PEO Bazaar features needle-felting demo

On Nov. 2, Janet Watral of Sequim (above) demonstrates the art of needle felting at the PEO Chapter JC holiday bazaar in Pioneer Park.

 

The bazaar, slated for 9 a.m.-1 p.m., features crafts, gifts and delicious baked goods made by members of PEO Chapter JC (Sequim), as well as gently-used books for sale, at Sequim’s Pioneer Park, 387 E. Washington St.

 

Watral will demonstrate needle-felting there from 9 a.m.-noon.

 

“We’re very excited that shoppers at our PEO bazaar will be able to see an outstanding needle-felting artist at work, in addition to finding one-of-a-kind gifts,” says bazaar co-chair Lynn Blair-Thomas.

Watral discovered her passion for needle felting in 2008, when she bought her first needle-felting kit. “That was the year my husband Andy spent five months working in Antarctica,” she said. She shares her needle-felting skills and passion by giving demonstrations, teaching classes and making gifts for her grandchildren and others.

 

Needle felting is a dry process in which the crafter uses special needles to interlock the fibers in wool batting and create a felted object. Watral said that although interest in needle felting is growing, it doesn’t seem to be widely known or done on the Olympic Peninsula.

 

Watral has donated a Santa valued at $75 for the PEO “Night Before Christmas” basket raffle, and the basket’s contents total over $500 in value. The raffle winner is announced at 1 p.m.

 

Chapter JC hosts the annual bazaar to raise funds for PEO programs that provide financial aid to women worldwide for undergraduate and graduate studies.

 

PEO has more than 238,000 members in the United States and Canada, including 13 chapters on the Olympic Peninsula. See www.peowashington.org.