Rising to Meet the Challenge of Challenge Quilts

I have found challenge quilts to be very useful in my growth as an artist. For the uninitiated, a challenge quilt is a quilt that must include a certain fabric chosen by someone else. Usually the fabric is “difficult” or down right ugly. The object of the game is to see how creative you can be and to see the different expressions of creativity from the others in the group. It’s amazing how each person is inspired so differently by the same fabric.

The Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild issued a challenge in conjunction with its quilt show in 2005. The fabric was called “Soul Sister.” I created I Am A Star as a result of that challenge.

The annual Fabric is Better Than Food Brunch, held at my home each Christmas, usually includes a challenge. Last year it was red hat fabric. I created Forever Young as a result of that fabric. The year before that it was a geometric gold, red and green print that produced Japanese Butterflies.

I would have never chosen any of these fabrics on my own, but it was fun trying to rise to the challenge.