GEMRM

I really like this one!

mom2boyz

A couple years ago I participated in a challenge involving 17 people. Each month we brought in 17 identical 9 patches, and traded. The only requirements were: unfinished size 3.5", bright colors and neutrals, no civil war or pastels, and the dark had to be in the 5 spots (4 corners and center). We could make extras and trade. We were to make a quilt and share at our Christmas get together. They were all beautiful and so different.

mjsylvstr

January: Ugly fabric challenge

A traditional challenge idea, each member brings in 1 yard of “ugly” fabric from their stash. These yards are exchanged with the other members, and each member is challenged to create a quilt with the yard of fabric they go home with. Alternately, the guild could purchase a bolt of “ugly” fabric from the sale section of the quilt shop, and each member is given 1/2 yard to create their challenge project.
February: Block challenge

Pick a popular block for quilt guild members to include in their quilts. The block can be used once, or repeated throughout the quilt. Great blocks to use include the Log Cabin, Ohio Star, and Churn Dash.
March: Using fabrics or pattern from a designer

If you are anticipating a visit from a pattern or fabric designer, challenge members to use a pattern or fabric from that designer. Schedule the challenge so that the reveal will be at the meeting the designer visits.
April: Color challenge

Choose a color as a group. This color is to be the dominant color in all submitted quilts. This challenge is fun at the beginning of the year when Pantone announces their “color of the year”.
May: Technique challenge

Select a technique the group would like to work on – this could be a technique recently taught in the guild, or a standard quilting technique. All challenge projects are to incorporate the technique in some way. Ideas for techniques include free motion quilting, applique, Y-seams, paper piecing, and piecing curves.

June: UFO (Un-Finished Object) challengeEach member brings in a project they have begun, but will never finish. The projects are exchanged, and each member is challenged to complete (in their own way) the Un-Finished Object they were given. UFOs can be brought in brown sacks to exchange in a “White Elephant Gift” style, for an entertaining meeting activity.
July: Fat Quarter challenge

Members pay in advance for 4 fat quarters of fabric. At the meeting, each participating member is given an identical set of 4 fat quarters to make their challenge entry with. This could also be done with more or less fat quarters, or stacks of 5″ precuts.
August: Block swap

The block swap is done in two parts. At the first meeting, members bring a block to swap. Each member goes home with a different block than the one they arrived with – and the challenge to incorporate that block into a new quilt.
September: Non-quilt challenge

Challenge quilt guild members to create a garment or bag – anything but a quilt! Thinking like a stitcher that is not a quilter is a great exercise to help your members think out of the box.
October: Inspiration challenge

Ask your members to choose an inspiration image. When they bring in their completed quilt, they should bring in their inspiration image as well, and explain the process from inspiration to completed quilt.
November: Improv quilt challenge

Throw patterns out the window! Challenge your quilt guild members to create a quilt without a plan – using improvisational piecing to create a modern masterpiece.
December: Scrap quilt challenge

Members are challenged to create quilts using just their fabric scraps. Bonus points to members who piece a back from larger scraps! This is best announced several months in advance. If it is announced with only a few months notice, there will always be a member who recently purged their scraps, and will not be able to participate.

lovelyl

I belong to two guilds. This year's challenge at one guild is to use rick rack in a quilting project. The other challenge was to do a project that had something to do with snow.

quilterpurpledog

Such wonderful ideas. I am going to pass them along to the proper person in my guild as it will soon be time to choose a theme for our next challenge. A couple of years ago, we all got a fat quarter and we had to use it in a wall hanging. It was amazing how differently it was used. Last year's theme was a word, a season of the yea; it could be interpreted in any way. Only five entries showed up rather than complete participation so that didn't work out well.

lindaschipper

Pick two paint chip and then do an apple core design from the fabric. Learning to do those curves can be a challenge for many.

redstilettos

These are all GREAT ideas!!

GingerK

Last year our president's challenge was to take a piece of art from a child and reproduce it in fabric. Lots of fun and much more challenging than I expected. I ended up doing two--one from each granddaughter--made them usable as hot pads and then gifted them to the girls' parents. The alternate was to reproduce a famous piece of art in fabric.

DottyD

Last year - 2015 /16 - our local quilt group gave the challenge for a BOM block using "Strips".
The block had to be 6" square, using any colour fabric and then put together in whatever way we liked.
Here is a photo of mine, which now needs to be quilted.

The next photo is this years challenge (also awaiting to be quilted )
We celebrate our ten year anniversary this year and our group name has the word "Green " in it.
Therefore the guideline was a 10" x 30" portrait wall hanging using the word "green " You could interpret that in whatever way you wanted, not necessarily using the colour green ( which I did )

Some of the ideas here for future challenges are really interesting and worth thinking about.

my-ty

All great ideas!

I especially like the UFO Challenge. I have many of those and it would be fun to see one of them completed. Although I couldn't handle the 12 challenges in 1 year - that would create 12 more UFOs.