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having a quilt critiqued should be a learning experience. Judges are not out to dis you or make you feel bad or incompetent.
Do some research on the category you were in and ask to have your concerns explained. This should make the judging clear for you. One time, when doing a panto, I mis aligned the repeat and the following run was a few inches out of place. It made a small but noticeable gap between the runs and thus, I learned to check twice, quilt once!:D Don't give up on entering quilts, there is so much to learn and enjoy and create. It is all good. peace |
I have never entered any quilts for judging but I did three of my knitted tams at a fiber show. They were all three on display, right in front, but I got nothing but negative comments from the judge. People who were walking around loved them but the judge found fault in my stitches and said that I should not have entered three of them. Although mine were displayed in front for all to see, I didn't win anything and was humbled by the fact that she ( the judge) really zeroed in on my decreased stitches, while saying nothing about the design or pattern they produced. I do think that if that was the pantograph you followed then you should not have been penalized for it. But I am only a quilter and not a judge and thankfully never will be.
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Keep in mind that the judges opinion is just one persons opinion and the only opinion that really counts is yours. What one person likes...another one thinks it needs something else. I enter lots of shows and take the judges opinions with a grain of salt. I can always learn a new way to do things and if I like the new way, I will try it but mostly, I make my quilts the way I like them. I am the one who has to live with them.
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Quilt shows are very much like dog shows (of which I have more than ample experience) in that they are subjective.
Each judge has their own interpretation of what a quilt should be. The judge should take into account the category entered as well as technical knowledge of all aspects of quilting. Additionally, because they are human, each judge is also going to have their individuality they will bring to the judging table. Their individual likes and dislikes are probably based on their own experience quilting and having their own quilts judged. If they executed perfectly mitered bias binding, they will likely expect the same from you. If they consistently had difficultly with clean edges to their small appliqué yet find a quilt that excelled in this area, they might give that quilt more credence than others. The same happens in dog shows and as a former educator of future judges I began each seminar by reminding the judges that they ARE human, that we fully expect them to be individuals in their judging process and each of them was going to have specific virtues and faults etched in their psyche that they would not be able to ignore when judging dogs. This is the very nature of subjective judging. There is no stop watch to mark, no line to measure, and no goals to count. Applaud the nature of subjective judging because it promotes individually and creativity, but at the same time don't let the opinion of one judge change YOUR vision of perfection. It's just different than this one particular judge. |
Originally Posted by ghostrider
(Post 6958662)
I would take the "needs more quilting" comment as a suggestion that perhaps a different panto would have been more appripriate for your quilt(s).
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Originally Posted by AudreyB
(Post 6958045)
At our local quilt show last month the judge completed an evaluation sheet on each quilt. My quilts were entered in the "Pantograph Form of Quilting" so obviously I followed the pantograph. The judge commented on all of them that they should have had "more quilting."
Isn't the amount of quilting a personal choice? And isn't following the pantograph enough? Especially since the category was pantograph? I think I was penalized unfairly and that they should have judged on the quality of the quilting. Any thoughts? |
Originally Posted by pumpkinpatchquilter
(Post 6958168)
Quilt shows are a finicky thing. Something to keep in mind when entering your work - the judges have to find something "wrong" per say to determine a winner for each category. Does it mean your quilt was a flop? Absolutely not. It sounds kind of negative at first...but really...it's just the result of process elimination to determine the highest quality of work in that category based on what was entered. Does that mean your quilt was not high quality? NO! Absolutely not! When you have two fantastic quilts...how do you determine which one wins? You have to find the "flaw" or something that separates the two so that a winner can be determined.
That being said - you and I can look at two different works of art and see different things. Even certified judges who've gone through extensive training use some scope of personal opinion when judging. I mean, it just is what it is. You can be a good judge and be as objective as possible...but some judges look for good bindings and while others have bindings less on the radar than quilting...so no matter what show or who judges it, there is some element of "opinion" in there. The best thing to do IMHO? Take it with a grain of salt. Listen to the comments with an open mind and decide for yourself if the comments will benefit your future work or not. Do not take it personally. Really. That is SO much easier said than done, but remember, the BEST quilters who've won tons of ribbons and awards have received less than glowing comments at one point. :) Congrats to you for putting your work out there - that's the biggest hurdle! |
Originally Posted by Onebyone
(Post 6958206)
Sorry you feel bad about your quilt. Don't let that stop you from entering. I had one quilt that got so many negative comments from four judges at a show that I probably should have burnt it. LOL. But that same quilt won Viewer's Choice! I knew everything the judges said was wrong with it before I entered it but wanted to enter something. I didn't enter to win.
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I just take it as fact now. If you expect to win at a bigger show you have to quilt the #$#% out of the piece.
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Well said, Pumpkinpatchquilter!!!!
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