For five years I’ve said “I’d like to enter the Hoffman Challenge Quilt Competition”. And for one reason or another I didn’t. This year I said “I WILL!”

To catch you up to speed, Hoffman Fabrics is a company that makes the most awesome batiks and prints. Every year they choose a print (photo), and you must use that print in your quilt. No more than 2 yards, and the quilt cannot be larger than 40×40 inches. More at www.hoffmanchallnge.com

I decided to use as many of the fabrics I could find in the line, “Treasures of the East”. And I needed a pattern. I found one and fell head over heels. PROBLEM.

Rules state you must get permission to use another’s pattern. I’m just a podunk quilter from nowhere, but hey, the worst they could say is no. I’d have to redraft the pattern anyway to make it smaller so I could easily find a common use block and run with it.

So I emailed the company.

Yesterday there was a letter. YES doof that I am, my hands were shaking. I got permission!!! YEAHHHHHHH!

Talk about a boost of confidence! So now I can begin drafting my pattern. Next week I will order the last of the fabrics. And soon, cutting and sewing! I may have to wait until after the holidays, since I have other sewing to do. But with the deadline not until July 2010, I feel confident.

To see more on this you can visit my blog quiltapalooza.blogspot.com I hope to perhaps add some video, because I’d like to keep the quilt a secret til the end ;)

Thanks for the support!