Fair Bit of Indecision

I've been going through my wardrobe looking for appropriate clothes to wear for my trip to the island.

 Well, Grand Island. More like an island in a sea of prairie grass, but I still need something decent to wear for the Fair at the end of August. The pies are judged on stage so I can't show up looking a fright. I cannot begin making my yearly State Fair hat until I know what I'm wearing, and I'm stumped. August in Nebraska is beastly hot. I have a vintage Lanz gingham dress from the 50's, but it is not the most comfortable thing I own.
 Photographing gingham is a special sort of hell.

The fact that I haven't worn it since 2013 is a good indication that it isn't easy to wear. On the other hand, should I just suffer through it so I look great holding a pie? Optimistically, if I win a ribbon and get my photo in the newspaper, vintage gingham Lanz is going to make a terrific photo...unless the photographer can't take a good photo of gingham either, in which case, why bother? Looking at the photos I do know one thing for certain-pin curls are not my look! Not in heat and humidity anyway.
I'm considering ordering this dress from House of Foxy, but I'm afraid the crepe fabric will be warm and show moisture if I'm sweating like crazy. The flutter sleeves look like they would be cool, but I just don't know. Such a dilemma!  I should probably order the dress anyway because A) Mustard yellow, and B) Mustard yellow. I'm sure it would get plenty of wear in Autumn and Spring. Do you like how I talk myself into a new dress I don't need? I'm awfully good at that.
Here's a look at some things I wore in previous years:
 Vintage 40's heavy rayon (not doing that again-too warm!)
 2015-Square dancing dress. The hat has dozens of felt bees wired to it. I loved that hat.
Last year's hat had tiny plastic cobs of sweet corn affixed to it. I loved that hat too. I'm not sure how I can improve on it, honestly.
I guess I have my work cut out over the next month or so. I'm not used to putting this much thought into an outfit!

Ignore the haphazard crust-I was trying out a filling recipe. This is my attempt at Strawberry rhubarb and we were all pleased with how well it turned out. I used instant tapioca for the thickener and ended up with the perfect texture that was neither gloppy (as you get with cornstarch) nor "Pie Soup" as I often get with flour. So tapioca it shall be. I've already frozen quantities of strawberries and rhubarb as I know they won't be available at the end of August. I'll be entering around nine pies, which is frankly terrifying! Anyway, that's strawberry/rhubarb sorted.
 Back to today's outfit, I know that this peasant top can always work with a good skirt. I wore it last year with my brown square dancing skirt, so in a pinch, I could repeat the outfit with the identical skirt in blue (yes, I own the same square dancing skirt in several colours-just like the Mexican tourist skirt). I'd rather wear something different though. This skirt is nice, and I love the print, but it doesn't seem special-at least not enough for the fair. The fabric is paper-thin though, which does have some appeal in the heat.
Here's a closer look at that great print. I would love a playsuit made of this print.
It is now truly summer as the giant straw bag has been dug out and out to use. I love this bag so much-I always feel cheerful when I carry it. There isn't a single, serious thing about it. Clearly, I need all the frivolity I can get. More whimsy, please!

Outfit Particulars:
Skirt-Goodwill
Top-K Mart
Shoes-Hand-Me-Ups
Bag-New Life Thrift
Earrings-Goodwill
Bamboo bangles-Hand-Me-Ups
Bakelite bangles-Both Thrift World
Wooden bangle-Hand-Me-Ups
Fragrance-Nahema

 There are no words for how much I love these bamboo bangles.

I do think I should look for bigger rings, this one is on the small side.

If you're sick of hearing about fair preparations, I apologise as it is the only thing on our minds from now until the last week of August. I'll try to keep the outfit posts coming so you can just skip over the written content. I completely understand!

*Whines* But I don't have anything to wear!

I'll be back next week with results from the Wayne Chicken Show. I'm sure everyone in our neighbourhood will be relieved when they no longer need to listen to Danny (loudly) practising his chicken call. I know I'll be happy!

Have a great weekend.















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Favourite Autumn Blouses

Image
It must be Autumn if the KoKoKnits blouse is making an appearance.  Nothing says, "Autumn" like a brown, leaf print fabric. The brown pleated skirt is also seeing a first wear since last winter. I haven't properly started unpacking cool weather clothes as we can continue to get warm days well into October, but a few pieces were within easy reach. My sense is we're in for an early winter, but I'm basing that on worsening arthritis symptoms, and my fingers and toes turning blue. You may prefer meteorological data. This brown and blue check polyester jacket was purchased a few years ago, but rarely worn. It has a pleat at the back giving it a swing effect, but for some reason, I don't like it on me. It isn't too big or small, and the sleeves seem okay, but for some reason I feel like I'm wearing my grandmother's 70's slipcovers when I try this jacket on.  It might look better with a pair of denim flares. This time of year I'm cobbling together...
Read more

Happy Purim

Image
The holiday of  Purim  begins tonight at sundown. I dug out this old photograph of my friend Myra (on the right) and myself at the age of four both dressed as Queen Esther. What doesn't show in the photograph is how beautiful the costume was. Mum made it entirely by hand, sewing sequin bows along the hem of the skirt, and using silver ric-rack to trim the poncho. I loved it so much I continued wearing the skirt as a poncho for years and then dressing a large teddy bear in it when it would no longer go over my head. I don't know what eventually became of it, but I've had a soft spot for blue satin and sequins ever since. And tiaras?? I baked Hamantaschen  this year using a new recipe. The filling is an orange/honey/poppy seed mixture, but the dough has both butter and sour cream. The pastry is yeast-risen, yet it maintains the texture of a rich cake.  Recipe Here . I used a different filling, and substituted orange peel for lemon. As the recipe made 36 pieces(!) Mr. E...
Read more

Wayne, Nebraska Chicken Show 2017-and a giveaway

Image
We have a new National Cluck-Off Champion in the 13 and under category. First prize was $100.00 which isn't er... chicken feed. The local news  has some video of Danny with the winner in the adult competition. Joel is a legend, and he was extremely kind and encouraging to Danny. Actually, the whole family are nice. They're the sort of people you wouldn't mind having for neighbours and you'd never need to explain why your child is crowing like a rooster at the top of his lungs! Anyway, the pep-talk Joel gave Danny was greatly appreciated. We had such a great time-completely worth the two hour drive to Wayne!  That's my little chicken. I'm a proud mother hen today. I still go to hold his hand, but I have (almost) a teenager and he isn't going to hold my hand. I like how he's just looking at me holding my arm out to him. We went to the annual quilt show in Wayne, and admired all the beautiful quilts on display. The ladies working the show had to pass my chi...
Read more