Tulare County Fair

I spent a few hours at the TCFair on both Friday and Saturday.  I didn't venture out of the Home Arts building, just sat and hand-quilted with other Valley Oak Quilt Guild members.  We are an annual "display," filling a corner of the building.  I think we were probably the largest exhibit in the building, since the number of entries has dropped to next to nothing.  What once was a building stuffed to overflowing now echoes with the memories of past years.  I'm not sure on the numbers, but the quilt entries have been decimated.  It's not that people aren't quilting, it's that the Powers That Be have made entering more difficult and costly, with very little reward.

Because I have a decades-long fondness for the Fair, I entered three little quilts.  Really, I didn't have anything more to enter.  I've made a dozen baby quilts this year, but every one that has been finished has also been given away.  Here's what I had left:

 "Inspired by Oceanside," "Oceans," and "Wheel of Color."  Can you see how empty the room is?  There used to be cables strung across the building, draped with back to back quilts.  Now?  They've taken down half of the cables, and the remaining cables are for the most part empty.  How far we've fallen!  What a sad sad thing.  Also stunning is the lack of people.  The Fair had been open for hours when I took this picture.  Do you see anyone looking at the entries?  No?  I don't either.  :(

In other news, I finished another baby quilt.  It will go into the possession of FedEx tomorrow morning, chugging its way to Washington State.  Baby Travis is already 5+ weeks old.  How did that happen?!!

 You can't see the print in the overall photo.  It's a cute little Noah's Ark goes to the circus sort of design. I chuckle every time I look at it.

And that's what I've been up to this week.  Lesson #6 mocks me, as I know that I have a mere 4 days to throw it together.  My daughter and granddaughter will be visiting this weekend, and there's a bridal shower for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.  Lots to do, and most of it does not involve my Bernina.  Better get a wiggle on!  :)