A very warm evening in July and again a pleasure to see members & visitors.
Our President opened our meeting with a report from our first show held at Arley Hall the previous weekend. Our display had attracted lots of members of the public as well as WI members from other groups. All in all in a great success & thanks to all those who took part & made this event possible.
There are several events happening in the coming months, dates for diaries are as follows;
24th September – Visit to Catalyst Museum, Spike Island, Widnes
8th October change in date for Hartford WI Meeting from 1st October
8th November – Xmas Craft Dabble Day – enjoy 5 workshops in one day, 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
3rd December – Hartford WI Xmas meal, Hartford Hall
9 December – closing date for entries to Chairs Challenge – design a new badge for WI Chair in any medium
CFWI are celebrating being 105 years old this year and WI groups within the Federation have been asked to send a photo of their favourite activity of 2025. Photos will then be collated for display.
The WI campaign this year is that of “Bystanders can be Lifesavers”. In conjunction with this, our President informed members of a link www.bhf.org.uk/RevivR currently available on MyWI to the British Heart Foundation whereby ladies can undertake 15 minute mobile training on how & when to undertake CPR. All members were encouraged to visit this site & update their CPR knowledge.
It was a pleasure to welcome our speaker this month, Keiko Gordon. Keiko presented her fabulous collection of kimonos and explained about the origins of kimono wearing & the different names for each piece used in kimono dressing. It was interesting to learn how different garments are worn during childhood, specifically when a child is born, then at the ages of 3, 5 & 7. Kimonos are traditionally made from silk which makes washing them very difficult. It was fascinating to see how the garments are made of one piece of material, about 12m long for adults and are folded and sewn but not cut. The kimono is then “set off” with an obi, which again is about 3m long being wrapped around the body & forming an intricate shape at the back of the kimono.
Keiko explained about the significance of patterns & family crests with many kimonos being handed down from generation to generation. The delicate patterns were formed mainly to signify longevity which is coupled with longevity of life. Keiko informed members how in Japan, the 2nd Monday in January is a celebration of coming of age where teenagers who have reached the age of 18 dress in traditional kimonos to celebrate adulthood.
Following this fascinating insight into the kimono, two ladies volunteered to try on the garments. Again, Keiko enthralled ladies with her expertise in fitting the kimonos & her adeptness at tying the obis all into attractive patterns.
Hartford W.I. Cheshire 