Handicraft artist gathers fellow crafters under one roof

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SHE will hike any trail in search of fellow handicraft artists who lack the opportunity to showcase their talent and masterpieces.

This was Dolly Quah Chin Bee’s aspiration when she set about organising the recent Kinta Craft Trail in Ipoh.

However, the journey to track down other talent in the arts and crafts from all over Perak has not been an easy one, Quah admitted.

Oriental appeal: Adorable bookmarks of dolls dressed in kimonos.

“It was as if I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Due to my limited contacts, crafters were invited only through word of mouth, while I found a few of them through their websites,” she said.

Even then the 52-year-old glass and wood painter managed to successfully gather about 30 fellow crafters to take part in what she termed as an “experimental” craft fair.

More details: A visitor reading information about some products on offer at a stall.

To support Quah’s cause and promote the local handicraft industry, the Kinta Heritage Group allowed Quah to use the Garden Villa as the venue of a two-day craft fair for free.

A variety of handicrafts ranging from sculptured soap and beaded necklaces to painted tins and glass bottles were displayed for visitors’ viewing.

Shampoo bags and pillow sheets hand sewn by disabled members of Daybreak Centre were also available for sale.

A group of mothers with disabled children also drew the attention of visitors as they demonstrated how they were able to come up with intricate-looking baskets using old magazines and their bare hands.

Intricat e: Bags made of American cotton hand sewn by the Daybreak for the Disabled community.

Some cupcakes and cookies that were on sale were so beautifully decorated and crafted that it was such a pity they were actually to be eaten.

Encouraged by the reception towards the fair, Quah said Ipoh would most definitely be seeing more of such events.

“The Kinta Craft Trail was organised with the intention of opening up more doors for crafters in need of a platform to present their artistic skills to a bigger audience.

“The response has been encouraging and we will hold more of such events in the near future,” she said.