This challenging pageant was held over the course of one afternoon. It was one of the most difficult pageants we have ever done, not so much due to the time limit, but rather due to the materials we were required to use. Earlier in the day, our mom and our 12 year old brother were given free access to our stash of fabrics and crafting materials. They then filled six bags with eight items each. Grace and I each picked three bags, and had to design one Barbie per bag, using only the contents in that bag. Our mom and brother have a healthy sense of humor, and the items in the bag were unexpected, to say the least. I’m sure they got a great deal of pleasure from the looks on our faces when Grace and I first opened the bags!
Because there were only six designs (after all , we only had one afternoon) the family just ranked all six of them, with the top three designs as the winners as usual.
I will list the contents of each bag, in the order that the designs placed.
1st Place:
This was Rachel’s design. The bag contained: Blue plaid wool, orange polysatin, mauve ribbon, mint green polysatin, black velvet, wire, gold sequin trim, anda bag of small white ribbon bows. From this assortment, Rachel crafted a tailored suit with a colorful blouse. She used the wire to make a bracelet, and cut apart the gold trim to make another bracelet and earrings. The velvet and green satin were used in a clutch purse. The only item she did not use was the mauve ribbon.
2nd Place:
Grace crafted this design from a bag containing the following materials: Cotton batting, plastic snowflakes, gold beads, black and white printed fabric, red ribbon, ivory fleece, red feathers, cheetah print fabric, and a large gold plastic star. Grace used the cotton batting to make a small hat, trimmed with the gold beading and a small feather. The dress was made of the black print. The only items Grace didn’t use were the cheetah fabric and the star.
3rd Place:
Two designs were tied for 3rd place, both of them by Grace.
The contents of the first bag were: Hot pink feather trim, yellow sparkly fabric, black and white striped ribbon, yellow polysatin, purple roses, silver bead trim, a plastic dove, and a piece of purple fabric that Grace had stitched all over in white. Grace used every item in the bag for her design. The design was bright, fun, and impressive.
The other bag contained: Brown polysatin, pink and brown flowered fabric, pink ribbon, gold sequins, beige colored floral spray, blue sequined fabric, black lace with gold flowers on it, a painted head bead, (a note about this; Grace and I have all kinds of craft items squirrelled away in our stash, including a couple random wooden heads. Apparently, Mom and Mark thought it would be funny to put those items in the bags). Grace only left out the blue fabric, and the black and gold lace, instead, choosing to focus on the pink and brown items in the bag. She used the head bead and the pink ribbon to make a purse. (Soon to be the most popular style!)
4th Place:
This was Rachel’s design. She used all the contents of her bag, which were: Silver lame, flowered pique fabric, metallic gold leaves, white and red flowers, red/green calico, sequins, zebra print ribbon, and a miniature knitting basket (another random item.) She made the dress out of lame, trimming it with flowers and swirls she had cut out of the two printed fabrics. She used the knitting basket as a hat. The zebra print was used as a choker.
5th Place:
Rachel also designed this one. The bag contained: Pink printed fabric, white rick-rack, iridescent bead clusters, another head bead, yellow furry fabric, blue fleece, metal snowflakes, and gold lame. She used the head, and the two fleeces to make a purse, but didn’t use the snowflakes or the lame. We all agreed this was the hardest bag!
Although this pageant was really difficult, we had a lot of fun. It truly tested our creativity to come up with designs from the assorted contents of our bags. To see pictures of all the designs, go to the photo gallery.