"My" rules for showing someone eles a quilt I have made - -
 

I might mention where I got the idea and why I used the fabrics I did -
or where I got the fabrics - and how much I paid for the fabrics -

I might mention what I did to prepare the fabrics or if there were any problems with any of them -

I might mention what glitches/errors/problems I had in the process and what I did about them -


I do not choose to point out/explain/apologize for any mistakes/anomolies that I missed.


I figure the viewer is allowed some "I Spying" time to spot whatever I missed. No need to make it easier for him/her!

I show off my quilt to any one that wants to see it. I offer no reason or excuse for what it is. I may say how long it took me to make or why I made it but that's all.

One guild member pointed out a mistake on one of my quilts to everyone during show and tell. I said playfully, I don't worry about mistakes but you can worry about it if you want. Everyone laughed.

I don't think that anybody would care how much you paid for the fabric. Where you got your idea is nice along with any solutions that you found by making the quilt.

I take my quilts to work for show and tell. There are over eighty women there. I show them in the cafeteria through the day and the only thing I ever say about them is " Wait till you see this one." then I just just agree and thank them when they tell me how pretty they are. They never know the trouble I had or the mistakes I made in any one of them. What would be the reason for pointing out mistakes?

People that don't know very much about quilting only know that they like what they see. It makes them happy to see a pretty quilt and that makes me happy.

People that know quilting, already know the complexity of the work and understand mistakes happen. We talk!

peace

I refuse to admit my quilts are anything short of perfection. :D

I usually tell people the kind of reaction I'm expecting:
I brought my new quilt for you to admire. OR
I always admire your quilts. Do you have any suggestions for my beautiful, finished quilt for the next time?

That way no one should be telling me to take a seam ripper to something I consider done. And on top of that, silly people who don't even quilt (who get comment #1) are disinvited from critiquing my quilts. If you think I could do better, make one yourself! Drives me crazy when I have a perfectly beautiful quilt & somebody who can't even stitch together a pillowcase tells me it would "look even better" if I went back and added more hand appliqué, did a 1/2" instead of a 1" stipple or "just took an extra second or two to turn the edges of appliqué under". Right. Because we all know that turned edge appliqué only takes a couple seconds! No, no, no! Non-quilters' are not allowed to do anything but stand in utter awe of my quilts. :thumbup:

Actually, if bear is showing quilts to non-quilters, I think that's important. It helps educate the public about what goes into our craft so they don't keep believing that $35 for a twin and $50 for a queen quilt all pieced and quilted by hand by an award winning quilter, as you sometimes see on Etsy, is Fair Market Value. That barely covers the thread & needles.

I had a friend recently who admired how beautiful my niece's quilt top is & said she would like to buy one from me for her son & said "whatever it cost" for materials and my time would "be well worth it". I thanked her for the sweet compliment & then explained that my hand appliquéd quilts are for the high-end market and usually go for $600-800, but that if she wanted, because she is like a sister to me, I could make a quilt for her son at cost but it would still be $100-125. She quickly agreed knowing the quality of my workmanship, but was amazed at the cost of fabric, batting & thread. I can't afford to lose money on the supplies so I truly will itemize everything and ask her to pay me up front (and get her to sign off on the design and midway progress with clauses that each signature reduces the amount of a refund she'll get for the materials. Good fences (or contracts) make for good neighbors. And helping non-quilters spread the message that quality homemade quilts are not priced as disposable goods. The materials are costly and the work involved is extensive. I'm always grateful when my fellow quilters communicate that to the general public.

Thanks for helping ensure that quilters & our art is appropriately valued, bearisgray!

If someone wants to look at mine...20 seconds- at 20 feet- no bifocals?

I happily show my quilts and only answer what I'm asked!

I show my quilts to anyone who expresses interest in seeing them. I don't tell them anything about the process unless they ask.

I also happily show my quilts to anyone who wants to see them, no explanations or excuses for anything on them. If they ask if one is for sale, or would I make them one, my reply is usually, " yes, for $800". I have one I especially love that took a lot of time and some unsewing that I told them was for sale for $2000. That usually ends any comments or questions.