April 2, 2015

It's time for a new quilt challenge. The Charming Station Chat group has also asked for an alternate project for those who are not quilters (scroll down to see that part!).

Quilt Challenge

For those who are new to our groups, we would like you to understand exactly what we mean. A quilt challenge is not the same as a quilt show - we will not have judges picking the "best" quilts. Nobody is going to vote for a favorite. A quilt challenge is just to challenge you to get started, to maybe try something new and to hopefully finish a quilt. And we will be happy to help you along the way!

2015 Theme: My Favorite Things

This theme means that you get to choose whatever your favorite thing is! Are you yearning for spring or summer? Do you enjoy pets? Do you have a favorite color theme? It can be anything you like - you get to choose! You can also choose what style you want to use for the layout or the blocks.

We don't expect every quilt that is submitted to be a blue ribbon contender. But the new mom who receives a baby quilt or the older person who receives a lapquilt will love it just as much. If you don't have anyone in mind for a quilt right now, consider making something and donating it to your local hospital or church - they would love to have a gift like this. This quilt “challenge” has very few rules:

• your Quilt must use designs from our site in the blocks
• you CAN use our free redwork snowmen for this challenge!
• your Quilt can be any size.
• your Quilt must include a minimum of 9 designs (more is fine).
• your Quilt must be finished (including binding).
• you must send a nice quality large photo of your quilt to me at gigi@CharmingStation.com for our projects page and post a copy to our photo section of the Charming Station Chat group.

This can be something you have already started or a new project - your choice. You will need to take a photo of the front and the back to show that it is finished.

Submit pictures of your finished quilt
by Saturday, June 6th
and you will be entitled to select your choice
of any two sets from our site for free!

Work at your own pace - you have 10 weeks! This is a chance to make something new and get two free sets for doing it! Once you have finished, send me an email and we'll get your choice of free sets to you!

If you have any questions while you are working on the quilt, be sure to post them to the Chat group. If you haven’t quilted before, try following the free basic lessons in our group:

Charming Station Chat > Files >-Quilt Lessons

There is a complete set of 11 lessons in a folder named "1-First-Quilt-All-the-Basics". These will help you with everything from choosing fabric all the way through making and quilting the quilt to binding and finishing the quilt.

Remember - we are all friends and we love to see what everyone is working on! We have a great time cheering everyone on! 

Alternate Challenge for Non-Quilters

For those of you who are not quilters, but who would like to earn free designs, I am offering a different proposal:

• If you would be willing to sew out 9 mylar designs from our site that are appropriate for kids, and mail them to me, I will give you a free design set of your choice.
• If you are willing to do 18 designs, you get two free sets.
• I will collect these and deliver them to our local chapter of Quilts for Kids.
• Please make sure that the designs are on reasonably decent quality quilting fabric (Joann's is fine) no smaller than 6 inches square so that the quilters who receive them can trim them to whatever size they need for their quilts.
• The designs do NOT have to be all from one set.
• For this alternate project, I am asking for mylar designs rather than redwork as the mylar designs add such a nice touch to children's quilts.
• Our mailing address is:
    Charming Station
    307 S. Swarthmore Avenue
    Ridley Park, PA 19078

This info will be posted in the files area of the Chat group for you as well. If you have any questions, just let us know.