Gathered around a table at Steele Memorial Library for an ornament-making event during Steele’s inaugural Vintage Christmas Extravaganza are, from left, Debbie Whaley, Patricia Curtis, Tina Smith, library assistant Connie Troxell, reference librarian Paige Newcomb, and Jeannie Sutton. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
These vintage-inspired Christmas ornaments were made by one of the participants in Steele Memorial Library’s first-ever Vintage Christmas Extravaganza on Wednesday, Dec. 13. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
From left, Debbie Whaley, Tina Smith, and Jeannie Sutton prepare to make an origami star during the Vintage Christmas Extravaganza at Steele Memorial Library. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Patricia Curtis checks out the handiwork of a fellow crafter during an ornament-making event at Steele Memorial Library. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
During Steele Memorial Library’s Vintage Christmas Extravaganza, Jeannie Sutton applies glue to a wooden disk to which she will affix a vintage-looking Christmas image. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Debbie Whaley carefully arranges a crocheted ‘rope’ in the shape of a Christmas tree during the ornament-making event. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Library assistant Connie Troxell shows crafters an example of the star ornament they will make. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Tina Smith, left, and reference librarian Paige Newcomb arrange strips of Christmas fabric to form an eight-point star. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Tina Smith glues together pieces of felt to form tree ornaments. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
The guiding principle during Steele Memorial Library’s Vintage Christmas Extravaganza was ‘no crafter left behind,’ and, to that end, these crafters lend one another a hand. From left, are: Patricia Curtis, Tina Smith, library assistant Connie Troxell, and reference librarian Paige Newcomb. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Reference librarian Paige Newcomb, left, instructs Patricia Curtis on the fine art of origami. Folding a five-sided piece of paper into the shape of a five-point star proved to be a challenging — though rewarding — endeavor for those attending the Vintage Christmas Extravaganza at Steele Memorial Library. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Reference librarian Paige Newcomb, right, helps Jeannie Sutton put the finishing touches on a tree ornament. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
During Steele Memorial Library’s ornament-making event, library assistant Connie Troxell, left, and Debbie Whaley concentrate on the task at hand. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Patricia Curtis is pleased with an ornament she completed during the extravaganza. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
A small group of ladies entered Steele Memorial Library empty-handed on Wednesday, Dec. 13, and left two hours later with several hand-made, vintage-inspired, Christmas ornaments.
Ornament-making was the scheduled activity during the library’s inaugural Vintage Christmas Extravaganza, which is slated to become an annual event, and in between all the gluing and folding and stringing, there was a lot of laughter and even some good-natured debate about what can and cannot be characterized as origami (the Japanese art of paper folding). Cookies and to-die-for hot chocolate were available, Christmas music played in the background, and a pseudo-fire blazed on a large screen, all adding to the festive atmosphere.
In preparation for the event, reference librarian Paige Newcomb, who is in charge of the library’s adult programming, and library assistant Connie Troxell organized the large meeting room in advance, setting up six different tables, each with the materials necessary to make a certain ornament. They’d taken care of the lengthy prep work ahead of time (cutting out certain shapes from felt, paper and fabric, etc.), to make the ornament-making go more quickly.
Newcomb billed the event as an “extravaganza,” and that was enough to pique Patricia Curtis’ interest. “Paige said it was an ‘extravaganza,’ and you can’t pass up a Christmas extravaganza,” Curtis said, settling into a seat and preparing to try her hand at making an origami star.
Nearby, Jeannie Sutton explained what attracted her to the event, saying, “Since I’m retired, I don’t have work Christmas parties to attend and I miss them, so I decided to go to other Christmas parties.”
The ornaments completed over the course of two hours included: a five-pointed, origami (paper) star; an eight-pointed fabric star; a crochet-and-beads Christmas tree; a wooden disc with an old-fashioned image affixed to it; and two-dimensional, felt Christmas balls. With time running short, each person was given the materials and instructions to take home to make a strand of paper Christmas lights.
Of the ornaments, Curtis’ favorite was the fabric star, which was also the choice of Debbie Whaley, who planned to replicate the ornament at home, using paper instead of fabric.
Sutton preferred the felt Christmas balls. “They were faster [to make],” she said.
Tina Smith was unable to decide on a favorite. “I like all of them,” she said, noting that she planned to re-work her crocheted Christmas tree at home.
As everyone gathered their ornaments to leave, Newcomb reflected on the event. “I’m tickled over it,” she said. “I had a blast and I think everybody had a good time. I’m excited for next year!”
Steele Memorial Library is located at 119 W. Main St. in Mount Olive. The library offers many programs for children, teens, and adults. For more information, call 919-299-8105.
