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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-10-23, Page 170 • eeekly bow; *poor flot wet Hookiere W *sok ' ►dvotteep oleoo ,fit Forest eft *rote teo4 by P4oPeoPle the "4440 Of MMwest °n, .est PaS,. re?il4err, in loch et .bon .1 Published ever**, and The tmt Forest Confederate by Wenger 'Bros. Limited. k in The Listowel Banner, The Wingham Advance -Times TQRQN1t o Cr- -Crossroads-- etober 23, *975— p Parsnip jewelry? You've got "YOU TAKE A TIN CAN , . . "—John Den Ouden of Palmerston made this interesting little suite of furniture out of tin cans. It's one of the many unique works to be fond In the Red Caboose Guild store in Palmerston. A BIT OF NOSTALGIA—Back to the time when men were daring and planes kept them that way. This replica of an old triplane was hand carved and painted by Al Whyte of Har- riston. POTTERY— Caboose Arts to the store. Karen Scott Booth, a potter from Palmerston, sells work through the Red and Crafts Guild store. She has contributed pots, hanging planters and jugs (Courtesy Palmerston Observer) t "We always had :the fig -'fie wanted to run a, boutlque,u tst4d Mrs. Rbsemary Wells, •Wen asked how she and Mrs. Betty Audet came up, with the thought of opening an arts and crafts shop. It was a long-standing hope come true for the two ladies when the Red Caboose Arts and CtOts • Guild ppened its door's for b'i- ness in Palmerston last sutrn`er. The Red Caboose is a non -pont craft shop and workshop WVlt%h has the aim of improving both -the quality and quantity Of locally produced arts and crafts. ,- "People -"People must have been j ist waiting for something like this:to happen," said Mrs, Wells. -314We have had a tremendous MVO* from people wanting an outx %or their work as well as frog lose people with an 'interest in Yearn- ing a craft." The Red Caboose is4located'* a small store front on the >Xtain street of Palmerston. If ou're looking for it, you won't recogni e it by its sign in .front. Therei't one. However, a quick . cruise ;f the business section of Pallriclr- ston will lead to the discovery of this unique little°shop at aboutufbe midway mark opain-streets The most unmistakable feature of the guild is its display windwow of stuffed animals, quilts, Rag- gedy-Anns, paintings and.a fas- cinating assortment of other handmade goodies. What If?: S. , s you ;hove -a loxaFic Q - mak ng something such as string art, needlepoint, macrame or candles? What do you do with all your creations after you've com- pleted them? Your home has be- gun to fill up with those outbursts of creative genius—you want the fun of making more—but what do you do with it all? You've probab- ly become tired of simply giving it away. The Red Caboose kills a number of birds with one stone. It gives the artists and craftsmen a place to display their work in public, it gives them some recog- nition, and it also offers them the possibility of getting a return on the time and money that went into producing the work in the first place. The need for a service such as the Red Caboose is evident. In the few short months it has been in operation, the Guild has attract- ed over 40 members. The Guild's shop has the work of men and women of all ages; leather belts and purses, stuffed animals, abstract sculptures, jewelry ... in fact, there is such a variety of work, you can spend hours poking around the store. Even then you'll find yourself dis- covering a unique little object that somehow had been overt looked. The brightly painted store (courtesy of several enthusiastic LIP workers) is set up in such a way that you never know quite what to expect in any given sec- tion. A crocheted afghan may have a sea shell sculpture beside it, a hanging pottery planter above it and a landscape painting on the wall behind. ' If you want to take a look at the restored furniture, you'll also be treated to some `Barbie Doll' clothes, knitting, and tatting that may be displayed on top of it. It costs $10 annually to become a member of the Guild. Work is brought to the Red Caboose on consignment. When it's sold, the Guild charges its members 15 per cent and non-members 30 per cent of the selling price for the use of the store services. The Guild lets its craftsmen set their own prices but Mrs., Wells said, "If they price their work too high, it simply won't