Afraid to Enter Shows
 

I'd love the recognition, but I am self taught, and I've been to a lot of shows, and the stuff that wins, it seems to me, is nearly always machine quilted. And that is not even the main reason. My sister convinced me about 3 years ago, to put a couple into a show being done by a group she is in. I worried all weekend that they would be stolen.

How do you get over your fear of public display of your work?

I haven't put anything in a show but what scares me is how sometimes quilts are stolen from shows!

Wow, I was thinking about putting my "first" quilt in our local county fair, for the fun of it. I didn't know quilts were taken / stolen from shows. That is pretty discouraging. After all this is my first and I want to keep it. Guess I should rethink the fair. Thanks for the info.

always read through the policies/rules/requirments for the show you would like to enter- find out how they keep the quilts (safe)...once you know how things are handled that should ease some of your anxiety.
many shows have separate catagories for hand and machine quilted, hand pieced, hand appliqued...there are many catagories- you may not have noticed...being 'self-taught' shouldn't have anything to do with it---more quilters are 'self-taught' than professionally taught--only a handful may have gone to college and majored in some sort of textile field...we all learn from each other- books- and alot of trial & error...so that's just searching for an excuse....and it doesnt' matter if you win anything or not---if you enter your projects to be judged you will receive wonderful knowledge...the judges write up a 'summary' of your quilt and the 'critique' can be a great learning tool...letting you know the great things about your quilt and the things that need some work- constructive criticism is a good thing- you can learn where you could improve & what you are doing right....sometimes you learn something totally new you had no idea was a step to take....so, stop feeling 'not good enough' and enter a quilt...you may find it is a very positive experience...and you will learn from the experience.

Can't help you there because I don't trust the county or state fairs either which is kind of silly since the craft displays are the main thing I go to see. If everyone was a worry wart, there would be no displays. You've already gotten some great advice, so all you have to do is give your inner scardy-cat a little push and stand proudly by your work.

You could always have your quilts 'chipped' so you can find them or trace them. That is probably too pricey though for most of us.

As for security, know the venue. Yes county and state fairs may not have the best security but if they hang the quilts high enough they will be OK. Me, I'd want to be there when they were hung and taken down.

Self taught isn't necessarily a negative thing. You may well have stepped out of your 'box' quicker than others.

Usually guild shows are much more sensitive to this issue as they have the white glove quilters to even keep visitors from handling the quilts.

I enter shows all the time. Not big shows but all nearby shows. I never felt fear or anxiety about it. It's fun to see my quilts hung for display. They are not perfect but that doesn't bother me. I won Viewer's Choice at one of the bigger local shows with a quilt that had wavy borders and uneven binding. The voters just loved my colors and pattern. My quilts are not the be all end all. They can be touched, handled, folded, and even touch the floor. Lose your anxiety and give happy surprises a chance.

What a lovely way to think about your quilts and that you are so willing to share, if not for people like you all quilt shows would have little to "show"

I've put 3 quilts in county fairs - 2 serious entries, 1 was a "Your Very First Quilt" and some of them (including mine) were atrocious indeed. Only 2 different counties, so my experience isn't that wide. Never EVER had a critique given, and that was the main reason I'd put the 2 serious entries IN! It was highly frustrating to me, because I'd seen really gorgeous quilts in both fairs, both beautiful patterns and fabric, and beautiful work, and I wanted a critique by the people judging them all... Nope, none. They critiqued my daughters chocolate chip cookies, but not my quilts! Mad Mommy.....