By Deb Brubaker

For INSIDE Pennsylvania

You can go out of your gourd deciding what to do with gourds.

Jewelry, musical instruments, bowls, lamps, decorations, and birdhouses all can be made from gourds.

Carving, weaving, wood burning, beading, painting, coiling, stained glass, embroidery—these are some of the creative ways to craft gourds.

“Part of the intrigue with gourding is the versatility that allows the artist/crafter to try new things,” said Jennifer Avery, 33, of Lititz, who has been growing and crafting gourds for eight years.

“Another fascinating thing about gourds is they have been used for hundreds of years all over the planet for just about everything imaginable,” Avery explained. “Before pottery was fired, gourds were used as containers, dishes, bowls, and water jugs. In some countries, they are still used daily.”

Avery refers to gourds as “God’s Tupperware.” She uses gourds for display art and function. “I use them to store any number of things from keys, loose change, candles, and my daughter’s hair barrettes,” said the stay-at-home mom who spends 15-20 hours a week gourding.

Avery’s husband, Dave, is planning his first gourd project—a gourd fountain using a giant canteen gourd grown by Pa. Gourd Society (PAGS) member, Helen Olena. “My daughter, Audrey, 8, also does some gourd projects,” said Avery. “She is most proud of a cat she made out of a dipper gourd with a clay face and fishing line whiskers.”

Denise Williams’s favorite tool in the house isn’t a kitchen appliance, but a Dremel power tool she uses for gourd crafting.

Williams, 39, of Coatesville, displays her gourds throughout her home as a means to talk about the art. “For me it’s a great way to share my beliefs in God and his bounty,” said the crafter who refers to herself as “The Gourd of Eden.” “I believe God placed them here graciously for our utilitarian use, as well as our fancy. So many cultures are still thriving of the economy that the gourd brings them. Places like West Nigeria where it’s their livelihood, dowry, status symbol, tradition in ceremony, the list goes on and on. The gourd is an ever-powerful quintessential symbol of God’s bounty.”

Spending at least three hours each day crafting, Kathy Gordon, of Mount Wolf, is fairly new to the gourd life. “I joined PAGS over a year ago,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to have an expanded social life, meeting people, going to workshops and meetings.”

While she doesn’t have a special technique or niche yet, she does have a special gourd. “My son, Nickolas Gordon, 21, is in the Army stationed in Iraq. I sent a patriotic-painted gourd to him, asking to have his fellow soldiers in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment sign it,” explained the 38-year-old electronic assembler. “Thanks to the soldiers, I now have a cherished memorial; and that gourd has traveled much further than I ever will.”

Before gourding, Mariellen Hittner, 50, of Bethlehem, painted animals on rocks. “It sure is easier to carry gourds around than rocks,” laughed Hittner, current PAGS Vice President and a nurse at Northampton Community College. “The college is even after me to teach a gourd class.”

Hittner, who refers to herself as “Off the Vine” enjoys carving, pyro-engraving, and basket weaving gourds.

Terry Noxel, 56, of Gilbertsville, became involved in gourding when a friend gave her a “Crafting with Gourds” book. “I traveled to New Hampshire to take gourd classes, then found out about the PAGS Gourd Fest, and I’ve been dabbling every since.”

The Designer/Project Manager for a pharmaceutical company offered a tip for crafting functional birdhouses. “I treat the cleaned, prepared gourd by soaking it in a solution of copper sulfate which protects the inhabitants from harmful bacteria,” said Noxel. “I also spray/paint the gourd with white exterior enamel paint to make it more durable and the light color helps the birdhouse stay cool.”

“If you have a favorite craft, you can probably do it on a gourd,” Noxel said. “Flexibility is intriguing.”

While each gourder has their own way of creatively expressing their art, one thing they have in common is: “ALWAYS wear a mask, goggles, and safety gear.” “It’s extremely important not to contaminate the interior of your home with gourd dust and such, as well as inhale toxic fumes,” said Williams.

(Deb Brubaker lives in Selinsgrove. E-mail comments to humming@ptd.net.)