I am very excited to be the new curator of the Hoffman Challenge. This last year I worked closely with Kelly Gallagher-Abbott to learn how to make the Challenge run smoothly. It will be wonderful to get to know the many people who enter the Challenge. What a thrill to work with such a multitude of beautiful garments and accessories, quilts and dolls that are entered. I look forward to working with the many guilds, shops and other exhibitors to increase the opportunity for people to see the Hoffman Challenge displayed near them. The months before the deadline for the Hoffman Challenge are busy preparing the system that organizes the entries, judges them, distributes the information to all those who have entered, and then sends the entries to where they need to go next. I will have four weeks to receive entries and then send them on their way. I am fortunate to have a supportive family, friends and employees who will help me.

I have always enjoyed organizing chaos. After receiving my MS in statistics in 1991, I worked as a statistician. I am impressed by what can be learned by applying structure to raw data. Later when my husband and I had children, I was fortunate to be able to stay home with them. We have two girls and a son, and juggling the schedules of a family of five keeps me on my toes even now.

I have been quilting for 14 years. My sister made a quilt for my first daughter when she was born and I was so touched by her gift. The effort and attention to detail it required, at a time when I know she was busy with her own life, made this gift so much more than just a practical blanket. I made my first quilt soon after that. Two goals have been my driving force as I pursue quilting as a hobby. I want to be confident in my abilities and be able to make original designs. This second goal has kept me learning new techniques and finding new challenges. I have found that quilting has been a great journey. Having goals has helped me pick my next project, but the pleasure I get from planning the project, piecing and quilting keeps me satisfied.

I have been a member of my neighborhood quilt group for over nine years. We are a group of 12-15 women who meet once a month. I really treasure this group of beautiful, dynamic women. In 2007, I helped to organize a new guild in my area. We planned for a year before the first meeting, and we had over 100 members the first year. I was a co-organizer of the Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival for 2009. This festival had 2,500 attendees in 2009, over 75 vendors and displayed over 500 quilts and other items. I also have been working professionally on a longarm quilting machine since 2005.

If you have any questions about entering, exhibiting, volunteering, or the travel schedule, please contact Julie by phone, email or letter at: