Passionate pursuits

How do you spend your spare time?

New surveys by the Hobby Industry Association show that 80 percent of the nation has a hobby -- and that's what consumes those hours spent away from work.

Most people with a hobby use it as a means of relaxation -- it's something they enjoy. And more people are enjoying hobbies today than in 1948 when a similar study was conducted. Only 50 percent of the nation reported having a hobby then.

Today the most popular hobbies for adults are:

Participatory sports, like city leagues, with 33 percent of adults joining a team

Handicrafts like sewing, crocheting, knitting or quilting attract 20 percent of adults

Walking for exercise and gardening also rank high on the list.

Here's a look at a few area residents and their hobbies:

Guppy breeding

Years ago, Steve Windeknecht of Cape Girardeau bought a fish tank at a yard sale and found himself with a new hobby: breeding guppies.

"With the feeding and cleaning the tanks it can be like a part-time job," he said. But with 1,000 guppies to care for, that's almost expected.

He has fish tanks spread throughout his house, each with about 20 fish. He sells most of the guppies via the Internet, but he has sold to some area pet stores.

Guppies are live-bearers, and one female can have between 20 and 100 fish in a month.

"That's why there are so many tanks," Windeknecht said.

He's been breeding several varieties of guppies, like halfbacks, Red Cobras, German Pastels and Blue Metal Heads, as well as yellow snakeskin and pink pingu.

Karaoke

Troy and Toni Wilburn of Kelso, Mo., share two hobbies. The couple recently discovered karaoke but have been bowling together for nearly 25 years.

A knee injury has put Troy out of bowling for a bit, but Toni still bowls regularly. "We're phasing out of that and into karaoke," Troy said.

The couple first heard about karaoke three years ago from friends who sang at area nursing homes and the VFW post in Cape Girardeau. After going one night to hear their friend sing, the couple was hooked.

"I'd written down all these songs I wanted her to sing ,and she said I had to sing," Toni said.

And she did. Now there are close to 100 songs she sings, and Troy has about 200 in his repertoire. The majority of them are country tunes.

"By changing the pitch or key, you can increase the number of songs you sing," Troy said.

Most of the people who sing karaoke are anywhere from 10 to 40 years younger than the Wilburns, Troy said.

"It's always fun, and we just love it so much," Toni said. The couple sings on Friday nights at the VFW and during the week in McClure, Ill. They even provide the entertainment at their family reunions and gatherings.

Sewing and quilting

Mary Belle Dohogne took up quilting 16 years ago after retiring from her job at the Missouri Division of Employment Security. But she's been sewing since she was 12.

With seven children, Dohogne said she always had plenty of subjects to sew for, and all her daughters learned to sew.

"I think it's in our genes," she said.

Now Dohogne uses most of her sewing skills for quilting. She organizes a group of ladies who quilt together each week at St. Vincent de Paul parish. The women are hired by individuals for their work, and the proceeds from their jobs are donated to the church.

Quilting is very satisfying, Dohogne said. "You just concentrate on creating something."

At her home in Cape Girardeau, Dohogne usually finishes one quilt a year and spends more of her time working on smaller wall hangings. "Most of them I've given to my children at Christmastime."

Lately, she's been doing paper-pieced projects, which are sewn to match the fabric shapes on a pattern. The quilts turn out more precise and require less cutting beforehand.

Most of the quilts Dohogne makes today are found in books and magazines she reads, she said.

It's essential for quilters to have a good sewing machine, good lighting in their work area, scissors, a rotary tool and cutting mat, and plenty of material scraps.

Jewelry making

Helen Towner of Cape Girardeau turns scraps and odd-shaped pieces of metal into works of art that you can wear.

Towner has been making her own jewelry pieces for almost 20 years and enjoys using the tiny tools to create. She works primarily with metals now, though she has done beaded pieces in the past.

"It's very peaceful to saw on a piece of metal and make it into something," she said.

But jewelry-making wasn't her first hobby. Towner originally studied painting and drawing in college, where she received a degree in art education.

She's tried her hand at painting, photography, weaving and jewelry making.

She found her voice in metals and making jewelry. "What I like about jewelry is that it's a craft and an art," Towner said. "It mixes both the practical and the artistic."

Most of her pieces are drawn from nature and ethnic designs or details.

Towner hasn't been creating as much since moving to Missouri about two years ago. But in her workshop, she has all the tiny tools necessary -- small drill bits and a hand drill, hammers, files, wire pliers and a soldering iron.

While living in Iowa, Towner did create pieces for museums and art exhibits. "I didn't want to do diamond sets," she said. "This is art jewelry."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126