By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
She wasn’t wearing green tights and a pointed cap, but Patti Barnes of Washington looked like one of Santa’s elves Friday as she arranged handmade jewelry in her booth at the Holiday Arts &Crafts Show.
The event, which is hosted by the Beaufort County Arts Council, continues today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Washington Civic Center.
Barnes is one of 50 artists and craftsmen from throughout eastern North Carolina taking part in the show, according to Joey Toler, BCAC executive director.
“I’ve done this show for about 10 years,” Barnes said as she displayed necklaces, bracelets and earrings crafted of colorful glass beads and semi-precious stones. “The first year, I remember my feet hurting so bad, but money just kept flying at me! I got smart the next year and got better shoes.”
Barnes’ jewelry-making business is a cottage industry; she also works full-time as receptionist/secretary at Washington High School. She calls her sideline Sweet Potatoes, after the nickname her husband gave her on their first date. Many of her pieces are one-of-a-kind, while others are unique and few-of-a-kind.
Elsewhere, the Civic Center resembled Santa’s workshop as vendors displayed a variety of handcrafted items including sewn pieces, pottery, baskets, footstools, knitted scarves, artwork, woodcarvings and Christmas decorations.
Lene Gurganus of Aurora whetted folks’ appetites with her assortment of preserves and canned goods. Hundreds of jars lined her booth, holding such mouth-watering treats as bread-and-butter pickles and raspberry, blueberry and peach jams and jellies.
Gurganus said she cans all the items herself and has participated in the BCAC show for at least 10 years.
“I just enjoy making all of it,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jean Bowen was putting the finishing touches on her booth showcasing dozens of handmade baskets.
“I started making baskets in 1982 and I started doing this show within a few years,” Bowen said. “It really takes more than one person to do this booth, and my husband doesn’t like it so my daughter is helping me today.”
Bowen, who also owns Jean’s Shop in Bath, said she became involved in basket-making just to fill out a class being taught locally. Then, she was hooked. Not only does she make baskets, she now teaches others the art as well.
Along with the traditional baskets crafted from precut strips of wood, Bowen has begun working with pine needles and waxed linen, too. She enjoys the work, but it can be time consuming.
“Some of these baskets take a week to complete,” she said.
Toler said he wasn’t sure how long BCAC has sponsored the show, but he does recall helping with it during a previous stint with the Arts Council in the early 1980s.
“That was before the Civic Center was renovated,” he said. “There was no heat and there were stacks of fertilizer against the walls. I remember wearing overalls, longjohns and gloves while we were setting up because it was so cold in there.”
The venue has improved, and the show, which has grown by leaps and bounds, is a success every year, Toler added.
“We only charge a booth-rental fee, and we don’t take a percentage of their proceeds, so it isn’t a huge money-maker for us,” he said. “But it is a way we can support our local artists and crafts people. Every bit of that work is original and handmade.”