One day I was kinda bored and was looking for something to do, so I checked out our local Community Education and found basket weaving classes. I thought that might be fun, so I talked my niece into going with me. We ended up taking 2 classes there and found a local shop to purchase more weaving supplies, that started all this for me.
Two or three years later, at a basket weaving convention, I took a Make-It, Take-It class that was coiling a danish cord rim onto a stained and sealed gourd. In that 2 hours I became HOOKED!! I knew instantly that I had to learn more about gourds and what I could do with them.
Since then it has been a blur of meeting other gourders, seeing the MGS become a part of the AGS, have internal problems, and then regroup to become what it is today.
I have been Secretary then President and Secretary again, being part of the MGS board for almost 10 years now. I have also enjoyed making new gourd friends, taking classes at the Ohio Gourd Festival and the Cherokee Gourd Gathering. I helped start the Jackson Gourd Patch, which I attend monthly. I host the Annual Gourd Gathering each July and attend the Herb and Gourd Festival at Meijer Gardens each fall. I enjoy telling and teaching others about gourds and gourd art.
Two or three years later, at a basket weaving convention, I took a Make-It, Take-It class that was coiling a danish cord rim onto a stained and sealed gourd. In that 2 hours I became HOOKED!! I knew instantly that I had to learn more about gourds and what I could do with them.
Since then it has been a blur of meeting other gourders, seeing the MGS become a part of the AGS, have internal problems, and then regroup to become what it is today.
I have been Secretary then President and Secretary again, being part of the MGS board for almost 10 years now. I have also enjoyed making new gourd friends, taking classes at the Ohio Gourd Festival and the Cherokee Gourd Gathering. I helped start the Jackson Gourd Patch, which I attend monthly. I host the Annual Gourd Gathering each July and attend the Herb and Gourd Festival at Meijer Gardens each fall. I enjoy telling and teaching others about gourds and gourd art.
I enjoy making instruments, using quickwood to create flowers to put on gourds and turning gourds into turkeys and chickens. My newest skills are using the dremmel and wood burner on my gourds along with memory inks. I have taken some quilling classes and am working toward finding time to incorporate that onto my gourds. I think my favorite is working with new and different finishes and attaching some sort of fancy rim, mostly of pine needles.
I teach basket and gourd classes and sell my wares at shows and galleries.
I teach basket and gourd classes and sell my wares at shows and galleries.
