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| Albion, PA has the 3rd oldest carousel in the country |
First, I want to thank everyone for their kind comments and welcome back. I truly can't believe that while I was gone, blogger has FINALLY made it possible to reply back to comments (which I will do more now that I realize I can!) That only took 15 years!
Also thank you so much for the encouragement as I dip my toe into the world of rug hooking. I'm going to take Margaret's advice (which is always good) and do some research using some of the great rug hookers online including Deanne Fitzpatrick. I wish I could thank all the quilters over the years that posted free information that really enhanced my quilting education.
Honestly, I don't foresee myself becoming this great rug hooker. I just really think it's a good idea that while you are on your creative journey you don't stay too much in your own lane. Inspiration lies everywhere and if you change lanes you never quite know where the road will go. Anyway, thanks for coming along for the ride.
Okay, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to start blogging the week before our fair. Our fair takes over town one week every year. Businesses close, school closes early and the traffic in front of my house is insane. Add to that, that the weather is picture perfect this year and I'm sure you get the idea. At our house we look at it as one last chance to chat with neighbors and friends before the snow flies plus give some $$$ to all the local non-profits that set up tables.
One thing I noticed was the HUGE decrease of entries in the Homemaking Building. At one time, there would be so many quilts, they could barely fit them all in more less open them to show. There would be walls of embroidery, needlework, and cross stich. Plus a nice selection of yarn work and sewing.
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| My Entries from 2011 |
I know that hobbies come in and out of fashion, but the entries have decreased across the board. The funny thing is that it's not that way in the other buildings....just homemaking. It makes you wonder why.
I asked the question on our community Facebook page and the consensus was that people did not like the online pre-registration that was put in place (at least 5 years ago - so it's not new). I'm not sure if that's the only reason but it was definitely the one people pointed to the most. Next year, I'm going to make it a point to remind people of deadlines and offer to help people register. We have a great little local library and it would be a great place to do that.
Oh and btw....the beer and wine making categories have grown...shocker!
What is happening in your community's fairs? Are the Homemaking Entries down or up? What's popular?
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that perhaps the name of the building/category is a turnoff to would-be participants. Why are they calling it "homemaking" instead of "textile arts?" The term "homemaker" is fraught with a lot of baggage in 2024 and I suspect that it may be a turnoff to the many creative fiber artists who don't see themselves or their work in that way.
ReplyDeleteWell first you forget I'm living here in the rust belt which is stuck in 1985. Also the barn has all the needle arts, plus canning, gardening, cooking, baking, and now wine/beer making. But I get your point. Maybe it's time to come up with a new name.
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