Kerry Smith of Oak Lake was this year's winner of the Oak Lake Agricultural Fair's Best Overall Craft, which was sponsored by Arts Mosaic and held on July 20. He is pictured here with a travailleuse, or, as it is more commonly called, a sewing box. It's constructed of solid walnut with mahogany, maple, and cherry inlays. The hinged arms are made of maple, and the inside is flocked; everything is held together with Chicago bolts and is completed with a lacquer finish. Kerry made one for his wife but then had enough materials left over to complete a second one. He copied the pattern from a box that his sister inherited from her mother-in-law and completed it over the winter months.
