2012 Challenge: Innovative Lace

For 2012, Threads Magazine invites the members of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals to participate in the Innovative Lace Challenge.

The successful finalists will show at the 2012 ASDP Conference, and the four winners will appear in Threads magazine. The challenge guidelines are as follows:

1. Design a complete garment or ensemble with at least one piece exhibiting your mastery of lace. Create and use at least one innovative lace technique. Document the technique with a photograph and a 50-word or less description. 
2. The garment can be 100 percent lace or otherwise use lace as the major statement.
3. For the challenge purposes, lace is defined as an open-worked, ornamental textile formed by a network of threads into patterns, and it does not include embroidered fabrics, such as eyelet. Well known laces include Alençon, Chantilly, Cluny, guipure, and others. The lace can be yardage or trim and can be new, repurposed, or fabricated (created). 
4. Fifty percent of the challenge is based on the presented garment/ensemble, and the other 50 percent on the lace use and innovative technique. 
5. The technique can be elaborate or simple—a unique way to sew a dart in lace, a new hem, or an original closure. The judges look for techniques that provide a solution to design or technical problems.
6. 
   

   Watch the home page for a link to the Intent to enter forms and terms of the challenge which will be posted soon. The challenge is open to Formal and Educational members. If you would like to join, click on join us at the top of the home page. If you would like to change membership categories so you can enter, contact LeNore Kerber at membership@sewingprofessionals.org.

 Challenge Terms & Schedule: 

The Challenge is open to formal, educational, and emeritus members of the Association of Sewing and
Design Professionals. Entrants must maintain their membership in good standing throughout the entire
Challenge process.

The entry must be a complete ensemble (a single garment or coordinated pieces that constitute an entire
outfit and are intended to be worn at the same time) constructed only by the Entrant. Separates will not be
accepted.

The garment must be sized for an adult male or female..

A participation fee of $25.00 for each entry must be submitted with the Intent to Enter Form. No additional Runway Show entry fee will be charged for Challenge garments (includes finalist and non-finalists), but entrants MUST register separately for the Member Showcase Runway Show.

Intent to Enter must be mailed to Challenge Coordinator and postmarked no later than April 1, 2012. Late entries will not be accepted. 

A signed Release for both Taunton Press/Threads and the Association must be submitted with the Intent to
Enter form.

The grand prize winner (“Most Successful”) in the 2011 Challenge is not eligible to enter the 2012 Challenge, but is welcome to model Innovative Lace ensembles in the Runway Show.

If selected as a finalist, the Entrant agrees to submit their ensemble for final judging in September, at the 2012 Annual conference in Novi, MI.

If selected as a finalist, Entrants agree to have their entry modeled during the Runway Show on Sept 28, 2012, at the Annual Conference in Novi, MI.

Entrants may NOT publish images or descriptions of their entry while their entry is active. Winners may not publish images or descriptions of their entry until after Threads has published the Challenge article. Threads has 1st right of publication of winning entries. This includes Websites, Facebook, email, YouTube, etc.

Send 1st round entries electronically to challenge@sewingprofessionals.org by 11:59:59 p.m., July 1, 2012, CDT on the inbox time clock. Late entries will be disqualified.

This is a blind judging; therefore entries which include identifiers, such as a name, face, or photograph which could identify the entrant, will be disqualified.
Entries which are missing required elements will be disqualified.
Decisions of the Challenge Committee and Judges are final.

Important dates:

April 1, 2012: Intent to Enter, Entry Fee, Release Forms mailed to:
Erin Retelle
and/or
Frank Fraser
2012 N. 15th St.
Boise, ID 83702 

April 15, 2012: Entry Number(s) returned to Entrant via email. First round submissions will be handled electronically so please add challenge@sewingprofessionals.org to your safe list and save all challenge related emails.

July 1, 2012: First round entry submissions due by 11:59:59, CDT as registered on the Challenge inbox. Email submissions to: challenge@sewingprofessionals.org.

August 1, 2012: Notification of status of all entries

September 27, 2012: Finalist entries due at conference for final judging

September 28, 2012: Winners announced at conference Runway Show

For more information on sewing with lace, see:

Threads no. 157 “Lace Edges” by Claire Shaeffer

Look for more on the how-tos of zero waste in Threads future issues.

The Challenge is open to ASDP members only. Please log in to access more information about Challenge terms, schedule, and entry procedures. If you are not yet a member of ASDP, and would like to join, please click here.