Hi All, just wanted to add my 2 cents worth, and I'm sorry it's a few days late - been pretty hectic this past week with helping DH pain his newly renovated office and move back in.
As someone who's entered lots of State Fairs/Agricultural shows, and who's also judged at the Colorado State Fair a couple of times, I'd offer the following: 1. I heartily agree with the advice to first check the entry rules for the fair. Each is different. I don't think there are any for Colorado, but the Royal Melbourne Show in Oz is very specific about how they want their items presented. They want all their pieces attached in the top left (or right - don't remember which off the top of my head) corner ONLY. No frames. So one only needs a couple of stitches to attach ones piece to it's presentation backing. 2. As a Judge, I like this. It allows me the chance to see it presented nicely (in most cases) on some (hopefully) contrasting material/card, whatever, so that I don't have to try to find, and place the piece against my clothes or whatever to be able to see the piece. It also allows me the chance to flip the lace up so that I can see the reverse and finishing - critical elements in my mind when something is being entered for Judging. Obviously this is difficult for very large items such as table cloths, and I think exceptions are made for them, but I think for the smaller pieces, it's nice to have your piece on a background of your choosing. I think the pieces that people have taken the trouble to at least mount on some complimentary fabric or card have a little more "wow" factor/appeal than one that's just a piece of limp lace plopped in front of me for my scrutiny. It seems to show that the lacemaker has made a little extra effort to display their work favourably. As I said, this is hard to do with lace mounted on pillows, pin cushions, table cloths, etc. 3. As a contestant I like this, as it means that I'm not worrying about a frame and glass being broken in transit or if an accident should befall my work at the fair grounds. I also feel that I'm showing the Judge that I'm not trying to hide some poor finishing or whatever. 4. By mounting on a piece of card or fabric, it does offer some protection to your work when it's being displayed by the show/fair people, This is guaranteed, but it can help them, as they may be more inclined to stick a pin/hedge stake through the fabric/card than through the lace. Although, I qualify this with personal experience as an entrant in the Royal Melbourne Show - one year I entered a length of black beds, which was mounted on some wide ribbon, and I'd carefully finished the ends of the ribbon to match the end of the lace, and left some room between the lace and the edge of the ribbon. The Show people still managed to skewer a tally with a "hedge stake" (that's what they used that year, and you cringed when you saw where they'd skewered peoples' work). I know there are as many ways of presenting a piece as there are of making and looking at it. These are just some of my thoughts from my experiences. Cheers, Helen, Aussie living in overcast and cool Denver - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
