>The Giving Season

Posted on December 11, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>I met Tammy Hildebrand in Manchester, New Hampshire, at the 2004 CGOA Chain Link Conference. She didn’t have red hair then (!), nor did she have Chronic Lyme Disease.

Tammy and her husband George were standing in the lobby area of the conference hotel when I wandered by. Tam stopped me and totally gushed, I mean GUSHED over whatever crochet lace thing I was wearing. She had signed up to meet with Rita Weiss and Jean Leinhauser, who were scouting talent for their upcoming book projects for Creative Partners. All Tammy and the rest of us wannabe designers knew was to go to the lobby. Only thing was, Tammy had no idea what Rita and Jean looked like. So, after hanging around the lobby for a hour, well past the appointed meeting time, Tammy was tempted to give up.

Turns out Rita and Jean had been holding court the whole time just across the lobby from where Tam was waiting, sitting and chatting with the crowd of admirers. Who knew? Tammy was so upset imagining that she had blown this opportunity. So I took her over, introduced her to the dynamic duo, and we shared my appointment time.

We became the best crochet buds. We have helped each other many times with deadlines and problems. Tammy is the kindest, most generous soul, with a huge heart, a wacky sense of humor and, up until a couple of years ago, boundless energy. But today Tammy struggles with this stupid disease. Not just the disabling symptoms, but also the mounting financial burden that has become more impossible to bear than the disease itself.

So the friends of Tammy Hildebrand have gathered together to raise much needed funds. Please visit the Help Tammy site and see what we are doing. An ostentation (or whatever the collective term is for us!) of designers donated books, patterns and crocheted objects that will be awarded randomly to anyone who makes a monetary pledge by December 20th. I am offering a signed copy of Everyday Crochet and the Mei-Mei garment sample featured on the book cover.

Thank you so much in advance for having as big a heart as my friend Tammy.

>2009 CGOA Design Contest: LOOK, LOOK!

Posted on August 13, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>I’ve managed to scrounge up a few images of some the winning garment designs thanks to shutterbug friends.

GRAND PRIZE
Crochet Confection Evening Gown by Renee Bar nes

PEOPLES’ CHOICE AWARD
Wedding Dress by Paula Bennett

FIRST PRIZE FASHION

Flamenco Dance Dress by Patricia Williams

SECOND PRIZE FASHION

Ocean Fiesta Dress by Andrea Graciarena

THIRD PRIZE FASHION

Sophisticated Spring by Paula Bennett

FIRST PRIZE CROCHET AS ART

Heartrock Hotel by Gwen Blakley-Kinsler

Thanks to Vashti for the photo of Myra Wood backstage at Saturday night’s fashion show modeling Paula’s third prize winner. That’s Kang Hyo Min in Pat’s Flamenco dress and Kazue Ohara in Andrea’s Ocean Fiesta dress, images kindly coughed up by Drew Emborsky. They are my (tiny-sized) new friends, reps from Tulip Company, who were exhibiting at the Knit&Crochet show this year. From the way they are beaming, Kang and Kazue didn’t seem to mind being drafted to wear these brilliant winning designs. 🙂

>And the winners are….

Posted on August 12, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>Never in my life have I seen so much stellar crochet all in one place. I am talking about the CGOA National Conference this past week in Buffalo, NY, and in particular about the 2009 CGOA Crochet Design Contest. I had the gut-wrenching experience of taking part in the judging. We had four hours to examine all one hundred entries and come up with this short list. We could have been there for days.

I’m posting the winner list now, but plan to write more about some of the high points and hopefully have a mess of images soon.

