WEST BRATTLEBORO — All Souls Church in West Brattleboro will hold its first Bloomin' Spring Fair on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Organizers hope to celebrate the start of the growing season with an event that will be fun for the public as well as its presenters.
With free educational workshops on garden-related topics, the organizers are also selling spring wreaths decorated with dried flowers, a variety of handcrafted items both useful and decorative, a light lunch of homemade soup and tea sandwiches, and tea and sweets.
Church members have been making holiday wreaths each December for decades from natural materials to sell at their bazaar, the Festival of the Greens.
Turning their attention to wreaths to celebrate spring didn't seem a huge stretch when a member of the Monday Crafting group mentioned seeing them on a trip through the South, so last summer a few of the “regulars” began growing flowers which could be dried, as well as gathering wild plant materials.
In January, they began with grapevine wreath forms made with wild and cultivated vines gathered locally. Other members crafted a variety of items from wool roving using felting techniques to create everything from “flower fairies” to landscape paintings to wearable art.
Using vintage and more recent textiles, fabric was repurposed to make table linens, shopping bags, lavender-filled sachets, and wall hangings. Victorian, vintage, and retro themes appeared and reappeared. Before long there were teacup pincushions, silk scarves, decorative bird houses, and more - all in spring colors and motifs.
Soon the artists began donating items to sell, most with a flower theme. That gave rise to talk of a workshop with artist and church member Maisie Crowther, who will demonstrate painting flowers in watercolor. Linda Hay, another member, has offered some of her photographs of flowers for sale, and others will illustrate her workshop on ”Planning now for planting bulbs in the fall.”
There won't be a May Pole this year, but the tradition of a cup of tea taken with scones or cookies (some shaped like or flavored with flowers) seemed ripe for revival. A bake sale will feature many flavors of scones and will include cookies, jelly, and fudge flavored with lavender.
Plants will also be sold, divisions of perennials from local gardens, so that buyers can be sure they are adapted to this local climate. There will be day lilies, spiderwort, lupin, sedums, and more. There will also be garden and nature books, most gently used.
The church is located at 29 South Street, just off Route 9, across the little triangular park from the new West Brattleboro Fire Station. Look for the church sign next to the driveway. The fair will be held rain or shine.