patricej

i haven't yet made a quilt i think should be entered into a professionally judged show.
but, i try to treat every project as though that was the goal.

it's up to each quilter to decide on her/his standards.
but we can't grow as quilters if we are content with sloppy results.

i measure and square as i go and then square up all the blocks at the end.
i allow myself to get away with floating points, but i will not settle for points that are cut off.
if i can't get that patch right, it goes into the trash and i start over.

mistakes should be fixed.
imperfections should be accepted.

i firmly believe there is a difference.

Iceblossom

I don't show my quilts in judged contests, they are use quilts and I have different design constraints -- the biggest is that they will be machine washed. I believe I have the ability to make show quilts, and that is working at my highest level of skill at each and every step. While I flout the quilt police with my open seams and in some other ways, I decided on thing I could do is put on a nice French double fold mitered corner correct for show binding and I do this on all my quilts, including donation baby quilts. I've gotten quite good at it and that final invisible seam. Most times I'm using bias, but even if I'm straight grain I'm still doing the mitered corners/invisible seam.

Yes, things like seams meeting and points being pointy are important, each and every time. When we have the basics and are precise on each seam there is very little need to trim up, they are just threads/precision.

Your overall design sense and fabric selection also make a huge difference. Two people can use the same pattern to make very different quilts. Workmanship can be stellar but the quilt blah. Some workmanship issues might not be noticed if the fabric is there to wow you.

tropit

I don't stay-stitch...hummm...good suggestion! I'm guessing that it really helps to keep things from moving around and stretching out. Do you stay-stitch a 3/16"?

Sewing 4 blocks together, then squaring those is also an interesting idea. I suppose that helps to keep your seams lined up perfectly too.

What about choosing a pattern? Do you go for an ornate, difficult pattern, or do you pick something more straight forward and go for perfection?

Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions. I'm not that competitive in spirit, but I do like to compete against myself, so I may go for the, "blue," next year and see what happens. I can only learn something.


~ C

patricej

i try to make at least one complex quilt a year.
i get so bored with simple quilts but i give nearly everything i make to one cause or another so quick is good.

i aspire to perfection no matter how complex or simple the pattern.
that way i stand a snowball's chance in you-know-where of at least achieving excellence.
or something close to it.

(trust me - i have made more than one stinker along the years. there are happy rats in the landfill and cozy pets in area shelters. lol)

bearisgray

I also learned to check the templates/rulers to see if they are accurate.

Once in a while, they are off.

Railroadersbrat

Something else to consider would be to get in contact with the judges and ask them what their preferences are and take meticulous notes. Some prefer the binding to be super small, others have no problem with 2-inch binding. Some say custom quilting is the way to go, someone else may say that edge-to-edge is the best. Some say floating points are okay, others will frown and walk to the next quilt if they even see one single thread from your background above the point and sure as the day is long, a cut-off point will get the frown, too.

You have to keep in mind that these judges are quilters themselves, they've been in your shoes, so by contacting and talking to them, you're tapping into a major source of knowledge and wisdom. Our judges are locals that help run the fall fair we have, so I know them personally and would have no issue going up to them and striking up a conversation about quilts. I'm still incredibly nervous about entering a quilt for next year because they are extremely exacting with their judging, I've seen them pick apart a Storm at Sea that was absolutely exquisite to a normal person's eye, but there were a few tiny issues and the quilt didn't even place when they were done. She did get Best in Show in another county north of us, however.

The other option is to get in touch with a quilter that's put a quilt into that specific show. Any amount of knowledge from either the judges or other quilters will be invaluable later down the line.

liking quilting

There are county fairs going on this year? Wow.
Anyway, good luck.

tropit

No...I'm certain that our local fair is cancelled this year. I'm just asking so that I can start a project possibly for next year....or the year after that. I move slow.

Normally, I just make quilts for my home and my kids. I do try my best to make sure that points are perfect and blocks are square, within reason. However, I don't go ripping apart my every day projects just for the sake of perfection.

After reading all of your comments, if I were in a competition, I probably would rip things apart, if they were not absolutely perfect. I'm not sure if I'm up to that level yet...food for thought. Thanks for all of your helpful suggestions.

~ C

Railroadersbrat

No clue yet if ours is cancelled, they should, in my opinion but we're coming down to the wire, ours is the third weekend of September.
Also, that's why I love this forum so much, such a great well of knowledge and wisdom you can always count on!

cashs_mom

I don't blame you about not entering this year. Congrats on your 2 Best of Show wins! I agree that it depends on the judge. I used to show horses and show cars now. It always depends on the judge. They do their best of make judging objective but end of the day, it comes down to the individual judge's opinion.