Reader Challenges

Challenge: Quilted Gifts Deserve Handmade Holiday Tags

Kristine Lundblad — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:55:00 GMT

Nothing finishes off a beautifully wrapped present like an artful gift tag.

A unique tag can express your creativity and show your affection for the gift's recipient. A gift tag even makes a clever ornament after it serves its first purpose.

We invite you to make a fiber art gift tag for this year's Quilting Arts Gifts^TM challenge!

Using our fresh and fun color palette, create a tag with fabrics, papers, threads, and trims. Use your favorite surface design techniques or try something new.

Incorporate traditional holiday motifs or invent your own.

Here's the perfect opportunity to think literally outside the box-the gift box, that is!

The deadline for this challenge is May 31, 2013. Find out all the rules and download a PDF with the color palette on our Reader Challenge page.

Kristine

Announcing the "Text Me!" Reader Challenge Finalists

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:48:00 GMT

Thank you to all who participated in the "Text Me!" Reader Challenge. We received over 100 entries for this challenge and it was so hard to narrow down our choices. We are always amazed and impressed with the creativity we see in entries to our challenges and "Text Me!" was no exception!

Without further ado, here are the finalists:

Judith Ahlborn ("Closer Than You Think")

Terry Aske ("Punctuation!" and "Rainy Day People 4")

Paula Beck ("More Than Shadows")

Sunny Chandonais

Lauretta Crites

Cathy DeSanto

Dianne Hegebarth ("Pigeons in War")

Susan Hoppenworth

Gudrun Kiel-Bullock

Margarita Korioth

Antoinette Ledzian ("URMYTYPE")

Alison Levingston (both "Leaving a Mark 1" and "Leaving a Mark 2")

Bonnie Ouellette

Leslie Panfil

Brenda Silberman

Nancy Smeltzer ("Words, Words, Words")

Melissa Snyder

Ann Waskey

Marian Zielinski ("Here and Now")

The details:

Finalists must ship their artwork to arrive in our offices no later than Friday, April 26. Please include a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international). This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. Only cash, checks, or money orders can be accepted. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Interweave.

The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 3 lbs. and fit inside a standard shipping/mailing box or padded envelope. Please include your name, address, and title of the quilt in the box/envelope and label your quilt with the same information.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/Interweave
Attn: 'Text Me' Reader Challenge
490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15
Sudbury, MA 01776

If you have questions about the "Text Me!" reader challenge, contact Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com.

Thank you again to all participants and congratulations to the finalists!

Deadline looms for 'Text Me!' Art Quilt Reader Challenge

Kristine Lundblad — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:42:00 GMT

In the February/March 2013 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, we introduced our latest reader challenge, "Text Me!", encouraging you to make a quilt about how text inspires you. There is still time to submit your creation--the deadline is Friday, March 29.


Artist Jane LaFazio often incorporates text in her quilt art.

Details about submitting a piece can be found here but, in a nutshell, we're looking for an 8" square art quilt based on the theme "Text Me!". Submit photos of your work by our March 29 deadline and finalists will be announced on April 3 (online only--check back to this blog).

If, after reading our guidelines, you have any questions, please email me at klundblad@interweave.com.

We look forward to seeing your work!

Kristine

Announcing the 'Map It Out' Reader Challenge finalists

Kristine Lundblad — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:35:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the finalists of our recent Reader Challenge, "Map It Out." We had almost 100 participants in this challenge and they led us north and south, inside and out. Even to the moon! It was very hard to choose but here's the list of finalists:

Judith Ahlborn (Crazy Map!)
Terry Aske (Where I Live)
Evans Fletcher (Direction Through Chaos)
Jane Frenke (untitled)
Karen Hansen (Kayak Karma)
Sheila McAvoy (untitled)
Jane Rommel (Wrinkles Map Out My Life)
Sandra Schlagel (Kitchen Garden)
Nancy Smeltzer (A Sky Map of Somewhere Over the Midwest)
Jennifer Scantlebury Vienneau (By The Seat of Our Pants)
Jackie White (untitled)

The details:

Finalists must ship their artwork to arrive in our offices no later than February 15, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international). This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. Only cash, money orders, or checks can be accepted. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Interweave.

