Hey gang! Welcome back from the weekend! I don’t know about you but I have been busy, busy like usual, and swamped all weekend long with all sorts of activities. Last Friday we wrapped up this year’s Witches Retreat and had a couple of super cute creations to show for it once it was all said and done. The focus of this retreat was on one full quilt, and one wool project, including “Cat and Hats” – a festive addition to my “Just One” quilt series – just in time for Halloween.

Isn’t it purrrrfect??? Finished, “Cat and Hats” measures 71″ x 76″ and would look excellent hanging on a wall or as table décor at your next spooky get together. This frisky kitty will be available for purchase on our website sometime in the near future, so keep an eye out for that!

The fun continued on Saturday as I hosted my annual fall, “All Things Pumpkin” workshop at The Gathering. First thing in the morning participants were greeted with pumpkin spice lattes and Erica’s made-from-scratch scones (all I can say is, YUM!). After such a delicious start, I gladly spent the day teaching as we worked on an exclusive pumpkin-themed wool Halloween wall décor project called, “Hey Pumpkin.” Half way through the day, Erica fueled our second wind by treating us all to a pumpkin-infused lunch and dessert that was absolutely fabulous! Jealous yet? Because I feel like you should be!

This retreat is one of my favorite events of the season because for me it officially kicks off the autumn decorating season – and you all know how I love to decorate! According to the calendar, the first day of autumn is September 22nd, so this event is just in time to celebrate and welcome it properly. If you weren’t able to make it this time around, don’t worry! We have a second session planned for Monday October 17th, 2022. There are still a few seats open for the October class but they are filling up fast, so if you want to get in on this popular workshop call Judy at 920.778.8031 to register. I hope to see you there!

I can’t believe it’s just about October already. Honestly, where does the time go? I was just running my A/C last week and now this week we’re not going to see much more than 70º for the high if we’re lucky. Gotta love four seasons! October not only means fall has arrived, but it also means that it’s officially time to start getting serious about the 2022 Red & White Quilt Challenge! I first started talking about this challenge way back in December so it’s pretty exciting to be able to say that the registration deadline is fast approaching!

If you haven’t heard about the 2022 Red & White Quilt Challenge, let me fill you in on the deets. I love red and white quilts so much that I wanted to celebrate them in a way that would really show their stylish designs off properly. That’s why I decided to start the 2022 Red & White Quilt Challenge here at Primitive Gatherings! My dream is to have the retreat house filled with red and white quilts by mid-November this year, just in time for the Christmas season.

Imagine the sea of reds and whites such a large collection hanging all together will create! I want it to be something like when the American Folk Art Museum in New York installed 650 red and white American quilts into the historic Wade Thompson Drill Hall back in 2011. Picture that! 650 red and white quilts, all hanging in one 55,000 square foot room… Crazy! What’s even crazier is that all 650 of them were on loan from the collection of one single person by the name of Joanna S. Rose. It was the largest exhibition of quilts ever held in New York City. If you’re not familiar with this exhibit, check out these spectacular photos from the event (photo credit: American Folk Art Museum – Gavin Ashworth)!

Though not quite as large as the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, The Gathering is also a fabulous place to show off your work. Our 10,000 square foot retreat house features lots of wall space, a super tall ceiling, and spectacular lighting. I literally designed the entire space to hang and display quilts – no matter the size. I can’t wait to see our own exhibit once everything is hung… It’s going to be so cool! Here’s how the 2022 Red & White Quilt Challenge works…

THERE ARE FOUR CATEGORIES: Original Design – 24″ and Under, Original Design – 24″ and Over, Commercial Design – 24″ and Under, and Commercial Design – 24″ and Over. It doesn’t matter if your quilt is appliqué, pieced, or a combo. Anything goes as long as it’s red and white, or close shades of those two colors (cream and dark reds are acceptable for example, purple is not). Prints, solids, and wool can all be used as well. The possibilities are endless as long as they are done in red and white!

WHAT DOES THE REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDE? The registration fee includes a complimentary “Red & White 2022” sticker, a free red fat quarter, a free white fat quarter, and entry into the 2022 Primitive Gatherings Red & White Quilt Show. Note: you are not required to use your free fat quarters in your show entry, but you are certainly welcome to!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN? Cash and prizes of course!!! What the prizes will be exaclty, is still pending at this time. I’m working hard to get some sponsorship from the big companies I work with, like Moda, Bernina, Juki, Martingale, Riley Blake, Free Spirit, and Checker to name a few. I’m doing my best to get the best prizes that I can for this event!

