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In it to Win it....
Apr. 11th, 2011 02:23 pmWherein I begin my annual deconstruct of the Golden Seamstress Experience, in this instance in view not just of participating but in gunning to bring home a prize.
In this issue:
A brief discussion of the stated objective vs. the objective as experienced.
Disclaimer - this is not a complaint, this is a perception, compiled over 4 competitions over a 7? year span.
The event entitled Quest For the Golden Seamstress comes with it the implication of a sewing competition. So it began, and so it remains on the surface. However, I submit that time and subtle morphing has altered the event into something that is more "Quest for the Golden Anachronist."
Which is not to say that sewing is not an important element. Indeed, fit and construction are still the topmost elements. But over the years something subtle has happened, almost organically. Well, a couple of somethings.
First, documentation. It's always been stated at the outset that extensive documentation is not "required" = and it isn't. But that doesn't mean that it isn't expected. In order to score well, you really NEED to have fairly thorough documentation of each decision you made in the planning and construction of the outfit you're working on. Sometimes of things you had considered so obvious that it didn't occur to you to attempt to provide that documentation. There are certain judges who are notorious for not just asking you what you're working on, but returning repeatedly for interrogation on specific elements. You'd better have it backed up, or you shall receive The Stare (TM). (My bad on that, guys) This is in part because certain groups strive to bring ridiculous amounts of information and because past judges have rewarded that - which leads to an increasing spiral of effect.
Interestingly - the ability to document the snot out of a G.S. entry seems to have no effect at all on the reputation nor rank of individuals outside the competition. Odd, but there it is.
Second, accessories. Here's the real runaway train. Accessories are a fairly minor part of the score. And, to be frank, I'd let them slip my mind more or less altogether, which was again - My Fial. However, each year someone has chosen to do something unusual onsite. And the judges tend to "make" over it quite a bit. Well, more accurately, the other non-judging luminaries tend to "make" over it. So the next year, other people bring even more esoteric elements to perform onsite. It started with the more-or-less innocuous making of shoes and has since blossomed into weaving, armor-making, lamp-work, cosmetics, basket weaving - and on, and on. None of which is really relevant to the stated objective of selecting the Golden Seamstress. And most of which is not worth the opportunity cost of giving up time spent sewing to make said accessories (and I speak only of those instances in which the accessories consumed so much time the sewing didn't get done), especially for such a proportionately small number of points. And I've been on teams guilty of this in the past, as well.
I'm not sure it's a "problem" per se. It's just a disconnect between what the stated mission is, and what the reality becomes. Frankly, I'd been out of the loop long enough that I'd forgotten about those two things, and it bit me in the a**.
Wisdom comes slowly to these slopes. :-)
In this issue:
A brief discussion of the stated objective vs. the objective as experienced.
Disclaimer - this is not a complaint, this is a perception, compiled over 4 competitions over a 7? year span.
The event entitled Quest For the Golden Seamstress comes with it the implication of a sewing competition. So it began, and so it remains on the surface. However, I submit that time and subtle morphing has altered the event into something that is more "Quest for the Golden Anachronist."
Which is not to say that sewing is not an important element. Indeed, fit and construction are still the topmost elements. But over the years something subtle has happened, almost organically. Well, a couple of somethings.
First, documentation. It's always been stated at the outset that extensive documentation is not "required" = and it isn't. But that doesn't mean that it isn't expected. In order to score well, you really NEED to have fairly thorough documentation of each decision you made in the planning and construction of the outfit you're working on. Sometimes of things you had considered so obvious that it didn't occur to you to attempt to provide that documentation. There are certain judges who are notorious for not just asking you what you're working on, but returning repeatedly for interrogation on specific elements. You'd better have it backed up, or you shall receive The Stare (TM). (My bad on that, guys) This is in part because certain groups strive to bring ridiculous amounts of information and because past judges have rewarded that - which leads to an increasing spiral of effect.
Interestingly - the ability to document the snot out of a G.S. entry seems to have no effect at all on the reputation nor rank of individuals outside the competition. Odd, but there it is.
Second, accessories. Here's the real runaway train. Accessories are a fairly minor part of the score. And, to be frank, I'd let them slip my mind more or less altogether, which was again - My Fial. However, each year someone has chosen to do something unusual onsite. And the judges tend to "make" over it quite a bit. Well, more accurately, the other non-judging luminaries tend to "make" over it. So the next year, other people bring even more esoteric elements to perform onsite. It started with the more-or-less innocuous making of shoes and has since blossomed into weaving, armor-making, lamp-work, cosmetics, basket weaving - and on, and on. None of which is really relevant to the stated objective of selecting the Golden Seamstress. And most of which is not worth the opportunity cost of giving up time spent sewing to make said accessories (and I speak only of those instances in which the accessories consumed so much time the sewing didn't get done), especially for such a proportionately small number of points. And I've been on teams guilty of this in the past, as well.
I'm not sure it's a "problem" per se. It's just a disconnect between what the stated mission is, and what the reality becomes. Frankly, I'd been out of the loop long enough that I'd forgotten about those two things, and it bit me in the a**.
Wisdom comes slowly to these slopes. :-)
