Wenaha artist Jordan Henderson)

In cases like these, finding the business that has the answer to the question is pretty straightforward, but other questions get a little tricky:

Where can you find Yankee Candles?

or

Where can you find a shuffle board countertop at a local restaurant?

Once you figure out the right business to go with its question, you’re in the right place to find the answer. And when you do, a representative at the business will provide a stamp or initial in the box on the Signature Card for their business. Participants have until December 6, 2014, to complete the card and drop it off at any of the 17 businesses, or at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.

Then what?

Then your card with your name is entered into a drawing with three winners:

First Prize — $100 in Dayton Dollars

Second Prize — $50 in Dayton Dollars

Third Prize — $25 in Dayton Dollars

Redtailed Hawk by Hiroko Cannon at the Wenaha Gallery

It’s a BIRD! But not a sculpture. But you’re close — if you’re in the Wenaha, you’re in the right place to answer question 6 (and we’ll help you, you know). Red Tailed Hawk by Hiroko Cannon, Wenaha Gallery guest artist.

AND — even if you don’t win, each business is providing a gift or offering a special exclusively for the customers playing the scavenger hunt. At Wenaha Gallery, we are giving a coupon for $3 off jigsaw puzzles of 500 pieces or more.

Got questions? Call Wenaha at 509.382.2124 or drop in and ask.

This event is sponsored by Pacific Power and brought to the good people visiting and living in Dayton by the Dayton Business Association in collaboration with the Dayton Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Columbia.

These are the 17 participating businesses where you can go and pick up you Scavenger Hunt card:

  1. Wenaha Gallery
  2. Little Dipper Dairy
  3. Boldman House
  4. Crofts Floral & Gifts
  5. Weinhard Hotel Gift Shop
  6. PDQ
  7. Blue Mountain Station Co-op
  8. Historic Depot
  9. General Store at Conoco
  10. Jacci’s Yarn Basket
  11. Rey’s Coffee
  12. Dingles
  13. Skyline Parts
  14. Village Shoppes
  15. Chief Springs & Iron Brew Pub
  16. Weinhard Cafe and Bakery
  17. Hometown Carpets

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