Sequim Farmers Market
Aug. 22, Aug. 29
Open Saturdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through October
Downtown Sequim at Centennial Plaza, Sequim Avenue
Contacts: www.sequimmarket.com; manager@sequimmarket.com; 460-2668
Although she has been at the market since 2002, “Dragon Lady” always is sewing up something new to bring to the market.
Sharon Ireton is the entrepreneur with the pseudonym “Dragon Lady.” Her colorful booth is draped with all sorts of clever contraptions made from cloth, all nifty useful things, many of which were suggestions from customers, as she frequently she makes custom orders. It seems she can sew just about anything you might request, then she whips up a few extras and brings them to the market too and sees if they sell.
She tells me she comes from a long line of seamstresses. “My mother sewed, my sister sewed, my cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. … everyone sewed.” With her all-star Bernina sewing machine, which is “the best” and at least 50 years old, she carries on the family tradition.
While I sat in her booth interviewing her, a friendly couple came in and they were thrilled to see she had particularly wonderful microwave baked potato sacks. They began discussing the virtues of the sack and they seemed experts on the subject, highly approving of her superior variation. They bought two in a cheerful kitty-printed fabric. They went on to look at her adult bibs, exploring the velcro choices. Finally they were pawing over another of her popular items, tortilla warmers.
A few kids came in asking about her journals and her water bottle covers. She also sells cloth latte wraps and told me a local business ordered a dozen for its employees to give as gifts. She made some extras, they sold, too. Now there is a rack of them. She initially was inspired by making quilted tote bags; her sister had sent her an article on how to make them and she took off running.
Prior to her career at the Sequim Farmers Market, Sharon was a high school teacher for almost 40 years in Idaho. She taught English and her favorite classes to teach were mythology and folklore. She says her adoring students coined her the name “Dragon Lady” affectionately. She also says she misses her students and hated to leave them, though worse than that would have been missing the opportunity to watch her grandchildren growing up in Sequim. She tells me she loves to spend time with them and refused to be a one-week-a-year grandma.
Sharon loves three things about the market. She loves the outlet for her sewing hobby since her family tells her they have received just right amount of sewn gifts from her already. She enjoys visiting with the customers and she loves the camaraderie and helpfulness of the fellow vendors.
Sharon also threw in that she loves our new location so much more than Cedar Street.
Come shop with the “Dragon Lady” on Saturdays: she keeps perfect attendance!
The music on Aug. 22 will be Silver and Gold. On Aug. 29, the market will wrap up our music program with the delightful Cort Armstrong!
In the Suzanne Arnold Community Booth on Aug. 22 will be the New Dungeness Lighthouse Association and the Newcomers Club.
See you at the market!
