For those of you that have entered your quilts into a state or country fair, how hard was it to do it? I am not talking about physically doing it, but how hard was it emotional to let your work be judged.

Janie

I haven't entered quilts. Other items. I won with a hat.

I found it easy. I didn't have any judges comments that were out of nowhere or bizarre. I have seen some that I wouldn't want to receive.

It really depends on how well you take criticism. If it will wound you forever or make it difficult to continue making quilts, then I wouldn't do it. If you think you might learn something from a valid criticism, then go for it.

I think all of my comments started out with compliments and listed areas where improvements were needed. I agreed with everything except for one comment related to how a fair worker had broken my item. Apparently, the judge thought that was a poorly chosen design element. Ha.

I agree with Wartime Janie. I have never entered a quilt in a quilt show but have entered other items in craft shows. I have always appreciated the Judges comments because they helped me improve the quality of my work.

i have entered our local quilt shows and was glad i did. the judges pointed out some areas where i needed to improve.the binding wasn't really square at the corners etc. all constructive points. give it a shot, its so much fun to see your work on display.

That was my impression, except the year we had the judge from*^&^%^%. Yes, it is nervous-making to put your work up for judging. The hardest part for me was keeping quiet during the judging (ours is open).

One thing you must realize, however, is that people do see things differently. A former guild sister entered the state fair with a quilt-picture of her sons (in shorts) playing with a bucket of sand and a shovel on the beach. Someone let it be shown, but only behind a post, saying it was pornographic. It was in our quilt show. No one here could understand why anyone thought it was "off" at all.

I have entered a couple times in our local fair and being judged wasn't the difficult part for me, I have no problem hearing an opinion from the quilt police it's still fun to see your work displayed. The hard part for me was leaving my quilt at the fair for so long, I was so worried what if it was stolen, what if there was a fire, or vandalism? I'm always happy to get my quilts back safely. I know it sounds silly, but seriously that was my concern.

I think you should enter.

That is not a frivilous concern after the work you have put into your quilt. It is my understanding that the check in-check out procedures on fair quilt shows in California are uniform. Certainly, ours are very stringent. The show hall is closely monitored with an official who has radio connection to the fair office always on hand. Several years back, one quilt was "missing" right as we were checking quilts out. No quilt left until it was found. deputies were called in to supervise. (It had been accidently folded into a larger quilt.) The people supervising our show are quilters. We work efficiently but treat every quilt with the care we would want for our own. It is possible that other shows are casual about this, but I rather doubt it.

Wartime Jane's comment really says a lot, "It really depends on how well you take criticism. If it will wound you forever or make it difficult to continue making quilts, then I wouldn't do it. If you think you might learn something from a valid criticism, then go for it." Most judges, however, are careful of how they critique the work.

Judges are usually somewhat expert in their field but they are human and everyone has different tastes. The comment about the "broken" part should have been obvious to a judge. I had shown a quilt with MANY embellishments and worried some might get broken. They came through fine. (I was prepared to replace any that needed to be)

No, I do not find it difficult to place an entry in a quilt show.
Only enter local shows and modestly speaking, it is fun to see it displayed with all of the other quilts.

It is a terrific opportunity to have a 'professional' report. Funny enough, the critique was in sync with my self analysis. There were even some nice [surprise] comments.
A really good learning experience.

Or some quilters take the 'private' route and pay for a quilt appraisal. :D

The first time I had a quilt in a judged show, it was very hard on me, but after that it was easy. However hard it is, try to remind yourself that you are entering to get the judge's opinion, not to win a ribbon. And it is wonderful to see your work hanging with the others.

Janet