Local teen competes for Golden Needle Award at the Iowa State Fair
Thirteen teams participated in “Stitch This!” at the Iowa State Fair on August 21 and 22. One team included a local 4-H youth, Michelle Buboltz, who entered independently and was placed on a team. Over a time span of 2 days, for a total of 16 hours teams tore apart a wedding dress and reconstructed new garments. According to Buboltz, it was great experience and a lot of fun. Events like this allow youth to make friends and connections across the state.
Teams competed for the Golden Needle Award. 1st place prize included an appearance on Michele Beschen’s “b Organic” TV Show. Scholarships were awarded to the 1st place winners. In addition, each participant received a goodie bag from the ISU College of Human Sciences and a special “Stitch This!” t-shirt.
“Stitch This!” featured celebrity judges: Michele Beschen, of the “b. Organic” television series; Colleen Kelly, of Star 102.5; and Ann Thye, Iowa State University academic advisor for the Apparel Merchandising, Design and Production program. All were very complimentary of the participants, new garments and contest itself.
“I watch Project Runway all the time, but the most sewing I do is buttons,” said Kelly. “I’m inspired by all the creativity here. It takes a lot of teamwork and working under pressure, but it’s great to see how the 4-H’ers are using their imaginations.”
Beschen was also impressed by the originality. “It was really fun to be here,” she said. “It was very innovative and resourceful, and it’s so exciting to see their ideas and see them take action.”
Speaking from the field of design, they went beyond creativity to express what the contest meant for the future of 4-H.
“It’s bringing 4-H into the 21st century,” she said Beschen.
“Stitch This!” was sponsored by Iowa State University Extension 4-H Youth Development, ISU College of Human Sciences, Michele Beschen and Estilo Salon, which provided hair and make-up stylists for all the models in the runway show.