#aussiequilter – An Instagram Challenge

Well, hasn’t 2020 been a year already?! December and January have been some rough months for Australia. And with school now back, well, I don’t about you, but I feel a little dazed and like getting back into regular routine is a little harder this year.

My friend, Jane, and I have been talking for a couple of months now about how we could rally our Aussie quilting community, and the idea of doing an Instagram challenge like the British have with the Great British Quilter challenge sounded like a really good way to do so. And after the past couple of months for our country?? A thing that we really need. Something fun to celebrate and enjoy and “gather” virtually as a community.

And so, we’re hosting the #aussiequilter Instagram challenge later this month!

We decided that a fortnight for the challenge was the right amount of time, and so from February 16 – 29, we’ll be posting daily on Instagram according to the prompts.

To join in, simply post a photo based on each day’s prompt and use #aussiequilter in the caption to join the community. Then scroll the hashtag feed and meet new friends or get to know current ones even better!

ABOUT THE PROMPTS

Who knew that coming up with prompt titles could be so fun?! We did struggle to narrow down all the options we could have used, but we’re happy with the resulting list. A good, basic overview of how you’d get to know fellow quilters and what we wanna know about you all! *cough-craftroom-stickybeaks-cough* But also a few prompts to help use really focus on our beautiful quilting community here in Australia.

So here’s what we meant by each of the prompts – some are fairly self-explanatory, and some perhaps need a little more explanation, and with the prompts listed by date if that’s easier for you to use!

16. G’day! – Say hello + introduce yourself
Post a photo of your gorgeous face, share some interesting facts, tell us about yourself.

17. #honestcraftroom – Show us your space
C’mon, ‘fess up and show us where you make. Whether it’s the couch, a little table in your bedroom, a whole room… we wanna stickybeak into your creative space!

18. My First – What was your first quilt?
Dig back through the archives and show us your first quilts. Tell us the story behind the quilt!

19. LQS – Local quilt store
Where do you go shopping? Maybe it’s online because you’re in the middle of whoop-whoop, maybe it’s around the corner, or maybe you drive for an hour to go to your fave place.

20. While I sew… Watching, listening, doing?
Do you watch something while you sew? TV, Netflix, the kids’ sport? Or are you a music or podcast or audiobook-er?

21. Palette Perfection – Go-to colours
What’s your favourite flavour of fabrics? Do you have a current colour palette obsession? Do you find yourself constantly gravitating to a certain colour?

22. My Machine – Show us your beast!
Whether your machine is a big beast, a little dude, or even your hands, let us know!

23. Aussie Aussie Aussie – Celebrate Aussie designers + makers
We’ve shared our LQS, and now it’s time to celebrate the designers and makers that inspire us. Perhaps it’s your most favourite quilt you’ve made by an Aussie designer, or a recent finish, or a bucket list pattern you’d love to make.

24. Scraptastic – A scrappy make
How do you use your scraps? Show it off!

25. Bare your stash – What’s your stash look like?
We’ve seen your space, now show us inside those tubs and cupboards – how do you store your fabric? We need to know!

26. Mini makes – It’s the little things in life
Mini quilts, pincushions, mug rugs, pillows… think small.

27. On my bookshelf – Quilty books you have
What are you reading? What do you collect? What’s your favourite book?

28. Guilty Pleasure – What are you hoarding?
Whether it’s Liberty or Tula or little scissor snips or sewing-themed pins… share your favourite collectables with us.

29. Made by Hand – Show off your hand-iness!
Our hands are creative and capable, let them have their moment to shine!

We are so excited to get to know you all better, and spend copious amounts of time scrolling the #aussiequilter hashtag feed to chat and interact. Screen Time trackers be screwed, haha!