Woman’s Club Showcases Members’ Artistic Talents

By Dottie Evans

It might have been cold and snowy outside, but the banquet room inside the Fireside Inn on Thursday, March 18, was a study in cheerful yellows.

Golden yellows in the napkins and daffodils selected for the luncheon table settings, and creamy yellows in those perky ducklings stitched across Peg Forbell’s quilted entry titled “The Great Pootatuck Duck Race,” which won Best of Show.

The more than 50 arts and crafts entries on exhibit were created during the past year by members of the Newtown Woman’s Club (GFWC) and had been arranged on tables around the room for judging during the club’s Arts and Crafts Contest. Of these, 28 winning entries were selected for the GFWC, Inc, District Competition held Wednesday, March 24, at Roberto’s Restaurant in Monroe.

“It’s hard to imagine how much talent we have in this club. So many beautiful things were submitted,” said club publicity chairman Marion Thompson.

The judging was done by a panel of three outside experts: Trudy Kluge, who is knitting instructor from A Stitch In Time in Bethel, Newtown artist Lori Terhart, and Bob Berthier of The Flagpole Photographers. The entries in the various categories were as follows:

Heritage Crafts: Betty Warner, decoupage, First Place; Marion Thompson, etched glass, First Place; Marianne Scanlon, scherenschnitte, First Place; Lorraine VanderWende, scherenschnitte, Second Place.

Jewelry: Betty Warner, bracelet, First Place; Peg Forbell, necklace, Second Place.

Weaving: Peg Forbell, berry basket, First Place.

Decorative Painting: Flo Caron, theorem painting, First Place; Flo Caron, theorem painted tray, Second Place; Barbara Dzitko, floor cloth, First Place.

Stenciling: Betty Warner, ivy stenciled card, First Place.

Creative Material: Nancy Larin, recycled antique nail cross, First Place; Nancy Larin, Quaker doll, Second Place.

Christmas Decorations: Pat Denlinger, knitted stocking, First Place; Peg Forbell, snowflake, Second Place.

Other Holidays: Joan Bergquist, bunny wreath, Second Place.

Crocheting: Peg Forbell, doily, First Place.

Knitting: Peg Forbell, sweater, baby afghan, First Place; Lorraine VanderWende, sweater, Second Place; Lorraine VanderWende, sweater, Third Place;         Nancy Larin, boa, First Place; Betty Warner, scarf, Second Place; Marilyn Alexander, scarf, Third Place; Marilyn Alexander, shawl, Fourth Place; Marilyn Alexander, child’s sweater, First Place; Nancy Larin, prayer shawl, Second Place; Sue Lehmann, baby sweater set, First Place; Marion Thompson, teddy bear, First Place.

Needlework: Peg Forbell, cross stitch, First Place; Betty Warner, Swedish towel, Second Place; Marion Thompson, plastic canvas, First Place.

Sewing: Peg Forbell, skirt, pillow, quilt, wall hanging, First Place; Nancy Larin, Raggedy Ann doll, Second Place; Ruth Campbell, quilt, Second Place.

Stationery: Marion Thompson, stamped card, “Thank You,” First Place; Marion Thompson, “Happy Birthday,” Second Place; Marilyn Alexander, scrapbook/photo album, First Place.

Original Art: Evelyn Spera, oil painting “Boy With A Fish,” First Place; Marianne Scanlon, watercolor “Barn In Autumn,” Second Place.

Photography: Pat Denlinger, “Great Blue Heron,” First Place; Joan Bergquist, “God Bless America,” Second Place; Marianne Scanlon, “Free Spirit,” Second Place; Calla Sellner, “koala bear, Australia,” Second Place; Coke Cramer, “Asticou Gardens, Maine,” Second Place; Coke Cramer, “butterflies,” Third Place.