There used to be a $100,000 Quilt Contest. It was discontinued because it was discovered that some of the quilts had been completed prior to the date specified. It created confusion.
It just isn't ethical to enter if it doesn't meet the standards.
Bless someone with the quilt and make a new one and enter that.
CJ

Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy. If it's made in 2007 it does not qualify. Even if someone never asks, it still does not quailfy - I'm going with the suggestion about calling ahead and explaining it's never been in another show - if they say no, then no is the answer...

Came across this topic and it's been an interesting read. I don't know Justok but I hope no one is judging her on her asking this question. I think it was a legitimate question, I'm sure just asked hypothetically, and raised several questions that I know I hadn't ever thought about. I am glad she asked the question and started the "conversation" because the answers have been interesting.

None of my quilts will ever make it to a judged quilt contest. But it did bring a question to mind: what if I had some fabric that I bought 2 -3 years ago, you know - one of those "I gotta have it but know what I'm going to do with it" fabrics. Now I decide I want to make a stupendous quilt that I want to enter in a contest. Are there rules as to the age of the fabric you can use? Is this something that would be in the "rules" for entering the show? I'm asking this hypothetically because I'll never make it to entering a show.

I think this has been a very interesting conversation. I have the same issue as far as the fabric goes. I don't think anyone should judge when a quilt is finished by the fabric and/or its age. I just did one with fabric I bought back in 1992 but finished 3 months ago. What about all those UFO's that everyone has. Finished means done, completed. Something that I started 20 years ago and just finished would qualify, and I don't mean putting on a label. I took this question as a hypothetical question and not one where she was trying to cheat in a quilt contest. I have asked the question myself, but stayed in the rules when it came time to enter. I have found the answers very interesting.

Well, my conscience wouldn't let me do it. Even so, they couldn't judge on dated fabric. I have some still in excellent condition that I've had in my stash for 25 years.....no kidding. I have been trying to use up the oldest in my stas, first. Sometimes it works, sometimes, it doesn't.

Maybe I misunderstood, but I think she was asking how you can tell by looking at a quilt how old it is or when it was made ? I also have fabric that is almost as old as my oldest son ( 29 years from my mom ) so you can't date by the fabric, if I just made the quilt

i would enter into a local county fair the quilts can be a few years old just never shown at that fair i enter a quilt every year at monoa county fair i do enter in quilt shows once in a while but they have tomany rules for a beginer when i enteresd my first fair it gave me a idea of what i need to do to enter quilt shows and how to improve my work because i got a commit card on my quilts
good luck entering quilt show it is a lot of fun i hope you do well i am hoping to get a grand chapion on my quilt this year

I think that the word "finished" is open for interpretation and not clearly defined. How can you possibly answer that it's morally or ethically wrong or right if each person's personal interpretation of what is "finished" or "not finished" is compeletely different from one another. The original poster has the final say as do each of you with your own personal projects, when her quilt is "finished" if the rules do not have a clear definition. For instance, I start a quilt in 2006. I reach a point where I stop working on it because my current skill level says it's done. I put it away for a few years, pull it back out because I learned a new and wonderful technique or maybe my hand quilting has improved and I want to add more quilting to the quilt. So, was it done in 2006 or 2010? if the rules are not clearly defined, then it's my call to decide and it's not a moral or ethical decision. It has nothing to do with morals or ethics or whether your decision makes you a bad person or a cheater. As an artist and the creator, if the rules are not clearly defined then you have the final say when it's finished. It's done when YOU think it's done, not a moral majority.

I agree!

Ya'll over-think things sometimes.......just an observation....don't mean to offend anyone.