WHAT ARE THE RULES? Now for all the fun stuff…

• The show is open to all who have a confirmed show registration with Primitive Gatherings by October 1st, 2022.
• All entrants must sign and include the insurance waiver form with their entry forms. One waiver is required per entrant (one waiver can cover multiple quilts).
• Completed submission including photos and signed documents must be received by midnight October 31st, 2022.
• It is the responsibility of the entrant to insure and ship their quilt to  Primitive Gatherings by October 31st, 2022 using the provided mailing label. Please do not ship your quilt sooner than October 1st, 2022 – we do not have the storage space before then.
• Primitive Gatherings will be responsible for shipping back your quilt entry to you. Insurance on the package will be determined by the size of the quilt, up to $500. If you would like to add additional insurance on your quilt, you are responsible for any additional shipping or insurance costs.
• A photograph of your quilt is required to enter for identification purposes. Please include this in the package with your quilt – regular copy paper is fine. Entry into the Challenge automatically grants permission for any and all images of the quilts and/or all parts of the artist’s statement regarding the quilt, to be used by Primitive Gatherings in any and all media productions for this exhibit.
• The quilt artist retains all copyrights to the quilt and will be credited for any usage of its likeness by Primitive Gatherings. No compensation will be granted to the entrant/copyright holder for the use of the quilt, or images of the quilt in any promotional materials.
• Quilts will be hung and displayed at The Gathering from November, 2022 through December, 2022. They will also be displayed online via our social media platforms.
• Commercial patterns will be accepted as long as you give credit to the designer by including their name, and the name of the pattern you used.
• If any part of your quilt was from another quilter’s design, or was inspired by another quilter’s design, please include the designer’s name, name of the pattern, and what part you sampled from the piece.
• Each entry must have a 4″ finished sleeve on the top back of the quilt, securely stitched on both the bottom and top edges.
• Each entry must also include a permanent identification label attached to the bottom, left-hand corner with entrant’s name, the name of the quilt, and the entrant’s address or email address.
• Due to limited space, there is a limit of TWO entries per person.
• Quilts of all sizes are eligible for this Challenge.
• Primitive Gatherings reserves the right to disqualify entries if they do not meet the Challenge criteria including but not limited to size, specific category, or colors of fabrics used.
• Please remember to complete our, “Red and White Quilt Challenge Entry Checklist” before sending your quilt to us! A printable PDF of all forms needed for the Challenge including the checklist is available by clicking the button below!

I’m SO excited for this challenge to get started. I really can’t wait to see the retreat house full of red and white designs from stitchers all over the country. After all, you all know how much I love red and white… There are so many cool designs and ideas to pull inspiration from, even I have a little trouble deciding on what to make next sometimes. For me, the problem isn’t so much finding a design I like. It’s more about narrowing it down to just one or two choices out of everything that I DO like. LOL! Either way, if you plan to join the 2022 Red & White Quilt Challenge, time is running out to get registered! Remember, in order to be accepted as an entrant into the challenge you must register by October 1st, 2022 and have your quilt shipped to Primitive Gatherings by no later than October 31st, 2022 (please do not ship your quilt sooner than October 1st, 2022 – we do not have the storage space before then).

Well everyone, that’s a wrap on today. Val and I spent some time earlier today filming the remaining “Meet Me in the Garden“ video tutorials for our SAL along with an upcoming trunk show of “Red & White Gatherings“ that will be coming out while we’re in Hawaii on our cruise. Speaking of that, don’t forget! I’ll be leaving the PG nest this Wednesday for my much anticipated Hawaii Quilt Cruise adventure, and I absolutely cannot wait!!! That means that after Shop Talk with Shelley tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. CST, there will be no more LIVE shows until I’m back on land. While I’m gone, my staff is going to be nose to the grind stone working on the finishing touches of our new and improved POS system and website (say goodbye to that search bar we all love so much!). We are so close to being able to launch it… Bear with us! It’s coming soon, I promise! I’ll also be checking in here on the blog, and with Heidi’s help should be able to continue posting while I’m on the boat. I hope you all have a wonderful couple of weeks and remember – make time to STITCH EVERY DAY! I know I will. Take care and see you soon! ~Lisa