Contest The Great Triathlon Challenge #1: Retread Threads

I just have a quick question! When it says:
"A closeup of the garment tag still attached to the clothing with the sales receipt dated later than August 1st. To keep things fair for all contestants the garment must be purchased specifically for this contest."
Does this mean the garment tag where it says the brand/size etc that the company sews on, or do you mean the tag the shop adds to it? Cause thrift shops here don't add tags, and a lot of them don't give out receipts either. I can buy something and have the eftpos receipt (my fave thrift shop gives them) - is that enough?

 

Will entrants be permitted to fashion trim from the garment or thread itself? i.e crocheting your thread to make a veil.

 

Will we be able to dye the fabric as well or would that be using another notion?

 

I have the same problem as MissCarrion! I live in a small town and my local thrift store doesn't put tags on the garments and I don't think I have ever gotten a receipt of any kind shopping there. Can I not participate because of this?

 

I am a little worried about this also, because they are thrift stores they tend to just have a bunch of stuff in a bin for X amount and things like that. I very much doubt I would be able to find one with a tag. A receipt might be tricky but I should be able to sort something out. Some of them do have simple till receipts.


This sounds like a really fun idea though! If I can I will probably enter.

 

I'm excited! I have a great idea aready so I'm going out this morning in the pouring rain!!
I'm a pokey-slow worker so the time limit is the challenging part for me, pushing myself along to do this challenge will benefit me.

Lovely Yena girly, hopefully you may join the ranks of our other 3 lithe, single-torso beauties!!

 

Whoo hoo! I'm in. I'm lucky that our thrift store here puts tags as well as gives out receipts, so that isn't a problem. Coming up with an idea will be the challenging part! LOL

 

This is... highly tempting right now, I admit. It could end up being fun. Hmm... Though I am in the middle of remaking a trunk I found at my favorite thrift shop. ....Eh, why not! *off to shop!*

 

aww I cant do this because I dont have $20 lying around to go buy anything :/ If we could use an item that we already had then I could do this. I guess that means I cant participate in the other two parts of this either :/ Oh well... I actually like the prize that is being given away in the photo collage thread better... but I gotta figure out how I'm going to print things out since right now I dont have ink in my printer x.x

 

quick question~! when we buy this garment, what if its an outfit set? like a suit set for example, can we use all pieces of the outfit or we can only use one part? like the jacket or just the pants?

 

Potentially stupid question: may we use things such as fray check?

 

The reason we are asking people to specifically buy an item for this contest is because some people (myself included!) have large stashes of garments we are planning on recycling into dolly clothes. It would be unfair for a person to pull from this hoard while other members have to hunt down whatever they can find locally and within the limited time frame of the contest. Keep in mind you can spend much less than $20.

If you buy an outfit set you may use only one portion of it, such as the shirt OR the skirt OR the pants. Again, this is to keep the playing field level.

Please use only the items listed above. Fabric glue substitutes quite well to keep threads from fraying.

 

So tempted to try this.... You can always find the most eccentric things at my local thrift shop.... I even had a brilliant idea for the footwear! So if we were to buy a used prom dress with a separate tulle skirt, we would NOT be able to use the tulle, correct? It must be a part of a single garment?

 

I ran around town, had a great scrounge and found a lovely piece for the challenge right away. Ironic because when I got it home to photograph it, it actually fits me! That won't stop me though

A few other props and things jumped into my thrifting basket too, like they do... I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's outfits from this, especially the footwear.

 

Oh I completely got that point and I understand ^^ I just dont really have an income atm so in all reality I'd probably end up spending $20 on ink for my printer instead of buying fabric because that's more practical. lol. Plus I can enter the other contest if I get ink instead. I just get bummed out when I realize I cant do things because of financial issues :/

 

Shops here generally don't let people take photos inside - I've been thrown out of one because of it :P I think I'll just have to find a store that does attach tags, cause I'd rather not get banned from my fave thrift shop for taking a photo!

Edit: Aha! Turns out that there is a thrift store chain in my city that DOES attach price tags, so now I know where I'll be going once I've been paid!

 

Question, is the price $20 USD or $20 equivalent to our local currency?

 

Yes, from a single garment, please.

However much $20 USD is worth in your local currency. We were generous with the amount of money available to spend as we realize there can be huge discrepancies in how much the US dollar is worth abroad, and as thrift shops in some areas have cheap prices, while others price things exorbitantly. So many people should be able to get by with spending far less than $20, and hopefully everyone should be able to find something usable!

 

I have another annoying question (Oh yes, I am that person XD - figure it's better to ask!) - if during our deconstruction we are really careful and manage to save decent lengths of the thread that originally held the garment together, are we allowed to use this in the reconstruction of our dolly garment?

 

Well I have a silly question, may we dye our fabric at all?

