LanaJ512

I am looking for some FUN challenges to present to my small (22 members) Quilt Club during 2025. All would be voluntary, and would have rewards/prizes, either on-going or presented at year-end. We do Quilts of Valor, and several comfort quilt donations to local organizations annually.
Here are a few things I’m considering—Lots of ideas—what are your favorites or no-go ideas?
Year-long UFO completion challenge/Prizes

Quarterly finishes/prizes



QUILTERS QUESTIONS—At start of each monthly meeting—in the past ? (# of days TBD)

Who sewed/Who ripped

Who Finished a top

Who Attached a label, a hanging sleeve
with different and more challenging questions each month

Exchange Table

Switch-up Agenda

Sponsor a bus trip—Indiana State Shop Hop?

Host Event for area quilters—Real or Virtual? Pat Speth Zoom?

A block of the month challenge?

Display Quilts on the Dixie Boat (a local historic sternwheeler boat that operates on our local lake in the summer) for a photo op? Charity event? Unique quilt show for free will donation for local food pantry?)

quiltedsunshine

Our guild had a bus trip every year and the ladies had so much fun! I never got to go, but heard the stories.

At our last guild meeting, we voted on an exchange table, and it was a big "NO." Along those lines, we had a charity donation day. Anyone who wanted could donate their unwanted fabric to a charity group. We had 4 groups come and tell us what they did, and what they needed. Then the next meeting, we brought our donations, and they went home with the charity of your choice.

We also do a Friendship Block Swap -- Anyone who wants to participate, makes a block with certain guidelines (color palette, pattern, technique, etc.) then we swap them at the end of the year. We make enough blocks for however many participants there are.

Block Jack Lotto is fun! The host provides the pattern and occasionally a background fabric. Then anyone who wants to, can make up to 3 to put into the drawing. Then a winner is drawn and gets ALL of the blocks.

I love attending my quilt guild!

LanaJ512

Thank you for sharing! Good ideas to share with my group!

copycat

Our guild has a yearly challenge given in Jan and due in Oct. It is voluntary.
This year is to make a quilt with the color of your birthstone being the dominant color.
Pick a magazine page out without looking. Use the page to inspire you to make a quilt. Mine was paint colors. I made a wall-hanging of flowers..
Ugly fabric challenge. All received the same ugly fabric. All challenged to put it in a quilt somewhere.

We have an annual gift block exchange in Nov. Make a 12.5" block with holiday colors or theme. sign and date your block.
wrap the block and the Pres. hands them out to those who participated. Sew exciting to see what you get each year.

We have quilts for small animals given to children in stressful sitituations. Use an orphan block or sold square of fabric to make a tiny quilt to attach to a small animal. Police, firemen, social workers can hand them out. Fun and rewarding to make.

KalamaQuilts

is it a guild meeting, or a sit and sew?
If my sit and sew started organizing stuff I'd probably run away. But some folk like to be organized into doing stuff,

I don't have any idea how guild donation tables are organized, but our little sit and sew already has 7 bins, and the person that started it said last week she was through shleping them back and fourh. Maybe an occassional bring and take, but everyone bring their stuff in a bin and then take their bin back home?

I would certainly ask the group what their hopes and expectations are.

LanaJ512

We are not officially a guild, but we do have a structured meeting each month, and usually some sort of challenge to do throughout the year.

I was thinking of doing a poll on our Facebook page to gauge interest about projects/challenges for the next year. Participation is always voluntary.

aashley333

I am a fairly new member of my guild. Joined last year when I learned about it. We have over 125 members. I didn't even know there were so many quilters in Corpus! We usually have a trunk show type presenter, often with a one-day class the next day. I usually sign up for it (at about $30) because they are so fun.
Last year, we had a non-spooky challenge of wall hangings or something block sized for October. Each member given 5 buttons to place/vote on those displayed. I don't even remember the prize, but it was a nice display.

toverly

I'm in a Sewing Bee about the same size. The best challenges in my opinion are those that encourage using my own stash fabric. We have had black/white and one bright color, Christmas ornament, panel challenge, a book cover challenge, embellish challenge, just to name a few. We also have had a block challenge. Everyone makes the same block each month out of their own colors and in the end create a sampler quilt. There have been a few fabric exchanges challenge where everyone brings a yard of fabric and something is made from that yard. I dont like them but some people love them.

Onebyone

I belong to a large guild. We have a free table every meeting. One person is in charge of taking the leftovers and donating them to anyplace she likes or to the dumpster. New members cant believe what is on the free table. It's like a quilt store. We usually fill up two to three tables every meeting. We have about four quilt block challenges every year and lot of make one take one projects. Bring the challenge item in sack and take one. Bring two take two, etc. We have three quilt challenges, choose one or make all three. Everyone that make a challenge quilt is in a drawing for prizes. Anyone that makes all three is in the drawing for the big prize. Last year it was the Oliso Iron. This year it is the Accuquilt Go Me bundle. Honestly the nicer the prize the more participation.

LanaJ512

Thank you for some great responses!!