It has been a great privilege and a joy to sponsor the Young Designers’ Pattern Contest every other year. I’ve been delighted to see the skills and talent of a rising generation of historical costuming enthusiasts, and all of the official judges over the years have remarked on the enjoyment they receive evaluating entries and selecting finalists. The public’s vote each time has been a cause for suspense, excitement, and, ultimately, satisfaction in seeing one winner singled out for recognition. It has been especially satisfying to me to see finalists (whether they win or not) taking their skills on to the next level, often establishing their own pattern design companies or sewing businesses and going on to creative success. That was the goal from day one in creating and promoting this contest, and I’m thankful to all the contestants and judges who have participated over the years.

Each contest has presented its own set of challenges, with professional judges from the US and abroad that have included a national museum curator, historical costume designers, theatrical costumers, and a docent of a historical site with expertise in the American 19th century. All of the judges have generously donated their time and resources to thoughtfully and carefully evaluate each entry, weighing them for historical accuracy, clarity of construction, ease of use, marketability, and more. As can be imagined, such a process is no overnight deal. Judges do not simply judge a pattern by its cover, after all. Throw into the mixture the vagaries of the postal system, illness, unexpected delays, and other “bumps” in the road, and you have a contest that requires a good deal of work and a lot of patience on the part of the contestants and the public.

The 2006 contest has proven no different and has presented its own set of difficulties and obstacles. It has stretched out much longer than any previous contest and is now at an impasse. I’ve communicated with all the 2006 contestants and now want to provide an update for everyone else who has been anxiously awaiting its outcome.

All contest entries arrived by the December 1, 2006, deadline and were sorted and packaged to go to the first judge after the holidays. I sent all the entries to Judge #1 right after Christmas of 2006. She was able to begin her evaluations immediately, but halfway through the process, she became ill and had to postpone finishing until she recovered her health. When she did finish, she packaged up all the patterns with her sealed evaluations and sent them on to Judge #2, who lives overseas. Several weeks later, Judge #2 still had not received the package. At this point, the original package arrived back on Judge #1's doorstep with no explanation from the postal system for its return and with the flap open. Thankfully, none of the contents had fallen out, and Judge #1 was able to seal everything up again and send it out yet again. Judge #2 therefore received the entries in mid-May of 2007. She was able to complete her evaluations within a month's time and packaged them up to send to Judge #3 (back in the US). I contacted the third judge to let her know the patterns were on their way, and she wrote me back on July 7 to let me know they had arrived safe and sound. I looked forward to the results within 6-8 weeks, knowing this judge had a busy summer schedule.

When August came and went without a word from Judge #3, I contacted her via email to check on the status of her evaluations. Receiving no response, I called her, but no one answered, and I had to leave a message. When I received no return phone call, I sent a letter through US registered mail to see if I could get in touch that way. To make a long story short, I was utterly unable to contact this judge and spent three months exhausting every avenue I could think of to locate her. Her website was no longer functioning, and, for all intents and purposes, she simply vanished. At that point, I contacted all the contestants via email to update them on the situation. Amazingly, the day after I sent the update, a friend of mine told me she remembered Judge #3 posting on an online forum about a particular interest, and she thought she might be able to find her through that hobby.

What resulted the next day was an incredible answer to prayer--my friend found and contacted Judge #3! It turns out that Judge #3 changed jobs in September of 2007, leaving behind her old phone number and email address. She had not received any of the email inquiries from me, and all my repeated phone calls were going into a defunct voice mail box. She forgot to drop me a line to let me know her new contact information, and all this time, she'd assumed I got the patterns back. This brings us to the bad news. Judge #3 shipped the patterns to me on Labor Day weekend of 2007. They definitely did not arrive on my end, so now we’re attempting to trace the package from her end to see if the USPS can find it. It is our hope that the USPS will be able to locate the package and get it to me safely. I was so completely relieved just to know that the final judge was alive and okay and didn't run into some terrible tragedy! Now I hold out hope that the package can be traced and located after five months in transit.

I’ve refunded all entry fees to the contestants and am putting all future contests on hold until/unless this matter is resolved. My great desire is to see the 2006 contest come to a happy end, and I do not want to accept any entries for future contests until this has come to a satisfactory closure for all involved. I thank everyone who has expressed interest in the contest or who has promoted it in any way. To all contestants past and present: you are gems, and I am so proud of your hard work and your obvious love for timeless fashion. Thank you for all you’ve done to make this contest the joy that it has always been!

Warmly,