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I have never entered a sewing contest.
It's not like I'm anti-competition. When my hobby was photography, I used to enter photo competitions - for example, at the State Fair every year...
But I haven't felt the pull to enter a sewing contest.
How about you? Do you enter sewing contests? If not, why not? And do you think you might someday? If so, why? And what was it like? Will you do it again? What are the pros and cons to competing?
15 comments:
I did enter a few competitions at PR but I prefer not to now. Back then, the competitions inspired me to sew something different. Now I have so much inspiration I don't need competitions to inspire me. Also, I love the things I sew so much that I don't want to know that not everybody thinks they are the greatest garments ever made! Is my ego fragile? Probably.
I entered a simplicity contest once and then found out Marylanders couldn't enter the contest...some quirky state rule. Don't have time to meet contest deadlines now.
Way back when I was in Jr. High, I entered 4-H sewing competitions. I usually came in second behind my best friend Mary. I just entered the Strasburg Children's Costume Contest, but after seeing the #s of people who entered, I haven't even been checking to see how i'm doing. So, not really.
I don't enter competitions because I think it would take the joy out of sewing for ME. Instead, I like to challenge myself to learn a new skill.
I've never entered a sewing contest. I have a history of anxiety and the idea of being judged like that terrifies me.
I have not ever either. Being a student, I don't have time... and if I find time to sew, I want to sew what I want, not what a contest says. I tried SWAP once, but just couldn't do it... sigh.
Do county fairs count??? I've entered children's clothes in the county fair for the past 2 years. I won the division award last year. This year I didn't win anything but I'm trying again next year.
The American Sewing Guild had an accessory contest for national sewing month, that I wanted to try but didn't get around to doing.
I personally love a little competition.
i enter our state fair (my county hosts the state fair, so we don't have a county fair). i like to go to judging, to hear what the judges look at and like. i think i've been entering for at least 10-12 years, though i missed the year my dad died, and this year (i had my entries done, but couldn't find time to get them down to the fair for judging. they keep cutting the hours they are open).
i entered a few contests at pattern review, but i think those are more popularity contests than actual sewing contests.
i don't sew specifically for a contest or fair, i just try to sew everything with the intention that it may someday get entered, so i always do my best.
If you count entries at the fair I guess I've done it twice. It can be exciting as well as a let down in the end, but I still think I'll do it again.
I have never entered any sewing project into a contest. I may have indicated the desire to do so, but I'm "past that" now. I just don't have time, and don't like the pressure involved.
I've entered a couple of contests on PR and they were fun. I especially loved the Wardrobe Contest and actually came 2nd which was a huge surprise. I don't think i would ever have got myself into gear to make my much-needed winter wardrobe without that PR contest. I'm really good with a deadline so I usually finish pretty early but if I didn't have one, I'd still be sewing. LOL.
I unintentionally entered one once...a couple of years ago at BurdaStyle, they were having a Halloween costume contest. I'd posted the costume I'd made that year, kind of a punk fairy look almost entirely made from things I'd found at the thrift store, without really thinking about the contest at all (it may have even been posted before the contest was announced, I can't quite remember.) I actually ended up being one of the winners, and got this nice little goody bag with some trims and a measurement reference card and a point turner and such.
Intentionally, I've never entered one. I've thought about it, but the deadline thing always gets in my way--it seems like the ones I'm interested in always crop up at times when I just don't have the time to put into it and end up with a quality garment.
When I was in Fashion Design in HS our a few of us students entered some garments in the Broward County Fair. I don't remember winning anything so I probably didn't LOL. I still have what I made and it's hanging in my sewing studio today.
I did run a couple of project runway contest for my students but they weren't being judged on the quality of their work, only how good the pictured looked.
I love looking at what other people sew but I don't think it should be a competition. We are all on different levels. Life isn't about being the best but enjoying the process as you go and giving yourself as many smiles as you can.
ENJOY YOUR SEWING MOMENTS AND
HAPPY HALLOWEEN BOOOOOOOO :)
Oh yeah, you know I've entered contests. It can be very stressful, if you're up against a deadline. I've vowed never to do that again. I create when I'm inspired, and if I can enter a contest great, if not no big deal. When you're up against a deadline it becomes a chore and not much fun, much less art from the heart.
I did 4-H for about 4 or 5 years back in the day; sometime around 1990 I entered a contest sponsored by Nancy Zieman and McCall's; I was quite proud of my outfit until I saw that I was totally outclassed by the junior class winner (who was something like 12 or 15!). I've entered PR contests (earning 3rd place more than once), and I did Julie Timmel's SWAP competition twice...and was astonished to get an honorable mention one year!
Sewing contests, for me, are about motivation and focus. If it is just that little nudge to do something I need to do anyway, I'll go for it. But I won't enter a contest just for the contest's sake. I think that would be too stressful for me.
It's a lot of fun to participate in the contests that have discussions on the sewing boards...I've missed that camaraderie since I haven't been able to participate due to other things (show costuming, mostly!) taking too much time. I'll probably participate again somewhere down the road...
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