Not very long in the club stupid as I was I thouhgt the police were the cats or dogs on pictures sitting on completed quilts..........ha ha. Never thought about real police.

You only have to worry about the quilt police if you use someone's pattern, in a manner that 'infringes' on their right to copyright. For this reason, when I make a quilt to sell, or show, it is always my own design. It is also why I quit taking any more magazine subscriptions. If I don't see their pattern, I can't copy it. No quilt police in my universe!

There are many "rules" when you enter your quilt in a show. Otherwise, it's your call. As long as you are satisfied with your work. Actually, quilting is a place where one can be creative and invent new techniques.
I've heard some horror stories about the "quilt police" in shows, but I don't plan to enter into any contests although I respect people who do. I just wanna have fun!!

Nowadays most patterns are designed with 1/4" seams in mind, so to get the intended result we have to make the 1/4" seam or risk losing tips of angles. If there are no angles in your design, it makes no difference what seam you use. Just take all this into consideration when you plan how big you want your quilt to end up, because each seam takes up 2-times whatever your seam width is.

Many have pointed out that the only rules mostly apply to juried shows. I think that even that is changing. When I started going to quilt shows, there were hardly any machine quilted pieces, it was mostly hand quilted. Then you started seeing machine quilting, raw edge applique, picture quilts and now I see a lot of thread art or drawing with thread. And I think quilt shows have gotten a lot more interesting since these 'innovations' have been allowed. So, quilt for the enjoyment. You may come out with a quilt technique that no one's ever thought of and we may see it in future quilt shows. First and foremost, have fun.

If you don't use a consistent seam, I have learned over and over, your pieces do not match up properly. I believe in personal 1/4, unless, I am doing a swap, or something to that order. All the other "rules" I break frequently. I don't believe there is just one right way to do things. Many patterns are set up for a 1/4 seam and don't work properly if you use a different one.

I belong to a Yahoo Liberated Quilters group....having fun with our quilting is top priority...matching points is not, nor are straight seams ...wonkiness in our blocks is strongly encouraged. We say "Boo" to the quilt police!!
I started out 26 years ago doing traditional quilting and stressing about every little thing. And while I admire those quilts and the painstaking work it takes to make one knew it wasn't for me! We are all different in our creativity...what fits one doesnt fit another! We can all appreciate each others work..there is total freedom in the wonderful world of quilting! I am grateful for that....and love being "liberated"!! PS..I'm a babyboomer too:)

Let me put this in my perspective.....the so called quilt police are those self designated people who are free to express their opinion and preferences. However, there are "rules" to any craft. There are "rules" to cooking etc and it doesn't make any difference who makes them. If you built a new kitchen cabinet you would want someone who works by the "rules" of carpentary. The doors and drawers must fit. It is the same with quilting. If you want the pieces to fit then certain rules must be abided by. These rules are: accurate measuring; accurate cutting and accurate piecing. If you want it to fit together like a jig saw puzzel then these "rules" must be followed. Beyond this, it is your choice. When the pieces fit then there is less frustration in piecing and making the quilt. If you don't care if the seams don't fit or points match then it doesn't matter. Your choice is pattern, colors and style (as selecting a kitchen cabinet).

If the entire quilt will be made the same, you can make the rules. However, when swapping with partners or doing an IRR quilt, anything where other people are working on the same projects, something as standard as seam allowance can be very important. If you do 1/3" seams and I use 1/4" seams our blocks will not be the same. Of course, if your block is measured and meets the 12.5" requirement, I guess it doesn't matter. Uniformity is what counts.

What I meant to say is in making traditional quilts..there are of course rules!
1/4 inch seams have to be made for the blocks ....points must meet as best one can ...things need to be straight..or a traditional quilt will just look poorly made.
I'm not for that., what I meant to say is there are different styles of quilts, traditonal, art quilts, liberated quilts where the point is "wonkiness"!! I have found that I don't have fun making traditional quilts just as there are those who would be driven crazy by things not being perfect. I just meant to say there are choices to be made..and much freedom to make the choices in quilting. When I go to a quilt show I love looking at all the different styles...