Quilting Arts Magazine 100th Issue Reader Challenge!

You know what they say, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’ We’ve been having so much fun at Quilting Arts Magazine that our 100th issue is just around the corner! Reflecting on the amazing history of this magazine, we realize what an impact it has had on our own artwork and the art quilting community in general. In the spirit of celebrating you, our readers, we invite you to submit a postcard illustrating an artistic affirmation that speaks to your heart. Journal in ten words or less on the back of the postcard what Quilting Arts has meant to you. For full challenge rules click here.

Share your postcard with us and we’ll publish a sampling in the August/September 2019 issue. We can’t wait to see all of your amazing postcards!

Featuring readers’ work has been a staple at Quilting Arts Magazine since it’s inception. The work we receive is always thoughtful, creative, humorous, innovative, and personal. Here’s a look back at some of our favorite Reader Challenges and the stunning artwork that came out of them.

‘How Entertaining!’ Reader Challenge
Gallery published in the August/September 2010 issue

We asked readers to make 8½” × 11″ quilts depicting their favorite form of entertainment for our “How Entertaining!” Reader Challenge. We received many entries from across the globe, each one of them offering a fresh take on the concept of entertainment, depicting everything from dancers to TV show characters and personal memories. Here is a sampling of the entertaining quilts that our readers created.

‘What’s Your Signature Color’ Reader Challenge
Gallery published in the October/November 2012 issue

As anyone who has ever entered a fabric shop can attest, quilters love color! It not only saturates the fabrics they use in their artwork, but it is also a constant presence in their everyday lives. Who hasn’t described their mood as blue, or had a red-hot romance? Waited for Memorial Day to wear white, or donned a red hat? We challenged our readers to create an 8″ × 8″ art quilt that expressed their signature color: the go-to hue that they use again and again in their work. Our offices were awash in a rainbow of quilts—purple, orange, red, chartreuse—from the more than 150 readers who embraced the challenge. We thank all of our readers who submitted a quilt for this challenge. You brightened our day, literally!

‘Save My UFO’ Reader Challenge
Gallery published in the August/September 2011 issue

They are every art quilter’s dirty little secret: those UnFinished Objects (otherwise known as art quilts in progress) hiding in the backs of drawers, crammed into closets … ones we’re not willing to let see the light of day until we’re able to resolve the central design issue that has us stumped.
We presented readers with the ultimate Quilting Arts reader challenge and swap––one that required participants to check their ego at the door.
Participants shipped their UFOs to Quilting Arts, and we swapped them out and sent them off to other challenge participants to complete however they saw fit. They could cut up the quilt, add appliqué, bead, stamp, rip … you name it! We were astounded by the amazing transformations.

‘Changing Seasons’ Reader Challenge
Gallery published in the December 2014/January 2015 issue

The seasons inspire people, even in areas of the world where the weather doesn’t change much. Even the word “seasons” can be interpreted in so many different ways. There are the seasons of life, metamorphosis, milestones, and changes and challenges of all sorts.
For our “Changing Seasons” Reader Challenge, almost 100 people created artwork that signified what the theme meant to them—and these were among the most thoughtful group of quilts we’ve seen in a long time. The quilts represented joy and sadness, new challenges and missed opportunities, nature and nurture.

Postcard quilts for our current Reader Challenge ‘Tempus Fugit’ are due April 5th, so get creating! Never miss your chance to submit your work to a Reader Challenge by subscribing to Quilting Arts Magazine or check out the latest Reader Challenges here. Add your voice on social media by tagging Quilting Arts and using #qareaderchallenge.

Sew long,
Katie