4-H members present fashion show of creativity

A group of 4-H members demonstrated their custom creations in a runway of not so high fashion, but nonetheless unique at their 2024 Fashion Revue and Patchwork Parade.

Four girls and two boys participated in the annual 4-H event, which involved an interviewing process, where judges Carla Kinzie and Lara Hagerman questioned the 4-H'ers about their entries. The event was held at the Plains Bible Chapel last Tuesday. The 4-H members were graded on presentation, construction, workmanship, materials, and design. There were four categories - embroidery and cross stitch, knitting and crocheting, sewing, and quilting.

"They did a great job. They really took it up a level, especially when you look into the creativity that went into it," said Jen Avilla, who leads the South Side Sparks 4-H club. Avilla said the kids were learning new skills and at the same time they were having fun at what they were doing. "I'm proud of how the kids encouraged and helped each other," she added.

The participants included Anaelle Avilla, 11 years old and Jen's daughter, Moriah Champneys, 11, Katherine Wrobleski, 13, John McNamara, 11, Dechlan Neeson, 11, all of the South Side Sparks, and 8-year-old Lila Stephens of the Hot Springs Wranglers, the youngest competitor there.

The interviews were done one at a time and the process took about two hours. In the review aspect of the event, the members took to the stage to show their work, which took less than five minutes.

The Fashion Revue and Patchwork Parade had been a bigger event with many more participants, showing a wide range of apparel. One included suits of armor by two contestants. However, the fashion show had died out, only to be resurrected three years ago, but with fewer contestants. There were only three last year, said Avilla.

"I don't know what year it started, but I know parents who did it when they were in 4-H and now their kids are in it," said Juli Thurston, who made a T-shirt and crocheted a sweater and shawl in her New Mexico 4-H club 40 years ago. She now heads the 4-H program in Sanders County. Thurston served as the announcer for the kids as they displayed their work on stage.

Anaelle Avilla entered the most items and took purple ribbons and first places with her cross stitch of a rooster and with a baby 28x40-inch baby quilt. She also took a purple ribbon with a shirt and skirt in the sewing and textiles category and a purple with her chicken hat in the knitting and crochet category. Her four-piece shirt and skirt were made from cotton fabric, a pair of shorts, and bed sheets.

McNamara nabbed first place with a purple ribbon in the sewing and textile class with a book/field bag he made from an old pair of jeans he got from Karrie Baldwin, his grandmother. He said he put it together using a 1954 Singer sewing machine and did the strap and liner by hand.

Wrobleski received purple ribbons for her crochet shawl and beret, nabbing first place with the beret, which took her about a month to make. It took her nearly three months to make the shawl, finishing the Friday prior to the competition.

Champneys earned a blue ribbon with her crochet headband, which included three roses, a job that took her about an hour to make. She also made a denim wrap skirt, which took her about two hours and netted her a red ribbon.

Neeson took a blue ribbon with his fur cap and neck gator. He said the cap's ear flaps were made from rabbit fur and the front flap was made from muskrat fur. The buttons used to hold the flaps up were made from horns he found near Thompson Falls. He said it took him three or four days to make the cap.

Stephens received a red ribbon for her two-piece pajama set, which took her about 10 hours to make. This was her first time to compete in the Fashion Revue and Patchwork Parade, as it was for McNamara, Neeson and Champneys.

"Even though they're competing against each other, they are sharing the spirit of true sportsmanship," said Avilla. "They did a fabulous job. They had plenty of knowledge about their projects and they could explain them very well," said Kinzie, who has been a 4-H volunteer judge in the past. Thurston felt the event went well and was pleased that the program is not only growing, but that there were more boys involved.