On Aug 17, 2004, at 15:27, Alice Howell wrote:
What are the classes/divisions/etc you have to deal with in your local
fairs?
I worked for several years to get the classes revised in our local
county fair. [...]
The philosophy was that an edging could be on anything, or entered
without being attached to anything. Hanky, pillowcase, picture frame,
whatever.
Classes 3 and 4 could be anything that wasn't an edging or a bookmark.
Collars, gloves, hats, purses and so forth would be a dress
accessory. Then if you come up with something really different,
there's always OTHER.
Our State Fair organizers are *very* responsive, so it doesn't take
long for suggestions to take root. I never got my last year's booklet
(having had to decline the invitation to judge), so I don't know
whether the new classes/whatever had been implemented last year or not
(I sent the - long, as usual g - missive after the Fair of '02. At
their request g). But they are in place now and, to my mind (nobody I
asked for help was willing to make suggestions), are much simpler than
they used to be, and more uniform (we used to have some of the same,
but some different, ones for the novices); I'm not overfond of
other as a category... :)
What we now have is 5 judged classes in each of the two Sections (one
for novices and one for more advanced lacemakers), on top of
non-competition (for show only, allowing judges and teachers to show
their work) one:
1) BL - continuous (with suggestions of techniques)
2) BL - non continuous (with suggestions of techniques)
3) NL (needle-made lace)
4) TL (tatted, lace)
5) KLCL (knitted and crocheted lace)
I felt it would simplify things, if we classed the lace by
technique/tool used, rather than by product (yes, we used to have
apples and oranges all in the same bag, with a few pears thrown in for
good measure g). It's easier to judge, especially if you're not an
expert on all of them. I have only a smattering of 3-5; my deeper
knowledge is in the 1-2 area. Still, if I have to compare 2 tatted
pieces, I *can* do it, and with greater certitude than if I had to
compare two bookmarks, one of which was tatted, and one Binche BL... It
also allows me to stand back a bit, if one of the other judges
happens to be an expert on one of the other techniques (we judge as a
group, and go around discussing our observations among us, then giving
a single - agreed on - opinion). Always assuming there *are* other
judges present, of course... :) It's easier - I think - for the entrant
to detrmine which category to enter. But, more than anything else, I
felt it was *unfair* to compare two totally disparate techniques...
I had entered, once, a BL Christmas ornament (the Partridge in a Pear
Tree) in our local county fair. It had won first, and, while my DH was
ecstatic, I was ashamed of myself; how can one, possibly, compare a BL
piece, made in sewing cotton, to something of the same size, crocheted
in 30? It's like kicking a person who's down already... Never again.
I don't have enough knowledge of tatting to tell shuttle from needle
version, so I didn't include the distinction.
I didn't consider the final usage of a piece; what someone puts on a
T-shirt, someone else might frame, to hang on a wall, and someone else
stash in a sample book. One version might show to the best advantage,
and I know that a lot of contests *do* take that into account... What
can I say? I'm not the sort of person to pay much attention to the
wrapping; I'm more interested in the content :) And, since I was the
only one willing to discuss the changes in the rules, I measured by my
own yardstick... g
I didn't want to attract attention to the size of the piece, either -
some people work faster than others... True, a tablecloth or a shawl is
likely to catch my eye quicker - s much work g - but, if the
overall look (accuracy, tension, cleanliness, crispness of design) is
not as good as that of a much smaller piece, it's still no cigar, as
far as I'm concerned... :)
We do not have a separate division for original design/technical
proficiency, but the entrants are requested to supply the info.
Obviously, I'm likely to give extra points to an original design, *but
not* if it's not as well made as a piece which used someone else's
pattern.
That's all I can think of right now on the subject of what and why,
as far as my own bailwick is concerned...
---
Tamara P Duvall http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
Healthy US through The No-CARB Diet:
no C-heney, no A-shcroft, no R-umsfeld, no B-ush.
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