Another "Outstanding" at the Fair

This is Maria's fourth year in 4-H, and her third year competing with a clothing project (her second year she tried photography but then came back to clothing).  This year, Maria wanted to knit so she entered the "Tops for Tweens" category and knitted a tank top.  I helped her pick the design and yarn color, but then she was pretty much on her own, as I don't know much about knitting.  I did help with the "blocking" at the end of the project right before she attached the front to the back.  She got lots of compliments, though, and most people would ask me if I knitted as well.  I told them no, that she had one grandma who taught her how to knit and the other grandma taught her how to crochet.  She is very fortunate to have such wonderful grandmas!

Maria's judging interview took place last Thursday, and she did very well.  She scored "Excellent" in 7 out of 8 categories, with the only "Good" rating under "Fit."  We did notice that the back gaped just a little, but I have no idea how to fix that.  Her judge wrote comments like "Wonderful" for design, "Just great!" for personable qualities, and "Oh yes!" for knowledge. 


Yesterday was the Style Review, where the girls model their outfits and they learn how they did when they were judged.  Maria ended up with an "Outstanding" ribbon, which is the highest you can get, and also got a specialty award.  Out of all the girls taking a clothing project (probably about 50), seven of them are recognized for illustrating one of the "Seven Clues to Achieve a Total Look."  These include things like fashion, fit, construction, posture, poise, construction, and grooming.  Maria won the award for grooming, which came with a $10 gift card to JoAnn Fabrics.  The only disappointment of the day was that she was not chosen as the representative in her category to go to the State Fair.  The girl who was chosen had a top that looked pretty difficult to make, and since Maria went last year, its good for someone else to have that opportunity.  Overall, it was a great experience and we are very proud of her!