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2009 Hoffman Challenge kicks off with Sulky as new featured sponsor Hoffman California Fabrics proudly welcomes Sulky of America Inc. as sponsor of the 2009 Hoffman Challenge that features the paisley print Gypsy Princess (F9006 Earth/Pearl) as the challenge fabric. Hoffman California Fabrics has been issuing the annual Hoffman Challenge since 1987 as a way to encourage the creativity of quilters, sewers and dollmakers. Sulky, a premier manufacturer of quilting and embroidery threads and stabilizers, joins Hoffman, the industry leader in Bali batiks, Bali handpaints and innovative screenprints, in supporting these efforts. Sulky’s high-quality thread and stabilizers are immensely popular with quilters, sewers and doll makers, making the company the perfect sponsor for the 22nd annual competition that awards original designs in quilts, wearable-art clothing and accessories and art dolls. A new category of competition in the Hoffman Challenge, “Best Use of Thread,” will be awarded by Sulky. “Sulky is delighted to be sponsoring the prestigious Hoffman Challenge, which has a long, rich history of encouraging and rewarding creativity,” said Fred Drexler, president of Sulky of America Inc. “Since numerous past entrees in the Hoffman Challenge have featured extensive and often dramatic uses of Sulky Decorative Rayon, Metallic and Cotton Threads, we love being able to sponsor this Challenge going forward so that we can acknowledge and reward the best of future entrants who use Sulky products.” “Consumers know they can quilt with confidence with Hoffman Fabrics and ‘Create with Confidence™’ with Sulky products,” Drexler added. “Now, they can do it all in one big contest.” Winners and runner-ups of the Hoffman Challenge are chosen in several categories for the best projects that use the specially selected “Challenge fabric” created every year for the competition. The new 2009 Challenge fabric is Gypsy Princess F9006 Earth/Pearl, which presents a beautiful field of overlapping paisleys accented by floral and geometric motifs. Paisley being one of the most recognized and popular motifs around the world, the Gypsy Princess focal fabric should prove to be as inspiring as the 2008 Challenge fabric that featured a peacock as the focal motif. “Everyone raved about the Peacock Challenge Fabric,” said Kelly Gallagher-Abbott, curator of the Hoffman Challenge. “It lended itself to a lot of beautiful options. Entries were up about 100 from 2007 due to the strength of the peacock design.” Details on the 2009 Hoffman Challenge, along with a downloadable entry form, are available at www.hoffmanchallenge.com. Photographs of the winning entries of the just concluded 2008 Challenge also are available to view on the Web site. Visitors to the Web site can download a schedule for the 12 traveling exhibits created from entries of the 2008 Challenge. These exhibits will travel around the country from now until October 2009. Exhibits can be requested for special events. Main categories in the Hoffman Challenge include pieced quilts, appliquéd quilts, mixed pieced/appliquéd quilts, dolls, clothing, accessories, and quilts created by a group. Contest participants vie for cash and product prizes and gift certificates. Swatches of the 2009 Challenge fabric, Gypsy Princess, and the coordinates that complement the paisley focal print, are available to view at www.hoffmanfabrics.com and www.hoffmanchallenge.com. Sewers and quilters should ask for the fabric at their local quilt or fabric shop, or they can find where to buy Hoffman fabrics by clicking on “Locate a Store” at the Web site www.hoffmanfabrics.com Reprinted from SQE Professional, November 2008 |