Challenges

As many participants as want to can participate. Participants make an item to specifications and keeps what they make. Because participants are going home with their own item, there are fewer considerations on setting expectations for timelines and what is required in the finished project.

"Ugly Fabric" Challenge

They say that if a fabric is still 'ugly', you just haven't cut it small enough!!!

Check out the Ugly Fabric Challenge page for more ideas.

Challenges

Each year, Hoffman fabrics offers up a challenge to use a particular fabric in their line. Come up with your own fabric or colors, and make your challenge.

Color Challenge

We (West Houston Quilt Guild) had a challenge in 2017 where you used ONE COLOR and either a white or black background. Since I love ORANGE, I did an orange quilt with cream background and custom quilting. It did happen to win a ribbon at the local quilt show.

Challenge for an Event

In 2023, the QGOTV has a challenge using specific fabrics and a theme. The quilts submitted will be on a special disply at the 2024 Daytona Quilt show held every spring.

quilt challenge"Sunshine and Lollipops" is a popular song sung by Lesley Gore from 1963. The Guild has 25+ chapters. Each chapter is invited to create a quilt using these same fabrics, using the theme for the finished quilt.

Some of the 'rules':

    • Theme: Sunshine & Lollipops
    • Size: 40" x 60"
    • must be quilted with three layers and binding.
    • Have a hanging sleeve
    • All 8 fabrics must be recognisable
    • can use any amount of 'other' fabric.
    • Deadline for submission December 5, 2023
    • UFO Challenges

UFO (UnFinished Objects*) For those 'seasoned' quilters, they probably have more than one quilt project that has been on the back burner for awhile. Me? My 2022 UFO list has more than 50 projects that I really plan to finish. Many are every stage of the quilt process, from 'partially pieced' to 'ready to be quilted' to 'just need binding'.

Challenge members to pick their top 12 projects and finish one per month! American Patchwork & Quilting offers a FREE Download each year that you can fill in by hand or online and save. Print it off and refer to it all year.

Paint Chip Challenge

Sponsor picks 5 - 8 paint chips from the local box-store.

The challenge is to use their choice of colors on those chips to complete a top. Generally, no smaller than 20" x 20".

Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville regularly sponsors quilt a longs using paint chips as color suggestions.

Other Challenge Ideas

    • Holiday or month-specific ? You may need to provide guidance on religious holidays or split challenges and exchanges into two groups to accommodate those who don't celebrate religious holidays (i.e. Christmas and Winter (or no Christmas); Easter and Spring)
    • Size ? Mini quilt under 12" x 12" or 20" x 20", etc.
    • Limited or specific palette ? Monochromatic, black & white, etc.
    • Block shape or pattern ? Half-square triangles, plus sign, drunkards path, etc.
    • Fabric-specific ? Solids only, florals, ugly, etc.
    • Text ?Incorporation of a meaningful word or phrase
    • Improv only
    • Applique
    • Scrap Quilt -Indicate must use X number of fabrics, must include ____, don't repeat a fabric
    • Strip quilts
    • Precuts Hand embroidered Label Use of charm squares and jellyrolls, etc.

* See Quilters Acronyms for more definitions.

Back to Guild Program Ideas

Originally posted June 2018, updated August 2023