The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 3 lbs. and fit inside a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope. Please include your name and address, email address, and title of the quilt in the box/envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/Interweave
Attn: Map It Out
490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15
Sudbury, MA 01776

If you have questions, please email Assistant Editor Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com.

Thank you to all participants and congratulation finalists!

Text Me! -- Introducing our Latest Reader Challenge

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:36:00 GMT

Words have captivated humans since the dawn of the alphabet. Who has not been inspired by a Shakespearian soliloquy, riveted by a newspaper headline, petrified by a Stephen King novel, or touched by a child's first written word? Generations of artists of all mediums have used words literally and figuratively in their work. How does text inspire you? How might you interpret the nuances of the written word, the ambiguity of a phrase, the poetry of a verse, or the curvature of a letter? Show us in a quilt!

Here's how to enter:

1. Create an 8" x 8" art quilt based on the theme "Text Me!" The entire quilt, including binding, must measure 8" x 8".

2. Any embellishments must not protrude more than 1/2" from the quilt.

3. The quilt may be made with any materials, but it must be quilted (by hand, machine, or both), consist of three layers, and be either bound or closed along the edges. Label your quilt with your name, email address, and title of the quilt.

4. Your entry must be free of any text or images that are protected by copyright, unless you have the expressed written permission from the person or institution that holds the copyright and you provide that written permission with your submission. (It's a good idea to steer clear of commercial imagery.)

5. To be considered for the challenge, send two low-resolution images (each less than 1MB) of your entry--one of the entire quilt including the edges/binding and one of a detail of the quilt--via email by March 29 to challenges@interweave.com, with the words "Text Me!" in the subject line. Please include your name, email address, phone number, and a brief explanation of your piece in the email.

Note: Please do not "zip" your files and be sure to send jpegs.

6. On April 3, assistant editor Kristine Lundblad will post the finalists on the Reader Challenge blog at quiltingdaily.com. This is the only notification that will be made.

7. If accepted as a finalist, your artwork must be shipped to arrive in our offices no later than April 26, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international). This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. Only cash, checks, or money orders can be accepted. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Interweave.

8. The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 3 lbs. and fit inside a standard shipping/mailing box or padded envelope. Please include your name and address, email address, and title of the quilt in the box/envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/Interweave

Attn: 'Text Me!' Reader Challenge

490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15

Sudbury, MA 01776

Note: By submitting your reader challenge entry, you are authorizing F&W Media, Inc. to publish your project in upcoming publications and promotional materials, on our websites and in our other e-media, as well as to possibly display it at shows. F&W Media, Inc. will not be held responsible for loss or damage due to circumstances beyond our control.

We reserve the right to keep and display your "Text Me!" piece until the week of August 5, 2013.

If you have questions about the "Text Me!" reader challenge, contact Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com. We look forward to seeing your work!

Mark your calendar

March 29, 2013: Emailed submissions are due with low-resolution jpeg photos.

April 3, 2013: Names of finalists will be posted on the Reader Challenge blog at quiltingdaily.com.

April 26, 2013: Finalists' quilts must be received in our offices by this date.

August 2013: Look for a gallery of "Text Me!" quilts in the August/September 2013 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine!

Announcing 'Coffee or Tea?' Reader Challenge finalists

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:06:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the finalists of our latest reader challenge, "Coffee or Tea?" We had over 100 responses to this challenge and they were eye opening!

It was hard to choose but here are the finalists:

Judy Ahlborn
Terry Aske
Kathleen Baumann (Under the Table)
Donna Blum
Susan Callahan
Ethelda Ellis
Evans Fletcher
Carrie Hinds
Glad Howard
Una Landreth
Karen Loprete
Pam Luke
Carol Marlin
Debi Niemi
Sarah Ann Smith
Eileen Torgerson
Els Vereycken
Alice Vollaro
Sue Wilson

The details:

If you are a finalist, your artwork must be in our offices no later than Friday, January 11, 2013, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international) made payable to Quilting Arts/Interweave. This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. Only cash, checks, or money orders can be accepted.

The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 5 lbs. and fit into a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/Interweave 
Attn: Coffee or Tea Reader Challenge
490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15
Sudbury, MA 01776

For questions, please email Assistant Editor Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com.

Thank you to all of the participants and congratulations to the finalists!

