I know what you mean. When I went to the fair this year, I was really disappointed. There were about 1/3rd the number of quilts as last year. I think people have reached the point where they say Why Bother? The building is very small and there are only about 8 quilts hung that you can actually see. Another reason, is that someone at a quilt guild meeting asked who the judges were and we were all told it is a secret. If they feel they are doing a good job why would they have to be in hiding? I also noticed that there is one person who almost always wins. I wouldn't take a quilt that is just going to be where you cannot even see it, and know that I really have no chance of winning because they already know who they are choosing. Not worth a 15 mile drive for me. That equals 60 miles to deliver and pick up... We do have a few that are hand quilted, but very few. The rest are all longarm quilted, which doesn't bother me except they are all quilted by computer. I only know this because I recognize the names and most are quilted on Statler and Gammil computerized systems. It doesn't take much to set a computer and let it do all of the work for you. Computers are great, but why should they be judged on the same level as hand quided quilting? I also won't go because if you have even taught one class you are put in the professional category. It just doesn't make sense to me.
Sorry for almost writing a book here, but it just frustrates me.