This year’s winners for the Riley Blake Fabric Challenge have been announced. Winners were selected by the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) and Riley Blake Designs.
We want to give a shout out to EVERYONE who participated — we have LOVED seeing your photos on social media and we are completely amazed at your talent and creativity!
The Riley Blake Fabric Challenge has become a favorite annual program for MQG members, and the submissions this year were great as always,” says Heather Grant, director of marketing and programming for the MQG. “The Creative Rockstar fabric line was extremely versatile, and participants made the most of it! Riley Blake Designs is the perfect partner for this challenge, and the challenge was a delight once again.”
The fabric for this year’s challenge was Creative Rockstar, designed by Tara Larson of Rad & Happy, produced by Riley Blake Designs. Participants were also able to use coordinating Riley Blake solids. The challenge was to create something quilted that the participant had never done before, encouraging MQG members to expand their skills and try something new.
A big CONGRATULATIONS to the winners, who absolutely blew us away, and we think you’ll be seriously impressed as well.
1st Place: Overlay by Cassandra Beaver
Central Ohio MQG
Urbana, Ohio
@cassandra.beaver
“Inspired by the idea that painting over a surface changes its color, but not the underlying texture, ”Overlay” is an exploration of color, juxtaposition of shape, texture, and continuity. The red and white color scheme has appealed to generations of quilters. In this quilt, contemporary red and white prints are used to create a large scale version of the “Flock of Geese” traditional block. This traditional layout is interrupted by aqua circles which bring both unexpected color and shape to the design. Strong diagonal lines lose their sharpness with the introduction of curved lines, but the design continues in a more subtle form through the use of highly textural quilting designs that continue through the circles. The white fabric and areas of the circles which would be white if the pattern were continued throughout are quilted with vertical matchstick lines, while the remaining areas are quilting with organic mixed motif designs. All areas are quilted with matching thread in order to emphasize continuity through texture.”
2nd Place: Paparazzi by Doris Brunette
Central Iowa MQG
Norwalk, Iowa
@madebyabrunnette
“Playing off the ‘rockstar’ part of the collection name, I designed an original quilt with the idea of the ‘stars’ or ‘twinkles’ of light a rockstar sees from the bright stage lights or from the flashes of cameras. ‘Stars’ in various levels intensity with background shadows receding in the distance. Spirals and the fuller quilting add to the movement of the design.”
3rd Place: Wing by Frances Dowell
Triangle Modern Quilt Guild
Durham, North Carolina
@offkilterquilt
“Wing is composed of an s-curve of birds (which in turn are composed of English paper-pieced diamonds and raw-edged triangles and appliqued to the background, which is of course a Riley Blake solid). It’s a long, skinny quilt (66″x40″) with spiral quilting.”