Un-modern Made Modern Challenge

Un-modern Made Modern Challenge

Our goal: Make a modern quilt with un-modern fabrics. Sounds un-interesting? Take a quick look:

These quilts were made by Denyse Schmidt, a Modern Quilt Guild big-name who was keynote speaker at the first Quiltcon. What's different about her work? Look here:

The detail shows the fabrics are quite traditional, even oldish:

Who has not been inspired by

? These artists did not have the luxury of the latest modern fabrics, and still made modern, improvisational masterpieces like these:

So... go hunting in the stash. You want those neglected fabrics that you are embarrassed to use and still call yourself a modern quilter! 

Rules are simple:

• To participate, please leave a  comment on this page, or e-mail me, or leave a comment on the Facebook page (our private page Orlando MQG Members Only Group)

• Start today. Pick a design and a few fabrics, including some decidedly un-modern. Civil war reproductions, 30's reproductions, vintage polyester, primitive/folk, Liberty fabrics...

• Any quilt size is permissible and you can make more than one quilt.

• You can give the quilt away at the end of the Challenge or keep it.

• Be ready to present your progress at the June meeting. That DOES NOT MEAN a finished quilt then. We want to see the design, the fabrics, whatever you have achieved to that point.

• Challenge ends at the September meeting, meaning: if you start today, you have 5 months to finish something. We'll present our work, hopefully mostly finished, at this time.

• Please post your progress on Instagram and on our Facebook page. Use hashtag #omqgunmodern so we can quickly see what we are all doing.

• Finally, although the project is a Challenge, there won't be a jury in session. It's just a personal challenge.

Here is a

to another post with more inspiring unmodern modern quilts.