Are you about to fall over?

 ~ Hello Friends and welcome to my blog ~

Well....

are you about ready to fall out of your chair? What the 4th blog post in less than a week? I must be sick or something 😂

Nah...

I'm just really happy to be getting in some kind of rhythm again. I've been so out of sorts of late rushing to do X, Y and Z that with summer winding down and harvest season upon the horizon...it's good to feel "in control" again a little bit. It seems most major things for me to prepare and roll out are over for a bit. The only big changes I have are the ones within myself. I have been striving to be a better person over the last several months, body wise, mind wise and most importantly spiritually wise. That's a big job and I fail time and again, but I always try to look at myself in the mirror and take a good hard, long look. I admit my failures, recognize my faults and celebrate those few things I do get right. Then I keep marching onward with hopes of tackling the next mountain and winning the next battle. 

STITCHING....

SO, let's get down to it! This summer I entered four projects into my county fair.

Here are the results: 

In this photo my projects are: The Shepherd's Bush Stocking (for Keith) and the "In His Hands" 

I received a Champion (for the Holiday Class) 

and I received Honor (for the small framed counted XS Class)

Closer Look at "In His Hands" and the piece that won the class, directly above. 

I always try to get pictures of all the items entered:

More views of entries: 

 

 

Here is Katie and Austin's Wedding Sampler:

It received a Honor Ribbon for Large Framed Class 

Here is my "Brown Swiss Dairy" 

It won Reserve Champion for Medium Framed Class

The Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion of the Needle Arts (I circled them so you could see them amidst all the other Champions):

 

All in all, not a horrible showing. I was disappointed though because Katie and Austin's Wedding Sampler didn't get higher than a Reserve Champion. It deserved (in my mind) higher than a Honor, but you know whatever. Other than that, I didn't care what the others got and likely my disappointment of the ranking on the Wedding Sampler clouded the overall outcome of my entries. 

Here are the judge's comment cards on each piece with the ribbon won: 

Katie and Austin's Wedding Sampler:

Note: This piece was stitched with Caron Collection Wool, single stranded, each stitch laid with a laying tool. Wool is a bit fuzzy and of course not completely uniform by nature.

Brown Swiss Dairy: 

Keith's Stocking:

In His Hands:

Note: this was a Dimensions Gold Collection Kit. ....the backstitching is put in for effect like a painting and does not follow the "stitches" as that would pixilate and make the finish look blocky. Rather you lay and couch the backstitching (or that is what I do) so that it curves with the fingers the nails, the wrist, the frayed edge of his cloak... that is the way of every Dimensions kit piece I've ever done.

Many people ask about the ribbons each year....

I believe every fair does it differently, but in my county (Monroe County in Indiana) 

 it is ranked like this:

Each piece in every class is judged and given: 

1st (blue)

2nd (red)

3rd (white)

Honor (purple - which is highest in initial judging)

Once all classes have been judged....

The Honor Ribbons are then judged again and the 2 top pieces out of each class are awarded:

Champion (large dark purple rosette ribbon)

or

Reserve Champion (large light purple rosette ribbon)

Once each class has a Champion/Reserve Champion ....

the Champions (from each class) are pulled and judged again to get the top 2 winners of the entire Needle Arts Category.

Grand Champion (BEST of the BEST)

Reserve Grand Champion (Second BEST of the BEST)

I have been lucky in the past to have received Grand Champion one time and Reserve Grand Champion twice. 

I'm hungry to win it again. 

Just wait....until next year!

I'm not a sore loser....

the top winners were all deserving. I was just disappointed in the wedding sampler. My other pieces honestly got better ribbons than I even anticipated. But I had anticipated a big win with the wedding sampler and since it didn't win big I was bummed.  (OK, OK....I know an Honor Ribbon is good...I just always like to aim high and when I fail, I'm disappointed). 

OK...that does it for me for today.

Look for a posting on the State Fair results upcoming as soon as I get them back from the fair toward the end of August. 

Until next time....

love in stitches, 

Vonna xxxx