 

I can't afford $20 at the moment either, however since it is a 2nd hand shop I am planning to spend a lot less. I bet I could get something nice for about £5 (or less) in my own money which is about $8 ish I think. Mainly because if it was much more expensive then that it would be cheaper to buy all the materials new. I am happy that DoA were generous on the budget since over here things in pounds what they would cost in the US in dollars, but the exchange rate is very different. So with this budget it should not been too much of an issue.

Yes, that is a factor for me. In Manchester they are VERY funny about taking pictures in shops especailly if you are obvious about it. Under UK law it is a dumb as I can be detained as a terrorist for doing so. Some store mangers will let you and if you have the store mangers permission then it is OK. However in Manchester they don't like you doing so because we have a long history of terrorist bombings because it is my countries 2nd city. We also have all the media there too. This actually causes me great problems when sorting out doll meets because it has to be a place that allows photo's.

A sales receipt is not hard for me to get, but the tags and photo of me buying it could prove and issue for me and I would be really sad if that was the reason I could not enter. I may be able to find one with tags and if I do that is not a problem, but most don't bother over here.

 

Q: Our op-shop has no cash register as its attached to our local church and all proceeds go directly to their community projects, they do tag their clothing with prices but only have a cash-book, so is a hand-written receipt acceptable or should I take a cell-photo as well just to be beyond doubt?

 

Thankies I'll take a photo outside the shop just to be 100% covered

 

A photo outside the shop is not an issue for me at all, because for some reason outside the shop is legal and they can't actually do anything about it. It counts as being public or some weirdness like that. So if a photo of outside the shop counts, then awesome.

 

It never hurts to ask, either! A store owner may be willing to oblige with an itemized receipt, photo, etc., if asked ahead of time.

 

I will do my best to cover the rules as written, I may even be able to get one with tags. It honestly depends from which shop I buy from, I just plan on having a good look round for a garment that gives me an awesome idea that are can be versatile with. I just know from previous experience they don't always have tags because I used to buy a lot of my LARP stuff from 2nd hand shops and I can tell you many horror stories about trying to take photo's in Manchester.

 

Thrift shop definition: A shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization.

So this may sound stupid but I've wondered; I'm not from the US and we don't have thrift shops here, only second hand shops (no charitable funktion). Is that okay too?

 

I just thought I would ask to make sure my doll is okay to use since I only have one. I'm pretty sure I'm okay.

 

Okay, I have one more technical question. Regarding Glue, does it have to be the fabric glue that STARTS OUT clear, or can it be one of the generic white glues the DRIES clear? Like Elmer's, for example. I have like 3 bottles of Elmer's white "Craft Glue" already at home.

 

We don't call them thrift shops in the UK either, we either called them 2nd hand shops or charity shops depending on what it is. However since it is the same thing I don't see why it should be a problem since we are finding a piece of used/2nd hand clothing. You'd be surprised how many things have slightly different terms between US English and UK English.

I guess you can just use common sense and if it is in the spirit of the challenge it is probably OK.

 

Ah, I have to pass the thriathlon this time. ^^;; There is no thrift shop where I live. Everything is so cheap around here, we always give away clothings instead of selling them. ^^;;;;;;;; With USD $20 I can buy a whole new wardrobe... >.> Good luck to everyone who enters. This would be a lot of fun to see. ^^

 

The rule that says you have to create footwear, can that be socks or does it have to be something more than that? Also, earlier you told some one that if the thrift store didn't offer receipts that they should take a picture of them buying the clothing with their phone, couldn't the same rule apply to a yard sale? Or is this strictly limited to thrift stores?

 

I'm so excited to see the triathalon back! I love watching these!!!

 

Glue that dries clear is fine. But you may have better results with a glue that is specifically for fabric. And of course, sewing is totally okay, too!

Footwear is anything that covers the feet.

These rules do not extend to items bought from yard sales. The contest is limited to thrift stores as they typically offer receipts. To keep things fair, we want to make sure that the outfits bought from this challenge were bought within the time frame of the contest and for a price of $20 or under. Yard sales don't provide receipts and a photograph of a person standing outside surrounded by household merchandise is not as convincing as a person holding an item within a thrift shop. Thanks for understanding!

 

Quick question: I went to the thrift store bought something specfically with a tag and got a recipt. However when I got home the tags were all ripped off. I totally missed her doing it. Can I go back and take a picture?

 

Yes, go back and get that picture!

 

is providing a workspace for the socially weak that else would have to live of social security and be isolated, also included in the definition of a thrift store? ( for instance I was helped by a person with down syndrome, that found it very amusing that I had to photograph the tags on the clothing before she could take them of to put in a bin to be used again)
since most thrift stores in the Netherlands are run that way. (Stores try to make a profit, but that money flows back to the city and if the shop looses money the city will make up for it)
I already bought my stuff this morning and then just found out that a thrift store had to be charitable and not just any 2nd hand store as I thought. (oh and my shop tries to be as environmentally neutral as they can be, hence reusing the tags, does that count XP......)

