Wanted-Ideas for Quilting group's yearly "Challenge"
 

This is the start of a new year for my quilting group and I am looking for ideas to use as an on going project or challenge for this year. What projects have you ladies done in your quilt group? I am looking for something different instead of just round robin. Last year we did a "birthday Block" project where 1 month before your birthday you brought in focus fabric and gave it to each gal who signed. The "birthday" girl determined which size block she wanted. The following month (her birthday month) she got back blocks made with the forcus fabric. It was fun and interesting to see the different colors and patterns that were chosen.

Any other ideas you CREATIVE ladies have?????

Have you seen the I metre fabric rip drop passon to collect 7 fabrics and go home and make a quilt. It is somewhere on his site and a you tube show it in action.

i saw a picture of a challenge quilt and the groups theme was Things with Wings. i thought that was a great idea

You could do a "theme block" challenge -- each month, the theme is chosen for the next month (January - snowflakes; February - hearts/love; March - shamrocks, etc.). Each person makes 1 block, and at the next meeting, the blocks, with no identification for the maker, are placed on a table with a ballot box (can be a cup or paper bag) and ballots. Everyone in the group, whether they brought a block or not, votes for the block they like the best. The block with the most vote wins, and the maker of that block wins all the blocks.

I like the birthday block idea, and will suggest it to my guild.

I got a great idea from another person on this board. You put a box of crayons into a paper bag. (Except maybe the black and white). Then each person draws a crayon and they have to make a quilt using that exact color as a predominant color. The quilt can be any size you want. But you have to turn in the crayon with the quilt at the end of the time period so people can see how close you came to your crayon color. Then I had a "viewers choice" winning at the end of the challenge. I had almost 50 people sign up for the challenge and ended up with easily 25 quilts to be judged. Everyone seemed to love it. The challenge before me had only about 10 people sign up for her idea. And the one after mine was so confusing I didn't even join in.

I have heard of the crayon one and it sounded like fun only I have seen it done with two crayons. Another is paintchips. Go to hardware store and take several in different color schemes and they have to come up with a quilt in those colors.

Last year we did a challenge using fruit or veggie fabric. Sold the lap quilt I made the next day (no picture). This year the challenge will be using a panel in a quilt (and learning to block it first!).

What were the rules for the vegie/fruit project? Also what are the rules for the panel in a quilt project Both sound interesting.

We had guild members make a block in a certain colorway as a way to introduce members to new blocks. All patterns were then put in a booklet for members to enjoy. Blocks then were combined into 2 quilts and donated to local Ronald McDonald house. Next year we asked if members would make a double 4 patch block in brights to be put together for kids quilts.