Tararua craft show celebrates 70 years

Elizabeth Judd displays the quilt that won the best overall entry at last year's Tararua Federation of Women's Institutes Craft Show.

By Sue Emeny

Tararua Federation of Women's Institutes will host its 70th annual craft show in Dannevirke on Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, when exquisite handcrafts of all types will be on display.

The craft show originated as a rose show that also included flowers, cooking and crafts but over the years the focus has turned to handcrafts.

In celebration of this being the 70th show and in recognition of its origins, a special birthday section has been introduced. This is for a rose, a single bloom, a vase of spring flowers and a Madeira cake.

The other competition sections are machine sewing, handcraft, knitting, crochet and homespun and woven.

Federation publicity officer Jocelyn McKay said the competition is not solely for Women's Institute members, it is open to the public.

It costs nothing for people to enter their craft work.

With more people turning to craft work during the Covid-19 lockdown the federation hopes there will be plenty of entries.

"There must be a lot of people out there in the community who have been knitting, sewing and card making over the lockdown and we would love them to enter their work," McKay said.

She said over the years more and more entries have been coming in from the general public.

The craft show will be held in the Dannevirke Sports Clubrooms at the A & P Showgrounds. The doors will be open between 10am and noon on Friday, October 16, to accept entries.

The hall will be closed between 1pm and 3pm for judging and then open for public viewing between 3pm and 5pm.

On Saturday the craft show will be open from 10am until 4pm with the prizegiving at 3.45pm.

While entry to the craft show is free there will be a donation box and money raised goes to a local organisation. This year money raised will go toward Women's Refuge.

People visiting the craft show on Saturday could also make a weekend of it by also visiting the Dannevirke Art Society's 60th art exhibition in the Home Industries Hall at the showgrounds, a quilt show at St Joseph's Hall on Saturday and Sunday from 9am until 4pm and the Dannevirke Floral Art Group's exhibition in the Rawhiti Lodge Hall between 9.30am and 4pm.