Popular pattern participation

Remember the sewing contest I mentioned I entered?  A sewing site I follow has regular contests with various themes, most of which don't interest me or fit my personal needs.  However, this last contest involved using a specific pattern from a specific list, which was a compilation of the most popular patterns from the past three years.  I happened to have three of them, so I entered one item from each.  After a week of voting, the results are in!

Here are my three entries, all tops, all totally different types of apparel, all with different back stories as to why I chose to make them:

Vogue 8747 -- 47 votes

Deer&Doe Plantain -- 13 votes

New Look 6808 -- 19 votes

Back view

I've already shared the turquoise Vogue blouse in a tutorial, and it was my primary entry.  There is a fun story behind this.  My sister got me this pattern I wanted and sent it back with my nephew who lives in Germany but was home for a visit, thus getting it across the ocean.  However, she surprised me and included several fabric choices to go with it.  It took this contest to force me into making a choice as to which fabric I would use.  I'll use the other choice for a different contest I'm participating in currently.

I got a lot of nice comments on my review, so I think using this fabric was successful.  There were so many other great entries, the winning garment definitely deserved its votes, and it looks like I probably came in fourth (listing is supposed to be random after the first three places, but my vote count was just under the third place winner).  With 46 entries, I feel pretty good!

A fun summer top

My second entry, the New Look, went through several incarnations.  My first choice was using a different view of this pattern and the other fabric choice my sister sent.  But I wanted to change it a little, and that wasn't allowed for this contest.  Liking the idea, I set that aside and picked a different fabric and different style.  But I ended up setting that one aside for later, also.  That left one more version available, my least favorite.  I ended up using a tiny remnant that just barely worked, left over from a shirt I made my baby grandson, while making the large collar out of a large quantity of contrasting fabric.  I added some trim to make the collar not seem quite so huge.

I didn't really care for this top, so I was really surprised at how many really nice comments I got on that review.  And I got more votes on it than my third item, which I thought was more interesting.  At least I'll have a new summer top to wear, although I didn't see it as a boating item like others did.

Playing around

I had the most fun making the T-shirt, which I've already shared with you.  I did a number of additions to the original pattern, which intrigued others in that review.  This was actually a free download pattern, one reason why it was probably so popular with other seamstresses.  I thought it would rate high with the voters, but they obviously preferred my other two entries a bit more. 

However, there was a total of five versions made from this pattern.  Three were just the simple pattern made into nice shirts, I turned mine into a tunic, and somebody else added a skater skirt to make a dress.  I've seen a lot of interesting versions made outside of this contest, so it's a really versatile pattern.

I had a lot of fun participating in this contest (winning would have made it even more fun!), I now have three new garments to wear for different occasions, and I really enjoyed being part of a great sewing community, something I don't find locally.  I'm such a glutton for punishment, I've now entered another contest involving making eight new items with a theme, and I'll be able to include the turquoise blouse in the collection.

You might think I do nothing but sew.  How I wish!  I finally got one of our olive trees pruned yesterday, and I actually finished (for the moment -- yard work is never finished!) the grand project of renovating our lower parking area.  I'll be sharing some of that when I take a break from sewing!