Everyone knows about my obsession with fashion design competitions. Just type Project Runway in the search box on the right, and you’ll find a bunch of competition related fun posts.

This 2018 Canadian production popped up in my Hulu timeline. It’s called “Stitched” and let’s just say it’s a low budget version of Project Runway, but fun to watch between seasons of other, way more slick productions.

“Stitched”, the show

Hulu does not let you take screenshots, and I totally respect that. Except for this promo image. The host is model Kim Cloutier , the judges are Joe Zee and Vanessa Craft, editor-in-chief of Elle Canada. In Each episode guest judges are added for more “judgment”.

The premise here is that each episode has a different set of 4 competitors; at the end of each, a “designer” walks away with $10,000 — Canadian dollars. I won’t spoil it further for you, should you want to watch it.

A notable feature of this series is that there are no trips to a fabric store; competing designers must select materials from a sparsely supplied “store” behind one of three “doors”. (Reminds older TV watchers like me of “Let’s Make a Deal” — remember that one?). This is a real test of their design chops since you have to use only what’s in that particular space — and there doesn’t seem to be much. Also notable, in the final round of each episode, they are provided with a seamstress.

Just one warning: don’t be discouraged by the first episode where all designers are barely adults, and their crappy output shows the collective inexperience. Further episodes feature older designers with experience.

Let the trolling begin anyway… just the first and last episodes.

Episode 1: The competitors are between 18 – 21, and most are design students or beginning their careers. Their sketches look professional and they can draft a pattern. Sewing? It depends on the material combined with the individual sewing skill. To be fair, the first two rounds are a run against the clock, so execution mishaps are to be expected. In the first 4-hour challenge, they were thrown into a faux fur melee. The 21year old boasted throughout the episode that he is an established designer with four seamstresses working for him; and Kylie Jenner was photographed in his denim jacket — once. What happened to him? It’s a spoiler but he was eliminated in the first round.

Episode 12: This is the last episode, and by now you can plainly see that the contestants are older, mature and a seasoned designers.

I noticed that one of the competitors in an episode of Stitched was seen on the latest season of Project Runway and did pretty well there, almost winning the season. But, she was not a winner in this show. If you’re as obsessed with fashion design competitions, you remember the faces — as I do. Does that say something about me?

Really, what does that say about me?

= Because, there’s something exciting about being witness to someone else’s creativity.

= Because, sartorial beauty can be, and is, created by the most personally awful person (rude and selfish and many other traits of personality which make me want to kick that person).

= Because, the art and craft of sewing should be taught to every living soul on the planet. I don’t buy the premise that you do not have to know sewing to be a good designer — I am calling BS on that one.

For a change of pace, a gardening note: I call this a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes. Bumper, because I have only three tomato plants, and I am brown thumbed. So, this is a proud gardening moment…

How’s your summer going? —— Samina