The Cherrywood Challenge: Monarch (The Cherrywood Challenge: An Art Quilt Contest)

The Cherrywood Challenge: Monarch (The Cherrywood Challenge: An Art Quilt Contest)

The monarch butterfly population is jeopardy, landing them on the endangered species list. Quilt artists were asked to capture the essence of the monarch and raise awareness by telling their story in fabrics and thread. This is the eighth in a series of challenges, with almost 500 submissions! These quilts are made entirely from Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics - a cotton fabric dyed with a secret technique that makes it look like suede. The Cherrywood Challenge is an Annual Art Quilt Contest sponsored by Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabric of Minnesota. Fiber artists from around the world are asked to create original quilts that interpret the chosen theme using specified colors. This limited color palette and size restriction (20 inches) may seem like a restriction, but brings forth wonderful creativity. The quilts in this book have been selected through a jury process to create the traveling exhibit. The large collection was divided into smaller exhibits to accommodate the high demand to show the quilts at regional and national quilt shows. Winners were also selected and awarded ribbons and prizes. All quilts shown in the book are 20" x 20" and use only eight shades of hand-dyed cotton fabric purchased Cherrywood Fabrics. The artists were allowed to create the quilt using any technique. Embellishments, including paint and ink, were also allowed. There is a wide variety of both machine and handwork represented in the book. Artists also provided Artist Statements with their submissions.