The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-07-17

for church baZaarS. Now tourists,
looking for something distinctive,
find the dolls appealing.
Another woman who uses her
fine needlework for the tourist
trade is Mrs. Colon Perry. She
makes an apron out of Indian
Head, to which she appliques g
big crab, sea horse or sailfish de-
sign. The aprons have the advan-
tage of being thoroughly prac-
teal as well as eyecatching con-
versation pieces.
Mrs. Lynwood Tillett of Kitty
Hawk has a gift with flowers and
plants and a talent for flower
arrangement. These she COM
bines to create shell gardens.
She puts the proper kind of soil
in conch shell and plants it
with Dare county growth. Us
ually she has tiny cactus grow
ing along with other plants she
finds in the woods. Sometimes
the shell garden rests in a drift
wood nest; other times it hangs
in a net swing, but always it
attracts the eye of the vacation
list who belongs to the garden
club back home.
Time was when Bobby Perry,
put his skill with model air
planes to good use, making scale
models of the Wright plane. He
cut the tiny parts from balsa
wood from patterns prepared
according to information from
the Smithsonian Institution. AL
though young Perry has out
grown his interest in model
planes, a few of those he made
are still to be had. Since there
won't be any more, they are be-
coming precious.
Ralph Tillett of Wanchese
takes time from his business as
merchant and barber to do
small oil paintings of Dare coun-
ty scenes, even though he's not
sure why tourists get excited
about a picture of a couple of
bleak looking fish houses and a
boat tied up at a deserted pier.
Mr.. Tillett's painting is the type
known as primitive" His train
ing has been slight, but you can't
keep a born artist from putting
paint on canvas. Folks who know
say Mr.. Tillett's work is really
good.
Among others who cater to the
tourist trade with their hand
work is Mrs. Frank Stick of
Southern Shores. She makes
dainty sachets filled with juniper
shavings, so that tourists can
take home and keep the nose
tingling fragrance of the juniper
paneling they liked in their
beach cottages. She also makes
shopping bags out of netting, and
crochets baby bibs with fish in
the corner as a reminder of a
Mays Head vacation. David and
Phyllis Stick also are craftsmen
of skill. He makes driftwood
lamps and juniper surfboards,
and also prepares wind sculpture
pieces for wall, table or lapel
pins; Mrs. Stick sets up hurricane
lamps on a cork base.
While other people stitch or
paint, Mrs. Edgar Perry uses
spare time to crochet little cups
and saucers, and her sister knits
wool or nylon socks. Mrs. Elton
Twiford, after creating the de-
sign, crochets place mats on
which appears the Wright Mem
orial monument.
A few professionals also par
ticipate in the business of pro-
viding souvenirs characteristic of
Dare county. For instance, Mrs.
Marjorie Widgery of Durham, an
artist, spends each May on the
beach, doing water colors of the
endlessly changing seascape.
Gene McLain, who plays the
part of Gov. John White in "The
Lost Colony" and teaches sculp-
turing in the fine arts summer
school at Manteo, makes figures
of Old Tom and Agona as re-
minders of the pagent and also
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