Ten years after launching a patchwork of stars from her place in space, astronaut Karen Nyberg is calling for quilters to create the moon.
"The Next Giant Leap: Lunar Quilt Block Challenge" is now accepting moon-themed quilt blocks created by American students in seventh through 12 grade, as well as individual quilters, crafters and artists located across the United States. The best squares entered from each of the 50 states will be sewn into an official "Lunar Quilt" designed by Nyberg.
The completed quilt will be displayed at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as part of the "Earth to Space: Arts Breaking the Sky" festival in the spring of 2025.
"I am thrilled to announce a new challenge, this time celebrating NASA and humanity's return to the moon," said Nyberg in a video posted to the contest's website. "Your design should represent what space exploration and returning to the moon means to you."
NASA, together with its international and commercial partners, plan to launch astronauts to the moon beginning as soon as possibly as late next year, marking the first time humans will fly to Earth's natural satellite since the Apollo moon landings ended in 1972. The Artemis program aims to establish a sustainable presence at and on the moon before sending future astronaut crews to Mars.
Related: NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know
To ensure that the chosen moon-themed blocks can come together to form a single quilt, entrants are asked to use dark blues or black within the background of their designs and constrain their squares to be exactly 12.5 by 12.5 inches square (31.75 by 31.75 centimeters).
"Precision is important in quilting, just like in rocket science," said Nyberg.
All types of quilting techniques or a combination of them are welcome, including traditional piecing, foundation paper piecing and appliqué. Crafters can also use fabric dyes or fabric paints.
"Quilting cotton is a great choice of fabric, but since upcycling is important for both our planet and for future space missions, we encourage you to consider incorporating some upcycled fabrics into your design — like maybe some of your old clothes," Nyberg said.
All squares should also include the name of the state from where it was created.
Individuals may enter up to two blocks each. Crafters need to inform challenge organizers of their intent to participate by Wednesday, Nov. 20, and need to submit digital photo(s) of their design by Dec. 10. Finalists will be notified by email that their quilt block has been selected by Dec. 20 and then have until Jan. 7, 2025 to mail in their physical quilt block for Nyberg to sew into the Lunar Quilt.
A toolkit and application, as well as further details, are available to download on the challenge website.
"This is a quick-turnaround project, the Lunar Quilt will be on display at the Kennedy Center in March. So start creating!!" Nyberg posted to her social media channels on Tuesday (Nov. 12).
Nyberg became the first person to quilt while in space when she stitched together a 9-by-9-inch (23 by 23 cm) red, white and blue square on board the International Space Station in 2013. Her star-themed creation served as the inspiration and later, the centerpiece, for the International Quilt Festival's "AstroBlock Challenge."
In response, more than 2,200 quilters from around the world sent in their own astronomical-themed fabric blocks, which were then sewn together to create 28 quilt panels.
Since then, Nyberg has left NASA's astronaut corps and applied her experience from spending 180 days off the planet to developing and selling her own fabric patterns, as well as expanding her portfolio to include paintings and portraitures.
For the Lunar Quilt Block Challenge, Nyberg will serve as one of the judges, together with Bonnie Schrock, chief executive of the National Quilt Museum and officials from NASA and the Kennedy Center. Nyberg will then sew together the finalists' squares and, adding her own art, complete the quilt.
The Kennedy Center's Earth to Space Festival will run from March 28 through April 13, 2025. Further details about the event, which will also include a family-friendly concert, will be released in the coming months.
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