Impressions - January 2015 - 25

GRAND CHAMPION

GRAND CHAMPION: EMBROIDERY
FIRST PLACE: EMBROIDERED STOCK DESIGNS | PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER

he whole is, indeed, often greater than the sum of its parts. the wonderful meandering effect on the sleeves and center front
Beyond the quality of its individual elements, it was the panels. The techniques to create this type of look deﬁnitely are not
vision and skill with which they were brought together simple," she says.
that earned "Queen Lidya" multiple honors in the 36th annual
Likewise, Richard Bloedow, GS USA, says it was design inImpressions Awards.
tricacy and placement that catapulted this entry past all
The entry, submitted by Gelisim Tekstil, Istanothers in his mind. "It wasn't so much that the inbul, not only took ﬁrst place in the Embroidered
dividual parts of design were difﬁcult," he says.
Stock Designs category and Grand Champion:
"What was impressive was the way they were
Embroidery honors, but it also earned the
placed on the fabric and the overall visualizatitle of overall Grand Champion and nabbed
tion of the garment. The designs were lined
the contest's People's Choice Award. While
up perfectly, eliminating the ability to see
Queen Lidya was named Grand Champion
where the seams are, so it basically became
for scoring the highest combined number of
an allover [embroidered piece]."
points for toughness/job complexity, techniJudge Jimmy Lamb, Sawgrass Technolocal skill, visual impact, design placement and
gies, admits that as he thought out the process
innovation, it was planning and forethought
involved in creating this entry, it almost left
that made the entry a standout, according to
him speechless.
Impressions Awards judges.
"Everything about it was challenging," he
"The elegant understatement of the tone-on-tone
says. "An incredible amount of effort was put into
presentation, coupled with the rich textures cremaking sure the stitch patterns truly were interated through multiple embroidery techniques, set
locking within the applicable sewing space. Plus,
"Queen Lidya"
Gelisim Tekstil
this entry apart," says Lee Caroselli-Barnes, Balboa
each panel had to be carefully engineered so as to
Istanbul
Threadworks Inc. "The beauty of the textures was
ensure the stitch patterns made it to the edge -
gelisimtekstil.com.tr
the overwhelming eye-catcher."
without going over it - taking into consideration
Deborah Jones of MyEmbroideryMentor.com
that the edges had to be sewn to other panels. The
says she voted for the entry because of its overall appeal, unusual workmanship was amazing. This entry was like a ﬁne painting.
technique and degree of difﬁculty. "I also love the mix of pat- You had to let the details soak in to really appreciate it."
terns - graduating from small to slightly larger, then ﬁnally to - Barbara Montgomery

it represents our latest showcase of the
industry's best designs from decorators of
all sizes and experience levels. The entries
were judged at ISS Fort Worth.
The Grand Champion winner was
Gelisim Tekstil, Istanbul. Combining intricate detailing with an innovative use
of detailed allover embroidery, the entry,
"Queen Lidya," is an excellent example of
this industry's top-notch capabilities.
We were again pleased to see the increased number of ﬁrst-time decorators
entering the competition, with some even
gaining top honors. We also were glad to
see so many different innovative decorating techniques being used. The creative
drive of all the contestants, combined
with the array of categories for different
processes, means everyone had a shot at
winning an award.
A victory in the Impressions Awards
competition is just the beginning for the
designs featured in this issue. In addition to
coverage in our January print, digital and
impressionsmag.com

mobile app editions, we'll showcase all of
the winners at every ISS event this year -
in six different regions of the country.
Additionally, we'll be presenting the
2014 winners in our Impressions Awards
& Design Galleries, located online at
impressionsmag.com, throughout 2015.
We also will present additional 2014
Impressions Awards entries in the galleries
as an opportunity for decorators whose
designs did not make the winners' podium
to get much-deserved kudos for hard work
and excellent design execution.
It's never too early to start thinking
about this year's competition. We'll have
the ofﬁcial entry form available on our
website in May, but if you are interested in
entering early, please contact Associate Editor Lauren Mitchell at lauren.mitchell@
emeraldexpo.com for more information.
Congratulations to the winners and
thanks to all who entered last year. We're
proud to showcase the talent and creativity this innovative industry has to offer.

Thank you to our judges!
Richard Bloedow
GS USA
Lee Caroselli-Barnes
Balboa Threadworks
Dane Clement
Great Dane Designs
Terry Combs
The Equipment Zone
Deborah Jones
MyEmbroideryMentor.com
Jimmy Lamb
Sawgrass Technologies
James Ortolani
Transfer Express
Charlie Taublieb
Taublieb Consulting

January 2015 | Impressions

http://gelisimtekstil.com.tr http://www.MyEmbroideryMentor.com http://www.impressionsmag.com http://www.MyEmbroideryMentor.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Impressions - January 2015

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