sell. We often guide people who, for the first time, are trying to put a price on their work." Mrs. Wells makes quite a unique product herself. She said, "I like to make articles out of things you would normally throw away." Mrs. Wells makes carrot, turnip and, yes, parsnip jewelry. Now if that isn't different, what is? She said that when the vege- tables are dried, they look much like? leather. "Around our place," she laughed, "my family never knows whether we're eating or I'm making jewelry." But if Not ... For those who don't already possess a built-in knack, the Red Caboose offers a number of classes in which the touch can be acquired. In September and Oc- tober it had courses in skills such as basic knitting, burlap flowers, beginners' crocheting, bow- making and ribbon roses. Throughout the winter, Mrs. Bernice Daley will be running a knitting clinic every Thursday af- ternoon; from 2:00 to 4 :00. Anyone with a knitting problem is invited in to straighten it out. Mrs. Wells said, that while the Guild is still in the process of getting the workshop program in gear, it has had an excellent re- sponse to the courses offered so far an is looking forward to ini- tia tin a number of courses in the wint which may include photo- grap y, pottery and oil painting. PI s have already been finali ed for upcoming courses in bead jewelry, :Christmas decora- tion, gift wrapping and picture framing. A sampling of the classes of- fered showed the cost ranged from $1.00 to $4.00 for members and $2.50 to $6.00 for non-mem- bers (supplies not .included). - The libr*airy is another one of the benefits of being a Guild member. It is well stocked with pamphlets and magazines which give instructions for a large number of crafts. "The stores which supply the materials for craftsmen are often rip-offs," said Mrs. Wells. "They display and package their sup- plies in such a way that .°many people believe that the only place these products are for . sale is through specialty stores." For example, she said many paraffins and waxes that are packaged and sold as specialty items are nothing but regular turnip wax. The Guild is presently making arrangements for bulk purchases which by-pass the rip-off and afford the members substantial savings. The Red Caboose was part of Palmerston's Centennial Cele- bration. "Without the help of the town council," said Mrs. Wells, "the whole undertaking would snot have gotten off the ground." The Palmerston Council gave financial assistance of up to $1,000 to help get the Guild rolling. So far, they've had to use about half that amount of money. Mrs. Wells was optimistic that before long the Guild would be a self-sustaining operation. Elbow Grease and Quality The nice thing about a visit to the Red Caboose is the sense of care and craftsmanship that has gone into each piece of work in the store. You will see very few boring patterns, standard designs, slop- py detail or any of the otho ills of mass production to which we've become so accustomed these days. Instead you will notice inven- tive designs, unique ideas, caring workmanship and a variety of other features characteristic of plenty of elbow grease, little corner cutting and a sense of value and quality. - The Red Caboose is quietly awaiting your visit on any Thurs- day, Friday or Saturdays It's a browsers delight. Make sure to' take the time' to dig around on tables and shelves. It's all there, but you may have to look a bit. IT'S SIMRLE—That is once you know how. After taking the bow -making class, Carol Wagner had no trouble with ever the most difficult bow. , "ALRIGHT GIRLS ... SMILE!" --Happy to be sitting in the Guild's display window, these Raggedy-Anns were lovingly made by Mrs.. Betty Audet of Palmerston. Mrs. Audet is the co-founder of the Red Caboose Arts and Crafts Guild. ii<icc►t tUUN i Y :ort 1 s& CRAFTS QUILT & RUG. FAIR 1975 That!ioicut nig INoolrnt1 tktr,N, 11 12.11 :+ cmc es, Ccum ,v Mueeum Mtdhurxt C)mnrt., pivplste—Salt, F•da Q.11. Rugs F16a Crrsits • Proe Parking • Caf'IQrin Ser, • l3raw for Arimisstttn 6iii.ire r nit, Clttidran undvt 11 ticket tli am 1,, ra ttltem4hrt r'ntaingue $100 tttr;uiia� q. i Otw 14 tat a.,e-n a w.. THE REAL THING—That's real bread and leaves on the plaque made by Mrs. Rosemary Wells. Mrs. Wells said that she likes to make articles out of objects that are normally thrown out.