2023, a whole new year! Now that we have given you some time to rest, reflect and rejuvenate, it is time for a challenge! That's right, I am talking about our 9th Annual Sewing Bee which starts bright and early on Monday, January 30th. An action packed contest is what many may describe the Sewing Bee, but I want to take you back to the origin of this phrase - The Sewing Bee. Much like its cousin, the quilting bee, the sewing bee symbolizes community, social sewing and mentorship. We thought of this contest 9 years ago because you, our members are amazing and each year you knock our socks off with your creativity. And you do it while supporting each other. If you have been following the discussion on the forums, you know that many are entering and excited to join the Bee because to them, this feels like family.
So who is excited for the Bee?
If you are new to PatternReview and are not familiar with the PatternReview Sewing Bee, in this contest we will give you 4 challenges and about a week to complete each challenge. At the end of each round, your entries will be judged by me and the The Contest Committee. Any patternreview member (Free or Friends of PR) is eligible to participate in the first round, after which this contest will continue with those, moving on to subsequent rounds.
The first round starts on Monday, January 30th. Remember this is the ONLY round which is open to everyone. I encourage you to enter!
Meet your Mentors
This year we have two amazing members who will be your mentors and sounding boards. The first two rounds will be managed by acmena (Sandra) and mudcat (Alice) will be there to guide you in the last two rounds. Thank you both for stepping up to this very challenging task.
Challenges
For each round, contestants will have 7 days to sew the mystery item announced that day, with particular guidelines set by the Contest Committee.
By the deadline date, participants must have their submission posted. Taking clear photos and writing detailed reviews of your item will make it a stand-out in this competition (please read this). While we can’t spill the beans about the challenge items beforehand, we can say with some confidence that if you have a small stash at home, you're ready to begin.
Rounds
After each round, there will be a number of eliminations, based on the total number of entries. Only the selected participants will move on to the next round. But don’t worry - this sewing bee is all about making great projects and having fun along the way!
Judges
Like previous years the contest committee and I will judge your entries. And if you didn't catch the announcement earlier this year, please welcome MVi14 - Maria to the contest committee. As a very active community member and having participated, managed and even won so many contests in the past, she was a natural choice for our group. We are so very thrilled that she graciously accepted!
PRIZES!
There will be lots of prizes from our generous sponsors. Please support them!
and of course PatternReview! support your favorite sewing community ;)
Sewing Bee is a contest like no other. It is a true collaboration between our members, our volunteers, the contest committee and our sponsors. Everyone is waiting with baited breath to see what you will create. Get that adrenaline pumping! We will be back with more details on Monday.
Contest starts this Monday, January 30th. Until then, rest up!
Schedule
Round 1 : Jan 30th - Feb. 6th
Round 2 : Feb 13th - Feb 20th
Round 3 : Feb 27th - March 6th
Round 4 : March 13th - March 20th
Here's a badge for your social media and blog #prsewingbee2023
I highly recommend that you read this post which explains what we, the judges look for in the entries for the Sewing Bee.
The Sewing Bee - Judges Eye View
Related
--------
