Buttons, baubles and bows galore

Six women from the Porterville Garden Club worked together in Charlene Wood’s garage on Saturday, industriously decorating and refurbishing hats for the Women’s Garden Club Tea fundraiser that will be held in Lindsay on April 13, at 23495 Avenue 216, also known as Citrus Street.

Selecting ribbons, silk flowers, even a feather or two, the women painstakingly eyed colors, snipped a ribbon, or used a fine tulle netting to decorate a hat’s crown or brim.

Hats with large brims, short brims, tennis hats and even small tiny hats for children were decorated.

“Daisies are my favorite flower,” said Terry Gozzo, as she attached them to the crown of a hat. “They look so fresh. They would look nice with the pink brim on this lacy white hat.”

Some of the hats came from the women’s closets and had been refurbished or were donated or purchased new for the event. Clubwomen had been collecting flowers, lace, ribbon, silk or feathers and “any thing that strikes our fancy for the hats,” for quite a while.

The garden club tea is the biggest fund-raiser of the year and supports their scholarships for students at Butterfield Charter School, Harmony Magnet Academy, Citrus South Tule, Porterville College, Porterville High School, Monache High School, Granite Hills High School and Strathmore High School.

“At the Garden Club Tea, women can either purchase a hat to wear, or rent one of the decorated hats for the day, ” said Woods, who is President of the Porterville Garden Club.

She said the ladies' garden tea would be exactly like an English High tea, with sandwiches, tea, cookies and sweets. And, there would be a women’s boutique and a raffle at the tea.

This was the first time the club had ever combined the hats with the garden tea, and she hoped they would have many in attendance.

When asked about the kinds of projects the club works on Sally Gonzalez said, “Any project, like these hats, that helps bring money for our scholarships fund is good, and the company is great.”

Carolyn Lingard of Porterville decorated a light blue hat with white lace and a large Magnolia blossom. Lingard said she would wear her own hat, a dark straw hat decorated with purple pansies and dark green leaves.

Gonzalez brought multiple hats to the workshop, as well as more silk flowers and ribbons.

She worked on a bright orange hat and decorated it with a magenta flower and white lace ribbons.

She also decorated a tiny hat for a child, using glittering pink ribbon little white flowers. “It’s a ‘Princess Hat!’” She decorated another small hat with yellow pansies and a bow.

“We want everyone to wear a hat, but also flat heeled, comfortable shoes,” said the energetic Woods. She said girls 6 and younger are free at the Garden Club tea, and small tables and chairs with special tea cups would be there for them to enjoy.

“This is a good get-together for the ladies to make new friends and enjoy our old friends,” said Woods, who has also been president of the Porterville Women’s Club and is a volunteer at Sierra View District Hospital. She is a family counselor at Lindsay Gardens. “This is a great group of women. We have a lot of fun together.”

By the time they were done in the early afternoon, these creative women had finished 20 hats, and would be meeting again to make more hats for the fundraiser.

Admission tickets are $10 and are available at Shelly’s, 1616 W. Olive Ave., The Flower Mill, 619 North Main St., and Steve’s Drapery, 164 N. Main St.

For more information, call 568-2263 or 562-9952.