By GAIL LOWE

WAKEFIELD — By noontime Saturday, April 14, the parking lot at the Wakefield-Lynnfield United Methodist Church was filled to capacity. People from all over had come to the church where the Wakefield Arts & Crafts Society held their annual exhibit.

Now in its 103rd year, members of the Society have showcased their handcrafted quilts, knit and hand-stitched goods, jewelry, pottery and other items every year to the delight of lovers of handcrafts.

Spokesperson for the Society Linell Nester said that the flow of people was steady and that those who attended especially loved the wool and wool felted applique pieces made by Shirley Day.

“She also paints and on her wool wall hanging she had painted a piece of wool felt to look like a woven basket,” said Nester. “Shirley adds a lot of texture to her pieces with wool felting.”

During her demonstration, Day felted flowers with many different colors that Nester said “just jumped out at you.”

“It was truly amazing,” she commented.

Jeannette DeRosa of Revere attended the event and, during the silent auction, won a basket filled with everything a gardener would need for growing pretty plants and flowers.

Through the years, the society has changed with the times. In 1923, the name was changed from The Wakefield Handicraft Society to Wakefield Arts & Crafts Society, and the group meetings moved from private homes to the Beebe Library, then the YMCA and First Parish Congregational Church on Church Street. Now, meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at the Wakefield/Lynnfield Methodist Church on Vernon Street.

In 1930, the Society contributed to the restoration of the historic Hartshorne House, Wakefield’s oldest home on Church Street. Each year, members of the Society are invited to decorate the parlor for the Hartshorne House’s Christmas Tea.

Meetings still include workshops and guilds to teach new skills and techniques. Though interests and tools used have evolved, participation in older art forms is still very much alive.

Society members also handcraft fleece blankets for sick children, knitted or crocheted hats for premature babies, and heart pillows and shawls for cancer patients.

Guests are welcome at regular monthly meetings. A $5 donation is suggested for each meeting
attended.

Membership is open by jury approval. Articles must be of two different crafts or two different techniques of the same craft. For more information, visit https://wakefieldace.webs.com or call Nancy at 978-851-4608.