BROWNSTOWN
A Brownstown 9-year-old had big shoes to fill this year when preparing her numerous 4-H projects for the Jackson County Fair.
Kelsey Schneider’s goal? To complete more projects than her older sister ever did when she was in 4-H.
“She did 28, but I did 30, so I win,” Kelsey said with a grin.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
On Monday afternoon, Kelsey and more than 50 other girls and a couple of boys turned in their 4-H sewing and consumer clothing projects for judging at Brownstown Elementary School. Some even modeled their creations in front of judges during the private fashion revue.
All projects will be on display for public viewing in the 4-H building during the Jackson County Fair at the fairgrounds in Brownstown beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday and running through Aug. 1.
The annual 4-H Fashion Revue, where 4-H’ers model their projects for the public, will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the grandstand. A Fair Fashion Show that includes children and adults will be at noon July 31 at the grandstand.
Kelsey said she has been working on projects since the beginning of the year to have enough time to finish them all.
She competed in creative dramatics, which also was judged Monday, completed 13 posters and is showing goats, horses and pigs.
This was her first year for sewing, though, she said. She made a polka-dotted pillow and a simple skirt.
“I wanted to do sewing because my older sister did sewing and said it was a lot of fun,” Kelsey said.
Although she did have fun and was proud of her work, she said it wasn’t always easy.
“Making the stitches straight was probably the hardest part,” she said.
But she’s glad she learned how to use a sewing machine in the process, she added.
“You never know what you can make until you try,” she said.
Kim Schneider said her daughters have learned many valuable life skills, including sewing and cooking, from being in 4-H, and for that, she’s thankful.
“I think it’s a great thing when they are able to learn something they can use later on in life,” she said. “Her older sister now works at Prestigious Affairs dress shop in Seymour and helps with alterations.”
For 30 years, Beth Steiner of Jennings County has been judging 4-H sewing. It’s a role she said is challenging but rewarding. She said she especially loves the interaction with the children.
“When I was in 4-H, it was closed judging, so (the judges) didn’t get to ask you questions or show you ways you could improve,” Steiner said.
Learning how to interact with someone and answer questions is another important skill kids are learning by entering sewing projects.
“They are able to express themselves,” Steiner said.
When looking at an entry, Steiner said, she checks to make sure the seams are straight and that the construction of the item is as it should be.
Although it’s her job to show 4-H’ers what they might have done wrong or can do better, she always finds things to compliment about each entry to encourage kids to stick with it, she said.
“I’m very impressed by their work,” she said.
Emily Reinbold, 9, of Freetown said it was fun to make a skirt and learn how to sew. Once she got the hang of it, it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, she said.
“The waistband was a little tricky, though,” she said.
One thing that really helped her was participating in sewing workshops at Seymour High School this summer.
“And my grandma makes quilts, so she helped me, too,” Emily said.
Her mother, Tammy Reinbold, said she learned a lot from attending the workshops with her daughter.
“They were great,” she said. “The girls could come in and use the sewing machines in the home ec room and get help from some of the older kids and the adult 4-H leaders.”
Chloe Auleman, 10, of Seymour is in her third year of sewing. Since her mom runs The Chocolate Spoon restaurant in downtown Seymour, Chloe decided to make an apron for her sewing project.
When modeling it, she played up the part by wearing a chef’s hat and carrying in a plate with a fruit-covered dessert.
Chloe said she thought an apron would be easy to make but was surprised there was more to it than she realized.
“The pocket was a little hard to do,” she said.
Each year a child enters sewing, the projects get more difficult and teach a new skill.
“This year, I learned how to do a ruffle,” Chloe said.
Jeanie Schneider, clothing chairwoman, said she was excited by the number of kids turning in sewing projects this year but said there aren’t near as many doing consumer clothing projects.
In sewing, 4-H’ers can make clothing and non-wearable items.
Consumer clothing teaches kids about clothing selection, wardrobe planning, care of clothing and personal grooming habits. Participants shop for an outfit, including accessories, and model the outfit for judges. They also have to complete a workbook and keep a notebook of what they’ve learned.
“Our consumer clothing numbers are way down,” Schneider said. “I think it’s probably because it takes a lot of time to complete the notebook component and kids are just involved in so many other things.”
By learning how to sew, Schneider said, kids learn a valuable life skill and will be able to hem their own pants or sew a button back on themselves, instead of paying someone else to do it.
When they model their projects, it helps build self-confidence, she added.
Jackson County has always had a good number of 4-H’ers participating in sewing, and Schneider said she hopes that continues.
“Some of our younger classes are pretty big, so I’m hoping that the little ones continue to sew,” she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Jackson County 4-H Fashion Revue
Where: Grandstand at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Brownstown
When: 10 a.m. Tuesday
Admission: Free
What: Jackson County Fair Fashion Show
Where: Grandstand at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Brownstown
When: Noon July 31
Admission: Free
[sc:pullout-text-end]