WI Homeskills & Handcrafts Competitions – Balmoral Show 2017
Congratulations to the talented winners of the Homeskills and Handcrafts Competitions at Balmoral Show! The Home & Garden Sub-Committee and the Homecraft Sub-Committee were delighted with this year’s entries in the Floral Art, Cookery and Craft classes. The entries in the Children’s class were also very impressive. As always, all the entries were of a very high standard but this year’s Competitions were also special because they had a Nursery Rhyme theme, adding an extra element of creativity and drawing lots of admiring glances from members of the public. Also adding colour to the marquee this year were some of our very own WI members who dressed up as eye-catching characters from popular nursery rhymes to help illustrate the theme! This was certainly a talking point and created a real sense of fun, as well as drawing lots of attention to the Competition entries and the WI marquee in general.
Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s Competitions!
The winners were placed as follows:
Floral Art
Class 1 – ‘Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary’ – Arrangement (not to exceed 50cm)
1st – Elizabeth Connor, Garvagh WI
2nd – Dorothy Arnold, Richhill WI
3rd – Cheryl Jess
Highly Commended – Hazel Campbell, Crumlin WI
Class 2 – ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ – Arrangement incorporating a dish and spoon (not to exceed 30cm)
1st – Elizabeth Connor, Garvagh WI
2nd – Marie Cairns, Glenanne WI
3rd – Hazel Campbell, Crumlin WI
Class 3 – ‘Jack & Jill’ – Arrangement in a small pail (not to exceed 30cm)
1st – Hazel Campbell, Crumlin WI
2nd – Barbara McGibben, Upper Finaghy WI
3rd – B. Bassett, Ardglass WI
Highly Commended – Marie Cairns, Glenanne WI
Class 4 – ‘I’m A Little Teapot’ – Arrangement in a miniature teapot (not to exceed 15cm)
1st – Cheryl Jess
2nd – Marie Cairns, Glenanne WI
3rd – Barbara McGibben, Upper FInaghy WI
Highly Commended – Frances Jess
Class 5 – Flowering plant in a pot (pot not to exceed 15cm)
1st – Betty Holmes, Garvagh WI
2nd – Edwina Marr, Downpatrick WI
3rd – Elizabeth Bridgham, Straid WI
Highly Commended – Betty Lyttle, Portaferry WI
Class 6 – Foliage plant in a pot (pot not to exceed 15cm)
1st – Edwina Marr, Downpatrick WI
2nd – Margaret McCreevy, Portaferry WI
3rd – Nora Lennnon, Crossgar WI
Other prestigious Floral Art awards presented were:
‘Best In Show Floral Art’ (Home & Garden Perpetual Trophy) – Elizabeth Connor, Garvagh WI
‘Institute Gaining The Most Overall Points In Floral Art Competitions’ (Home & Garden Shield) – Garvagh WI
Cookery
Class 1 – ‘Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake’ – Boiled Cake (baked in a 1lb loaf tin)
1st – Lily Gabbie, Crossgar WI
2nd – Ann Harnett, Waringstown WI
3rd – Joan Busby, Moneyrea WI
Class 2 – ‘Ring a Ring o’ Roses’ – Decorated Cake (baked in a ring tin)
1st – Jennifer Tweed, Moneyrea WI
2nd – Karen Cathers, Ballygawley WI
3rd – Joan Busby, Moneyrea WI
Highly Commended – Margaret McCracken
Class 3 – ‘Little Miss Muffet’ – Vegetarian Quiche (maximum 9inch tin)
1st – Jennifer Tweed, Moneyrea WI
2nd – Lindsay Studd
3rd – Helen Dunlop, Maze Brookfield WI
Class 4 – ‘Queen of Hearts’ – 4 Jam Tarts
1st – Jennifer Tweed, Moneyrea WI
2nd – Jean Skuce, Maghaberry WI
3rd – Betty Holmes, Garvagh WI
Class 5 – ‘The Bells of St. Clements’ – Jar of orange and lemon marmalade (340grams)
1st – Diane Murdoch, Broughshane WI
2nd – Elleen McKee, Crossgar WI
3rd – Jean Skuce, Maghaberry WI
Class 6 – ‘Little Jack Horner’ – Jar of plum chutney (340grams)
1st – Ellen McKee, Crossgar WI
2nd – Jennifer Johnston, Muckamore WI
3rd – Diane Murdoch, Broughshane WI
Craft
Class 1 – ‘Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear’ – Jointed teddy bear
1st – Jennifer Skelly, Moneyrea WI
2nd – Sandra Warden, Ravarnette WI
3rd – Jaqueline Scott, Moneyrea WI
Class 2 – ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ – Knitted sheep (minimum height 15cm)
1st – Jennifer Skelly, Moneyrea WI
2nd – Jennifer Skelly, Moneyrea WI
3rd – Gwen Mackey, Crumlin WI
Class 3 – ‘There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe’ – Collage 25cm x 30cm prior to mounting (to be framed)
1st – Jacqueline Scott, Moneyrea WI
2nd – Jane Kilpatrick , Downpatrick WI
3rd – Ann Eccleston, Jerrettspass WI
Class 4 – Cross Stitch with a nursery rhyme theme (entry for members of the public only)
1st – Rosalind Skelly
Children’s Section
Age: 8 years & under
Class 1 – ‘Little Bo Peep’ – Bo Beep made from fruit and/or vegetables
1st – Henry Dunlop
2nd – Claire Suffern
3rd – Isaac Dunlop
Highly Commended – Henry Dunlop
Class 2 – ‘Three Blind Mice’ – 3 mice made from fondant icing
1st – Reuben Rainey
2nd – Claire Suffern
Class 3 – ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ – Handmade spider (any medium)
1st – Sophia Cleland
2nd – Claire Suffern
3rd – Samuel Rainey
Age: 9 years – 12 years
Class 1 – ‘Little Bo Peep’ – Bo Beep made from fruit and/or vegetables
1st – Nathan Baniff
2nd – Ben Watson
Class 2 – ‘Three Blind Mice’ – 3 mice made from fondant icing
1st – Abbie Stocking
2nd – Abi Braniff
3rd – Hilary Walsh
Highly Commended – Charley Beatty & Tara McKibben
Class 3 – ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ – Handmade spider (any medium)
1st – Mat McVeigh
2nd – Charley Beatty
3rd – Ben Watson
Congratulations to all of the winners and well done to everyone who took the time and effort to enter the competitions!
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake. WI ladies at one of the boiled cake cookery competition display.
Some of the delightful craft competition entries – jointed teddy bears and knitted sheep.
