Humbled by Blue: My Missouri State Fair Experience

Hello everyone! Let me start this post by saying writer's block is a real thing. I have been sitting and staring at this computer screen for what seems like hours just trying to come up with a title. Thankfully, due to sheer will power and a substantial amount of coffee, I'm finally able to start writing this post.

For what seems like my whole life, I've never been the person to win anything. Thankfully, my luck changed at the 2024 Missouri State Fair. I had always wanted to put my crafts into the fair but never thought they were good enough. The Big Muddy Rug Hooking Guild opened a new category in the Home Economics section this year to showcase rug hooking, being that I'm a member of that Guild, and having my grandma push me, decided this year was going to be the year I inputted my crafts into the fair. Although I didn’t expect much from my entries, despite my supportive significant other’s confidence, I took eight items to the fair. I was completely humbled by the outcome when I found out I had earned four 1st place ribbons and three 2nd place ribbons. To say I was in shock was an understatement!

I wanted to share the crafts that won these ribbons below. One thing I learned from this whole process that if you think you can't, try anyway. I'm looking forward to next year's fair and the possibilities it holds. To see the items that placed, look below.

Starting off with a wreath you may recognize from a previous post, we have my first made woven wool wreath. This item placed first in the Craft Bazaar - Wreath, any occasion.

This wreath is made from Romney wool roving that was woven on a wire frame. It also contains a hand stitched sheep made from 100% wool fabric and floral pieces.

Next is a hummingbird I made as a gift for my significant other out of cardstock. This piece won first place in Craft Bazaar - Paper Craft.

This piece was crafted by layering different colors of paper that had been cut on my Cricut machine. Paper includes holographic, glitter, and normal colored paper. It was then place in an 8x10 box frame.

Here is another piece you may recognize as well. This piece is a rug hooking seat cover that was transformed into a pillow. This piece took first place in Rug Hooking - Beginning rug hooking, less than 2x3 or equivalent.

I want to give a shout out to the Big Muddy Rug Hooking Guild for supporting this class and bringing awareness to this wonderful heritage craft.

This needle felted piece was a Christmas gift for my grandma and currently resides at her home, so no picture with a ribbon. This piece placed first in Craft Bazaar - Folk art for a country decor.

I absolutely adore this piece as there are so many components, colors, shading, and pops of sparkle.

My little woodland friend wreath placed second in Craft bazaar - Door decoration (any occasion).

This piece is made with hand spun yarn and chunky yarn wrapped around a floral wreath frame with floral and animal decorations.

This piece was a birthday gift for my grandma and is residing at her house but actually placed second in Craft Bazaar - Home Decor Artwork.

It was made in the same fashion as the humming bird above with layering multiple colors of paper, some being glitter. It was then placed in an 8x8 box frame.

This piece placed second in Adult Sewing (19 years & older) - Any Sewn Item.

My stacked sheep where made with 100% wool fabric, some of it being hand dyed by myself and other pieces being hand dyed by my grandma. The thread is also 100% wool that came from a shop in Los Angeles, California. The sheep were hand cut and hand stitched onto the background . I had made another rendition of this prior as one of my first wool applique pieces in 2019 but decided to add a lot of color and make this one cosmic in a way. I love the way it turned out! Here is another photo of it.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to my wonderful support system for pushing me to try new things and putting myself out there. It was definitely a nerve wracking experience that paid off. I hope everyone who finds themselves here are taking time for themselves to relax during this cold weather we are having. I hope you all are staying healthy. Once spring arrives we can then frolic through the meadow again. Until next time...