By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
The Blind Center in Washington will offer shoppers the opportunity to make an early dent in their Christmas lists this weekend.
The center is hosting its annual Autumn Area Craft Show on Friday and Saturday, said Sally Moler, director of The Blind Center.
The show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The Blind Center is located on the corner of North Harvey and East Third streets.
Crafters from Beaufort County and surrounding areas will show and sell a variety of wares. Among the items expected are pottery, hand-carved birds, wood turnings, hand-sewn pieces, decorated glassware, book binding, silk-screen scarves, handcrafted stools, wood crafts and jewelry of all descriptions, Moler said.
The reason for hosting the show is two-fold, Moler added.
“All the money we raise goes for our operating expenses, and this show brings people in and makes them aware that we’re here,” she said.
In addition to the visiting artists and crafters, The Blind Center’s gift shop will also showcase an assortment of handcrafted items.
Among the new items is an assortment of Christmas carolers, each clad in a festive gingham gown and holding a miniature song book. The carolers are designed in such a way that they can serve as a standalone holiday decoration or as a tree-topper. A line of similarly designed angels is also planned.
When the center’s clients and volunteers craft the carolers and angels, they are making use of an unusual item that is donated periodically to The Blind Center, Moler said. Caron, a local manufacturer, gives the center plastic cones; those cones form the base of the dolls. Those same cones also have been utilized in the design of lighthouse candle holders representing beacons at Ocracoke Island, Cape Hatteras, Currituck, Bodie Island and Cape Lookout.
Donated materials are a blessing to the center, Moler said, and the clients and volunteers make full use of the items.
“We’ve been given tons and tons of upholstery and curtain materials, so we’re doing a lot more with pillows now,” she said. “We’re very grateful for what everyone does for us.”
The gift shop was recently revamped to better show off the new holiday items, just in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Taking up residence of late have been stuffed frogs measuring more than 2 feet tall and wearing a variety of handmade costumes.
The Blind Center staff and clients also are continuing to produce a popular collection of Christmas trees and baskets fashioned from pine cones, and new fall wreaths created from natural materials and silk leaves have always proven to be favorites of shoppers.
The center has a fundraising raffle under way with tickets going for $1 each. Prizes include a quilt crafted by volunteer Peggy Jones as well as a woven stool and waste-paper basket created by visually impaired clients at the center. Tickets are available at the center and Washington Eye Clinic.
The Autumn Area Craft Show is one of several events hosted by The Blind Center each year, Moler said.
Next up is a pancake supper on Oct. 16, and the Kris Kringle Craft Show is planned for Dec. 11-12. The center also sponsors a Rock-A-Thon event in April.
“All the money we raise goes for our operating expenses, and this show brings people in and makes them aware that we’re here.”
Sally Moler, director
The Blind Center