A group of women armed with hammers spent part of Oct. 19 bashing fresh
flower petals into muslin cloth.
They were practising a unique craft called flower pounding.
“They were a noisy bunch,” said British Columbia Women’s Institute
president Joan Holthe.
The flower pounders then quilted the resulting flower-dyed cloth or
screened it onto a transfer sheet to print onto t-shirts.
It was one of several activities at the BCWI women’s retreat, Oct.
18-19. Holthe said about 55 from the Peace River district attended the
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weekend that was partly spent on crafts, partly learning from speakers
about their health and a large part pampering.
Besides flower pounding, facials, massages and nail care, the WI
members could try about eight crafts from calligraphy to swag making.
The craft weekend was reasonably priced, said Holthe, because of a
bequest left nine years ago in the estate of former BCWI member
Victoria Sallis. She left a fund to ensure BCWI members could learn
cultural arts. Each year craft instruction events are held around the
province, as was done recently by Rolla and Landry branches.
At the weekend, Holthe announced that the BCWI’s annual meeting March
22, 2003, will be attended by the province’s lieutenant-governor, Iona
Campagnola. She has agreed to be the group’s honorary patroness, in the
same way that the Queen supports WI as a member of an English branch.
