BurdaStyle Presents:
Pimp Your Sewing Machine Contest!
-Vamp, hack, and b’dazzle
What if your sewing machine flew like a spaceship, played music while you were sewing, or took part in the steampunk movement?
BurdaStyle would love to see your dream sewing machine!
Join us in the Pimp Your Sewing Machine Contest and win $100!
Send in drawings, video or photos of your pimped out machine to team(at)burdastyle.com.
The prize for a great pimped out sewing machine drawing will be $50. However, if you send in photos or video of your pimped out machine you could win $100!
Send in as many entries as you would like. Just get them to us by 11:59 pm, November 30th 2008
Once all of these are collected, you will get a chance to vote for your favorite!
Dec 15, 2008, 09.42 AMby bekathwia
Is the contest still going to happen? It’s way past November 30th, when do we get to vote on our favorites?
Nov 5, 2008, 01.50 PMby hionlife93
Personally I consider this a challenge to create my “Dream Machine” After sewing for many years, there are some modifications/changes that I would love to see available on machines. I work with leather, blue jeans, along with bridal fabrics. There are days I need my machine to bite through 6 layers of blue jean fabric and other days I want a perfect top stitch on bridal satin. I can’t wait to use what little bit of artistic talent I have to “PIMP MY MACHINE” and make it work for me. Of course the idea of winning $100 is also cool.
Just joined this site and looking forward to sharing my experiences and learning more from others. I’ve been sewing/crafting/designing for over 40 years and I’m sure there’s some new trick or idea out there I haven’t tried yet and hope to be able to share some of my tips to help others out.
Nov 4, 2008, 09.14 AMby kcathutton
I think a sewing machine with a snap and rivet press attached would be a wonderful thing. I would never have to go looking for the tools to finish my projects they would be right there.
Nov 2, 2008, 08.46 AMby mrsbowles
DanicaSews, Thanks for the definition. I was aware the meaning was changing but wasn’t that clear on the extent of it. I guess it takes a generation for the old knee-jerk reaction to the original meaning to fade away. I also like your observation of the phenomenon of turning a negative into a positive. I appreciate your sincere and non-sarcastic response.
Nov 1, 2008, 09.40 AMby danicasews
I like the name of the contest! I think that the way we (the younger generation) use pimp as a verb and adjective is just making a negative into a positive. Here’s the definition (verb) from an “urban dictionary”:
“1.) to pimp something out is to make it look very ghettofab and all that nifty stuff in the above paragraph. (from the above para: If somethin’ is pimpin’, it’s pretty darn cool.) 2.) to pimp is to advertise (generally, in an enthusiastic sense) or to call attention in order to bring acclaim to something; to promote.”
Everything is going to offend someone. ;)
Oct 29, 2008, 01.15 PMby ldsfashion
Does anyone know how to enter the contest? where to send the pictures?
Oct 22, 2008, 02.24 PMby pbrown6
I definitely agree that the word ‘pimp’ is definitely inappropriate for this sewing forum. The purpose of this webpage is to share our sewing talents and creativity with others.
Oct 22, 2008, 07.57 AMby mrsbowles
Well no, pimp does not = whoring, which is after all the whole point.
Oct 22, 2008, 04.37 AMby kip
I agree, it’s not the best term to be used for this contest. We’ve become so hardened to slang terms that we don’t take into account the actual meaning of words. I don’t particularly see it as demeaning, but definitely inappropriate.
That said, this looks like an interesting competition !
Oct 22, 2008, 04.23 AMby sewverytall
p.s. it’s a shame that young women don’t realize they have the power…the power to command that young men be respectful of them!
Oct 22, 2008, 04.11 AMby sewverytall
I agree with MrsBowles. I know that young men have made this word fashionable, along with other words like “b*tches” and Ho’s. The young women seem to have accepted these words as ok. I guess it makes me old, but these words are still VERY UGLY, if you ask me.
Oct 21, 2008, 11.30 PMby tortadetortuga
Huh, learn something new every day! Looks like the Aussies and Kiwis watched too much Starsky & Hutch, I haven’t seen that usage before.
I have to respectfully disagree regarding the term “pimp” being demeaning to women, since prostitution is after all the oldest profession and equal opportunity for all of that. That is to say, lots of men are out there working for “the man” in this capacity as well. Although, admittedly, many of them are dressed as women.
I mean, assuming your angle of offense is that pimp=whoring=women=somehow bad.
Uh, anyway, the fact that many business managers of workers in the world’s oldest profession are men and that there exists a gender-weighted vernacular term for those individuals, which usage extends to the ridiculous and ostentatious style of living thus characterised within the field should not be held against Burdastyle. Just this humble n00b’s opinion.
The OED is too big a book to be whacking people with, you could really hurt someone. :)In the interest and school of conflict solution (addressing concerns, suggesting alternatives which accept alternate viewpoints): To feminise it, should the contest be renamed to “Madame Your Sewing Machine?”
Just a bit of trivia, but “seamstress” was traditionally a bit of a euphemism for “whore,” so I don’t see much point in getting excited about misunderstandings in usage. As long as things don’t require too many stitches to patch up after all is said and done/darned.
Oct 21, 2008, 10.03 PMby mrsbowles
pimp –noun 1. a person, esp. a man, who solicits customers for a prostitute or a brothel, usually in return for a share of the earnings; pander; procurer. 2. a despicable person. 3. Australia and New Zealand. an informer; stool pigeon. –verb (used without object) 4. to act as a pimp. –verb (used with object) 5. to act as a pimp for. 6. to exploit.
Could there be any term more demeaning to women? And while the name of this contest may have been conceived using the parlance of our times, it is, none the less, offensive.
Oct 21, 2008, 03.42 PMby lalinya
I wish I had a sewing machine which talks, (to give me company) and also knows how to understand instructions, so I can just sit on a couch and say, staight stitch or buttonhole and it does the job without me getting off the couch. :)
Oct 21, 2008, 01.33 PMby manati
Where can I see the pictures of the other entries? and where do I send my picture? :)
Oct 21, 2008, 12.11 PMby plusea
I love this idea!
Oct 19, 2008, 06.48 AMby calicocouture
I’ll have to think about this one. I love the iPod docking station idea! I like all of the illusrations. Kudos to your graphic design team.
Oct 18, 2008, 02.04 PMby krunamagiar
hhmmm..hhmmm…I wonder who’s idea is this??? Oh well.. I wish I have a sewing machine attach with coffee machine. So when I get sleepy I just get a sip…ssrruupp