'Staycation' Fabric Winners

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:30:00 GMT




	The winners of a selection of parfait ice-dyed fabric are Jean from Alaska, Lolly from N.H., and Jean from Pennsylvania. These are the postcards they created for the challenge!

In the June/July issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, our theme was staycation and the fun things you can do with your fabric and art supplies without traveling far from home. We challenged you, our readers, to create a fabric postcard telling us of your staycation plans and send it to us, and almost 100 of you did just that! We were charmed by your entries and looked forward to the mail every day in anticipation of receiving a postcard or two.


Some of the fabric we dyed at our outdoor dyeing party this spring.

All of the postcard challenge participants were entered into a random drawing to receive a selection of parfait ice-dyed fabrics we created during our "staycation dye party" in the spring. I'm happy to announce we had enough fabric to choose three winners and they are Jean H. from Alaska, Lolly F. from New Hampshire, and Jean H. from Pennsylvania. Congratulations! I'll be sending you your fabric early next week.

Thank you to everyone who entered our reader challenge and delighted us with their staycation adventures.

Kristine

Show Us Your Mug Shot: Introducing our 'Coffee or Tea?' Reader Challenge

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:29:00 GMT

We can't help noticing: the only thing that gets quilters going more than fabric and thread is a dose of their favorite morning beverage. Some can't function before pouring a mug of Joe. Others don't feel complete without breathing in the fragrant steam of their favorite tea.

What about you? Do you prefer the bean or the leaf? Hot or iced? Mug or cup? Lemon or milk? Combine your love of fiber art with your passion for your brew of choice in an 8" x 10" art quilt. Show us what you drink and the way you drink it, the sensations you experience, the effect the beverage has on you, or how you feel without it. We know that Quilting Arts readers are ready for this challenge!


	Art by bofogray

Here's how to enter:

Create an 8" x 10" art quilt based on the theme "Coffee or Tea?" The entire quilt, including binding, must measure 8" x 10". You may orient the quilt vertically or horizontally.
Any embellishments must not protrude more than 1/2" from the quilt.
The entire quilt must weigh no more than 1 lb.
The quilt may be made with any materials, but it must be quilted (by hand, machine, or both), consist of three layers, and be either bound or closed along the edges. Label your quilt with your name, email address, and title of the quilt.
Your entry must be free of any text or images that are protected by copyright, unless you have the expressed written permission from the person or institution that holds the copyright and you provide that written permission with your submission. (It's a good idea to steer clear of commercial imagery.)
To be considered for the challenge, send two low-resolution (each less than 1MB) images of your entry (one of the entire quilt including the edges/binding and one of a detail of the quilt) via email by December 6, 2012 to challenges@interweave.com, with the words "Coffee or Tea?" in the subject line. Please include your name, email address, phone number, and a brief explanation of your piece in the email.

Note: Please do not "zip" your files and be sure to send jpegs.

On December 12, 2012 assistant editor Kristine Lundblad will post the finalists on the Reader Challenge blog at quiltingdaily.com. This is the only notification that will be made.
If accepted as a finalist, your artwork must be in our offices no later than January 11, 2013, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international). This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry.
The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 5 lbs. and fit inside a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/Interweave

Attn: Coffee or Tea Challenge

490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15

Sudbury, MA 01776

Note: By submitting your reader challenge entry, you are authorizing Interweave Press LLC to publish your project in upcoming publications and promotional materials, on our website, and in other Interweave e-media, as well as to possibly display it at shows. Interweave Press LLC will not be held responsible for loss or damage due to circumstances beyond our control.

We reserve the right to keep and display your "Coffee or Tea?" pieces until the week of March 11, 2013. We will be shipping the quilts back during the last two weeks of March.

If you have questions about the "Coffee or Tea?" reader challenge, contact Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com.

We look forward to seeing your work!

Mark your calendar

December 6, 2012: Emailed submissions are due with low-resolution jpeg photos.
December 12, 2012: Names of finalists will be posted on the Reader Challenge blog at quiltingdaily.com.
January 9, 2013: Finalists' quilts must be received in our offices by this date.
April 2013: Look for a gallery of "Coffee or Tea?" quilts in the April/May 2013 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine!

