Art in the park: Craft show booth is a family affair
Staff reporter
Silk scarves, horseshoe name plates, and quilts. What do these craft items have in common?
They will be part of a booth Saturday at Marion's Art in the Park.
Verna Ploutz of Marion, her brother from Ellinwood, and a sister-in-law from Blanchard, Okla., will display their craft items for the first time.
"I started making the scarves as Christmas gifts," said Verna. She was taught the craft of dying the scarves and making colorful designs by an art teacher.
The busy wife, mother, and teacher said the craft doesn't take much time.
She special orders plain, white silk scarves from a fabric company. The scarves are soaked in a solution and laid on plastic wrap.
Colored dyes are applied on the scarves to create unique, one-of-a-kind designs, similar to tye-dye. Various methods including sponges, brushes, and hands can be used to apply the dye.
The scarves are rolled in plastic wrap for two days, then unwrapped and the finished product is unveiled.
"I do 25 scarves at a time and use 25 different dyes," said Verna, The dye is specially made for silk.
Verna's brother, Vernon Schnurr paints and decorates horseshoes. Verna's sister-in-law, Charlotte French makes baby quilts, wall hangings, and table runners. The part-time crafters will travel to Marion for the show.
"We've been doing these hobbies for a while and we just decided to give this (craft show) a try," Verna said. "We'll see what happens."
