Debbie Yates, the winner of the 2025 Guild Challenge, has announced the rules for the 2027 Guild Challenge! Please read the rules below or print them off with the printer friendly .pdf file. Debbie invites everyone to take part in this fun and creative challenge!
Temperature Quilt Challenge PDF Link
Temperature Quilt Challenge
The Rules
- Choose one of two sizes allowing for one month or one year.
– Wall Hanging size (28”X20” would allow for 5 weeks of 4” blocks). Quilt show wall hangings must have a perimeter between 72” and 180”.
– Sofa size (60”X80” would allow for 365 days of 4” blocks) Quilt show sofa quilts must have a perimeter between 181” and 280”.
- Must be completed for the April, 2027 guild meeting.
- And all entries must be entered in the 2027 Quilt Show.
- If you win, you get to organize the next NSQG Challenge.
Helpful guidelines
But most of you would like more guidance or guidelines. First of all, I would suggest that you look at a lot of different temperature quilts and figure out what you like and what you don’t like. I have collected photos of a lot of different ideas for temperature quilts (or quilts that look like temperature quilts). These are in a board I created on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debjyates/temperature-quilt-ideas/ .
- Size The “Rules” above allow you to make a wall hanging size temperature quilt if you just want to try it or a bed size temperature quilt if you are more ambitious. These sizes allow for 4” square blocks for a month or a year. Of course, for example, you can make a 2 month wall hanging with 2”X4” blocks.
- Fabric colors Typically temperature quilts are made from bold, solid colors graduating from “cool” colors to “warm” colors. If you pick a cold month (January) or a warm location (Hawaii) you may only need a few colors. But I have seen examples in pastel colors and prints. Or 50 shades of Gray.
- Block choices square in a square, pair of half square triangles, flying geese, square with an applique circle or applique leaf or even an applique Sunbonnet Sue. My Pinterest board even shows one as a braid.
- Layout One after another. Or a layout like a monthly calendar. Add sashing or borders, or extra blocks indicating the month or year you are featuring.
The actual temperatures
– You can get the high and low temperatures for O’Hare and Rockford from the National Weather Service at https://www.weather.gov/lot/January2026 , https://www.weather.gov/lot/FebruaryWinter2026 , etc. Or collect your own temperatures.
– You can pick any month… like your birth month. Or special year in your life. I have even seen a temperature quilt documenting one day that a baby was born.
– You can pick any location.
– Making a table of the high and low temperatures might help you to organize. This web page for Moda https://my.modafabrics.com/inspiration-resources/tempquiltintro has a link to a form for organizing your temperatures and fabrics.
How long will it take?
You will spend the most time figuring out the design of your quilt… but that’s the fun of it all. One of the guidelines I have seen is to make about seven blocks at a time… so you don’t get too far behind. And you might be able to cut fabric for several days at a time.
Questions?
Contact Debbie Yates debjyates@aol.com .
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