BIC-Lapcaster Farming, Saturday, Octoker 25,1956
Lancaster Homemakers Get A Headstart On Christmas Hr
BY SUZANNE KEENE
LANCASTER Christmas may
be two months away, but ft isn’t too
early to start making gifts and
decorations. Nearly 700 Lancaster
County homemakers gathered in
the Farm and Home Center this
week to learn new crafts to
brighten their homes during the
holidays.
Several local craftsmen shared
numerous harvest and holiday
craft ideas during this year’s
extension-sponsored Christmas in
October program. Sue Miller of
Apple Bin Crafts, Lititz, began the
morning session with instructions
for making Indian corn
arrangements and holiday
wreaths. Using several ears of
Indian corn and a com dryer
purchased from a local Amish
craftsman, she created a colorful
doorpiece or wallhanging. Sue said
she soaks the com in hot water for
30 minutes before putting it on the
dryer.
The dryer can also be used to
display fresh or wooden apples,
she said. A sprig of evergreen and
a red bow add a touch of Christmas
to the arrangement.
Sue had a number of wreath
ideas to share, including in
structions for making a green
Christmas wreath on a straw
wreath form. To begin, she cut her
greens into 6- or 7-inch sprigs,
which she attached to the form
using pole pins.
“This goes quite quickly if you
have your greens cut ahead of
time,” she noted.
Once the greens were attached,
Sue pinned a smaller, wire frame,
rounded side out, on the inside of
the wreath. Then, she glued dried
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L'fs /
Sherry Kalbach of Lebanon County presented ideas to keep
anxious children busy until Christmas. Here she shows a
quickly-constructed nativity scene that children can play with.
Cookie cutters lined with self-adhesive ribbon make a
simple holiday decoration. Here, Lancaster County extension
home economist Doris Thomas displays one she made using
Christmas tree shaped cutters.
apple slices to the frame using a
hot glue gun. A bright red bow
completed the arrangement.
Dried apples were the basis for a
number of Sue’s craft suggestions.
To prepare them, she cuts the
apples vertically into 1/8-inch
slices. The thinner the apples are
cut, the better they will dry, she
advised. A single apple should
yield 8 or 9 slices.
When sliced, the apples are
dipped into a solution of 2 cups
lemon juice and 1 tablespoon salt.
To dry the apples, place them on
nylon netting on an oven rack, set
the oven at the lowest temperature
(ISO*F.) and bake for 3 to 4 hours. V
Some apples may take as long as 6
or 7 hours, Sue noted.
The apples are ready for use
when they are still pliable but have
no moisture left when lightly
squeezed with thumb and
forefinger.
To create a dried apple wreath,
Sue covered a wreath frame with
brown floral tape. Then she ap
plied glue to the form and attached
the apples in a circular
arrangement. Bows, baby’s
breath, cinnamon sticks, bay
leaves and cranberries can be
added for decoration, she
suggested.
Cinnamon sticks formed the
basis for another of Sue’s wreaths.
For this project, she cut a 13-inch
diameter cardboard circle and cut
an 8-inch diameter circle from its
center to form the base. Then,
using a hot glue gun, she attached
100 thick 4- to 5-inch long cinnamon
sticks around the wreath base.
She added German white statice
around the wreath center, ex
tending it over the cinnamon sticks
Among the craft ideas presented at Christmas in October were, from
Thanksgiving centerpiece made from a neck pumpkin, a dried apple wreath,
evergreen and dried apple wreath
and almost covering the outer edge
of the wreath. With that complete,
she glued baby’s breath pointing
toward the center of the wreath
and finished by gluing colorful
dried flowers onto the wreath.
“It’s very, very easy. It just
involves gluing,” she said.
For homemakers looking for a
smaller project, Sue suggested
cinnamon ornaments. To make the
dough for this craft, combine 5
ounces of cinnamon and 10
tablespoons warmed applesauce.
Then knead the dough and turn
onto a cinnamon dusted cutting
board. Roll to V«- or 3/8-inch thick,
cut with cookie cutters and poke a
hole in the top of each for hanging.
To dry, place on a wire screen for
about 6 days.
Sue suggested purchasing cin
namon for this project in a bulk
food store to save money.
Lancaster Extension home
economist Doris Thomas shared
quick craft ideas with the
homemakers. She offered a few
shortcuts for those who are too
busy to start all of their projects
from scratch.
With cookie cutters becoming
increasingly popular, Doris
suggested using them to create
decorations. Using self-sticking
ribbon, she covered both the
outside and inside edges of a cookie
cutter. The decorated cutter
makes an ideal tree ornament, she
said.
To add scent to the ornament,
Doris glued fine nylon netting to
one side, filled it with potpourri
and then glued netting onto the
other side. When the glue dried,
she trimmed the edges of the
netting to fit the cutter.
The ribbon-lined cutters can be
glued together to form larger
decorations, she added.
Mothers with young children
found a friend in Sherry Kalbach of
Lebanon County, who provided a
list of 24 simple crafts for children.
Known as “the garbage can lady”
because she depends on “junk” for
her crafts, Sherry said she does
one craft with her young children
each December day before
Christmas. She calls it the
Countdown to Christmas or Or
nament of the Day.
Below are instructions for a few
of Sherry’s simple holiday projects
for children.
• Animal Cookie/Paper Plate
Manger Glue three popsicle
sticks on a paper plate to create a
barn. Place a manger sticker in
the center and paste two animal
crackers beside the manger. A
gold star sticker completes the
scene.
• Dyed Rice Stained Glass Win
dows Dye rice by placing it in a
(Turn to Page B 17)
glasses, cinnamon sticks, and a purchased wooden snowman
to create these holiday containers. The wooden basket at
right was purchased, painted and decorated at minimal
expense.
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V iVS,
Following her presentation, Sue Miller answers questions
about her craft ideas. In the foreground is a dried apple
wreath, left, and a cinnamon-stick wreath.
Hons
left, a
and an