Do you remember who taught you to quilt? No doubt their love of the craft and desire for you to succeed was evident in their words of encouragement as you took those first tentative stitches. Well, it’s easy to pay it forward and help foster the passion that drives your creative process in a young maker. It’s now time for young quilters across Canada to start planning their quilt for the 2021 Youth Challenge, which this year celebrates BFF (Best Friends Forever), and you can help.
All entries must be sponsored by an individual, professional or shop member in good standing and members may sponsor more than one entry so we encourage you to find a young maker (or two!) and work with them on their project. As an added bonus, sponsors of the entries who win the Viewers’ Choice awards for this challenge will receive a free one-year renewal of their CQA/ACC membership. What’s to lose?
Young makers can use any style of quilting – art, traditional and/or modern – as long as the quilt includes all or part of a fat quarter of the challenge fabric on the face of the quilt.
Bright watercolour polka dots are scattered across this year’s challenge fabric, Delightful. Designed by Tamara Kate for Michael Miller Fabrics, it will be a happy start to any quilt. If you are interested in joining in on the fun, please email Jane Cramer (jane.cramer@canadianquilteradministration.com) to receive your challenge fabric. Many thanks to York Heritage Quilters Guild for sponsoring the fabric this year.
Quilts may be any size, up to a 200-inch perimeter, but a smaller size may be easier to tackle; most of the quilt must be the work of the young quilter. Any combination of hand- and/or machine-piecing, appliqué and quilting can be used. In addition, embellishments such as beads, embroidery, fibers, ribbon, paint, crayon, etc., are the choice of the young quilter. This is an opportunity to experiment and try new things!
Entries must be submitted online between February 15 and April 15, 2021, so request your fabric now and get an early start. An online display and voting for Viewers’ Choice will be held from May 1 to June 1, 2021 in three age categories: 5-9 years, 10-14 years, and 15-19 years.
In addition, participants are invited to send their quilts to be displayed at Quilt Canada 2021 in Mississauga, ON where there will be one Viewers’ Choice prize awarded based on votes from guests to the show. If the winners choose to submit a photo of themselves with their quilt, it will be published in the Autumn 2021 issue of Canadian Quilter. All winners will receive a free copy of that issue, a ribbon, a certificate and a prize of fabric from the sponsor.
Download the complete 2021 Youth Challenge Guidelines for details on how to enter, prizes and the opportunity to display your quilt at Quilt Canada 2021 next June.
