General quilt show entry question
 

My guild is having our quilt show later this year. We have a challenge and I would like to enter a quilt for the first time. I'm wondering -- is it cheating to buy & use a kit? Is that any different from buying a pattern and a fat quarter bundle? I'm not trying to pass it off as an original design, I just love the quilt and it fits the theme. I intend to give full credit to the pattern designer on my label.

in my experience, quilt shows allow all kinds and levels of quilting. at our shows, the label give the info as to pattern, kit, orig design, etc. so go for it!

I would just ask the organizer, but I agree. Unless it's expressly forbidden, as long as you include all the info in your label you should be good to go.

At my guild "challenge" means original but that is only one category in the show. All other categories can be original or patterns, kits, etc.

As the others have said ... read through the rules and if you are still not clear, ask whomever is in charge of the challenge. Every guild/show is different .... some forbid quilts from kits and some allow.

My experience has been that the rules for shows are often poorly written,
to the point that they often do not make sense!
Or that they will say something in one part of the rules ... and almost contradict themselves somewhere else.
Not that the intentionally do that, just that often times they know what they mean,
but don't think of how it reads to someone else.
So Beware!!

Then there are the times you get different answers from different people on the same committee!

With a guild show, the rules are a lot more lax....National shows, however, yikes...can be bit more stringent.

do ask the coordinator, but in our show unless the challenge is expressly described as original design, you are welcome to use a kit or pattern--as long as the designer is credited.

At my guild's last challenge the winner was from a kit, and it was professionally quilted. But it was clearly the most beautiful, most difficult, and best executed quilt in the challenge. And the rules didn't expressly prohibit it being from a kit, or being longarmed by a professional. I believe the rules for the next challenge have been changed.

Kits are common in our quilt show. As long as you credit the kit, it usually is fine. Just read the rules for your show, there should be some mention of kits. I have seen people change a few fabrics and call it theirs. At some point, they consider a kit to be a pattern. Either way, the designer needs credit.