Wayland Group WI met late September for a talk by Kathy Dentten about “What to do with a Nun’s dress”. The talk was nothing like we expected, Kathy arrived with a dummy and what looked like lots of different material. A black very basic long black dress was on the dummy. It was then dressed as a nun, then using various pieces of material making different outfits, a choir boy, wise men, Wizard, solder etc. It turns out Katty provides costumes to various theatre shows and explained with several simple black costumes she can cater for many different parts.
There were 31 members at our Watton Evening WI October meeting to hear about basket making by Jonathon Carrie. We didn’t know there was a Basket makers Association which he belongs to.
He creates a range of variety of basket designs local to Norfolk, all practical, made from willow and hedgerow. His interest started as a hobby but now is his profession, demonstrating and regularly is at Holt Makers Market or fairs in Norfolk. Jonathon said, he remembers watching old men sitting in the barn repairing farm baskets using what they had collected from around the fields. Jonathon either collects from hedgerows or grows the reeds.
Whilst demonstrating he explained the tools used, each stage of weaving together with the traditions of basket making. In 50 minutes, he had made complete round basket. Members had lots of questions, altogether a very entertaining evening.
It just shows that the title of our meetings may sound uninteresting however, the evening can be very entertaining and nothing like expected. Watton Evening WI meetings are the 2nd Thursday of each month, contact our secretary Carol on robeson48@outlook.com