Thanks to all who provided input especially feline fanatic. The info provided was so helpful and I like the idea of
volunteering in the judges room!

I recently entered several items in the local county fair. There was a quilt (not mine) which had received a yellow ribbon. Ribbons are blue, red, white, yellow. The center blocks were well done, I think. It was hung so high that one could not see the center very well. What could be seen was about 20" of six borders. Yes, six borders. To me, it appeared to be a "hurry up, get it done and get it to the fair on time". Yes, I think the judge was correct in awarding yellow.

Thank you feline for sharing the information on judging. Well done!

another tip - if you are stitching in the ditch and you jump out of the ditch you can sometimes just use a marker to get the stitches to blend in with the fabric rather than rip the stitches out.

Oh....I've never heard of that trick before...very clever! Will the binding get lumpy later on, after the quilt is washed a few times?

~ C

I LOVE that idea! we have a fair coming up next week. It's probably too late to get involved, but I'm still going to see if they need any help. Thanks for that wonderful tip!

~ C

When I enter in a quilt show I aim for Viewer's Choice award. I don't care what the judges think of my work. If they like it that's great but not important to me to have that recognition. I love it when I make a quilt that appeals to quilters. Lots of color, good workmanship, good design, and it has to have that WOW factor for viewer's to stop and give it a good look. I have won 9 Viewer's Choice in local and surrounding area shows.

Another tip is to consider how the back of your quilt looks.
At a quilt show, I was chatting with the Chair of the Show, and commented that I was shocked that some of the incredible quilts had not placed. She agreed, and then told me, that I did not see the backs of the quilts. She had been a helper during the judging and told me that if I had seen the backs, I would understand why some did not place. As show spectators, we generally do not see the backs ... and have no clue as to what secrets they hold!

........ exactly the concern I would have in doing that.
With it being narrow pieces, whether short or long, and without any quilting to stabilize, I would think they just might start shifting around. Even for a non-laundered quilt, I would think that it would be difficult to get pieces set in place evenly.


...... a good tactic, that does work.
However, a discerning judge would probably not look at that as a favourable technique and most likely score against it.

no, I haven't had any shifting after multiple washings. It is a pretty narrow channel.

I wonder what a bad back looks like.

Question: Are judges looking for an original design, or are some of the winning quilts made from patterns?

~ C