fair frenzied

Here are your pictures, mom. (you know, the ones I promised to get up here a week ago? See how your patience pays off? Last week they would have been pictures of the project, but this week you get fair info, too!) Last week was the due date for fair entries. In all fairness, it has been a busier than normal summer. BUT I have ruled out staying up until 3 am to finish fair projects in the future. Here is the run down: Rachel got 4 1st place ribbons and 2 second place ones. Her embroidery and pj capris are going to the state fair. She was a very determined girly, turning down a bbq and a sleepover, all for the sake of finishing her projects. Overheard while working on a project: "I can't wait for fair to be over. I am sick of sewing straight lines and making sure my tension is right! I hate the fair!" It was great to have a high standard inflicted on them by someone else and I think she has come to understand the pay off of quality. Great fair lesson #2. (the 1st was all about procrastination. the 3rd? Mom, DON'T touch the exhibits!)

Rachel: "My first embroidery that I finished and I won first place!"

Mom: "See! You should finish more of your embroidery projects!"

Chloe and Autumn are not old enough to do official entries, but I am pretty sure they would have rocked the competition if they could have. (No motherly bias here, I tell you.) Autumn made a "sleeping fairy" that I think was her nicest fairy yet. Very nice craftsmanship and just plain stinking cute. (and completed while I wasn't even home. Go, Autumn.)

Chloe was a little bit of an over achiever, making an apron, pj capris and a zippered pouch.

I helped guide Chloe as she was sewing (mainly because I was making up the patterns as we went along) and she is such a diligent seamstress. Straight lines and good taste. I would give her two options for her pattern and she continually chose the harder (and cuter) option.

(note the hankie in her apron. She even chose it out at the antique store and bought it by herself.) She sewed every stitch on her projects, ironed everything the needed ironing and chose out all of the fabric. It was rewarding for them to see all of their hard work on display and they are already planning for next year. My favorite part? I love that the judges nicely hold them to a standard of high quality work. They expect zig zagged edges, reinforced seams and all sorts of standards that were foreign to me until a couple of years ago. My girls are going to out sew me over the next few years and I can't wait! Speaking of which, guess where we are this week! Yep. Sewing Camp, part deux. We packed up plenty of adorable fabric that will come home in lovely new forms. My biggest complaint about sewing camp? While all of the kids are sewing, Lia and I are stuck, sewing machine-less. Sigh. What is a mom to do?