2009 CGOA Design Contest Winners

Grand Prize ($1000 from Coats & Clark)

“Crochet Confection Evening Gown”, designed by Renee Barnes

Peoples’ Choice

“Wedding Gown”, designed by Paula Bennett

CATEGORY: FASHION

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) “Flamenco Dancer Dress”, Patricia Williams

Second Prize ($200 from the Boye Needle Company) “Ocean Fiesta Dress”, Andrea Graciarena

Third Prize ($100 from DRG’s Crochet Magazine) “Sophisticated Spring”, Paula Bennett

Honorable Mention

Baby Dress Set by Carol Carlile

Short-sleeved Jacket with shawl collar by Margaret Hubert

Wedding Dress by Paula Bennett

Double-breasted Jacket by Mary Jane Hall

Bruges Lacy Dress by Hyacinth Thomas

Corset Top by Tracie Barrett

Playing the Angles Cardigan by Deborah Burger

CATEGORY: Home Decor

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) Doily by Ferosa Harold

Second Prize ($200 from Interweave Crochet) Freeform Pillow by Shelby Lynn Allaho

Third Prize ($100 from DRG’s Crochet Magazine) Victori Africana Footstool by Rhonda Davis

Honorable Mention

Tamara’s Trail Throw by Tamara Gonzales

Avalon Doily by Kathryn White

Irish Lace Mat by Kathie Earle Doily by Ferosa Harold

CATEGORY: Accessories

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) Spring Handbag by Jerry Rigdon, freeform bag

Second Prize ($200 from Boye) Black and White Headpiece and bag by Kathie Earle, DMC cotton #80

Third Prize ($100 from DRG’s Crochet Magazine) Butterfly Necklace by Sonja Hood, done in wire and glass

Honorable Mention

Evening Clutch Bag by Diane Moyer

Silk, Silver and Lace Purse by Julia Bryan

Beaded Evening Bag by Sonja Hood

Freeform Hat with Earflaps by Leslie Nelle-Urinyi

CATEGORY: Crochet as Art

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) Heartrock Hotel by Gwen Blakley Kinsler

Second Prize ($200 from Interweave Crochet) The Harvest by Carol Ventura

Third Prize ($100 from Martingale & Co) Pop Top Bowl by Denise Royal

Honorable Mention

Crochet on a Rock with a Twist of Lime, Gwen Blakley Kinsler

Crochet Cabernet, Andera Van Benschoten

Prayer Flags by Martha Furman Kosro

Hearty congrats to all. Personal thanks to Cari Clement, to Lori Fuller who sweated all the pre- and post-show details at Caron headquarters, and a HUGE standing ovation for Caron International Yarns for their support and generous sponsorship of this year’s contest.

>What ME… judge?

Posted on May 16, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>Doubledogdangit. I was psyching myself up for the 2009 CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Crochet Design Contest, culminating in the awarding of prizes at a ceremony during the CGOA National Conference in Buffalo, NY, 6-8 August. Yup. Cash prizes. And the best part is you don’t have to write a pattern for your submission. Piece of pie!

Stupidly I missed the deadline for last year’s contest due to procrastination. So this year I vowed to set aside plenty of time and yarn and get started early. One of the prototypes I considered was this simple seamless dress with a peasant string-tied neckline and tiered, slightly ruffled trim. Not quite the rumba ruffles I wanted. Honestly, it looks scary the way it hangs on the mannequin, but the deep tiers have plenty of movement and swing. Fun to wear and twirl.

But much to my astonishment I got drafted to be a contest judge. CGOA Design Contest Committee Co-Chairpersons Cari Clement and Jean Leinhauser probably thought having a designer on the panel of judges would be a good thing. I accepted the honor, but on one condition; I could consider bribes. I never said I would take any bribes, just consider them. I believe Cari thought I was kidding.

I join a most distinguished group of crochet luminaries: Cari Clement, representing Caron International Yarns, Jean Leinhauser of Creative Partners publishing, Michelle Maks of DRG, and Brett Bara, editor of Crochet Today!. But the true stars of the contest are your entries. So get on it.

Here is a link to the 2009 Design Contest Announcement pdf with rules and information. The first rule is you must be a CGOA member, so if you are not, visit www.crochet.org to join. Briefly, there will be four categories this year: Fashion, Home Decor, Accessiories, and (thanks to the efforts of Vashti Braha on the CGOA Board of Directors) a new and exciting division, Crochet as Art. There is a small entry fee. Deadline for entries is 15 July 2009. Prizes of $100, $200 and $300 will be awarded in each category, with a special Grand Prize of $1000.

Good luck! I hope to see your best stuff there when we hunker down to choose the winners in Buffalo in August. And, FYI, I like chocolate.