The MQG is sewing to make a difference!

Over the past three years, MQG members have used their sewing skills to help us raise over $3,850 to donate to charities supporting sustainability around the world with our annual Make-A-Difference Challenge! We’re excited to announce the 2024 challenge will, once again, benefit Wild Earth Allies. The theme of this year’s challenge is POLLINATORS. Let’s celebrate the silent partners of farmers everywhere who help create a third of our food supply and sustain our natural world.

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 sustainability.

The MQG’s 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 the economic and social well-being of current and future generations. We encourage participants to think about these principles while either constructing their quilt or open dialogue with other makers about this topic.

Theme and Rules

Design and sew any size quilt embracing the theme of POLLINATORS – the various animals and insects that help create one third of our food supply and sustain our natural world. Participants can use any fabric of their choosing, though we recommend shopping their 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. No physical quilts are sent to the MQG as part of this challenge.

Submissions will open for entries on August 5, 2024, and close on August 18, 2024. One submission is permitted per member. Every quilt submitted will help fund real, measurable change for supporting pollinators and the rest of our silent partners in nature, 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 August 21 – August 27, 2024.

MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge Timeline:

• April 29: Announcement of theme and rules. Start designing and sewing!
• May-July: Sew!
• August 5-18: Submit your quilt.
• August 21-27: MQG member voting on submitted quilts.
• Challenge winners and total donation amount will be announced by the end of August.

MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge Rules:

1. Each MQG member is eligible to enter one quilt for the MQG Make-A-Difference Challenge.
2. Quilts must have 3 layers held together with quilting or tying.
3. Quilted items (apparel, sculptures, etc.) are not considered quilts and will be removed from voting eligibility.
4. Quilts must have a finished edge.
5. Quilts can be any size.
6. Quilts should embrace, reference, or be inspired by the challenge theme of POLLINATORS – the different kinds of animals and insects that help maintain our food supply and sustain our natural world through pollination. 
7. Makers will submit their quilt via online photo submission. There will be no physical shipping of quilts. The entry fee is $15.
8. Each MQG member is eligible to vote on the submitted quilts. All voting is anonymous.
9. The top 10, as determined by member votes, will receive prizes!

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Save this “I’m In!” graphic and share it on social media. Share your progress using the hashtag #MQGMakeADifferenceChallenge.