The Hoffman Challenge

The Hoffman Challenge

The fabrics “Hoffman California Fabrics” selects for the Hoffman Challenge are for sure a challenge for me. The colors and the large prints is not a choice that I would make for myself. I actually don’t like them. And that’s why I've entered this competition, for the challenge. The fabrics are so far away from my comfort zone, like the rainbow colors. It takes a lot of creative thinking to come up with a spectacular design.

I do like the four quilts in the Hoffman Challenge, however you'll see there are only three patterns available: Elements of Nature, Fly Away and Cosmati Stars. There is no pattern for Celtic Fantasy. Celtic Fantasy is re-designed in 2016 as "Infinity"

If your interested in purchasing one of those beauties, please check the stores at
http://www.becolourful.com/stores--wholesale.html

Elements of Nature

Level of difficulty: 4**** | Finished size 36” x 36” | Copy or trace for personal use| Technique: paper piecing

Elements of Nature was our submission for the Hoffman Challenge 2010. It was the first time I entered a quilt in this renowned contest. And it is obvious… These are not exactly the colors I'll used to pick for my designs, so there is the answer to what exactly the Challenge is: Try to make your best quilt as possible with the most boring and dull fabrics available…;)) well … this is not really true of course as there is nothing wrong with these colors, but it is a matter of taste, don’t you agree…
I was quite happy with the end result and after it was quilted the quilt was sent to Colorado and guess what: This quilt got an Honorable Mention!!! And that for entering for the first time only!! Fantastic!!

Elements of nature is an a-symmetric quilt design and the template sheet has to be printed on one sheet in order to avoid any mismatches in size. The Large Stars in different sizes and shapes are eye catchers in this quilt and the flying geese and spikes runs through the quilt. Although the colors are not sparkling and bright like some other quilts are, Element of Nature is a stunning quilt that will steal your heart when it comes to live. As Jacqueline was very intrigued by this design, she said to herself: I will make this quilt again, but in my own colors. That quilt is actually made, won several prizes and is called: Catch me… If you can!

Fly Away

Level of difficulty: 5***** | Finished size 38” x 38” | Copy or trace for personal use | Technique: paper piecing

Fly Away was our entry for the renowned Hoffman Challenge in 2011. The quilt won the second place pieced. The inspiration for this fabulous design comes from sparkling bubbles that are floating behind each other when they fly into the sky.
This quilt is full of off center circles, beautiful stars, New York Beauties and flying geese. You can make this quilt in any color you want. I loved the greens, but what about beautiful reds, orange, pinks and yellows. This quilt will look stunning in every color scheme.
With this quilt we also started to glue the sparkling Hot fix Swarovski ® Crystals. The crystals add a lot to the quilt. With the right lighting and a little motion this quilt is a pleasure for the eyes!

Cosmati Star

Level of difficulty: 4**** | Finished size 36” x 36” | Copy or trace for personal use | Technique: paper piecing

Cosmati Stars is a story on it self…
After winning an Honorable Mention with Elements of Nature in 2010, the Second place pieced with Fly Away in 2011 in the Hoffman Challenge, the goal was clear: We had to complete the list with the first place!
The fabrics were beautiful and the design was great! The piecing was done and the result was perfect. Only the quilting had to be done, and as our standards were quite high we were looking for a great “new” quilter.
Now we had seen some work from a famous Irish quilter and we decided to grant her the order to quilt this quilt for the ultimate goal: The first prize!!
All our hopes were on this quilter. She knew the challenge: To quilt for a contest and return it as soon as possible, as I had to finish the quilt and glue the Hot Fix Swarovski ® crystals.
Unfortunately this quilter did not keep her promise and we received the quilt back on the last day of the entrance of the contest. We have done everything to still be able to present it, but the rules are clear and we were too late… So no entry in 2012 from BeColourful…
The design, however, is very nice and inspired by Cosmati tiles in the churches in Italy. They call the craftsman in Italy Cosmati. They make these stunning marble floors by hand and they are still so beautiful to see after so many ages. I admire these craftsmen very much.

Celtic Fantasy

The Hoffman Challenge is always a real challenge for me. The fabric they selected for 2013 was the most difficult fabric you have ever seen. The background of this fabric was beige…. yes indeed…. beige. The other colors in this fabric were gold, aqua, teal and cobalt blue. It was very hard to come up with any idea. But I wanted to enter the contest and I designed a beautiful design with lots of curves and lots of spikes. In a magazine I've noticed an advertisement of a watch and I turned that picture into "Celtic Fantasy". It was not only a challenge to design, but it was also very difficult to make. That’s why I hesitated for years to re-design this quilt.
Finally, in 2016 I got myself together and started redesigning this beauty into "Infinity", a 6* design in my favorite Rainbow Colors.

But there is also another story behind this awesome quilt. I won the first place pieced, at the Hoffman Challenge in 2013. I was very happy and honored. And the quilt became a part of one of the trunk shows that The Hoffman Challenge offered to Quilt Shows and Festivals. But the day I was leaving The Netherlands to fly to the States to teach in October last year, I received an email from the Curator of the Hoffman Challenge. She “told” me that Celtic Fantasy (together with 11 other quilts) was in one of the trunks which was left outside in the pouring rain.

The quilt was very wet and the teal, dark red and blue batik and silk fabrics blend into the other pieces of the quilt… They shipped the quilt to me. Unfortunately "Celtic Fantasy" was ruined and it was not possible to restore the quilt, and in the end we put the quilt in the washing machine. There was no other way, as we tried everything to restore this beauty. It came out, and we all could see that the brightness and the spirit of this elegant quilt was gone.

April 2014, celebrating 10 years BeColourful with a large and glorious Quilt Show in the Netherlands, I really wanted this quilt to be part of my show as well. I bought myself textile markers from "The Dutch Quilter" in California, and I colored every spike, flying geese and star point. And you know, after hours of intense coloring "Celtic Fantasy" looks bright and stunning again.