And real thrift stores like the ones from the salvation army are over an hour away by public transportation (which is hell to do with a 2,5 year old son that can't and won't sit in one place for more than 1 minute)

and I do have the tags photographed but I bought 2 items and my receipt doesn't specify it just says bought 2 clothing items for total amount instead of 1 clothing item 4 euros, 2nd clothing item 4 euros make a total of 8 euros. (no I couldn't yet decide which to use, lol)

 

Done! Thank you for letting me know.

 

The store you described is fine. And as 8 Euros is well under $20 USD, no worries there.

 

I know right!!! LOL so much fun, even the personal accomplishment is wicked fun!! I'm off work for three weeks to reno my kitchen and I am stealing time to do this... no way I'd miss it

Did we establish if we had a "chat thread" for this event at all?

 

Since we've had the question in Ask the Moderators, but the answer is relevant here, I'm posting to state that embroidery machines are considered an unfair advantage to all those doing embellishments by hand. Sewing machines should be used for seams only and limited to basic stitch types.

 

The 'no embroidery by machine' ruling is understandable but very unfortunate in it's timing, being announced after the fact when people may have bought for their designs thinking that the rules were the rules, open to clarification but not change or further added restrictions later on. I believe this clarification is more of a rule change so I'm posting my disagreement with it, thinking that if we have tools we should be allowed to use them. Hopefully it just registers as

'I dont agree with this, I hope its reconsidered, please'

not a gripe about the challenge. I'm behind the Triathlon 100% and working hard! Side note: My regular machine does many embroidery stitches but officially calls a few of them 'basic stitches' in the actual manual, hemstitch IS an embroidery stitch when used archaically, so...?? This is a creativity and possibly even a construction method limiter. :/

I'm keeping a project journal/pix to share at the end of each challenge phase or the end so I'd love a chat thread about the Triathlon.

 

Please keep in mind that the focus of this challenge is reconstruction, i.e., taking something that already exists and putting it back together in a new way. Accordingly, from the start the rules have limited the supplies and equipment allowed. Additionally, we are seeking to keep the playing field as level as possible. Not allowing embroidery machines is very much in the spirit of both of these requirements.

 

My protest was registered so I'm good now! I'll just avoid the labelled embroidery stitches, but I'm darn glad I hadn't started the ones I'd planned, they'd have ruined my garment fabric to take em out. I assumed (erroneously) that using tools we already have in creative ways was also part of the spirit of the challenge. It's all good! Now I'm just 'more challenged', haha!

 

Also keep in mind a separate sewing and tailoring contest is in the works, that will allow our mega-talented sewists (sorry but I won't write "sewers") a chance to truly shine!

 

Omg, that's the cherry on my sundae to hear, thank you! I hope I can participate. I'm having a lot of fun. The events are really inspiring.

 

So we can use the snaps and closures from the garment we buy right? And zippers too? But we can't use NEW snaps or zippers.

 

Exactly! You can also recycle trim, threads, etc., from your garment. Anything appearing in the new outfit (apart from one color of sewing thread) must be from the garment you bought for this challenge.

 

I've started and I love the thing I bought to use for this competition! I just hope that it turns out how I'm picturing.

 

I went shopping today, too, and found the perfect garment. I'm so excited to get started even though I'm in this just for fun-- I haven't made the time to sew in quite some time. And I can't wait to see what everyone else submits!

 

Oh, awesome! I love recycling yarn from thrift-store sweaters.

 

This sounds so cool!!!!!!!!!! * . *

o: Just wanted to make sure~~ so can we use our sewing machines to stitch as long as its the one thread chosen??
and are we allowed to use glue guns? ^.^

 

I had a realization today as I was disassembling my garment that it may be un-believable that I have genuinely recycled threads unpicked from the garment itself, so I took a photo of it partially unpicked to show 1) the thread colour that was unpicked versus my chosen thread to accompany the garment and 2) where it came from on the garment.... Thought I'd share this to assist anyone else going through this painstaking process; if you take a photo as proof of where the thread came from, there can be no doubt as to its legitimacy when it is re-used elsewhere in the re-construction....

I also thought of things such as the hanging ribbons that wouldn't otherwise be visible on dresses, small closures like hooks and eyes, beaded trims or smaller details like interfaced portions of fabric, existing stiffening like boning or braid in trousers that unless attention is drawn to them with a photo may not be a visible part of the front of the garment etc... it may be worth photographing these specifics BEFORE disassembling the outfit to show where they came from and to remove potential doubt about their origin.

Just my 2c, its quite relative to my garment choice me so it could be valid for others

 

Since I only own MSDs I had to get a child's garment and OMG they have such cute things to make into dolls clothes! I think I have found something that should be really cute and I am really happy with. And on the plus side I have receipt and tags so no issues there either! I was well under budget at £2 as well.