*
I saw an exhibit of (some?) of the clothing entries in the Hoffman Challenge in my public library yesterday. So exciting and so inspiring. Every piece had something in it that I wanted to try out myself. The colors weren’t my favorite palette, but I came away liking them better than I have for years. I saw next year’s fabric…..Hmmmmmm. Maybe I’ll dream something up myself.
Congratulations and thanks to anyone of you here who made any of those wonderful garments. You made my day.
Threads Insider
Get instant access to hundreds of videos, tutorials, projects, and more.
Start Your Free TrialAlready an Insider? Log in
Sponsored Content
Replies
*
Thanks Theodora! Some of those entries were influenced by Threads articles. I used the Windowpane Patchwork method that I wrote up in Threads Aug/Sept 2000 and someone else used the same method. Best of all, our garments looked entirely different!
For those who have been subscribing to Threads for many many years, do you remember the Hoffman Challenge?
If so what was it?
Can anyone provide website links or post photos?
Hi Cp
http://www.hoffmanchallenge.com/
Hoffmann is a fabric manufacturer; the items made for this Challenge are stunning.
Katina
Thanks for the link - I just spent an hr. looking at everything - wow! There was a good selection of wearable art, too.
Gloria
Glad you enjoyed it.
Katina
Katina, thanks for the link, the fabrics are amazing, and the info on how they choose the challenge fabrics was sooo interesting. I really enjoyed this site as it was so personal. Cathy
I'm very pleased you enjoyed it; lots of inspiration there.
Katina
thanks for the link. i will get to it.
Good!
Thanks for that link Katina. It was a lovely site to browse - and very personal and homely-sounding. I found a fabric which would suit a task I have in mind, so my next task is to follow the links to stores. I'm in the UK but visiting the States in the autumn, so I think I'll be needing an empty bag on the outward journey!
delighted you found it useful.
Good luck - Katina
Looking at the site, I remember we (Sandra and I) bought the 2006 Raspberry fabric and never entered the challenge.....giggle.
We were inspired from seeing and hanging the quilts at the International Quilt Show.
These exhibits, and pics of others' work, are always so inspiring.
I entered this challenge but not with clothing. I made a quilt for the 2006 challenge. I did not win, but the curator did select my quilt for the traveling exhibit -- which I thought was pretty neat (I have been more focused on clothing than on quilting, but enjoy both). The winning quilts were very, very good. Also, the judging process is helpful and I felt I learnt from the comments I received.
I encourage anyone to enter with either a quilt or clothing, whichever you feel inspired to make. The way the contest works is that the company (Hoffman) selects a specific fabric and you must use "a recognizable amount" of it in the quilt or wearable art item you make. Their website gives some additional info on size, etc.
Each year's fabric is very different. I started on a dress for the 2007 challenge but other responsibilities got in the way and I did not finish on time... I missed the 2008 challenge also. I hope to try again as soon as my life is a little less hectic!
The hardest thing for me was being without my quilt for an entire year while it traveled.
Marijke
Well done, Marijke. I've seen the Challenge items in Houston a couple of times and was utterly blown away. There is literally no end to our creativity. Challenges always bring out the best in the participants, so IMHO all entrants win. Speaking of which, are there many jackets being made for Reader's Closet, I wonder?
Katina
Thanks, Katina! I agree that working on a Challenge project makes one want to produce one's best work.
I saw the other thread on the jacket from the Aug/Sept 2008 issue, but my magazine is still in a box and I don't remember it off-hand -- my family and I just moved long-distance and I still have many boxes to unpack before I can get back to my sewing. :-(
I didn't see any info on a Threads Challenge this year, but I may have missed it due to the move. It would be neat to see themed Reader's Closets (either focused on specific items of clothing such as jackets, or focused on a specific technique or embellishment, etc), perhaps a sort of mini-challenge every issue or every other issue, with deadlines announced in the magazine and on the website for each. It might be a lot of work for the staff to administer?
