2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge - December Recap

 I want to recognize and formally thank Patsy Thompson, our December FMQ Expert for her amazing tutorial. 

Patsy provided us with an excellent tutorial which showed us how to create spectacular borders using a variety of free-motion quilting designs:

Everyone had fun with this tutorial, some incorporating their own designs, but all learning to create spectacular borders with their free-motion quilting skills.

At the point of writing this post, there are 90+ quilters that have completed this tutorial and entered to win a monthly prize.  (note: there are over 2,000 participants that have registered to complete this challenge, but only a small percentage enter the monthly challenges).  And many enjoy the ability to "master" these tutorials at their leisure vs rushing  to complete an exercise in the month it was released. 

Here are few of the entries, from those that completed the challenge this month:

{above} Val in NZ

{above} Terry

{above} Jen (Quilter in the Closet)

{above} Marlene (Madame Quilter)

{above} Sherry @  SherThis

{above} Terry Knott

Quilters of all levels, from all over the world,  participated in this challenge.  While some have experience doing FMQ, many are quite new.  But, we all enjoyed the tutorial by Patsy, very much!  

On behalf of all the participants, SewCalGal and all of the participants want to extend a warm thank you to Patsy for providing us such a wonderful tutorial and inspiring us to learn and improve our free-motion quilting skills.  

THANK YOU PATSY!

The objective of the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge is to encourage quilters to learn and improve their FMQ skills, as well as gain more awareness to various FMQ Experts, opportunities to learn, tools that are helpful for those doing FMQ, all on a home sewing machine. While the focus is on learning, and SewCalGal does not want the focus to become all about winning prizes, but I'm also delighted that many generous sponsors have donated wonderful Grand Prizes and Monthly prizes, that will be awarded to participants randomly. It doesn't matter how good you are at FMQ, what matters is you take time to learn and improve.

Participants that do complete the monthly tutorial, in the month that it was released, and choose to enter per the rules on the original tutorial post, will be eligible to win a monthly prize.  For the October tutorial, there are three and the winners will be announced ~ mid-December.   This includes the normal monthly prize bundle, plus ?

I do want to recognize and thank our sponsors for this challenge:

SewCalGal is proud to recognize our
GRAND PRIZE SPONSORS
for this challenge.

Sponsor(s)	Prize(s)
The Fat Quarter Shop	Six prizes for Grand Prize Winners: 1 - $250 GC 1 - $150 GC 1 - $100 GC 3 - $50 GCs
	One lucky winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to The Stencil Company where they can pick out their favorite continuous line stencil designs that are perfect for quilting
Dream World	One lucky winner will receive a Pieceful Holiday Quilting Package, which includes: a Steady portable tables, a Travel/Storage Bag, Sew Straight Guide, Spinner Tray and Polish Kit estimated value: $149.99
The Electric Quilt Company	One lucky winner will receive a copy of EQ7 Retail price: $189.95
June Tailor	A bundle of June Tailor products, perfect for free motion quilting, with an estimated value over $100
	A bundle of books, perfect for those interested in free motion quilting, with an estimated value over $100

SewCalGal is proud to recognize our
MONTHLY PRIZE SPONSORS
for this challenge.

Sponsor(s)	Prize(s)
Aurifil -	sampler pack of 5 threads (12) which will be used in the monthly "bundle" prizes, every month. Silk Stars Thread kit, with 12 spools of 40 wt threads, that was awarded to a winner in the January Challenge: note:  This prize was awarded during the January challenge.
SewSlip	SewSlip has donated 12 SewSlips, to be awarded to the winner of each monthly "bundle".
Sewline:	Trio Three Color Fabric Marking Pencils with an extra refill package to be given to winners of monthly prize bundles.
Quilters Touch	Quilters Touch has donated 12 bundles, each with a value of $27.95, which will be given to the winners of the monthly "prize bundles": pair of Machingers quilting gloves value $8 each Sew Precise Sew Fast Machine Binding DVD (retail $19.95), note:  As machingers are sized for the winner, they will be shipped directly to the respective winners of the monthly prize bundles, from Quilters Touch.  The other part of the monthly prize bundle will be shipped to the monthly prize bundle winners from SewCalGal.
Electric Quilt	winners' choice of Quiltmaker Quilting Designs software from Volume 1-8.  This prize will be awarded during one of the monthly challenges, in a month where there will be two winners.

The monthly Prize Bundle for this Challenge includes:

• a sampler pack of 5 Aurifil threads, donated by Aurifil.
• a SewSlip, donated by SewSlip

Quilters Touch has donated a pair of  Machingers quilting gloves value $8 each 



And, Quilters Touch donated a Sew Precise Sew Fast Machine Binding DVD (retail $19.95), 


 

Sewline has donated a Trio Three Color Fabric Marking Pencils, with an extra refill package.





There is still time to enter to win a prize, simply visit the November tutorial for more information. But all entries for this monthly challenge need to be submitted in November, so this is the last day you can enter to win one of  eleven (11) prizes to be randomly awarded to winners of the November Challenge.  To clarify, this is not a judged challenge.  Just simply complete the tutorial and follow the instructions to enter, that are posted on the respective tutorial.   

The main page for this challenge, which has a tab under the header of my blog labeled "Free-Motion Quilting Challenge", will be updated mid-December, to announce the winners of the November Challenge.  SewCalGal wants to be caught up and have all prizes shipped before Christmas.

And, don't forget you can find Patsy at:

Patsy Thompson Designs: http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/

          Blog:  http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/blog/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patsy-Thompson-Designs-LTD/139685489440973?fref=ts

In January, SewCalGal will be wrapping up the 2012 FMQ Challenge with posts to announce the winners of the December Challenge, Grand Prize winners and some special prizes for a few of the bonus tutorials.  After I complete the wrap up, I'll also share insights on plans for 2013 Challenges.  In the meantime, I encourage everyone interested in learning and/or improving your FMQ skills to:

•  continue to practice with the FMQ tutorials released in this challenge,
•  take classes at your local quilt shop, quilt shows, and online at Craftsy and other sites.
• Read books that share insights on FMQ
• Watch DVDs about FMQ
• Follow blogs that share insights on FMQ, especially Leah Day's blog (The Free Motion Quilting Project).  This includes following blogs by the FMQ Experts, and hopefully SewCalGal too!
• Try new products appropriate to FMQ (e.g. threads, batting, fabric marking pens, etc).
• Practice, practice, practice