2019 UPCYCLING CHALLENGE WINNERS!

Hi everyone!
I know we’ve all been waiting with bated breathe to see who our Upcycling Challenge Season 2 winners are but first please allow me to say a few things! For Season 2,  I wanted to make it more fun (hence the kits) while still keeping it open for everyone to play in hopes that I could discover others that enjoyed upcycling as much as I did. I think we did pretty well. For those of you who played along, I want to commend you on your courage, and efforts in sharing your upcycling journey with us. I honestly cannot adequately express how thankful and inspired I am by each and every one of you. Many of you decided to try upcycling for the first time through the challenge, you went outside your comfort zones and was brave enough to share it with us.  I know I am so very proud and inspired by all of you. I hope this upcycling challenge journey has given you a new appreciation for sustainable sewing, has helped you discover and master your talents and have allowed you to grow in some aspect. PLEASE BE PROUD OF YOURSELF!!

And secondly, a very big THANK YOU, to Baby Lock , Windham Fabrics, and Nancys Notions for being our main sponsors and to a few of the Business Members of Sewing Portfolios.com for being community prize sponsors and making the challenge fun for all.

 

BEFORE WE GET TO THE GRAND PRIZE WINNERS! We do have 2 major weekly giveaway winners to announce.

1. SEWING PORTFOLIOS DIAMOND AMBASSADOR SPOTS:

If you’re a SewingPortfolio.com Member you know that SewingPortfolios opened two new spots for Diamond Ambassadors just for this challenge! These Ambassadors will be awarded a 12 month paid contract with Windham Fabrics. These Ambassadors were chosen from all players of the Upcycling Challenge hashtags who displayed great SP Ambassador characteristics –  showing great craftsmanship, good photography skills, and who did their best to mention and tag the appropriate accounts featured in their posts. So without further ado, the two newest SP Diamond Ambassadors are:

LORNA PARKER of @bomblesandmookin (United Kingdom)

ABBEY BUTTON of @creativebutton (USA)

 

2. Next is the 12 MONTH FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO SEW IT ACADEMY

The winner of the 12 month free subscription to SEW IT ACADEMY is:

HEATHER HAMBLIN of @made_cerahnaomi 

 

Alright now that those are out of the way, let’s get to our grand prize winners!

• Overall Look
• Craftsmanship – attention to detail & sewing construction
• Creativity and/or
• Wearability
• How well they incorporated the tools and notions from the kits into their social media posts and projects using hashtags and mentions
• Social Media presence / mentions during the challenge
• Submitted Project Picture/video resolution – SEE OFFICIAL RULES HERE.

::: JUDGES :::
Representatives from Babylock, Windham Fabrics, Nancy’s Notions &
bonus judge Julie DeLoach of Upcycle Sewing

 

NOW LET’S GET INTO WHAT YOU’RE REALLY HERE FOR:

THE 2019 #CAUPCYCLINGCHALLENGE2019

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS ARE:

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FIRST PLACE: ASHLEY SNIPES

 

 

I really loved how Ashely incorporated all the sponsors as well as the community sponsors in her finished project. I mean look at those miniature pattern envelopes and how cute is that wall art? (meant to be a t-shirt iron on transfer?) Her idea was original and she really showed us that upcycling can be more than just garments! If we pay attention and look for more ways to be sustainable, you can pretty much turn “trash to treasure” and Ashley did such an amazing job showing us how to do that. Here’s what some of the judges had to say:

 

We liked how she completely rehabbed the house. It was a completely original idea that was out of the box and really stood out in a sea of garments. We also loved the style and how everything was cohesive. It also looked like an actual house in the close-ups! And of course, we loved the mini Baby Lock sewing machines! – BABYLOCK

 

Ashley’s attention to detail is incredible! It was such a pleasure to follow along on her upcycling journey! – WINDHAM FABRICS

 

Doll House This upcycling project is a WOW. Ashley, you have amazing vision and craftsmanship skills. You were very clever incorporating the kit and project sponsors into your dollhouse decor. I love that you are inspiring your children, they have been given the opportunity to learn and participate as you craft and create new items from everyday objects. Well done, and I suspect this isn’t your last dollhouse! – JULIE DELOACH 

 

SECOND PLACE: DEBORAH DEVINE

 

 

What screams sustainable more than REUSABLE items? Deborah’s ingenious idea to turn a camping tent into reusable totes fit the bill perfectly. Not only does it make shopping and storing much easier, its also so very good for the planet AND its functional. Here’s what some of the sponsors had to say:

 

Upcycling a tent to make reusable totes is brilliant and Deborah’s craftsmanship is excellent! – WINDHAM FABRICS

 

Project #1 Grocery Organizer The Shopping Bags/Organizer upcycling project is appealing for several reasons. The bags are practical, they are useful and useable. I like how the design includes labels, and the zipper window mesh pocket is very clever. Mostly, I like that fact that un-usable tents and the tent poles can have a second life. The bags look like they will hold up for a very long time. – JULIE DELOACH

 

 

THIRD PLACE: WENDY PRATT

 

 

This was really a hard one, both of Wendy’s projects were amazing ( project has got to be the cutest little lamb I ever saw), but this jacket to pants upcycle is pretty impressive. I’m sure this took careful planning to pull off, the attention to detail and structure of the garment looks really as if it were store bought; it is very well done! Here’s what some of the judges had to say about Wendy’s pants:

 

This project was incredible. The finished garment did not look like it had been upcycled, but looked like pants you could buy at REI. The craftsmanship was phenomenal and everything was super intentional, especially with the use of pockets. – BABYLOCK

 

I love a practical upcycle and Wendy really nailed it with the amazingly useful (and stylish) cargo pants! – WINDHAM FABRICS

 

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR

3 GRAND PRIZE WINNERS!! 

 

So what happens now? Just know that …

Machine will be shipped by and from Babylock.
Fabrics will be shipped by and from Windham Fabrics.

All other prizes for the winners of the daily giveaways and our grand prize winners will be mailed out on Friday 9/5/2019 by me.  Tracking for packages will be sent via email. Again, I want to thank everyone for making Season 2 of the Candice Ayala’s Upcycling Challenge so fun and successful! STAY CREATIVE!

If you’d like to get updates on next year’s challenge click HERE!