The SDMQG participates in the QuiltCon Community Outreach Challenge each year.
2027
Help is needed to design and make the 2027 MQG Challenge quilt. Please email sdmqgboard@gmail.com if you’d like to head up the project or help design the quilt.
The window to submit the quilt image for possible inclusion at QuiltCon opens September 1, 2026 and will close when the exhibit reaches 80 entries – so we will need to act quickly if the guild wants to participate this year.
2027’s theme is Half-Square Triangles. There are so many great ways to use half-square triangles to experiment with different repeating shapes and secondary patterns. The guild will need to pick ONE of the provided color palettes below and use it in its entirety. Details from the MQG are located HERE.
2026
- Theme: Medallions
- Quilt Name: Currents Within
- Designed By: Elizabeth DeSilva
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG Members
This quilt captures the shifting flow of water, its quiet depths, its motion, and its pull. The center is calm, a point of reflection from which energy expands in all directions. Each section mirrors the fluid movement of waves and currents, guiding the eye like ripples expanding across a still surface. This piece is meant to honor balance as a meditation on flow, connection, and transformation.
2025
- Theme: Lines and Bars
- Quilt Name: Bioluminescence
- Designed By: Jen Collins
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG Members
- Size: Approximately 64″ x 84″
- Quilted By: Judy LaVine
We started with a simple technique: skinny strips (taught to our guild by Jacquie Gering a few years ago). Through collaboration, the project was structured to embrace and amplify the natural variation that occurs in group work rather than fight it. The final design was arranged as a group once individual blocks were returned. This quilt grew beyond its skinny strips. It glows and sparkles just like our San Diego bioluminescent tides (and our members).
2024
- Theme: Symmetry
- Quilt Name: Casablanca
- Designed By: Angela Dufresne
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG Members
- Size: Approximately 61″ x 81″
- Quilted By: Chris Broehmer (Sweet Pea Threads Quilting)
2023
- Theme: Color Shift
- Quilt Name: Moonglow
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG Members
- Quilted By: Judy LaVine
While the moon doesn’t set in such a way (at least at night) over the Pacific in San Diego, we thought it would be a fun exploration for this challenge, as we like relating our quilts to the beach and San Diego when possible. We wanted to explore the idea of a moon reflecting on water and to show the refraction of light in the water with bits of bioluminescence that show up in the late winter at night, due to red tide. At this point, the water takes on a blue glow due to the red tide. We tried to incorporate this idea with bits of skinny strips and piecing where possible. The idea/concept was one that was decided upon with a small group of 11 guild members, then was refined into an overall design/plan by Kristyn Jansen.
Blocks kits were created and distributed to 26 members who sewed up blocks for the quilt. Quilt top assembly (and additional block sewing) was done by 5 members at a sew-in.
2022
- Theme: Angles
- Quilt Name: Big Bay Boom (Fail)
- Designed By: Elizabeth DeSilva
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG Members
- Quilted by: Laurie McCauley
Every July 4th, there is a wonderful display of fireworks that takes place over the San Diego Bay, known as the Big Bay Boom. Well, except for that one year…
Take a moment to search for “San Diego fireworks fail.” We’ll wait while you watch.
The main star motif was designed by Elizabeth DeSilva and patterned by Kristyn Jansen. 30 guild members sewed blocks for the quilt.
2021
- Theme: Curves
- Quilt Name: Twists and Turns
- Designed By: SDMQG Members
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG Members
- Quilted By: Chris Broehmer (Sweet Pea Threads Quilting)
In this unpredictable year of together apart, our members were challenged to create blocks of the same size using curved piecing and to use any technique that they would like to achieve the curved element in their block. They were not given any direction beyond “include at least one curved element.”
We did not know what these blocks would look like or how they would work together with such a broad prompt, but they came together to create flow and movement throughout the quilt. Though we’re not physically together to create, we’re many voices still able to make connection with a shared purpose.
We wrote more about this quilt and the process behind it on a blog post – check it out for more details about the quilt.
2020
- Theme: Text
- Quilt Name: Welcome
- Designed By: SDMQG members
- Quilt Blocks Made By: SDMQG members
- Quilted By: Chris Broehmer (Sweet Pea Threads Quilting)
With member input, we decided on using the word “Welcome”, and it’s similar phrasing, in languages spoken in San Diego County. We researched the languages spoken here and came up with a list that members could choose from, as well as providing an option to help paper piece letters, patterned by Colleen Molen, to spell out “Welcome” and “Bienvenidos”.
Members who sewed blocks for the languages were given fabric kits and instructed to create their block in any style that worked best for that particular language, as one method was not best suited for all languages. Blocks were created with various types of applique, pieced letters, embroidery, and even raised felt dots to create Braille letters.
The quilt top was assembled at a guild sew in with member assistance and input to the layout. Once complete, it was handed off to member Chris Broehmer for quilting and then back to our Charity Coordinator Kristyn Jansen for finishing and photographing before it needed to be mailed off.
This quilt was featured in the 2020 QuiltCon Magazine and even found at the entrance to the exhibit hall in Austin at the QuiltCon event.
2019
- Theme: Small Piecing
- Quilt Name: Float On
- Designed By: Kristyn Jansen
- Blocks Made By: SDMQG members
- Quilted By: Chris Broehmer (Sweet Pea Threads Quilting)
Drawing inspiration from ocean waves, member Kristyn Jansen designed the overall look of the quilt. We asked Guild members created create a block to contribute to the all over design in varying color pairings. The blocks were then grouped by color pairs and improv pieced together to create the look of ocean waves.
2018
- Theme: Modern Traditionalism
- Quilt Name: Fragmental
- Designed By: Kristyn Jansen
- Blocks Made By: Blocks were made by SDMQG members in advance, based on the initial quilt drawing, and then assembled during a guild sew-in.
- Quilted By: Carrie Hanson (Gotcha Covered Quilting)
Inspired by tangram puzzles, we used half-square triangles as our design starting point and then manipulated the size and relationship of each half-square triangle in order to create different shapes. Our design also moves away from true tangram puzzles, in which all pieces touch in some fashion to create a specific shape. The shape manipulation serves to provide interest and movement throughout the quilt.
2017
- Theme: Scale
- Quilt Title: Breaking Out
- Designed By: Kristyn Jansen
- Blocks Made By: Blocks were made by SDMQG members in advance, based on the initial quilt drawing, and then assembled during a guild sew-in.
- Quilted By: Carrie Hanson (Gotcha Covered Quilting)
The San Diego MQG wanted to explore how scale could impact movement within a design. Inspired by colorful nine-patch quilts frequently seen, we decided to use a tweaked nine-patch as our base for experimenting with scale, resulting in rectangle 2×3 blocks instead of square blocks.
2016
- Theme: Improv with Intent
- Quilted By: Nancy Littlefield
For this quilt, members made improv slab blocks using the color palette plus white and grey.
2015
- Theme: Alternate Gridwork
Members were instructed to take a bag of strips in the designated colors and sew a 40” column between 4” and 10” wide with the strips sewn at an angle, starting and ending with white or grey. Members could also include their own fabrics if they were “almost solid” and one of the colors.
2013
For the very first QuiltCon, each participating guild was given the QuiltCon color palette the freedom to make a twin sized quilt however we wanted. The finished quilts were all donated to a local Austin organization. We had members make blocks of their choosing and we ended up with enough blocks for two quilts!