President Sally Kiste opened the meeting with a welcome to everyone and the announcement that we are celebrating our first anniversary this month as an official Patch. She also brought Halloween treats!

Sally reminded everyone that our website will be updated by November 1 with names, addresses and emails for each member unless you notify Shirley Pechous that you prefer not to have your information included. She also noted that Terri Pate will be in charge of our booth at the Wuertz Gourd Festival and each member is strongly encouraged to participate by volunteering to man the booth for a period of time. If you plan to sell your gourds, you will be required to man the booth for a period of time, and should contact Terri ASAP to let her know you want to sell at the festival.

Since we are participating in the festival, Sally encouraged each of us to make more Quilt Patches so we can complete our quilt in time to hang it in our booth. Shirley Nesbitt brought the patches that are already completed, and she has joined them together as a beginning…it is looking good! Unfortunately, it’s also looking small…so please work on those patches. Size for each patch is 4” x 4”, and the letters for our Patch name are 3” x 3”…contact Shirley to see what letters are still needed. Sally also reported that we have been invited to participate in the SW Garden & Flower Show in March. As no one volunteered to chair the project, nor was there much interest in doing a show so far away, we will not be going this year.

Eight of our members attended Bonnie Gibson’s Beginning Gourd Carving class in Tucson. Sally arranged this class, and if there is interest in doing other classes she will look into arranging those for the group. We’re looking forward to hearing all about the class at our November meeting.

Sally will also be teaching a small class in applying faux Raku finish to gourds on Saturday, November 8th from 9 to 12am at her home. The class is $20 and you need to supply a smaller gourd that is cut and cleaned both inside and out. Call Sally at 895-7638 to reserve your space…remember, class size is limited.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Sally urged all our members to please consider volunteering for an office, a committee, anything to help our Patch stay active and healthy. I will be sending a chart in a future email that details committee needs and responsibilities. Shirley Nesbitt has graciously volunteered to be a co-VP, and we hope one of you will volunteer to be the other co-chair. Remember, you don’t have to be an expert at this – just be willing to pitch in and help our Patch be fun and positive for our members.

Connie White will be updating the vendor list on our website, and if you have a tutorial that you’d like to see posted, please send it to Barbara Crossland…preferably as a Word file…and I’ll add it to the site. Eventually this will be a wonderful resource for all of us. Check it out at: http://www.orgsites.com/az/spiritofthedesertgourds/index.html

Demonstrations: Romelle Durand demonstrated Yerba Mate drinking gourds, and had prepared the actual drink for each of us to taste. Fortunately she warned us that it has a very pungent flavor – and she was right! But the gourd cups used for this ritual drink are very attractive – the one she used for drinking had a lovely silver rim and silver embellishment. If you want more information on this subject, check out Bonnie Gibson’s website: http://arizonagourds.com/yerbamate.html. Romelle also demonstrated Shiva solid paint sticks which can be used to create a beautiful finish on gourds. They can be purchased from Primitive Originals (see the Vendor List) and she shared a few tips on using the paint sticks: A used fabric softener sheet is handy for removing the skin that forms on the stick when it hasn’t been used for awhile, and can also be used for blending colors once applied to the gourd. She also noted that you should use a sealer that is appropriate for the type of finish you use – oil based finishes require an oil based sealer as opposed to a latex/acrylic sealer for water based finishes.

As you know, each member is supposed to do a demonstration at one of our meetings. At the board meeting, we recognized that not everyone is comfortable or feels knowledgeable enough to do that. If you’re at a loss for an idea, Sally offered to help. And remember, you do NOT need to be an expert at what you demonstrate – we’re just looking for new ideas. And if you are really stuck, please contact Janet Hayes a month ahead of your scheduled demonstration so she can find a replacement for you.

Show & Tell: Connie White brought two spirit dolls and Shirley Nesbitt also brought two spirit dolls and a sample gourd done in one of Sally’s classes. She finished it using patriotic embellishments and it turned out beautifully. I know they both inspired me to get working! Enjoy the photos above and on the Member's Gourd Art page.

Our next meeting will be held Thursday, November 13 from 4:30 to 6:30 in the Oakwood Arts & Crafts Center Sewing Room. See you there!