Britni Harrington was apprehensive about walking out in front of the crowd.

“During the break time, a lot of people came, so I got nervous,” the 10-year-old 4-Her said. “So I messed up on the routine.”

She modeled her Decorate Your Duds clothing project at the fashion revue Friday, the kick-off event for the 2005 Moffat County Fair.

This is her first year in the 4-H program. She also participated in cake decorating and fishing projects. She decided to take 4-H so she had something fun to do during the summer. She signed up for Decorate Your Duds “so I could wear it to school.”

Harrington purchased a red zip-up jacket and matching pants, then embellished them with denim appliques and puffy paint zig-zags. She also tie-dyed a shirt to wear underneath.

Moffat County 4-H agent Jennifer Duncan said she was impressed with the overall quality of work.

“I thought they were excellent,” she said. “All of the kids did a really nice job on their projects.”

Nine 4-Hers participated this year.

“I think this year is down from most years,” Duncan said.

Plus, they were all in the junior (younger than 14) category. Only senior participants who win grand champion can advance to the state fair competition, so no one from Moffat County will be represented in the clothing category.

Participants could sew an outfit, decorate store-bought clothes, crochet or knit.

“It’s up to the individual on what they really want to do,” Duncan said. “A lot of people start out with a scarf or something simple their first year (of crocheting).”

The judge for the fashion revue was Mary Kay Monger, a longtime Routt County 4-H volunteer. She rated participants as excellent, good, fair or needs work for poise, presentation, the fit of their outfits and accessories. She also gave them comments on how to improve, such as making better eye contact or smiling more.

The projects’ contruction will be judged for by someone else Tuesday.

The winners, separate for the fashion revue and construction, will be revealed Tuesday evening at the 4-H Celebration. All the 4-H results will be placed under the grandstands, and 4-Hers can walk through and see how they placed from 6 to 8 p.m.

Duncan said the best part of the fashion revue is the look in the 4-Hers eyes as they are presenting.

“There seemed to be a lot of excitement about making something they are able to wear,” she said.

Michelle Perry may be reached at 824-7031 or mperry@craigdailypress.com