Local Flagmaker To Be Among
Crafters Displaying Handiwork
BY SUSAN USHER
Hummingbirds, lighthouses,
pumpkins and Santas are just
a few of th-; designs that
have made their way onto Fay Sikes'
flags since she took up the craft this
January.
Friday and Saturday her handi
work will he flying high at Seaside
as she joins approximately 150 oth
er exhibitors in the arts and crafts
show at the N.C. Oyster Festival.
Artists and crafters will come
from several states to offer almost
anything a festival-goer could ima
gine. from one-of-a-kind clothing,
jewelry, accessories and metalcraft
to handmade home furnishing, holi
day decorations, photographs, pain
tings. stained glass, toys, ceramics
and pottery.
Anyone who's shopped for flags
recently will notice almost immedi
ately that Sikes' colorful, sturdy ny
lon (lags are bigger than average ?
a whopping 28 inches by 50 inches,
but are priced to sell. She'll also
have poles and mounting brackets
available.
Sikes took up tlagmaking by
popular demand.
"The children were begging me
to do one for them, so I did," she
said. That first flag, for her daugh
ter-in-law Sharon Sikes, was a col
orful parrot. She hasn't done anoth
er like it, but with Sharon's encour
agement. Fay has turned out flags
in many more designs, including
the one-of-a-kind banner tlving
outside her own home, which fea
tures the five lighthouses along the
North Carolina coast. She has de
signs for every season and most
holidays.
She gives some flags to friends
and family and sells others through
a friend's craft shop at Holden
Beach. This weekend will be the
first time Fay's shown them at a
festival. "Sharon talked me into it
and she's going to help me," said
Fay.
Sometimes the designs are of her
own creation, but more often are
commercial patterns.
Fach flag requires at least six
hours of work, she said. Fay first
cuts and sews the basic flag. Then
she traces the design patterns on
> M
THIS FIA.G depicts the North Carolina coast's distinctive light
houses.
colored pieces of nylon that are
then stitched carefully to one side
of the Hag. using heavy thread in a
contrasting color. Trimming out is
painstaking. Extra fabric is first cut
away from the design elements on
the back side. Then, on the front,
the basic flag must be trimmed
from within the outlines to reveal
the design. Most are sewn twice,
sometimes three times, to secure
the design on the flag.
She and her husband. Tom
Morphet, live in Sea Village, just
up N.C. 904 from the festival
grounds. Their home is filled with
evidence of Sikes' handiwork. The
flags are just the latest of her craft
creations.
"I've always enjoyed crafts,"
said Sikes, a homemaker first in the
Lake Norman area near Denver,
N.C., and then here for the past 2'A
years. "I started out doing things
for the children."
Her hands are always occupied
with one project or another, if not
flags, then designer Christmas
sweatshirts or handmade dolls or
some other craft that she enjoys
sharing with family and friends.
"If I see something I'll have a fit
until I get one made," she said. The
work not only gives her pleasure
but is also a way to make "a little
extra money."
Handiwork is therapeutic, too, as
she was reminded not long ago.
"Three years ago I had a real bad
heart attack and after that I gave up
smoking," she said. "I need to keep
my hands busy."
Artists and craftspeople partici
pating in this year's show again
have the option of entering a juried
competition with cash purchase
awards sponsored by Southern
National Bank of $3(W) for best in
show, $100 each for first place in
the fine arts and the crafts divisions,
and $50 purchase awards for sec
ond place in each division. Winners
will be announced Saturday after
noon.
Revamping of the festival site at
N.C 904 and N.C. 179 at Seaside
has created separate areas for food
WED. NITE BUY 1 PIZZA-2ND PIZZA* 1/2 PRICE
* Equal or lesser value
THURS. NITE ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SPAGHETTI NIGHT
DIN? IN Spaghetti Traditional Sauce, Garlic Bread $*599
ONLY
Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Bread 1
FRI. NITE ITALIAN FEAST NIGHT
Spaghetti w/meatballs, Lasagna, Cheese Ravioli, Stuffed Shells. Chicken Alfredo. Chicken Parmtglana
v and more Served w/salad and garlic bread
$595-$895
(Try an Italian Combo Platter)
i ^ Offer Good 5 PM to 9 PM Only ? Not good with any other discount or offer ? Offer expires Dec. 15. 1993
Holden Beach 842-4999 ? Ocean Isle 579-4999
DINE IN ? CARRY OUT ? DELIVERY (Ltd. Area)
Ocean Isle Open Wed. -Sat. 1 1 :30am-9 pm ? Holden Beach Open Wed. -Sat. 1 1 :30 am-9 pm
/
STAFF PHOTOS BY SUSAN USHER
FAY SIKFS' booth at the N.C. Oyster Festival Arts & Crafts Show
will feature handmade flags such as these.
150 expected this weekend.
Festival Co-Chairman Sally
Nord, who is also coordinating the
arts and crafts show, says she thinks
the redesign will "open up" the area
and provide better traffic flow.
service, entertainment, rides, and
arts and crafts. It has also allowed
festival sponsors to expand the
show's display area.
The show area can accommodate
2(K) exhibitors, with approximately
Reny^Any Old Thing
A unique collection of
both past and present
Hwy. 130 At Waccamaw
River In Ash
(919)287-3182 or 800-424-6286
Christmas Shop and full gift line
plus limited edition artworks
? Tom Clark Gnomes
'Raikes
?Precious Moments
'Miss Martha Originals
? Maude Humphrey Bogurt
?Alex Haley Rem em hers
? Sarah 's Attic
? Cat's Meow
?I/ummels
? Whitley Bay
? Jan Ha guru
? Memories of Yesterday
? David Winter
? Lowell Davis
? Department 56
?Snow Babies
?Rowe Pottery
?Fen ton Glass
Use our 800 number if you are outside our telephone exchange.