As I have mentioned before, I had the pleasure of helping to judge the quilts for the Georgia National Fair!!
This is an intense two-day process but is one of the most enjoyable things that I do each year.
Join me…..
If you have never done this, check out your local fairs and see if there is a place for you. I guarantee you that you will see some AMAZING work and have a wonderful experience!!
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One of my favorite things about quilting is to motivate others and help them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings and I would love to speak to your group.
In comments on this post, several people mentioned that they were intrigued by the actual judging process so I thought that I would walk you thru this process for a smaller (guild) show.
I have been fortunate to be involved in judging for our guild show for a number of years. Please note that these photos range from way back in 2011 so if we start looking older really fast, you will understand why! Also, you will see several different judges during this walk-thru!!
There are a few rules for everyone who helps with judging…..
FIRST is confidentiality!!! The things that are said in the judging room must NEVER leave there!!
Secondly, is QUIET. Everybody must do their jobs as quietly as possible to not bother the actual judging process. Honestly, it is the ONLY time that I have been around quiet quilters!!!
So let’s get started…..
When the judge arrives. quilts are laid out on tables by category and, after giving instructions…..
….she dives into the first category.
The quilts are initially folded in half so that the backs are showing.
Once the judge has read the description for the category, the quilts are “fanned” by unfolding each one quickly back onto the table……
This gives the judge a quick view of all of the pieces that she will be judging in that category.
Then the hard work begins…..
She looks at each quilt individually, starting by looking at the quilt as a whole…..
……commenting on the design, including fabric selection, color coordination, etc.
Then, she studies the quilt up close and comments on the technical aspects of each quilt, including the quality of piecing, applique, quilting, etc.
As she studies the quilt……
….she is verbally giving comments that are written down by one of the scribes…..
These critique sheets are given to the quilter at the end of the show.
Sometimes she asks for the quilt to be held up so that she can better see the design…..
After she finishes with a quilt, she will do one of three things…..
Release the quilt which means that it is not in the running for a ribbon
HOLD the quilt for the category which means that it “might” get a ribbon
HOLD the quilt for one of the special awards (Best Quilting, Judge’s Choice etc).
When all of the quilts in the category have been judged the FUN part starts…..
All of the quilts that were held for the category are returned to the table, and as you can see, EVERYBODY in the room gathers around to hear the results…..
At this point, she may re-examine the “held” quilts……
….and she will release additional quilts until she has narrowed it down to the number of ribbons for the category.
Sometimes she asks that all of the possible winners be held side-by-side so that she can see all of them at once…..
It is always an exciting time as she names the ribbon winners.
At this point, there is a lot of scurrying around to make sure that everything has been recorded correctly……
And the quilts are returned to storage….except for the ones that have been held for a special ribbon. Those are kept separate for now……
And, all of the 1st place quilts are kept in a special area until it is time to pick the “BEST OF SHOW”!!
After all of the categories have been judged, the quilts that were held for the various special ribbons are brought out and the judge makes her choice from those.
NOW it is time for the coveted “Best of Show”!!
All of the 1st place ribbon winners are placed on the tables and the judge names one of them her “BEST OF SHOW”!!!
So that’s it…..the process from beginning to end!!
Our show normally has around 225 quilts and it takes the better part of two days to complete the judging.
It is always a fun two days, with food…..
….and fellowship…..
….and viewing LOTS of amazing quilts!!
So, if you are ever given the opportunity to be part of a show judging….say YES immediately and be ready for a wonderful experience.
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But even more distressing were the seams where the dark blue fabric could be seen behind the seam allowance…..
A SOLUTION!!!
SO….this past week I was watching YouTube videos in the gym and came across this one from Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts…..
And she has the BEST solution…..
At 6:33 minutes into the video, she suggests that, if you have to press to the light fabric, trim a minuscule slice off the seam allowance before you press…..
Yes, it would add time to the piecing but in some cases, it would be worth it!!!
Karen has lots of other great ideas for working with white fabric so you might check out the entire video!!
So, NOW I KNOW!!! Hopefully I can remember and use this idea going forward…..
AND…..if you are wanting to get started with Ruler Quilting but don’t know where to start, check out this short course…..
If you have an interest in ruler quilting, check out this online course…..
I am the chairman of my local guild quilt show that is coming up in March.
Several of our members have expressed reluctance to have their quilts judged prior to the show…
This is what I wrote to them……
Many people are nervous about having their quilts judged. They may be worried that their work is not “good enough” or they may not be happy having someone else tell them what is wrong with their piece. Although these are completely understandable, I would like to encourage you to enter your quilts in the upcoming show AND to have them undergo the judging process!
When a judge looks at a quilt, she is an independent, un-biased individual who is looking at your quilt with the idea of ranking your quilt against the others in the category, but also with the idea of giving helpful comments that can move you further along in your quilting career.
In almost every case, the judge’s first comment is about something good in your quilt. It may be your design, your choice of colors, or the subject matter of the quilt.
She will then start looking at more detail, assessing the skill level that you have brought to your creation. Yes, she may say something that you do not like or agree with, but in most cases, she will give feedback that you can use to make a better quilt the next time.
In my own case, I have normally had a pretty good idea of what a judge was going to like about my quilt or what she was going to say needed improvement!!
My suggestion to each of you is that you make the very best quilt that you can make (knowing that your skill is slowly improving) and submit them proudly for judging. Remember that we all started out slow…even the judge!
If you are still on the fence about having your quilt judged, I love this flowchart from Jenny Lyon that wonderfully describes how we should feel about the process…..
How do you feel about having your quilt’s judged??
I was excited to be once again asked to judge the quilts at the Georgia National Fair. This was my second year of judging and I loved every minute of it!!
When we arrived, we were greeted with 3 stacks of quilts….or as I called it, “stacks of fun”…..
The quilts had been organized the night before and the tables were ready for us to start….
As usual, there were amazing quilts and it was fun to judge the technical aspects of the quilts, while at the same time, finding ways to encourage the makers!
I loved seeing the Juvenile quilts, especially the one that was hand quilted. I hope that he/she keeps up the good work!!
There were a few things that stood out to me…..
I love the quilting on this one….
….and these diamonds caught my attention…..
And of course, this bargello using gradation fabrics garnered my interest…..
After two full days of judging, we all got together to pick the Awards of Excellence…..
…and it was so fun to see the ribbons on the quilts…..
We did a final photo of the judges….
Since we were flanking the “Best of Show” quilt, I had to do some cropping to get the photo!!!
Finally, I traveled with my friend Deb and we enjoyed 4 hours in the car, talking about our creative endeavors……does it get any better than that??
