I received some information this week from Kathy at
PFAFF, the 150 year old brand of high quality sewing/embroidery machines, that I'm pleased to share with you. PFAFF is supplying awards and sponsoring a contest called, "Create Your Style with
Swarovski Elements".
Although the contestant entry deadline was June 1, 2012, I thought this would be great information to share in case you'd like to look into this for next year's deadline.
The following explains the contest. The designs have already been narrowed down to 10 finalists and the top three candidates will be announced at this year's
International Quilt Festival in Houston (Nov. 1-4, 2012) where you will also be able to see all of the finalist's quilts. Quilts will also be touring, however, a schedule has not yet been determined.
CREATE
YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
10
finalists for 2012 Quilting Design Contest
CREATE YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, the inspirational global design
initiative for all those who delight in expressing their own style through
crystal creativity has announced the top ten finalists of its first ever
Art
Quilting Design Contest. Initiated in 2011 to celebrate CREATE YOUR STYLE’s
second appearance at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, the
Art Quilting Design Contest 2012 challenged contestants to “be inspired by the
“sound” of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS”.
CREATE YOUR STYLE Art Quilting Design Contest 2012
Applicants were asked to design an original quilt using
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS to express their individual design theme. Designs were to be
submitted by June 1, 2012 after which semi-finalists were decided and
instructed to submit their finished quilts to SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS for final
selection.
Attractive prizes for top three contestants
The three top candidates are to be rewarded with very
attractive prizes for their quilting creativity with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. The
overall winner of the CREATE YOUR STYLE Art Quilting Design Contest will
receive a check for $3,500.00, a gift basket worth the same amount containing
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS and CREATE YOUR STYLE merchandise and a PFAFF® Quilt
Expression™ 4.0 sewing machine with a suggested retail price of $2,599. The second placed winner receives a $2,500.00 check, a
$2,500 gift basket containing SWAROVSKI ELEMETS and CREATE YOUR STYLE
merchandise and a PFAFF® Expression™ 3.0
sewing machine with suggested retail price of $1,939. The third placed winner
receives a $1,000 check, a $2,000 gift basket containing SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS and
CREATE YOUR STYLE merchandise and a PFAFF® Ambition™ 1.5 sewing machine with a
suggested retail price of $1,299.
Expert Jury decide winners
The jury of leading industry experts met on Wednesday,
August 1, 2012 at the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Creative Service Center in New York
City to study the twenty-five semi-finalist’s pieces in detail. After careful
consideration they selected a short list of ten finalists for the 2012 CREATE
YOUR STYLE Art Quilting Design Contest.
Lending their expertise to judging the event were
Caroline Weaver, VP of Global Marketing & Communications for SVP Worldwide;
Martha Sielman, Executive Director for Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.;
Amanda Schlatre, Special Exhibits Coordinator for the International
Quilt Show; and Stephan Toljan, VP of Sales for SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. When making
their selection, judges considered the creativity and uniqueness of the design,
the successful incorporation of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS into the quilt, the quality
of the workmanship and the overall presentation.
Finalists to attend 2012 International Quilt Festival
The ten chosen finalists will now be invited to attend
the 2012 International Quilt Festival in November where their finished quilts
will be displayed and the top three candidates will be announced.
CREATE YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
The designers’ choice since 1895,
Swarovski is renowned for its excellence in the mastery of precision-cut
crystal as well as its numerous collaborations with fashion’s leading creators.
Today, Swarovski, as an Austria-based fifth generation family company, employs
20,000 people and enjoys a presence in more than 120 countries around the
globe. Swarovski launched CREATE YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS in 2004 as
a global initiative to promote the joy of creative personal design. CREATE
YOUR STYLE specifically focuses on the endless possibilities offered by
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, Swarovski’s varied and versatile line of crystal items that
are available in a myriad of colors, shapes, sizes and styles. CREATE YOUR
STYLE strives to ignite the inspiration of all those fashion-forward
enthusiasts who delight in expressing their own style through crystal
creativity.
In 1895, Daniel Swarovski, a Bohemian inventor and
visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his
newly-invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewelry stones. From
this beginning that revolutionized the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be
the world’s leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion, jewelry and
more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the company, still family-owned
and run by 5th generation family members, has a global reach with some 26,100
employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2011 of 2.22
billion euros. Swarovski comprises two major businesses; one producing and
selling loose elements to the industry and the other creating design-driven
finished products. Swarovski crystals have become an essential ingredient of
international design. Since 1965 the company has also catered to the fine
jewelry industry with precision-cut genuine gemstones and created stones.
Showing the creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski’s own
brand lines of accessories, jewelry and home décor items are sold through more than 2,200 retail outlets
worldwide. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 300,000 members across
the world, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in Wattens,
Swarovski Kristallwelten, the multi-media crystal museum, was opened in 1995 as
a celebration of Swarovski’s universe of innovation and inspiration.
