The MQG is sewing to make a difference! Over the past two years, you have used your sewing skills to help us raise over $2,850 to donate to charities supporting sustainability around the world with our annual MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge! We’re excited to announce the 2023 challenge will benefit Wild Earth Allies. The theme of this year’s challenge is BIODIVERSITY. Let’s celebrate the different kinds of life that make up the natural world, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. What is the Wild Earth Allies group? Wild Earth Allies is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect vital areas of our natural world for the benefit of wildlife, habitats, and people by inspiring collaborative action. Founded in 1981, Wild Earth Allies joins forces with local organizations and individuals to protect wildlife and habitats that are so vital to our global biodiversity. The MQG’s annual Make-A-Difference Challenge is designed to bring awareness, support, and conversation surrounding sustainable actions within our communities and even our own sewing practices. Sustainability includes environmental impact, but also takes into account economic and social well-being for current and future generations too. We encourage participants to think about these principles while constructing a quilt or open dialogue with other makers about this topic. Theme and Rules Design and sew any size quilt embracing the theme of BIODIVERSITY – the different kinds of life that make up our natural world, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Participants can use any fabric of their choosing, though we recommend shopping your stash first, if possible. Entries will be submitted online via photo submission, limit of one entry per MQG member. Each entry fee of $15 will be donated in its entirety to Wild Earth Allies. Submissions will open for entries on July 17, 2023, and close on July 30, 2023. One submission is allowed per member. Every quilt submitted will help fund real, measurable change for sustaining the biodiversity of our world, from helping protect threatened species like Asian elephants and trees in the Selva Maya rainforest in Belize to gorilla conservation in Central Africa. As in past years, members who don’t submit a quilt but still want to support Wild Earth Allies will have the opportunity to make a donation only. MQG members will have the ability to vote for the winners of the challenge from July 31-August 4, 2023. We’ll announce the fantastic prizes available from our sponsors soon. MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge Timeline: May 1: Announcement of theme and rules. Start designing and sewing! May-June: Sew! July 17-30: Submit your quilt. July 31-August 4: MQG member voting on submitted quilts. August 7: Challenge winners and total donation amount announced. MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge Rules: Each MQG member is eligible to enter one quilt for the MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge. Quilts must have 3 layers held together with quilting or tying. Quilted items (apparel, sculptures, etc.) are not considered quilts and will be removed from voting eligibility. Quilts must have a finished edge. Quilts can be any size. Quilts should embrace, reference, or be inspired by the challenge theme of BIODIVERSITY – the different kinds of life that make up our natural world, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Makers will submit their quilt via online photo submission. There will be no physical shipping of quilts. The entry fee is $15. Each MQG member is eligible to vote on the submitted quilts. All voting is anonymous. The top 10, as determined by member votes, will receive prizes! Save this “I’m In!” graphic and share it on social media. Share your progress using the hashtag #MQGMakeADifferenceChallenge.
