One Winner…

Yesterday I started showing some of the exciting things that I saw while judging quilts for the Georgia National Fair.

Let’s keep going…..

The fabrics in this quilt are so intriguing……

I loved the paper-pieced designs in this quilt but especially the bottom border…..

I was enamored with the border quilting on this one…..

And speaking of borders, isn’t this a fun design……

And, I loved the bright colors of this quilt…..

As we approached the end of the judging process, there was much excitement as we all gathered around to start picking the Best of Show.

Then there were conferences with the organizers…..

….and we announced which quilt was being given this special award……

A few photos were taken with the judges…..

And we were free to leave….but not without checking out some of the other exhibits!

Several quilts were included in a different category, including this “door cover” made from tiny English paper-pieced flowers.

You can see the hole for the door handle on the left side of the photo.

This was a fun fabric rug…..

As usual, there were some gorgeous wooden pieces…..

Just look at the shape of this one…..

Truly amazing!!

It was a super busy and tiring two days, but I have very fond memories of the people that I worked with and the art that I saw!!

Can’t wait until next year!!

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Do you have a stack of scraps that you want to use in a fun design?

Check out this pattern for a quick and easy scrap quilt that will help empty your bins and bring a smile to your face!!

Full Color pattern includes step by step instructions for blocks and border.

Click HERE for more information.

Quilt Judging Fun

Back in September, I spent two FUN days judging the quilts for the Georgia National Fair. Since the fair is now open and the winners announced, I can officially post about the trip!!

First of all, look at this AMAZING sunset…..

This photo was taken from the hotel room on the night before judging started!!

We arrived at the fair grounds on Sunday morning, meeting up with the 7 other judges and all of the amazing staff and helpers!!

I was paired with another judge (Nancy), and we were assigned to a table and team…..

….and we got down to business!!

Nancy and I worked extremely well together, making for a fun and fast two days!!

Here are a few things that caught my eye as we worked thru our stack of quilts….. and I apologize for not being able to give credit, but we couldn’t know who made what!!

This was such a fun bright and fun broken heart….

Look at the wonderful edging on this Double Wedding Ring quilt…..

This was one of my favorites….

It was a sweet design and look at the door mat……

SO well done!!

And, THIS is what a GOOD postage stamp quilt looks like…..

I wish that I had done my “Taxing Scrap” more like this!!

This was the most amazing paper pieced quilt…..

I’ll stop there for today. Come back tomorrow for a few more goodies and the “Best of Show” reveal!!

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In this blog, I post stories about creativity, techniques, tools of the trade, and lots more about the wonderful art of quilting. If you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to be notified of each new blog as it becomes available.

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Let’s judge some quilts!!

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 motivating others and helping 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.

You can find out more at this link…..

What happens at Quilt Judging…..

Last week I linked to an article about the jury process for a big show like QuiltCon…..

How do you get juried into QuiltCon??

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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In this blog, I post stories about creativity, techniques, tools of the trade, and lots more about the wonderful art of quilting. If you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to be notified of each new blog as it becomes available.

Type your email…

Those pesky shadows!!

A couple of weeks ago I received my judge’s comments from the quilt that I showed at Quiltcon…..

Normally, I am pretty sure of what the judges are going to say and this time it was no different.

I received “exceptional” marks in the Visual impact with comments of “Good depth, great design, and strong piecing”!!

Well, THAT was encouraging!!!

Then they hit the problem area…..

“Shadowing of dark fabrics and threads under light noted and is very distracting”.

OKAY…..I agree!!

If there was one thing that I was frustrated with it was the shadows!!

I talked about them in this post about basting the quilt…..

Preparing to quilt!!

….and even showed what I trimmed out while basting…..

Even though I clipped a bunch of these there were several that I missed…..

I then talked about the thread that was trapped under the top and was driving me crazy!!!…..

Out….Out Damn Thread!!

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…..