the problem I have with saying the not shown before rule only applies to the QB is that alot of QB members follow other members' blogs. So we still have the problem of favoritism. If someone knows which one is yours they will vote for you and not so much for a quilt they liked the best. Not fair at all. So sorry but the not shown rule will have to stay. It is the only fair way to do it.
I will look at the voting rules and see if there is an easier way. but she will need your board name and a title that will stand out from other emails. I don't remember the rules Patrice set for that right off hand. I thought at the time it sounded pretty reasonable.
As for skill level I will think about how to deal with that. I do want to encourage more beginners to enter.