A precursor to the Barton County Fair each year is the 4-H Clothing, Fiber Arts & Fashion Revue. Wednesday morning, 4-Hers from area clubs arrived early at Trinity Lutheran Church to undergo judging for garment construction and buymanship outfits, and to get feedback on their workmanship in the fiber arts. Some of the top winners will go on to compete this fall at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, said Barton County Extension Agent Bernie Unruh.

Sewing
Sewing, knitting and crocheting skills have been popular areas of interest in the past few years, particularly after the extension office received a grant in 2015 to purchase new sewing machines. Since then, regular sewing sessions have been held the second Saturday of each month, and the resulting projects 4-Hers are completing are an indicator that the art and craft of fashion construction is alive and well in the county.
Junior members like Melissa Guetierrez. South Bend Jolly Workers 4-H, and Emma Snapp, Busy Buzzers 4-H, modeled aprons and simple skirts they sewed over the past year, while some of the senior members, like Alexa Straub, Ellinwood Energizers 4-H, produced more complicated garments, including a number of jumpers and rompers which have seen a resurgence in popularity this year. Nada Wells, Rush County, judged construction. She asked project participants to model garments, and asked questions about fabric choices and commented on accessories used. Straub noted she had made the necklace and bracelet she chose for her outfit.

Buymanship
A popular 4-H project, buymanship once again had many entries. Participants plan outfits, thinking through the occasion, number of anticipated wears, and the expense of upkeep — due to factors like machine wash or dry clean only. The cost of each component of the outfit is accounted for, and judges offer feedback on the choices made and the look and fit of the outfits, the appropriateness for the occasion noted, and overall modeling ability of the wearer. The goal is to make well-informed choices with an eye toward economy.
Ashley Svaty, Ellsworth, with the Post Rock Extension District, judged buymanship. She was full of questions for Morgan Kaiser, TLC Twisters 4-H, when she modeled her sharp red, white and blue denim and T-shirt outfit, complete with matching shoes. Svaty looked at how participants modeled their garment, their confidence, and their awareness of fabric content and care. Kaiser explained she set a budget as a priority in choosing her outfit, and shared that she had made a particularly lucky thrift-store find for one of the components of the outfit. Svaty congratulated her for finding a good deal.
Paige Koehn, Sharpshooters 4-H, put together a fun and fashionable outfit after a one-stop shopping trip to The Buckle. She looks forward to wearing the outfit for both semi-casual dressing, and the top, her favorite part of the outfit, in an upcoming pageant she will be competing in. Versatility was a priority in her choices, and she kept in mind other pieces she could mix and match key components with to create other outfits. Bottom line, both buymanship projects would provide the participants with several wears, bringing the cost-per-wear down, leaving Svaty to declare both excellent buys.

Fiber Arts
Fiber Arts projects included patchwork pillows, quilted table runners, and several knitted and crocheted stuffed animals, called amigurimi, which is the Japanese term for these stuffed yarn creatures.
There were also completed arm knitting projects, resulting from a 4-H fiber arts day held during spring break earlier this year.
Kylie McCormick, a member of Busy Buzzers 4-H, attended the fiber arts day, and brought a continuous loop scarf that she arm knitted that day. She also brought a patchwork pillow, and a table runner she pieced and quilted from the scraps of that project. Part of presenting work to the judge is answering questions, and it takes practice to be able to respond with confidence. McCormick brought family members with her for moral support, and the judges were impressed with her work.
Participants learned Wednesday evening how they fared in the judging that morning. The Fashion Review was held in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church. This year’s theme was “Strike it rich,” and it ws the first year the show was live-streamed on facebook.
The venue was changed from The Crest Theater, where it has been taking place for years, because of the theater’s current lack of air-conditioning. Those who placed as Overall Grand Champion and Reserve Champion, as well as level champions, are eligible to bring their projects to the Kansas State Fair competition this September, Unruh said.