I Won!

I finally won a contest on PatternReview.com, with my PolarTec PowerShield cross-country ski anorak.

This was for the January “Sew Activewear” contest. The winner got a $100 gift certificate to Nature’s Fabrics. They have a lot of gorgeous stuff. I can’t wait to pick out some fabric!

When you win a contest, PatternReview provides you with a badge for display on a blog. I feel compelled to do this. Here it goes:

Oooh. Now the victory is really sinking in!

Seriously, I am glad I finally won. I have entered several contests on PR and elsewhere during the past 20 years, and I have never won before. I came in second in the “Barganista Fashionista” contest on PR in the spring with my Hudson’s Bay blanket-turned-to-coat project:

While this looked just like the designer coat I was knocking off, to be fair, I did not deserve 2nd place. This was a very simple project and my sewing was… shall I say it… half-assed. But, I’ll take it! I won a $50 gift certificate to Sulky. I don’t embroider, so I spent the gift certificate on scissors, stabilizers and other accessories.

I have entered 12 other contests since 2015. Once I came in second to last (deservedly so.) To be fair, I didn’t always give it an honest effort. I am more in the “it’s fun to participate” than in the  “I wanna win” frame of mind. I enjoy contests more for the camaraderie than for the thrilling prospect of victory. I’ve met people and made friends. I also like the deadline that contests impose.

On the other hand, I have gotten a bit carried away with contests. A few years ago I entered several that I shouldn’t have. I wasted money, fabric and time. So I decided starting last year that I would only enter two a year and only if I was prepared to put in an honest effort – basically, only if I had a project I thought I could win with, sewing something I needed and would wear.

I don’t have any other contests on the horizon for 2019. I might participate in Indie Pattern Month again, assuming The Monthly Stitch does it again this fall.

Author: shoes15

I live in Connecticut, USA with my husband and my dog, in an old house outfitted with a sewing room, a garden, an orchard, and a big liquor cabinet. View all posts by shoes15