The Alliance for American Quilts

Quiltmakers are encouraged to think broadly and creatively about this opportunity to celebrate the past in the frame of the present. They might seek inspiration and/or content from antique quilt blocks, fabrics, trims, color palettes or stitches, then use the tools and materials of contemporary quilting to produce a new wall quilt. Artists might also respond to the theme more conceptually-an “old” idea recycled, a new way of creating an old block, technique or style, or a more personal interpretation.

The rules are simple: quilts must be 16″ x 16″ (including a 4″ sleeve and a label) and consist of three layers.  Contest quilts must be sent to the AAQ by May 31, 2010. The contest is also a fundraiser; all quilts become a donation to the organization and will be auctioned on eBay Nov. 8 – Dec. 6, 2010 to benefit the AAQ and its mission to document, preserve and share the history of quilts and quiltmakers.

Find out more and see the list of awesome prizes on the AAQ site.

From now until January 24, 2010, submit your photos to the “I Made This” section at any of our websites:  www.YouCanMakeThis.com, www.SWAKembroidery.com, and/or www.YouCanQuiltThis.com!

We know you were especially busy the last few months so you must have photos, right? If you used any of the ebooks or designs from any of our sites, we want to all be inspired by your work!

So start clickin’ and you could win one of four prize packages worth $100 each! A prize bundle from each of the sites will be given. And where is the 4th one coming from? Well, if you are on Facebook, we’d love to see your photos posted over there, too! Simply add your photos there (they can be in our “I Made This!” sections as well), and let us know.

It’s easy to submit photos and just takes a few seconds of your time.

Go to the I Made This section of SWAK’s site to partiicpate.

Cloth Paper Scissors

Create one mixed-media art doll representing your interpretation of “Mother Earth.” Your art doll may be made out of any materials, but she can be no larger than 12″ tall and 8″ wide, with a depth no more than 2″…You may use any pattern you like—or none—provided the doll fits the dimensions listed above…To be considered for the challenge, send two low-res (each less than 1MB) images of your entry (one of the entire piece and one detail) via email by December 18th, 2009.

Take some photos of your latest Mother-Earth-type creation. Or get cracking on a new one. But hurry! The deadline is almost here. Get the details.

Every two weeks we will put a new motif online. The challenge is to take the motif and stitch and finish it anyway you like. Be as creative as can be. At the end of the two weeks we will look through all the entries and decide a winner. The winner will win a prize from our sponsor.

Rockin! The first motif is shown above. Get the details – rules, deadlines, etc. — from the blog.

FANTASTIC FIBERS is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium. Contemporary and innovative works created with fiber as the primary medium are welcome. This competitive exhibition is open to all professional artists 18 years and/or over working in the field of fiber art…
This year’s jurors are Caryl Bryer Fallert, world-renowned art quilter; Judy Schwender, curator at the National Quilt Museum; and Freda Fairchild, nationally known printmaker and fiber artist.

Three awards will be made: $800, $500, and $300.  The entry deadline is February 5, 2010. Get the details from Fiber Art Calls for Entries blog.

Au ver à Soie and Inspirations are offering you the chance to win a complete set of silk ribbons valued at $1180. All you need to do is create a very small gift using Au ver à Soie silk ribbons and this gorgeous prize could be yours.

For more details, see the Country Bumpkin post.

Whether you sew by hand or machine, we invite you submit your most innovative and imaginative art projects that incorporate sewing, for this brand new special publication. Sew Somerset will feature projects of the highest caliber that Somerset Studio is known for …projects that will surely take your breath away … projects that will look “So Somerset!” In this 144-page publication, you will find beautiful photographs, easy-to-understand techniques, and a bounty of tips, ideas and inspiration. Sew Somerset will help you learn how to add stitches of varied lengths, sizes, colors, and dimension into your next art project. Deadline for artwork to be received: Semi-annually every July 15th and January 15th.

Get the details from Stampington’s site.

Tammy

Each year PieceWork Magazine holds its annual Excellence in Needle Arts Awards contest to showcase the best work of needle crafters from around the country. This year’s theme is “Heart Ornaments.”

PieceWork invites you to send your handmade heart ornaments in these four categories: knitting/crochet, needlework (embroidery, cross-stitch, bead embroidery, needlepoint), lace making/tatting, or quilting. The grand prize winner will receive $500 and each category winner will receive $200 worth of products provided by our generous contest sponsors.

A few more details are available in Tammy’s post, and full information is due to be released in mid-October.

And many thanks to MrXStitch for pointing out the Challenge for a Good Cause.

The Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) announces the winners of the “Crazy for Quilts” contest. The contest celebrates the spirit of the crazy quilt, a genre of quiltmaking which began in the United States around 1880 featuring oddly shaped pieces of fancy cloth like silk and velvet, often embellished with extravagant embroidery…

Alliance members voted for three winners in each category from the 84 quilts entered by makers that range from first-time quilters to professional artists. In the Ages 30 and Under category, novice quilter Kelly Phelps of Tennessee won first place with her quilt, “Creative Chaos“…and Luke Haynes of California won both second and third place awards with his two quilts: “But I Know Crazy” (a portrait of musician James Brown) and “Study in Squares [Ego of a Quilter].”

In the Ages Over 30 category, Kathryn Wagar Wright of Colorado, an art director for Quilters Newsletter magazine, took the top prize with her quilt, “Crazy Cow Polarity“.

See all the winners and entrants in the contest gallery. And if you’d like a heads-up about the 2010 contest, be sure to sign up for AAQ’s free e-newsletter.