The Fair results are IN!

All I have to say is, Wow. 

 
In 2010 when I first entered the fair, I was amazed that I won best of class with this one:

Then, in 2011, I thought it was grand that I received best of show for my pinwheel scarf, and it felt like I outdid myself from 2010!

And this year, in 2012, I didn't think it was possible to outdo myself from those other years, and yet I think I did!  I received two best of class ribbons this year on my animals!

The alligator and lion were entered under the home decor class as a group of stuffed animals:

The armadillo won best of class for weaving!

 My table runner won 1st place in the woven design category!

 My blues dishtowel won first place in the woven kitchen item category!

 My hand-dyed hound's tooth scarf won 2nd place in the hand-dyed category!

 

 

Here are some other woven items that I liked and they were made by fellow weavers, although I don't think I know them.  I didn't recognize the names anyway. 

This dishtowel had a great use of color and design! I want to make something like this!  In fact, it has a great texture, and I know this because I helped volunteer in this department this year and was able to feel and play with everything!

This shawl has a wonderful texture, and it's so lightweight and warm feeling!  It's also very soft.  And when the light hits it just right, you can see different designs.  Very beautiful!  It deserves its first place ribbon!

I came in after school one day to volunteer to arrange and hang things.  I did all the quilt hangings on my own!  It was so much fun to touch, see, and feel the things up close.  I had a really great time!   I loved this behind the scenes experience, and I hope to repeat it next year.
 

I love this arrangement of jars... it looks so organized and neat!  The department superintended did this while I worked on the quilts.  It looks so nice!

 

These were the hardest to hang!  I had to climb up on a ladder and then stretch to reach the top of the inch-thick plexiglass.... this is a professional hockey stadium!

 I really liked this sheep cross-stitch!  It's so cute and it inspires me in more than one way.  I can see potential with this one...
 

And here are some fun pictures from the evening!  I had a jolly good time!  I also got to see some of my students and their livestock projects.  It was fun to share in something that was not school related!   

Adios Fair...

Until next year...

...And I wonder what that will bring!!

The county fair

I almost didn't do the county fair this year... I decided to, then I would change my mind, then I would change it back, and then finally I said No WAY!  Then a friend from church finally talked me into it last weekend.  So at the last minute, I decided to enter my armadillo.

I also got roped into volunteering 2 nights this week to help set-up, and a 3rd night during the weekend to help gather projects and clean up.  Our local county fair is struggling pretty bad in this area, in fact, last year we almost didn't have one but because people were willing to give up their time, the fair was a go, but barely.  I figured I needed to give some of my time to this good cause.  Besides, it's good, healthy entertainment for families, and I wanted to be a supporter of it.  And everyone knows you can't support from the sidelines!

Here is the armadillo, to remind you:

This exact one belongs to someone else in Kansas, but mine looks somewhat like this one.  I like this ones eyes much better though!  They're so big and blue!

I also entered the lion and alligator in the sewing section, under the set of toys category.

I entered the overshot table runner that looked like it was colored by crayons.

I entered the blues dishtowel.

 
And my dyed hound's tooth scarf in the dyeing section.

Later, I remembered my cool blue and white rug, but I figured I had enough with what I entered this year!

That's what happens when you're self taught!

When I got my stuff back from the fair, I received some great comments from the judge.  For example: "Excellent job!  Great selvedges!  Nicely presented!  Composition good!  Color works well for design!" and other encouraging things like that.  But I also got a lot of this, "Hemstitching on wrong side."  And this, "Slant on hem should be on back."

Whoops!!  I suddenly felt really embarrassed!  All this time I thought that side looked better so it was the top side!  How wrong, but I can't help to chuckle at my mistake!  I was so embarrassed that I spent a few days thinking about if I should say something on here, but then I figured that maybe someone else has made this mistake, too.  I wish I would have known, but I do know how to fix it for the future!

Here are some great tutorials:
http://www.weaving.cc/leasesticks/aug08tip.html
http://www.weavingtoday.com/media/g/how-to-instructions/tags/Hemstitching/default.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHBKqG2Do2I

Just for fun...

Here's an inspiring and exciting file photo from 2007 when I dyed a bunch of wool with kool-aide!  I think I want to try that again!  It was so much fun!

Onward and upward!  

Keep those shuttles and wheels moving!

Fair Prep

I just received word a day ago that out county fair WILL happen after all!  I have been looking forward to this for a year now, after last year's big win:

I plan on entering a lot more things this year in the weaving department, and will compete against myself a few times!  I want to enter some of my canning as well.  In fact, between the two departments, I have 9 things planned.  I know it's a little overkill, but you get a small amount of money if you place.  So the more things you enter, the more money you might get... then I can spend it on yarn for next year's projects!

So, here are some of the things I've made this year that I want to enter:

For the "household item" I will enter a Handwoven Dishtowel in summer and winter:

 

For original idea = P2P2 project

Rug (on the loom right now, and this is not it but it will kind of look like this style with the different shaped squares woven out of t-shirt scraps...)

Scarf

And for the "other" category: Lee's Surrender Overshot runner

 

The spinning category:
Hand spun wool

And last... but not least, the canning category:

apple pie filling

applesauce

apple jelly

I am so excited!  I have to turn it all in next Wednesday, so I have about a week and a few days to finish my handwoven rug and gather everything together.

The Fair Project 2011

Last year, for the first time I decided to enter the county fair. This was my project, and I was only hoping to maybe get runner up.

But when we got to the fair, this is what I saw:



So now the challenge is to beat myself this fall. I saw this pattern in a book called Lee's Surrender:


When I saw this pattern, I KNEW this is what I wanted to make. But then I had to choose the colors. I wanted to chose something super modern with pizazz like this:




But it just didn't seem right. Maybe someday I will try it at least, but for now, I went with more traditional colors:


And I really like it! The warp was long enough to make 3 different ones, this in navy, one in red, and one in brown. But this is my favorite!