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Once or twice a year, the elves take a break from shoe making to experiment with creative and crafty ideas. The spring 2022 workshop playday was the first where the elves competed in teams.
The teams named themselves:
The A Team
Winning Stitch
Flamboyant Fashion Floozies
Team Around the World
Aglet Biters
Each team received a box of the same 25 scraps plus a unique object to feature in their design. Projects had to utilize at least 60% of the box contents. Other materials could also be used. Teams had three hours to complete their projects, and could make whatever they want.
Every box included treeline cutouts that were made on Softstar's ZÜND precision materials cutter. (The ZÜND will be a big part of some new releases later this year!)
Aglet Biters' unique object was old Softstar shoe boxes with clear windows. An elf brought a cube shaped lamp from home.
The A Team's unique material was a box of black bobbins. An elf brought potted plants from home.
Winning Stitch's unique object was a tangled ball of old sizing tags.
Team Around the World spiffed up a piñata brought from home.
Flamboyant Fashion Floozies made wild and creative hats...
...and some other fun stuff.
The teams presented their projects after three hours of work. They talked about what they made and what they learned.
Guest judges Sage, Sorrel, and mom Tesla awarded winners in three categories.
Most Joyful: Flamboyant Fashion Floozies
Hava, Deb, Mark, Kat
F3's unique object was the hook clips hanging from the center-bottom hat.
Best Use of Special Object: Team Around the World
Sue, Keita, Ken, Jessie
Team Around the World's unique object was the chain of wedding veils hanging from Elf Patty.
Best Overall: Aglet Biters
Rob, Katie, Lewis, Janel, Molly
Aglet Biters' lamp was useful in an unexpected way.
The trees were coiled in concentric circles when viewed from above, similar to Softstar's logo.
Honorable Mention: Winning Stitch
Shawn, Emily, Lynn, Nicole, Benjamin
"Under the Sea Softstar Money Tree"
Honorable Mention: The A Team
Kimzy, Tsevlee, Tory, Tiffanie
Bobbin-inspired a cat lounge.
Interested in what the elves made on other playdays? Take a look!
HTM Elf Benjamin has been a graphic and web designer for 15+ years and came to Softstar in 2021. He made the switch to zero-drop shoes in 2016 after years of arch pain from running in conventional footwear, and hasn’t looked back. He has an art degree from Portland State University and enjoys minimalist shoes for hiking and gardening.