Seeing the best work of others is inspiring.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Marijke
I agree with you about some sort of Threads challenge. Maybe it could be that only occasionally would the items actually be sent to Threads (work for the staff to pack up and return), and the rest of the time it could be done via photographs only. Perhaps even on Gatherings?
We'd love it if you could post a pic of your Challenge entry.
Katina
Just figured out how to attach files... Here's a pic of the quilt and one detail shot.
The quilt includes my daughters' faces and hands. I took digital pictures, turned them into black/white, printed them on brown fabric (after soaking it in bubble jet set and ironing it to freezer paper), and then needle-turn appliqued the faces and hands to squares of fabric before assembling the quilt. It also includes some seminole-style patchwork in bright colors and curved piecing.
Enjoy!
Marijke
A stunningly beautiful piece of work, Marijke. I wish I could see it in its entirety - I have to scroll up and down to see parts of it. You are meticulous in your work; I see why it was selected. As I said earlier, you ARE a winner. Please tell us more about your inspiration for this exciting piece, and thank you very much for taking the trouble to post the pictures.
Katina
Thanks, Katina, for the wonderful words of encouragement. I do very much appreciate that!
Marijke
Katina....what I did was....wait until the picture finished downloading and copied it to a WordPerfect document where I could click "format picture" and resize it down, then saved it. I have your pictures too. I often go back and look at them for a blast of sunshine and color. Your work is so vivid and wonderful Katina. It makes me smile.
I gave up trying to explain to people the loss of impact and viewability (good word eh? giggle) of a picture when it is so big you can only see a small section of it on the gatherings posts. So, I just used my own methods to get the whole picture to a pleasurable and realistic viewing size.
Edited 8/1/2008 11:49 am ET by rodezzy
Thanks very much for this, Rodezzy, I've certainly learnt a lot today. You ladies are so computer savvy
Katina
It comes in too big on my screen too, but I can right click on the picture, press copy and then go to a microsoft word document and paste it there. It comes up way too big, but you then click on the picture; go to a corner, left click and hold on the corner while moving the corner (any corner) toward the center. It will eventually make the picture smaller so you can see it entirely.
Thank you very much for that info - very useful. Will do.
Katina
Oh so very beautiful and artistic. I love the quilt. Thanks for sharing, you do excellent work. The process must have been fun and then getting to have it exhibit in a Hoffman Traveling Exhibit is a great honor indeed. I just love it.
Hey Rodezzy - when I saw it I knew you'd love it.
Thought I had posted a reply to this thread, welll again, I just love, love, love your entry quilt. To have it exhibit in a Hoffman Challenge Traveling exhibit is affirmation of your awesome talent. It is a wonderful and beautiful quilt. The process you explained was interesting and must have been fun to do. Great job.
Oh there it is, well I just can't say it enough then!!! giggle.
Edited 8/1/2008 11:27 am ET by rodezzy
Rodezzy: Thanks so much for your very positive comments. I am quite flattered!
Thanks again,
Marijke
Gosh, such impact. Wonderful work Marijke. Cathy
Cathy: Thanks! I am in awe of the very nice comments I have received from you and others. It means a lot to hear such words of encouragement.
Marijke
Wow, that was great to have your quilt in the traveling exhibit. My best friend and I have worked the International Quilt Show for the past three years, and I have handled and seen, up close, the quilts from the challenges, and they are fantastic. So you must be very good. I've been inspired, but never enough. I bought the fabric one year, but never did anything with it. My friend and I both bought the fabric that year. We were both going to apply, but we never got around to it. Oh well. Can you post a picture of your entry quilt? Would love to see it.
Thanks so much for your kinds words!
I attached a pic to my reply to Katina. Just figured out how to do this...
Hope you like...
Marijke
I'm so glad you started this string, and that Katina provided the link. I saw the winners of the 2002 challenge, at least some of them, at the Sewing Expo in Atlanta, but I hadn't seen the winners from other years. What a treat!
Hi there, as this discussion began in 2001 and only had a few replies. I resurrected it as I knew nothing about the Hoffman Challenge.
Thank you all, especially Katina for adding the link. Great to see many of you sharing in the delight of this, and I too can admire the creations.
This post is archived.