Many campers could trace their present day love for all things arts and crafts to their days at Maqua, including Maggie Young, who felt so fortunate to have the exposure during the sixties and seventies. Carol Requadt (1945) could still remember the cedar smell of the craft hut where she loved working with her hands.
Mary Hewes (1946) and MaryJane Keschman (1944-54) loved the traditions at camp, including the arts and crafts. “I remember making Gimp bracelets with four strands of plastic woven together and a leather lanyard that I gave to my brother. We also sanded wooden bowls until they were smooth, “ said Mary. For MaryJane, it was the wooden plate with her mother’s initials and the same Gimp bracelets that were her favorites.
“In the arts and crafts hut, there were work benches and tables in picnic table style”, said Caryl Sue Abendroth, who loved that they could work on their leather keychains, basket weaving or lanyards in the fifties, even on rainy days.
Lanterns and tile ashtrays were the craft of choice for Helen Thompson in 1968. A paperweight with a four- leaf clover embedded inside, formed with a regular three leaf and a single one added, pleased Bev Lemanski’s father in 1945. For Beverly Schlatter, who loved the craft hut in the forties, it did not matter what she brought home to her parents, she just liked working with flowers, stones, glue and scissors.
The little yellow painted bowl, with I LOVE YOU inscribed on it, is still in the possession of Maureen Moore’s mother from the sixties, as well as Patsy Walsh’s little leather woven purse in the shape of a triangle from 1938!
“I loved the crafts, particularly one that consisted of four small nails on the top of a large wooden spool,” said Kay Alcorn, who recalled threading yarn around the nails in the forties and crocheting the end off, forming a rope that grew through the spool. “To the best of my knowledge, it had no practical application,” she laughed.
Bowls from Popsicle sticks and gum chains made from gum wrappers (that sometimes adorned the huts) came to mind, as well as wooden and leather keychains. Kathy Hall said she and Cindy Horner became close to Judy Moore in the seventies, and were so excited to get keychains from her with “So Glad You Are A Child Of Mine” inscribed on them.
The Jacques’ sisters were all together one year in the late fifties and they did every possible craft that they could possibly do while they were there. “My mother had to pay a very large bill when she came to pick us up,” laughed Kayleen.
“I remember making lariats, bracelets, belts and leather moccasins,” said Judy Rowden (1949), who thought it was so cool that a counselor made their certificates from birch bark with black lettering.
Moccasins were always a huge hit. Sisters Judy and Susan Rawlings are now involved in making handbags and purses from material as a small business, but recalled working with arts and crafts in the fifties. “I loved working with the suede to make myself a pair of moccasins,” said Judy, who felt like their talent came naturally, with looms for weaving at home.
“I didn’t realize I had to pay for all the crafts,” laughed Kathleen Dworman (1966), whose grandfather was not too happy to pay the big bill when he picked her up. The sad part was her moccasins were stitched the wrong way! Cynthia Gregory made a half a moccasin every year and never completed the second, and her mother finally told her not to make any more.
Many of the girls had visions of sitting on their bunks with other girls weaving lanyards. Holly Foss (1966-72) still has hers, as does Sheryl Biesman (1973-78), who produced hers at the Centennial reunion at camp in 2016. Sally Allen loved making lanyards and laced keychains and brought supplies for lanyards to the first reunion in 2012.
Sixties’ camper Debbie Hawkins summed it up perfectly—“You can never have enough lanyards!” Do any of you still have your lanyards or crafts?