Still time to send us your staycation postcard, but hurry!

Kristine Lundblad — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:15:00 GMT

Here in the Northeast, fall has arrived. Temperatures are still pleasant but it is cooler and the air is crisper. Summer is over, as is traditional vacation time.


Participants in our Staycation Postcard Reader Challenge are eligible to receive some of these hand-dyed fabrics.

In the June/July issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, our theme was staycation and the fun things you can do with your fabric and art supplies without traveling far from home. We challenged our readers to create a staycation postcard - because who doesn't like getting a postcard from a friend or family member when they're on vacation? - and send it to us.


	Bonnie Sabel's postcard features real shells and "sand" fabric.

We have been so impressed with and happy to see all of the staycation postcards that have come to our offices so far, and I am featured two of them here in this blog.

Our readers are so creative! One mom and her two children each made postcards about the fun they were having this summer, while other readers used techniques—like Diane Savona's under-the-surface embellishment from issue 58—they had read about in the magazine. Other postcards feature photo imagery, intricate stitch work, beading, hand-dyeing, and more.

There is still time, if you work fast, to get your staycation postcard into us before the October 1, 2012 deadline. Be sure to check out the rules for this and our other ongoing reader challenges.


This playful art by Dawn Ruminski features a 3-D sea turtle swimming with hand-painted fish.

All of the postcard challenge participants will be entered into a drawing to receive a selection of parfait ice-dyed fabrics we created during our "staycation dye party" in the spring.

I look forward to seeing your postcard!

Kristine

Introducing our ‘What's In Your Heart?’ ATC challenge and swap

Kristine Lundblad — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:49:00 GMT

Are you a hopeless romantic or a fool for poetry? Have you kept the love letters of your youth tucked in the corner of a lavender-scented shoe box? Has your idea of love and romance been shaped by a particularly juicy novel or a Hollywood heart-throb? The editorial team at Quilting Arts wants to know, and we are giving you a chance to wear your heart (and your "art") on your sleeve... with a festive Artist Trading Card (ATC) reader challenge!

We hosted our first ATC challenge in 2004, and featured many of the more than 800 entries on the pages of our magazine. The enthusiasm that was displayed for these minute pieces of art got us thinking-why not revisit the ATC format and encourage our readers to incorporate the theme of "What's In Your Heart" in a new ATC swap?

This challenge will be a fun opportunity for all involved to share their art with other readers in two ways. A selection of the cards will be published in the February/March 2013 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine and/or on our website, blogs, and Facebook pages. All of the cards will then be distributed, and each participant will receive an ATC from another artist.

Here's how the challenge works:

1. Create an embellished ATC the size of a baseball card, 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" and no more than 1/4" thick. It can be made with any mixed-media technique as long as it includes fabric. You are encouraged to add embellishments and try techniques from this issue.

NOTE: Your ATC must be free of any text or images that are protected by copyright, unless you have the expressed written permission from the person or institution that holds the copyright and you provide that written permission with your submission.

2. Please include your name and email address on the back of the card so we can contact you if necessary (only the front of the card will be photographed).

3. We encourage you to upload an image of your ATC to the Share Your Quilt and Fiber Art gallery at quiltingdaily.com.

4. Only one entry per person. If you send more than one ATC, we will consider them a donation and they will not be returned. Your ATC must be received in our offices by Monday, November 5, 2012 to be photographed for publication.

5. This challenge is a swap: Your ATC will not be returned to you, however, we will send you an ATC made by another reader.

6. Please send your ATC and a shipping and handling fee in U.S. currency of $4 (U.S. and Canada) or $6 (all other international), made payable to Interweave, along with your name and complete mailing address to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/Interweave

ATTN: ATC Challenge

490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15

Sudbury, MA 01776

If you have any questions, contact assistant editor Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com. Please be sure to include your first and last names and your contact information, including a phone number, in all email correspondence.

NOTE: By submitting your ATC to our challenge, you are authorizing Interweave Press LLC to publish your ATC in upcoming publications and promotional materials, on our website, and in other Interweave e-media, as well as possibly display it in shows. Interweave Press LLC will not be held responsible for loss or damage due to circumstances beyond our control.

Mark Your Calendar!

November 5, 2012: Your ATC must be received in our offices by this date to be a part of the swap.

