1. Duds to Dazzle Presented by:
Charlene Belew, Extension Program Specialist
Angela McCorkle, Extension Program Specialist
NAE4-HA Conference
New Orleans, LA

2. Why do we need a new 4-h Clothing & Textiles Contest ?
Generational Gap between Texas 4-H Clothing & Textiles project and Today’s Young People
In the U.S., the average person discards 71 lbs. of clothing annually, with 85 percent winding up in landfills.
There is a generational gap between the 4-H Clothing & Textile project and today’s young people. Youth’s perception of the relevance of the traditional project has declined, but that doesn’t mean young people aren’t interested in actively gaining knowledge and skills related to the fashion industry. On the contrary, they are attracted — just not in the same manner as previously implemented.
Specifically, young people are more susceptible to clothing waste due to the ease of purchasing current trends at Fast Fashion outlets such as Zara and Forever 21. This doesn’t mean that young people don’t care about the environment, it just means that they need an outlet where they can repurpose unwanted clothing items.

3. What is Duds to Dazzle Teams of 3 to 5 members.
What is Duds to
Dazzle
Teams of 3 to 5 members
A textile that is no longer usable for its original purpose
60 minutes to construct/repurpose into a new item
Using their sewing kits and a supply closet
Prepare a presentation on the new item created
In the contest, teams of three to five 4-H members are challenged to take a textile that is no longer usable for its original purpose, and refurbish it into a new, viable consumer product — that’s wearable, jewelry/accessory, or non-wearable.
During competition, teams have 60 minutes to construct a product with the use of a sewing kit (44 pre-determined items), a sewing closet (array of sewing and craft products), six educational resources, and a worksheet. Teams go before a set of judges and have a total of eight minutes to give an oral presentation and be interviewed.
4-H members form teams of three to five members. Although the teams do not select their category beforehand, they can prepare for the competition by holding practice challenges and studying contest resources and the design process. They also can study:
Proper care for textiles
Safety precautions while sewing and crafting
Consumer purchasing trends and venues
Pricing and marketing merchandise for a target audience
Ample preparation will give them the confidence and skills to do their best.
Teams must provide their own equipment as specified in the Duds to Dazzle Competition Guide. The contest will begin with items or collections of items at each station, but no pattern.
Assign one of these three categories to each team: Wearable, accessory/jewelry, or non-wearable. The teams will use the items provided along with any supply-closet items to design and create a unique product. Each team will have 60 minutes to complete its product.
During that period, the teams must also prepare a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges. At least three team members must speak in the presentation. The judges may also ask questions of the team members.
Review the Duds to Dazzle scorecard to help the participants prepare for the presentation and question-and-

4. Contest Objectives
Allow participants to exhibit knowledge and skills gained through their 4-H Clothing & Textiles project by designing, constructing, and presenting a finished product.
Allow participants learning opportunities.
Promote teamwork.
Help 4-H’ers gain experience in public speaking.
Provide leadership opportunities for young people.
Assist youth in gaining an appreciation for recycling textiles so that they do not end up in the was stream.
In the Texas 4-H Duds to Dazzle Clothing and Textile Competition, teams of 4-H members will redesign and repurpose discarded garments or textiles into new, viable consumer products. 4-H members in the clothing and textile project learn about fibers, fabrics, wardrobe selection, clothing construction, comparison shopping, fashion interpretation, style and design, proper grooming, poise in front of others, and personal presentation skills.
Participants in Duds to Dazzle go a step beyond, not only using the knowledge and skills gained in the project but also learning about the clothing and textile industry’s effects on the environment, specifically the waste stream.
Objectives
Allow participants to exhibit knowledge and skills gained through their 4-H Clothing & Textiles project by designing, constructing, and presenting a finished product.
Allow participants learning opportunities.
Promote teamwork.
Help 4-H’ers gain experience in public speaking.
Provide leadership opportunities for young people.

