“Ok everyone… I was out of town over the weekend, but now I’m home, and its time to address the comments!
First of all, I want people to always feel that this is a place where you can say what you feel and speak your mind, which you have 🙂
As far as this being a popularity contest… that is exactly what I have tried to avoid from the very beginning. I don’t like popularity contests either! In the beginning of the contest, I emailed the Top 10 contestants to ask if they would like to make it anonymous, but across the board, they voted NO. So the way the projects are revealed was up to them.
As far as voting, this is the first competition I’ve ever run, so I have learned a few things over the last few weeks. I feel the need to change the voting system so that the public vote won’t be the only factor in determining the next round of winners. Voting for the final round will be different. In addition to the public vote, the guest judge’s picks will account for a certain percentage, as well as having the contestants vote for each other. You will get more info tomorrow.
Next year when I organize Sew-vivor, I will manage the voting in this manner. The voting will be more fair, and the guest judges will have more say, based on the sewing projects. In my opinion, I don’t feel that the voting has reflected who has the biggest blog. I do however think that the poll has been a little “off” at times.
And last, to address the theme, “Sew Something for Charity…” I have to say that each contestant absolutely followed the rules. I defined it as something to be sewn for someone else, including a charity, a friend, a neighbor or a family member. Each contestant interpreted that in her own way, and each contestant met the requirements. Now, if there was a certain project that wasn’t your favorite, that is up to you, and I hoped you voted for your favorite project and its cause. But as your host, I do have to say that each each contestant was in line with the challenge, and there really is nothing to complain about.
Please keep in mind: I am doing everything I can to make Sew-vivor fair, not a popularity contest, and meaningful. Please do not just assume that its just a popularity contest. I am trying very hard to work out the kinks and have it set up the right way. This is all very important to me!
I appreciate the Top 10 contestants who were the guinea pigs this season. I have learned a lot about how to run a contest. There is a lot more behind-the-scenes stuff going on than you might think! I hope next year to implement the things I’ve learned to make it better!
Thank you to everyone who comes by to vote, and for following along this season.”
This week’s theme was…
Since there are 4 contestants this round, we have agreed to pull one prize from each prize package, in order to create a 4th Place prize. So, the 4th place winner will receive the $20 gift card from Contemporary Cloth, taken from each prize packages, to equal a total of $60.
I just want to take a moment to thank each of the Top 10 contestants who have participated in this sewing competition. They each brought so much skill, talent, and creativity. It has been way too hard to say goodbye to the other 6.
For this week, the judging process will take place in 3 parts. Scores will measured by 1.) The public vote, 2). The Guest Judge’s vote, and 3). The Contestant’s vote (where the contestants, including the Top 10, will vote for their favorite project, but not their own). Each category is worth 33% of the total score. I have a spreadsheet ready to crunch all the numbers. A detailed breakdown will be available to see on Friday morning, when the results are posted!
*The poll is at the bottom of this post!*
And now… here are the reveals. As usual, contestants appear in the order their submissions were received.
CONTESTANT #1: Miranda from One Little Minute
Here we are, the final round of Sewvivor! Thank you to Rachel for hosting such a cool competition. She’s put in tons of behind the scenes work to keep things rolling along, and I appreciate it! I am also so happy to have rubbed elbows with the amazing contestants over the last couple months. It is fun to meet new sewing enthusiasts, and they are all great people, too. Now, sometimes I feel like materials choose their own design, and that is what happened with my project for this week. When I spotted this wide tan and cream striped upholstery cotton in Charlottesville a month ago, I immediately saw this dress in my head. I believe wide stripes dream of becoming wide pleats, so I helped them on their way! As I draped the pattern on my dress form I played with the direction of the stripes. They are horizontal along the box-pleated skirt and the front panel of the square neck bodice, but vertical on the front side panels and back. I inverted the stripe colors on the elbow-length sleeve (because that was all I had left of my one yard of fabric!) Of course, I also added pockets. Polka dot pockets. I love the way the dress turned out. Box pleats are so classic, but the stripes, neckline, pockets and sleeves make it really interesting. In addition to the dress, I also wanted to step outside of my comfort zone for this challenge, so I added a pleated leather clutch to my entry. I had never before made a handbag, and never before worked with leather, so this was uncharted territory! The clutch pattern is well done, and the natural-colored calf-skin suede that I used is soft and dreamy. I lined the bag in vintage floral linen, and dressed up the brass zipper with a funky leather tassel. This dress and bag have quickly become two of my favorite things I’ve ever made! I hope you like them, too.
months I’ve been meaning to come up with a good bedside table solution
for Addie. She has a tiny room, a mate’s bed, and she needed a spot to
put a few books and her alarm clock that would still allow her drawers
to open. I had the idea to mount a small shelf beside her bed back in
July, and bought brackets for the shelf back in August. Now finally
it’s all come together as a bedside table/mini vanity, perfect for a
little girls room. To add some extra girly-ness, I sewed a box-pleated
skirt for around the shelf and matching stool. The colors compliment
her room perfectly, and Addie is thrilled with the result! However, I
know my girl, and she knows how to make a major mess. To prevent future
headaches for myself I made it possible, through the magic of Velcro,
for the bedside table and stool skirt to easily detach for a quick wash
up every now and then. I was very intimidated at the thought of sewing
pleats for this challenge, but I’ve got to say, I really enjoyed
playing with pleats! They weren’t nearly as tough as I thought they’d
be, and I think I’ll be sewing more pleats in the future!
CONTESTANT #3: Jessica from Swenson Love
have never sewn anything that involved pleats. i had to figure it out
on my own and it was definitely hard at first but once i got the hang of
it i enjoyed it very much. i may have fallen in love…
researching this springs top trends, i was able to incorporate many of
them into the outfit that i made for this weeks challenge.
pleats.stripes.metallic.maxi skirt.mint green.
or you can dress it down with a pair of wedges, t-shirt, some bright chunky jewelry, and a big sun hat (pictures of this outfit will be coming later on my blog)!
the creamy silk/crepe blouse is a simple boxy top with a vintage (1930’s) gold, metallic embellishment.
i was inspired by {this} skirt. please note the price! yeah…
Check out my {blog} for more photos!
I’m just going to say it- I love pleats. Love them. In fact, I subscribe to the “Everything is Better with Pleats” motto. That said, for this final challenge, I decided to take a couple of things on my To Make list and, you guessed it, add pleats!
The finished products are the “Garden Party Frock,” a polished dress to wear to Adam’s graduation (kind of like this one by ASOS, but not backless), and the “Preppy Pleated Purse,” a green and white vinyl purse. The purse’s peekaboo pleats add that extra bit of preppy punch (also, love that belt-ish adjustable strap and the pretty piping). And when my sister-in-law saw the row of pleats on the bottom hem of the dress, she said, “Very JCrew-y!” Just what I was going for. The pleated headband completes the look.
See? Pleats DO make everything better, don’t they?
I would absolutely LOVE and appreciate anyone who would like to follow my blog!
Only one vote is allowed per computer/device.
Check back on Friday to see who wins!