January 15, 2013: We will send you an ATC made by another Quilting Arts Magazine reader.

February 2013: Look for a gallery of "What's in Your Heart?" ATCs in the February/March 2013 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine!

Announcing 'What's Your Signature Color?' Reader Challenge finalists

Kristine Lundblad — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the finalists of our latest reader challenge, "What's Your Signature Color?" We had over 150 responses to this challenge and we were thrilled with the rainbow of entries that were submitted!

It was hard to choose but here are the finalists:

Terry Aske

Judy Castleton

Sandra Champion

Karen G. Fisher

Diana G. Fogle

Anita Fors

Valerie Komkov Hill

Ronni Hunter

Regina Keast

Virginia Koster

Debra Olson

Anne Selder

Barbara Triscari

Deborah Wolff

Linda Wrench

The details:

If you are a finalist, your artwork must be in our offices no later than Friday, July 13, 2012, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international) made payable to Quilting Arts/Interweave. This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 5 lbs. and fit into a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/INTERWEAVE 

Attn: Signature Color Reader Challenge 

490 Boston Post Road, Suite 15

Sudbury, MA 01776

For questions, please email Assistant Editor Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com.

Thank you to all of the participants and congratulations to the finalists!

Announcing the Winter Wonderland Ornament Challenge

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT

The editorial team at Quilting Arts Magazine® is inviting fiber artists from around the world to make a fabric art ornament for our first Quilting Arts Gifts reader challenge. We'd love to see your interpretations of our theme: Winter Wonderland. We have a color scheme and a few rules for you to follow but then the sky's the limit and we can't wait to see the fiber art ornaments you come up with!

Be sure to check our reader challenge section for complete rules and to see the swatch of the colors to use.

Our deadline is tight--June 30, 2012--so get your creative juices flowing!

Announcing "What If?" Reader Challenge finalists

Kristine Lundblad — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the finalists of our latest reader challenge, "What If?" This challenge seemed to affect many of you deeply, and your stories were sometimes funny, sometimes heartrending, and always touching. We thank you all so much for participating and sharing your work with us.

It was hard to choose but here are the finalists:

Judy Arbuckle

Wendi Bucey

Monica Curry

Sunni Hamillton

Shauna Mooney Kawasaki

Joy McPadden

Sara Mika

Bonnie Ouellette

Doreen Prakshot

Sara Sharp

Linda Edkins Wyatt

The details

If you are a finalist, your artwork must be in our offices no later than Friday, May 18, 2012, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international) made payable to Quilting Arts. This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 5 lbs. and fit into a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/INTERWEAVE 

Attn: What If Reader Challenge 

490 Boston Post Road,  Suite 15

Sudbury, MA 01776

For questions, please email Assistant Editor Kristine Lundblad at klundblad@interweave.com.

Thanks to all for participating!

Time is Running Out for "What If?" Reader Challenge

Kristine Lundblad — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:29:00 GMT

Time is running out to submit to our "What If?" reader challenge! Use your quilting skills to tell us about your "what if" moment. The entry deadline is Monday, April 30, by 5 p.m. EST. For more information, visit http://www.quiltingdaily.com/content/Reader_Challenges.aspx.

Announcing "From Sketch to Art Quilt" Reader Challenge finalists

Kristine Lundblad — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:38:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the finalists of our latest reader challenge, From Sketch to Art Quilt. We received 114 entries, and the photos of your quilts and sketches truly impressed our editorial staff. This challenge seems to hit a chord with many of you, and your stories were inspiring. We thank you all so much for participating and sharing your work with us.

It was hard to choose but here are the finalists:

Terry Aske

Kathleen Baumann

Stella Belikiewicz

Linda Moon Daughtry

Ai Sawada Goodwin

Cindi Goodwin

Robert Hartley

Beth Markel

Kaye Martindale

Ann L. Scott

Marian Zielinski

The details

If you are a finalist, your artwork must be in our offices no later than Friday, March, 30 2012, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international). This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry. The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 5 lbs. and fit into a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine/INTERWEAVE 

Attn: From Sketch to Art Quilt Reader Challenge 

490 Boston Post Road,  Suite 15

Sudbury, MA 01776

Thanks to all for participating!