SEQUIM — A holiday bazaar put on by PEO — the Philanthropic Educational Organization devoted to educational opportunities for women — will offer an abundance of gifts and a special demonstration of Nuno felting Saturday.
Baked treats, books, lavender-stuffed animal toys and lots of handmade crafts will fill the Pioneer Park Clubhouse, 387 E. Washington St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission to the bazaar is free.
“Our holiday bazaar gives community members an opportunity to shop early and find unique gifts, support a good cause and learn about PEO,” said Chris Heilman, president of the local chapter.
“It’s fun to work with my sisters,” she said, adding that her organization is known as the PEO sisterhood.
Nuno felting demo
New at the bazaar this year is a Nuno felting demonstration by Carol Wilhelm of the local PEO chapter.
Wilhelm will step up at 11 a.m. to show how Nuno — the Japanese word for cloth — bonds loose fiber, usually wool, into a sheer fabric such as silk gauze.
“The demo is something really unusual,” said P.E.O. member Julie Jackson. “[Wilhelm] does such beautiful work.”
Visitors can learn how this felting technique creates a lightweight fabric for scarves and such, and they may buy $1 tickets to a drawing for a felted scarf Wilhelm has made and donated.
The drawing will be at 1 p.m., and the winner needn’t be present. Although Wilheim has not placed a value on the one she created, Nuno-felted scarves sometimes sell for as much as $250.
Sequim’s P.E.O. group hosts the annual bazaar to raise funds toward the organization’s financial aid programs for women across the world. P.E.O. runs six philanthropies, including Cottey College, a women’s college in Missouri, as well as grants, loans and scholarships.
Today, P.E.O. has more than 238,000 members in the United States and Canada. To find out more, visit www.PEOwashington.org.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
