Homemakers association has annual arts and crafts event

PROCTORVILLE — The Lawrence County Homemakers Association showed off their arts and crafts skills at their annual Achievement Day event at Ohio University Southern’s Proctorville Center on Wednesday.

This year’s celebration, the 74th of its kind, brought together the Ensee Homemakers, of the Proctorville area, the Ohio Valley Homemakers, of South Point, and the Southside Homemakers of the Ironton area.

Pastor Mike Smith, of First Baptist Church in Proctorville, was the guest speaker for the event, telling a story about the Bible through a chalk drawing.

“He told us God is always with us,” Ann Dobbins, of the group, said.

She said, following his presentation, his artwork was given to a member of the group, via a drawing.

As is the case every year, following the opening prayer and pledge of allegiance, the group paid tribute to members who have died in the past year.

A candle was lit for Helen Webb, of the Ensee Homemakers, who died Nov. 30 at age 90. Prior to her passing, Webb, a lifelong Lawrence County resident and retired teacher, was named Ohio’s 2016 Homemaker of the Year. The group enjoyed lunch, catered by Joy Hoffman, before the awards were presented for the various categories in the cultural exhibits.

Best in Show went to Carol Wright, of Proctorville, for her quilt. The piece, which featured a wide variety of materials, also featured the names of all of her family, down to her great-grandchildren.

“And I included Jesus, because he’s the center of our family,” Wright said.

She said the piece was “easy to make, but took a long time.”

Dobbins pointed out all of the stitches used on the quilt.

“She used all of them on her machine,” she said.

Wright said she was surprised by the top win.

“I never thought about it while I was putting it together,” she said.

Other winners were Barbara Bayless, in the category of hand stitchery; Sally Wells, Mary Jane Patterson and Anita Quisenberry, for photography; Dorsey Conwell and Linda Minor, for crocheting; Conwell and Mary Paese, for knitting; Joyce Eastham and Wanda Crowe, for sweatshirts; Nancy Garner, for hand-stitched quilts; Wright, Minor and Kitty Bennett, for machine-stitched quilts; Garner, for stained glass; Conwell, for heritage skills; Gloria Saunders, Wanda Crowe and Marjorie Jackson, for ceramics and pottery; Wells and Saunders, for Christmas decorations; Bennett, for clothing; Patterson, for creative writing; Crowe, Quisenberry and Myrtle Turley, for flower arrangements; Quisenberry, for greeting cards; Bayless, for handcrafted toys; Eastham, for jewelry; Minor, for pillows; Heffner, Paese and Wells, for weaths; and Brenda Heffner, Wells and Crowe, for miscellaneous items.

The Homemakers will send representatives, along with those from Gallia and Scioto Counties to Gallipolis later this week for the district meeting. Next year’s district meetings will take place in Lawrence County at OUS Proctorville.

Achievement Day marks the end of the season for the Homemakers, who will begin meeting again in September.