Monday, August 12, 2019

County 🎡 Fair Recap 2019

Like many of you, I grew up in 4-H, entering things I sewed, crocheted and baked in our county fair. Years later, when the county fair rolls around, I still have this overwhelming urge to enter my handmade items! 

In our 4-H days, we'd make projects just for the county fair, our magnum opus for the year. Nowadays I look through my list of what I've finished over the past year and see what categories they fit into. Only 1 entry per person per category is allowed. That means some of my quilts duplicate the same category and can't be entered.

This year I entered nine items. So, take a tour of my items with me, in the order I discovered them at the county fair last week. I'll share the judges comments, written on the back of the tags, too.

My Japanese Gypsy Wife quilt was the first quilt I saw as I walked in the needlecraft barn. You can imagine my surprise seeing that Award of Excellence ribbon!
Here are the judge's comments: "Wide array of scraps. Coordinates nicely for muted color pallet. Piping nicely executed. Interesting quilting technique. Excellent machine quilting & individual motifs enhance works. Strive to keep binding corners at 90 degrees."

Next I found my pair of quilted Trifle Tumbler bags. They were entered in the "Other Quilted Articles, Tote bag/Purse" category and received a blue first place ribbon, bottom row, center:
Judge's comments: "Excellent construction. Quilting well executed. Color zipper a plus."

Hanging on the wall nearby was my Rainbow Feather quilt, with another blue ribbon, plus an Award of Excellence ribbon!
Judge's comments: "Machine applique well executed. Quilting designs greatly enhance subject. Pieced binding is a plus."

I found my Sprarkle-y Sherpa Christmas quilt on the next aisle with a white, third place ribbon:
Judge's comments: "Delightful use of large panel. Quilting design well chosen & executed. Choice of backing & wrap around binding is delightful. Outside edges should be straight & true."

My Meadowland quilt was down the aisle a bit, with a red, second place ribbon.
Judge's comments: "Piecing precisely well executed. Pieced binding adds visual interest. Backing fabric is a delightful surprise. Watch back miter stitching."

Around the bend hung my Red Fuji quilt. It received a blue first place ribbon, plus an Award of Excellence ribbon!
Judge's comments: "Graphic, effective, pixelated design. Red matchstick quilting well executed & adds visual interest."

Then on the back side, I found my Wabi Sabi Barn Star, below, right, with another blue first place ribbon, plus an Award of Excellence ribbon!
Judge's comments: "Excellent use of specialized fabric. Piecing is precise. Matchstick quilting well executed."

Around the last bend hung the Champion needlecraft items. I was bowled over to find my Party quilt there with a Grand Champion ribbon!
Here are the judge's comments: "Matchstick quilting well executed. Precision piecing, fabric choices flow & coordinate. Strive for outside edges to be perfectly straight & true."

The other rainbow quilt, directly beneath the Champions sign below, Gravity, was the top Grand Champion of the quilts and will represent our county at the state fair. It was made by Barb, my co-worker at the quilt shop, and quilted by Sandi, another co-worker at the quilt shop!
Thanks for taking a stroll though my county fair quilts with me! Come back later this week for a write up of the ninth item I entered. Not that it's special, but rather, I finished it just in the knick of time, so I haven't written about it here yet. 
  
Grace & peace!!! ~Nancy

Linking up with Design Wall Monday, Main Crush Monday, Moving It ForwardWhat I Made Monday, Monday MakingClever Chameleon Quilting, Home Sewn by UsWednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Needle & Thread Thursday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict.   

27 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I didn’t know you were in 4-H too! I liked 4-H more than school. We had such a fun group of families and I learned so much.

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  2. You did so well on your fair entries! Brings back memories of the Happy Hornets 4-H club! Love your quilts. So interesting to hear the judges comments. Congratulations on a job well done!
    Quilter Bonnie

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  3. Oh how fun... thanks for sharing the comments. I enjoyed reading them. Our judges here rarely make comments. Congratulations on all the ribbons!

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  4. WOW! All these awards are so well deserved. Someday, I'll see you meticulous. award wining work up close!

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  5. Congratulations!! How wonderful to get so many ribbons, well deserved! I love entering the fair competitions too.

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  6. How awesome you were able to enter so many fabulous things and way better that you got so many ribbons. Congrats, well deserved!

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  7. Wow, Nancy they were all truly beautiful. It is great when others see your work for what you have done and appreciate it. I think the best part is those are quilts you made because you wanted to and they fit nicely into categories for the fair.

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  8. Congratulations! So many ribbons!! You're a champion, Nancy! Your readers knew that all along :)

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  9. Congratulations, Nancy! I was a 4-Her too, but never enjoyed it as much as you and Tracie :-) and I have never entered a quilt in a fair. I hope you have a place to display all those ribbons! Well done!

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  10. How fun to win all those ribbons-congrats!

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  11. Hi Nancy! Thank you for linking up today! Wow, just looking at all of the gorgeous quilts and the well-deserved ribbons. It just gave me the chills. Your Champion piece - how beautiful it turned out, and the comments seem to be spot on to me. As Louise said, we all knew you are a champion but it's nice to be formally recognized, isn't it?! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  12. Congratulations on your awards from the fair! I've never entered a quilt, but do enjoy going to our county fair and looking at all the ones that are there.

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  13. Oh my gosh, Nancy, you really cleaned up!! Congratulations; your work is outstanding and I'm glad to see you raking in all of those ribbons! Way to go! :-)

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  14. Nancy, What a way to show at the fair!! Your quilts are wonderful. I am sure you could not believe all the ribbons you received.

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    1. Thanks, Charlette! You're right, I could not believe it! Maybe it was a dream? It's interesting how a ribbon can be great affirmation. Thanks for leaving your comment!

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  15. Congratulations, Super Quilter! Your quilts are really beautiful online and apparently in person too. The judge's comments prove too. GREAT JOB!

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  16. Congrats on all of your ribbons and fair entries. Well done!

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  17. Congrats to you! I don't think I could have contained my excitement seeing all the ribbons...I don't know how you kept your cool!

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  18. Wow what a great display!! I am glad you enetered!!!

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  19. Wow, Nancy, congratulations!!!!!! What an amazing array of praise! Are you going to make a display of all your ribbons?

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  20. Many kudos to your winning entries! I haven't entered at the county level but won an honorable mention at the state level last year. I didn't enter this year's competition and am shooting for a state fair entry for 2020.

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  21. Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Hmm, maybe there should be more of those - congrats on all of your wins. They are so well deserved! And the judges gave great comments, in both the 'well done' and 'needs work' categories - kudos to them.

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  22. Congratulations!! You certainly earned all of those ribbons. Your work is beautiful. And can I just add that your fair does a terrific job with display? Ours is a little limited on space, and we don't get to see much of many of the quilts. Thanks for linking up to What I Made Monday.

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  23. Congratulations! What a boat load of ribbons and beautiful quilts.

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  24. Nancy - this is all so exciting!!! Congratulations!! You are an inspiration!!!!

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  25. Congratulations on all your fair successes! The chameleon was so excited to see the judges agreed with him on the merits of your Mt Fuji quilt! :D Your ribbons are all well deserved and I hope the viewers enjoyed your talents too. How excited you must have been to achieve a grand champion. Again, well done!

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  26. Yep 4-H - "The Happy, Handy, Heathy Harlequins (4 h's) LOVE all the quilts you made, Well done!!!! Thanks for sharing.

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