Claire123

This is a great question. I will be entering something for the first time this fall.

Claire123

Many comments here on binding...How wide should you cut it.... 2 1/4, 2 3/8, or 2 /2?

quiltingshorttimer

some great advice in this thread! Thanks for sharing everyone. my Guild hung quilts at the KC REgional Quilt Fest and the judge was turning them out about 12 every 20 minutes--so they make some quick decisions on the first go round.. Then when she got down to the last 4-5 things slowed down because she was really inspecting them closely. All the big winners had original designs, and a couple, like Feline said, had finish treatments that were amazing! I'm glad that the "bling" trend seems to be fading a little. what I've noticed is that the quilting must be eye-catching, and really contribute to the design.

QuiltE

All sorts of things could show up ....
...... tension issues, stitching problems, threads not buried or buried poorly, puckers and bubbles, binding, etc.

Sometimes irregular stitching shows better when looking at the back than on a pieced front where it can get camouflaged.

If the backing has been pieced, is it pieced as nicely as the front?
or if it is a print, has it been matched?

Just a few of the problems that can show on the back ......

GingerK

Clair123--about the width of the binding--your choice really as long as front and back are the same. But you also have to look at the pattern of the piecing. Will the binding be sewn to a border or does the piecing go to the very edge of the quilt. If it is the latter, then you have to keep the binding narrow enough so that the pieces on the edge are the same size as thru the rest of the design.

salederer

All the above are good pieces of advice. I just won a blue and a champion on a wall hanging. I had expected the judges to pick it apart. The only negative comment I got was something I totally agreed with them on. I say enter it if YOU love it. Even if you don't win, it will be a learning experience. Also the advice to enter the quilt in another show/ fair is good. Where I've done poorly in one show, I've gotten a ribbon on the same quilt in another.

feline fanatic

Judges are not looking for original designs. But if a pattern is used, all the major shows are requiring written consent from the pattern designer to enter the quilt in the show so there is no question of copyright infringement. Smaller local guild shows are not so stringent and I have never seen that requirement on a fair entry. But it is good show etiquette to credit the designer on the entry paperwork or in the little writeup card that usually appears with the quilt in the show.

I have seen quilts made from published patterns win at major shows. Especially very intense patterns like some of Sue Garman's applique quilts "Ladies of the Sea" and "Friends of Baltimore". But more and more show quilts are original designs. And with design programs like EQ it is much easier to design your own quilt. Some feel an original design gives them an edge. Others don't want the hassle of tracking down the designer and getting the necessary written permission to use the pattern in a show quilt. Especially when racing against an entry deadline.

KalamaQuilts

can anyone estimate the percentage of washed and not washed show quilts?

I stopped showing about 10 years ago, it was fun then, trying all kinds of new techniques and color mixes, now I just sew for my own pleasure.

One of the reasons for the binding problems often starts with the first patch. When the flimsey is finished, if the top edge is 39.50 inches the bottom should be identical, same with the two side measurements. A quilt is the result of all it's parts.

We love to go to quilt shows, I thank everyone here for entering your quilt somewhere, anywhere. That first time you just have to put your heart in a box of batting...it gets easier over time

maryb119

Keep in mind that the judges opinion is just that....an opinion. That being said, full binding with sharp corners is a must. Always trim all threads and make sure your stitching is neat. Having an original design is great too. Judges looks for something out of the ordinary.

tropit

Thank you for all of these great tips. I went to our county fair yesterday and headed straight for the quilts. I now had a fresh eye on what to look for in a winning quilt. It's funny, a gentleman standing next to me, walked around to take a careful look at the back of the quilt. After talking to him for a moment, I found out that he was a quilter too. He agreed that the back was just as important as the front.

I scrutinized all of the borders on all of the quilts and I could definitely see a difference in the winning quilts compared with the others. A sloppy corner did not make for a winning quilt. Some borders were rather wide and did not look filled out, but they won anyway. Perhaps that was attributed to using a different style of border.

One viewer lamented to me that there were no hand quilted entries. The machine quilting was all excellent...way beyond my own capabilities. They usually credit the longarmer that helps with the project but they were not listed on the entry information this time. I think that they should be noted and also, I wanted to find a local longarmer to hire.

The piecing work on each entry was also excellent, but there was nothing too complicated, except for a New York Beauty that was hung so high, you could not get a close up view of the details. Too bad.

Most of the designs were patterns that I recognized, which surprised me. I thought that there would be more original designs.

Overall, going to see the quilts and chatting with all of you on this post has encouraged me to try to enter something next year. It now seems doable. Thanks!

~ C