Things I’ve Learned in My Fair Quest – Months 1 and 2:

1. Wing it.
2. Read (and follow) the directions.
3. As much as you want to cut the darned infernal ties off the baby bib you are cross-stitching, resist. It’s possible they may be needed at some point.
4. Joann’s has better stitchy stuff than Michael’s.
5. I cannot resist sparkly paper that is on sale even if I already have lots of sparkly paper and even if sparkly paper doesn’t really have anything to do with Fair stuff.
6. Plastic mesh canvas crafts don’t have to look like the ugly kleenex box covers you remember from your youth.
7. Just because you finish the cross-stitching doesn’t mean the item is done. You absolutely may not mark it off your list until you sew on the back and add the hanger.
8. Apple jelly requires patience. And a thermometer.
9. Canning apples in Virginia is more difficult than in Michigan.
10. Apple leather should be on the Fair list. I’ll make it even if it isn’t.
11. Chik-fil-A beverage carriers make great craft caddies.
12. Don’t casually toss your stitching floss into your great craft caddy unless you like to either (1) keep buying new floss or (b) spend precious Fair crafting time unraveling tangles your kid’s hair would be scared of.
13. Stitching floss is really cheap. At least the cheap kind.

No huge projects completed so far, but I have done several smaller ones. I’ve also been busy working on the bags of apples that have been living in our dining room for far too long. I made 10 or so quarts of canned apples, a ton of apple leather, and a batch of dried apple rings. The leather seems to be the winner. So, in case you’ve been eagerly hitting “refresh” on this blog to see what work I’ve done for the Fair…wait no more.

113 | Needlework | Cross-Stitch | Christmas Item: Completed
141 | Craft | Handicraft | Plastic Canvas Item: Completed

112 | Needlework | Cross-Stitch | Baby Item: Completed

64 | Food | Jelly | Misc. Jelly (Apple): Completed (No picture. Jelly is shy.)