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| Winning contest entry |
While I've been pleased over the years with winning state fair blue ribbons (by a judge I fully respected, which made it even nicer) and the various compliments I've been given on my handiwork, it all mostly involved just careful sewing and pretty fabric choices. I never really did very much additional to the original pattern, not having a particularly creative imagination.
One of my goals in getting back into sewing now is to stretch myself into doing things I haven't done much of before, either by using techniques I just skipped or learning new ideas now online. So when I had a chance to enter a contest involving embellishing a tank top I also had to make, I swallowed a big gulp and took the plunge. I mostly just wanted to see what I could actually come up with, and then see how I fared compared to everybody else. When I saw all the creativity others were doing, I was kind of embarrassed with my entry. Yes, it looked pretty, but it was all just simple sewing, after all, which isn't what I would necessarily call embellishing.
So imagine my shock when the voting was over, and there was my picture sitting on the top of the list! I don't know how many times I refreshed the page to make sure it was really true. All I did was double the front tuck, add a simple collar, and stitch on some trim. Others did tie dye, fabric flowers, quilting, beading, etc. And then there was my favorite (using my favorite color didn't hurt for grabbing my attention), making big padded daisies using a backing. That one at least came in second to me.
The downside is that I am now banned from getting votes in any other contest for four months. (The second place winner gloated that she still could!) Will I be able to psychologically handle the punishment? You betcha!
Well, yours was by far the one I liked and would choose to actually wear, so good job.
ReplyDeleteSomeone recently was debating about purchasing a top that fairly expensive. It had horizontal stripes on it, and the stripes did not even line up where they met at the center buttons. I took one look at it, and thought, "My mom can do better than that for a lot less than $50!"
I think your top winning over the more embellished tops says something about what people really want to wear. We all like looking at bling, and maybe wearing a little, but mostly we want attractive clothes without them being overdone.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw you had won, I was so excited for you!! And I agree with Leah, your top was so pretty and something most of us would really want to wear! Congrats, Barbara!! You should be really proud of yourself and your handiwork!!
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