From my experience: it was my first time to a new quilt guild. I was standing in line for show-and-tell because I was proud of my finished quilt.
The lady in front of me had her turn. She showed a beautiful hand quilted quilt. Then presented a 15 minute tiraid on anyone who would degrade a quilt by machine quilting. And even worse to let someone else quilt it. Finally she sat down. The room was silent.
Slowly I stepped up (and I really didn't want to insult her). (Pause) I said, "Well, following that (pause), this is my machine quilted quilt that _____ _____ LAQ for me and I'm very proud of it." The room exhaled and chuckled.
We were able to finish show-and-tell.
She had embarrashed everyone in that room by her holier-than-thou attitude and insults.
By the way, she never did it again.
She put a stumbling block in your path. Walk around it..... [Recognize someone (if not a person, then God himself) will judge her by the same measure she judged you. Just as Pharoh named the last judgemt on Israel as the death of the first born, so he chose the judgement upon himself]..... And keep going.
Enjoy what you do and don't appologize. She was rude. Don't let other people's opinions define who you are.