Welcome back to another fun filled, inspiring season of Project QUILTING!  I hope you are all as excited as I am to get started quilting and FINISHING too!

photo by Kim Lapacek

I just want to remind everyone that these challenges are meant to be inspirational and FUN!  I know it can be stressful making a quilt in just a week but trust me – it can be done.  Every week that you enter a piece for the challenge you are entered into a hat to win one of the amazing prizes from our sponsors!  There will also be a special prize for the ‘Public Vote’ winner of the week.   AND, if you finish the challenge in the time allotted your name will also be added into the final hat at the completion of the season for an opportunity to win the GRAND PRIZE!  Inspiration, quilting, fun AND Prizes!?  Can it get much better?

Anyway – before we get to the first challenge I would like to run through the list of prizes and sponsors for this week:

photo by yabberdab

PRIZES for Week 1

Each challenge that you complete a quilt for your name will be put into hat. One of my three beautiful girls will draw a name randomly for each prize.

photo by Karmen Lindner Photography – these are the three cuties that pick the winners each week …

For Everyone

Studio Cherie will be giving a free pattern to EVERYONE who enters this challenge!!!

Prize 1

Ann Kelle’s mini spool collection of Aurifil Thread

Prize 2

Simply Candy Squares pattern and a mini charm pack from Village Creek..

Prize 3

Oklahoma Twister Pattern from Mill House Quilts

Prize 4

Laundry Basket Quilts “Charms” are English Piecing papers with cute messages on the back of the shapes.  This is the correct size for the hexagon quilt in our “Handful of Scraps” book.  There are 100 shapes per package.  This package could be yours if your name is drawn!

Prize 5

Waggons West is donating a custom quilt label!

Prize 6

Sew BitterSweet Designs is giving one lucky person a choice of a pattern. 

PRIZE 7

“Quilting Gift Certificate” for $30.00 off the Quilting on a Baby size quilt or larger. (Baby, Lap, Twin. Full, Queen, or King) from Marcia’s Crafty Sewing & Quilting.
The Gift Certificate will be good for 4 months starting one month after the challenge ends.  Excluding the Month of December for using the gift certificate.  The quilting gift certificate is transferable to another person, so you can share it with a friend, if you’d like.
Marcia will do an estimate based on the size of the winner’s quilt top, quilting choices, thread choices, and batting and if they would like to purchase backing fabric from me. Winner can send backing fabric and batting with their quilt top, but I do have it available. This way the winner will have a good estimate of the value of your quilting prize.

PRIZE 8

Marcia would also like to giveaway to a separate winner a prize of one of her original patterns(value $8.00).
Here are the six quilt patterns the winner will get to chose from:

1. Summer Tomatoes Quilt Pattern – PDF
2. Easy to Sew Quilt Pattern – PDF
3. Textures Quilt Pattern – PDF
4. Quilted Checkbook or Calendar Pattern – PDF
5. Quilted Pocket Purse – PDF
6. Turn a Quilt into a Bag Pattern – PDF

Aren’t these some great prizes that have been so generously donated!?  I can’t wait to see who wins some fantastic goodies!

The Challenge:  Trees

photo by Kim Lapacek

1. Your inspiration for this challenge is trees.
2. Your project does NOT need to include a tree (but certainly can).
3.  Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements:

1. Include patchwork.
2. Include appliqué.
3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

4.  Your project must have a name.

photo by David Frey

5.  Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge.
6.  Link up either a blog post or flickr image to the linky at the bottom of THIS PAGE by Sunday, January 11th, 2015, at noon, CDT –OR email a picture/description of your completed project to {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line by 11am on Sunday, January 11.

• Please still include on your blog or flickr image of your entry a description of your creative process, including where you are (ie, I create in Madison, WI) and the size of your project.  If you decide to just directly upload your image to the link up party please email me this information so I can share it with everyone else.
• I would still love if everyone posted to the Flickr Group as that makes making mosaics and looking over things much easier, but it is no longer required.
• There is now a ‘Challenge Quilts’ Facebook Group you can join in on to share your thoughts, questions, or whatever related to quilting challenges.  You can always post progress pictures there if you want too!
• Please use the hastag #pq6 when posting on social networking sites to help spread the word!

7.  Even if you’ve been participating for years… Please email Kim at {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with ‘PROJECT QUILTING SIX’ in the subject line so that Kim can keep you updated on the behind the scenes going-ons and get all her records straight.
With that – good luck to everyone!  Don’t forget – you can find Project QUILTING on Facebook too! And a Challenge Group if you’re want to find out about all the challenges you can in the quilting world!
Please be sure to post your FINAL project HERE.  VERY IMPORTANT!

photo by Cuba Gallery