4-H'ers show off sewing skills

Fashion shows don't normally include a decorated pillow or a stuffed snowman, but both were present at the annual Sanders County 4-H Fashion Revue and Patchwork Parade at the Assembly of God Church in Plains Sunday.

Tressa Lyscio of the South Side Sparks Club of Plains, received a purple ribbon in the senior division of the needlework class for her crocheted snowman, one of four entries that got her the top ribbons and a nomination for the 4-H Congress. It took the 17-year-old Lyscio 43 hours to finish her snowman, sweater, scarf, and shawl. The snowman took her only about eight hours to complete, but she said the scarf took 11½ hours and was the toughest item to make because it was a broomstick lace crochet, a project that utilizes a broomstick or dowel type object that creates large loops of yarn into clusters.

Lyscio was one of five participants in the two-hour long fashion revue, which included an interview session and gave the 4-H'ers the chance to model their work for the judges and about a dozen guests. This was the first year the competition was held at the Assembly of God, also known as Church on the Move. Paula Nelson of Thompson Falls and Carla Kinzie of Plains served as this year's judges. The 4-H kids were critiqued on the quality of workmanship, their interview presentation, and knowledge of their creation.

Kinzie said she was impressed with the kids' entries. "They did great. Their workmanship was excellent, especially in the senior division," said Kinzie, who competed in the fashion revue for nearly a dozen years when she was a 4-H member herself. The fashion revue is held each spring, but it also had been a part of Sanders County Fair and traditionally had a lot more participation, which has dwindled over the last few years. The revue at the fair was more for fun for the kids and was not judged because their items had already gone through a judging process during their interviews, said Shirley Kinkade, the administrative assistant at the MSU Extension Office in Thompson Falls. Juli Thurston, the county's extension agent, said the participation has been low, but she hopes to get more participation next year.

Madeline Snell of the Thompson Falls Mountaineers Club was the only other contestant in the senior division. Snell, 17, nabbed a purple ribbon for a pair of jeans in the sewing category. It took Snell more than a week to make the jeans, but she didn't make them just for the competition. She said she always has trouble getting store-bought pants to fit, so she decided to make her own. Snell has been a participant in the fashion revue in seven or eight years. She took first place last year with a dress that replicated the one worn by the Liesl von Trapp character in the Sound of Music. Snell was also nominated for the 4-H Congress state competition in Bozeman, as she was last year, but she hopes to compete at nationals this year.

Also in the show were the three sisters of the Cook family of Plains. In the sewing category of the junior class, Mikiah Cook, 12, received a blue ribbon for a dress that took her about 25 hours to make. Judy Stephens and Shirley Cook helped the Cook girls with their projects. This was Mikiah's second time to participate in the revue. Last year, she took the top junior spot with an apron creation.

Her sister, Melodie, 9, received a red ribbon for her dress, which took her four to five hours over a five-day period to make. This was Melodie's second year to compete. The youngest of the Cook girls, 7-year-old Jayden, received a Cloverbud ribbon for her woodsy black bear matching pillow and pajama pants. She said her items included a black bear because the bear is her favorite type of stuffed animal.