5. Basics .
The materials must be used to represent a constructed item from one of the following categories: Wearable, Accessory/Jewelry, and Non-wearable
Teams are challenged with being creative in developing an original product with the materials provided. No patterns provided.
50% of the final product needs to be made from the materials provided
Teams will have access to a “closet” of additional materials that may be incorporated into their products.
The sketch book, note cards and the Duds to Dazzle Clothing & Textile Competition Worksheet may be used to prepare for construction of the item and the team’s presentation.
4-H members form teams of three to five members. Although the teams do not select their category beforehand, they can prepare for the competition by holding practice challenges and studying contest resources and the design process. They also can study:
Proper care for textiles
Safety precautions while sewing and crafting
Consumer purchasing trends and venues
Pricing and marketing merchandise for a target audience
Ample preparation will give them the confidence and skills to do their best.
Teams must provide their own equipment as specified in the Duds to Dazzle Competition Guide. The contest will begin with items or collections of items at each station, but no pattern.
Assign one of these three categories to each team: Wearable, accessory/jewelry, or non-wearable. The teams will use the items provided along with any supply-closet items to design and create a unique product. Each team will have 60 minutes to complete its product.
During that period, the teams must also prepare a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges. At least three team members must speak in the presentation. The judges may also ask questions of the team members.
Review the Duds to Dazzle scorecard to help the participants prepare for the presentation and question-and-

6. Basics 60 minutes to design, complete the final product and clean- up.
Prepare a 5-minute team presentation to a panel of judges
All team members must participate and at least 3 have speaking parts.
Teams allowed use of note cards during presentation but should not read from them
4-H members form teams of three to five members. Although the teams do not select their category beforehand, they can prepare for the competition by holding practice challenges and studying contest resources and the design process. They also can study:
Proper care for textiles
Safety precautions while sewing and crafting
Consumer purchasing trends and venues
Pricing and marketing merchandise for a target audience
Ample preparation will give them the confidence and skills to do their best.
Teams must provide their own equipment as specified in the Duds to Dazzle Competition Guide. The contest will begin with items or collections of items at each station, but no pattern.
Assign one of these three categories to each team: Wearable, accessory/jewelry, or non-wearable. The teams will use the items provided along with any supply-closet items to design and create a unique product. Each team will have 60 minutes to complete its product.
During that period, the teams must also prepare a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges. At least three team members must speak in the presentation. The judges may also ask questions of the team members.
Presentation: When time is called, each team will present their item, according to the criteria on the score card, to a panel of at least two judges. A team can display the final product to the judges as they choose; model, hold, or place on the table.
All team members must participate in the presentation, with at least three of them having a speaking role.
Judging time will include:
5 minutes for the presentation
3 minutes for judges’ questions
4 minutes between team presentations for judges to score and write comments 
Teams are allowed the use of note cards during the presentation but should not read from them, as this minimizes the effectiveness of their communication. 
Review the Duds to Dazzle scorecard to help the participants prepare for the presentation and question-and-

7. Wearable
clothing that is suitable to be worn by people or pets
- shirt, coat, vest, dress, costume, leggings, swimsuit cover, etc.
Example: Turn that pair of old, ill- fitting jeans into a fantastic Denim Skirt.
Example:
Recycle a pair of jeans into a designer doggy fashion jacket.

8. Accessory/Jewelry
article or set of articles that can be added to an outfit in order to
make it more useful, versatile, or attractive - earrings, scarf,
headband, hat, belt, necklace, etc.
Example: Create a purse from an old pair of jeans with a decorative fabric applique and braided handle.
Example: Recycling the leather label off of an old pair of jeans to make a cuff bracelet.

9. Non-wearable
an item made from clothing that is not suitable to be worn - pillow, towel, jewelry pouch, cellphone or iPad case, stuffed animal, doll clothes, Christmas ornament, etc.
Example: Recycling a pair of old jeans into a Christmas stocking and embellish it.

10. State Contest
Qualifying Event. Each district may advance 3 teams to compete at the state contest. (1st place team in each category) Teams will not automatically be assigned the same category.
Final Duds to Dazzle Challenge. At Texas 4-H
Roundup, the first place team in each
category will compete in a “Final Duds to
Dazzle Challenge”, scheduled to be held on
the same day of the contest.

11. Duds to Dazzle Contest resources http://fcs. tamu
PowerPoints
Helpful resources
Workshop Flyer
You Tube Videos
Educational Resources for purchase
Competition Results

12. You Tube - http://fcs. tamu

14. Charlene Belew, Extension Program Specialist charlene. belew@ag. tamu
Charlene Belew, Extension Program Specialist Angela McCorkle, Extension Program Specialist

15. questions?