Clackamas County Fair 2016

Smiling pigs, Floppy rabbits, Cocky roosters, Bedazzled llamas and a spotted cow.

I almost didn't go. We finally got the hots as in 100 degrees hot. The Clackamas County Fair wouldn't be complete without the paramedics taking someone out for heat stroke.

One of the vendors handed me a free ticket so I went between work shifts on Friday. At 9:30am, it was already 90+.

Once inside, I got wrapped up in my agenda of looking at Hobby Hall, a quick walk past vendors downstairs, then out to the barns for the cutest rabbits and piggies.

My kids and I would enter our creations and then endlessly speculate "WHY?" as to what the judges picked to be ribbon-worthy.

 The lights weren't on yet when I climbed up to Hobby Hall where the textile entries reside (early). Even with low lighting, this scrabble quilt is amazing.

 "Oh No You Didn't" was the title of this adult professional painting.

 Clothing entered. My work shorts won a red ribbon - not a blue ribbon like I expected. This just means someone else entered an adult pant or short that was even better than  my work shorts.

Actually, it's just sadly ridiculous how easy it is to win a blue ribbon. There were even less entries this year than last year. I am on a mission to encourage people to take the time to enter their makes into their county fair. 

County Fairs are one of the last ways to enjoy our agricultural heritage and they are fading away.
 

 My table runner won a blue ribbon! 

All of my items won ribbons which means I can splurge on more fabric once I collect the premiums! Blue pays out $4. We can enter our items at our county fair for free. The ribbons won pay out in cash. Woot!

 Happy dance to someone else showing off their collection of little airplanes.
I might have most, if not all, of these. Ahem.

My airplane items were all together in the same case with the airplane collection. 

My echino blue airplane bag in the back got a blue ribbon, the others a red.

 

Franny the cow. Yep - she had a nametag on - attached to her ear.

Newly shorn and bathed goats.

This smart aleck llama was in the same pen as a spotted llama. I know Teresa would like a better photo of the spotted one but he wasn't cooperating on this super hot day.

Cow butts.

 
 Also, on this super hot weekend was Junk Refunk, an event started last year by my friends at Big White Goose.
This years Junk Refunk was even bigger.

I had a couple of friends working as vendors on Saturday. I loaded up a cooler after work with frozen Otter pops and sunscreen and made the rounds offering vendors a cool treat to either use around their neck or actually eat.  I even had one vendor, who was by herself, avail herself of me as a booth minder while she searched out a bathroom.  

 Lots and lots of people, most of them from out-of-town, came through Junk Refunk and they were buying, in spite of the 90+ temps.

 My friend I went to school with and her younger brother. Their mom still lives across the street from my mom & dad's old house.

Their booth is Farm Vintage.
Out of Sherwood.

Today, it's a tad cooler, and I spent most of the day watering everything outside. I also  rearranged my guest room and straightened it up with fresh sheets and a dusting as well as throwing my kid's stuff willy-nilly into the closet to hide it better.

Hoping your summer is amazing.

PIllowcases & Snap Purses

 One of my favorite purses to make right now - the Snap Bag

 Sized to hold two bundles.
Pillowcases rolled up.

My sewing machine did not like sewing lace and rickrack over the seam line on the first pillowcase.
In fact, I had to use my seam ripper too many times on this project. I also had a rickrack disaster. The original rickrack was wider but when I started picking stitches --it dissolved into pieces. The rickrack fabric rotted!
I know the rickrack was old but I have never had that happen. It was sealed in it's original cellophane wrapping.
Smaller rickrack was substituted and actually sewed better- or I learned from my mistakes.

 Oops, one of the gold coins hidden in the case fell out.

 Deciding to gift the niece with this box was one of my better decisions this season.
Filled with paper scrunchies, this stuff is replicating - like Tribbles. This box came our way via a delivered gift and there are paper scrunchies everywhere underfoot. Yet, the box always seems to have more.
I placed the snap purse/pillowcases underneath so she would have to dig for her gift.

Won't she be surprised!

Pillowcase Instructions. 

Last year, Pencil Girl and I made pillowcases to donate at SewExpo  for the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. We'll be doing that again this year.

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital

I finished my Pillowcase today for sewexpo to benefit the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.
SewExpo put out a call for us sewers to make and donate pillowcases for children.
Pacific Fabrics even gave out a pillowcase tutorial. (Sorry, the link is apparently down). Useful because it lists the size of the unfinished pillowcase. I still ran around the house and measured my finished pillowcases and found a regular pillowcase varies widely but is essentially 19"w by 31" long.

I figured most of the Sewexpo ladies would make girly pillowcases as many of them are quilters and have a tremendous stash of floral-type fabrics. I wanted mine more boyish and used up just a tiny, tiny piece of my airplane fabric stash.
There was a moment last night when I was still deciding fabrics and design on my pillowcase when I seriously realized how tired I was.
Option A was to use the airplane fabric as the base and a white fabric for the cuff with a coordinating trim (rick-rack?) between cuff and base.
Option B was to utilize airplane fabric as both base and cuff with a flat piping trim to break up the pattern.
Option C: was a stern talking to myself about over-designing this pillowcase.
I threw it all back in the air and decided to sleep on the decision when I realized I have no solid fabrics in my stash. ( **I am sure I own solid colored fabrics but there were none last night). They are all prints that clash.  I found some white from a vintage sheet but it was so obviously NOT the same heft & weight of my base fabric.

This morning, I was clearing off the ironing board to iron my base fabric and there was a plastic sack of the remaining scraps that I won from SewMamaSew. One of those scraps coordinated and the design decision was made to go with just the airplane fabric and this red trim. By itself, it is a red & white floral print. Folded over so just a quarter inch shows, it looks cloudy. The red color coordinated perfectly.

We finally had snow the other day and the dogs loved it. These photos were taken about 6pm - sunset time.
Rusty - the smart dog he is- discovered that if HE threw the ball into the snow, the ball would hide, and he could find it WITHOUT involving the easily distracted human.

Rocket making a snow angel

Rusty ready! for someone to throw his tennis ball.