To All award Winning Quilters...What Are Your Tricks of the Trade?
 

Have you ever won a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize at a fair or quilt show? If so, what are some of the techniques that you believe have put you over the top to win? Do you always bury your threads? Do you have some trick to make sure that every single point is perfect? Do you quilt it yourself? Do you do a lot of planning, as far as the pattern and color scheme goes? Please give us some tips!

Thanks mucho lotto!

~ C

Enter something unique. A new technique or unusual application of the tried and true.
Be sure your quilt is absolutely spotless. Go over each block and the back looking for stray threads etc. Then use a lint pickup roller to go over the whole thing again.
Pay special attention to your binding and corners. Sew in your miters.
Be sure to follow all the directions and instructions from the show.
Hang your quilt after you put the sleeve on to see if anything needs blocking to get it to hang flat.
Watson

some great advice. I took a class from an award winner on "big" show quilting--she said the binding is the first thing judges look at--is it even both front and back and "filled--she used a glue stick & her ruler to attach before sewing. Ditto on sewing down the corners (front & back).I would add that you also need to remember that even if you do an excellent quilt, the judge(s) may be partial to a different style (our county fair judge basically told me she hates modern quilts--well dang!) or the competition may be amazing. I know several people that enter quilts into big shows and they say a quilt may not do well at one show, but another show it may win.

I'd add that one of the trick I learned from the award winner is to make rounded corners if you are not excellent with mitered corners!

Nice even, full binding with good meters sewn down, straight seams, eye appeal ( if it is stunning- grabs attention, people gasp when it is shown - you probably have a winner) :)
workmanship is essential. Balanced quilting that compliments the design. And entering it in the correct category is important too.

nice, sharp mitered corners, full even binding.

Wow, this is a great post. I've learned a few things.

Question: I have a problem getting a "full/filled" binding, and I am wondering how I could use the "glue stick and ruler" as described above to achieve my objective. Could you elaborate?

You tube has an extensive tutorial on this, right now I can't remember the name of the woman.

Notice how many emphasize the binding? Yup, it's that important to winning. "Wow" factor: very large, high value contrast, complicated piecing, beautiful/unusual quilting, balanced piecing and quilting. Something out of the ordinary: if the common color combination is pink/blue, do something different. If the current pattern is stack n whack, have an unusual arrangement or do a different pattern

The "wow" factor will get you're quilt into the final cut. Then it's mostly about technique. If any of the techniques are poor it could still get thrown out.

My quilt designs are art quilting. My passion is the design, not the technique. I use any technique that'll get the quilt made. My techniques are very good. But once the designing is complete (the binding), I just push my way to the end. I don't enter competitions anymore. Back before art, I did win 1/2/3 places.

I think it takes a detail perfectionist (and that's not me) to consistently win. OK, prove me wrong.......