Updates at the bottom


Is your materials stash taking up half of your workspace?

Have you been told you cannot buy more fabric until you start to use up your current stash?

Do you have a project that has been sitting on the back burner that you've never gotten around to?

Do you need accessories? (Come on, who doesn't?)

Well, if you answered yes to any of these or questions like them perhaps the Historic Costume Club's first contest is for you!

Historic Costume’s First Contest: The Period Accessory Contest!

The object is to make an accessory of the period of your choice.

The rules:
1) Attempt to make your accessory look as it would in period. Bonus points will be awarded for using period materials and techniques. (i.e. completely hand sewing a hat vs. using a few dabs of hot glue here and there) However, it is the beauty of the finished product we are judging here. Awww I've got a middle class project in mind, do I still have a shot at winning? Absolutely, social class of the project will not be a factor in judging.

2) The project must not cost more than $15 U.S. (or the equivalent in your country based on the exchange rate the day the contest starts). Materials already on hand do not count towards budget restraints, so be resourceful! (Details on what will and will not count toward the budget will be enumerated later and in the forum). So what's up with the price cap? Well, three things, one to help clean out the stocks that I know many of our members have, two challenge their resourcefulness, and three I know some of our members want to keep turning out sewing projects, but are a little short on cash.

3) You must keep track of and submit your costs with your final submission. Entries that exceed the cap or do not have a budget will not be considered for the final prizes. Prizes? There are prizes? Yep. See below.

4) When in doubt ask. The judges will make the final ruling on whether a project is eligible or not. For all contest questions a thread has been created in the HCC forum.

Examples of accessories are but not limited to: hats, hoods, bonnets, gloves, gauntlets, pouches, purses, boxes, belts, stockings, shoes, drinking vessels, parasols, muffs, ruffs, cuffs, foreparts, sleeves, masks and fans. If you can document it to your period it is up for grabs; provided, it fits the budget constraints.

What should I count toward my budget?

The general rule is materials count toward the budget, but items needed to aid in construction do not.

Here are some examples:
Items that DO NOT count toward the budget of $15:
• Needles
• Sewing machine accessories (i.e. new bobbins, machine oil, special presser foot)
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Thread—it has been determined that thread will not count since so often it is a project specific purchase.

Items that DO count toward the budget of $15:
• Fabric
• Trim
• Buttons
• Bias tape
• Buckram/plastic canvas
• Beads

Realistic looking faux leather and fur may be substituted without penalty.

For judging purposes please include a source for your project (painting, illustration, description from a period text, etc.), but it does not need to be an exact reproduction. Be creative with color and trim.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

Use of materials: preferably materials available in chosen period on visible surfaces.
Over all aesthetic appeal: how closely does it resemble the source in shape and function
Use of period construction methods: (not required, but will be considered in event of a tie)

Now the fun part--PRIZES!
*DAnnsCreations has been so kind as to help donate the prizes for this contest. THANK YOU!

1st Prize: a 6 month subscription to DA
2nd Prize: a 3 month subscription to DA
3rd Prize: a 1 month subscription to DA

The contest will start on Monday, November 6th, and end on Sunday December 31st. That is almost two months to create this project.

Good luck!

Update: If you are planning on entering the contest please post a comment on the contest thread in the forum. The judges want an idea of who is interested and it would be a big help for us.

12/1 So have you started yet? The staff hasn't...whoops...

12/7 DEADLINE EXTENDED!! The staff has consulted and given the chaos associated with the holiday season we are going to extend the contest deadline until January 15th. Happy Holidays!

12/16 I posted an example of how a contest entry might look. [link] Remember to include your expenses, materials and how your project was made. Include any cultural or historical information you think might be beneficial to the judges.

1/17 Okay, time's up. If you haven't already please submit a link to your finished project in the HCC journal ASAP. The judges will confer this week and hopefully have a winner in the next few days. Stay tuned.

1/18 Here are the entries received!

Adylith - Velvet Sleeves [link]
BraveAnimal - Medieval Circlet [link]
Janes-Wardrobe - Medieval Purse [link]
Kurokami-Kanzashi - Maiko Kanzashi Set [link]
Lasmith - French Hood [link]

If I missed yours, please direct me to your entry on your account. If the submission date to DA is by the 15th of January, your entry can still be included. This grace period only lasts until the 20th at midnight central time, so be quick!

1/26 First and foremost the staff would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who participated and made the first contest such a wonderful success!

Well the votes are in and the winners have been chosen. The judging panel used a points system to choose the winners. Each judge rewarded the accessory they thought deserved first place with three points, second with two points and third with one point--after that the points totalled and the winners chosen.

The results were very close with only a point or two separating the places!

1st place: Kurokami-Kanzashi - Maiko Kanzashi Set [link]
2nd place: Janes-Wardrobe - Medieval Purse [link]
3rd place: Lasmith - French Hood [link]

Prizes will be distributed shortly.

Thank you again. Stay tuned for another contest in the next couple of months.