Does anyone have a good idea for a quilt challenge for my guild? This year we each brought a half yard of "ugly" fabric in a paper bag. We turned in our bag and chose another. Then we made whatever we wanted....small quilt, bag, wall hanging, etc. We had to use all of the ugly fabric.
I need an idea for next year. Have you tried something fun with your guild that you would be willing to share with me? I want it to be fun, and also easy enough for our beginners to participate.
Thanks for any ideas you can give me.

Use colors of your birth month flower and birthstone. Feature the flower somehow.

One I'm working on right now is: Each person takes their initals or the letters of their first name and goes to the paint store. They have to find colors that start with those letters. Then they find fabric in those colors and they make something using only those colors. They have to attach the color chips to the finished product to show what they used.

One of the guilds I belong to does a challenge each year. The guild furnishes a FQ of fabric and you pay $5 if you want to participate. Then you have to make something with the FQ. If you bring it back to show, you get your $5 back.

Another guild did a Christmas stocking challenge. They were furnished the pattern for the stocking so that everyone's stocking would be the same size, but it was up to the individual how the stocking was made and embellished. Then all the stockings were displayed and guild members "voted" for their favorites by putting quarters in the stocking. The maker of the stocking with the most quarters won a prize, and all the quarters were collected and were used to buy nonperishable foods which were donated to a food bank.

We have had numerous challenges at our guild over many years. This year it is 5 in a Bag. Each participant makes 5 six inch 9 patch blocks, the coordinator exchanges them with another quilter, and you make a quilt using the ones you got back. We have done it with just any 5 6 inch blocks, We have also had themes. Music Titles, Self Portrait (I won 3rd place in that one) Picture This(made to depict your favorite picture. Fairy Tales, One where you used a traditional block but had to use it in 3 different sizes in the quilt.

you might be able to fgo to our website and find pictures clarkcountyquilters.org

One year we each chose a theme & other members of the group had to make a block for us that related to that theme. We told group what size block we wanted, what colors we didn't want, if any, included some fabrics we did want and established any other criteria unique to us.

Each meeting we randomly chose a name & that was the 'block of the month' for us to create. These were kept hidden in a bag labeled with name of 'owner'. At our June mtg. blocks were passes out & we decided that over the summer we would put our indiv. blocks together & share wall hangings at 2nd mtg. in the Fall.

Some themes were: flowers, stars, Maine, 9 patch, lighthouses, baskets....

It was fun & not too stressful since we only had to make 1 block a month. Beg. could get help from others.

Love all these ideas! I saw one challenge where you brought in your scraps and someone had to make you something from your own scraps. They made pincushions, pillows, potholders, wallets, etc.

Thia aounds more like an exchange or a block of the month variation rather than a challenge, but sounds fun

We went on an INDIANA SHOP HOP. One shop had an UGLY FABRIC CHALLENGE. They handed out a bizarre colored fabric, participants then reached into a bag of CRAYOLAS, selecting 1 KEEPING it SECRET. They then had to make a project using the ugly fabric & some fabric in the color of their crayon. could add whatever else they wished! We spent a long time looking at the enteries,& deciding which one we wanted to vote for. Some had some really unusual crayon colors--BUT the creativity we saw,--WOW. We had fun , they said they had fun!!