Thank you for sharing your experience. I have entered items at my local county fair, both quilts & cross stitch, & have won ribbons. But there are no judges comments. And the 2 guilds I belong to have shows, but no contest. I am working up to someday enter a quilt in a show that is judged. Your post is encouraging!

I think your quilt is gorgeous! You have inspired me. I have been working to improve my FMQ on my Janome. I could do a small detailed project like this.

It varies by the show. I also had a quilt in the show, but haven't gotten it back yet. It was delayed in transit and is now scheduled to get here on Tuesday. I did not win a ribbon either. Will be quite interested in seeing what the judge(s) say.

Hehe Thank you Betty Jo! LOL I'm teasing - I don't think I'm a "loser" for not getting a ribbon - if that were the case there were several hundred of us that were losers!! LOL!! No I just meant, I think that the marks were pretty decent and the comments were right on with what I suspected my issues were. I thought the comments were very helpful.

One thing that did surprise me - only one judge looked over my quilt - there are no initials for the second judge...is this the norm? Do they often divvy up the judges in this manner?

I kind of look at competition quilting as competing with myself. The judges comments can be helpful. Attending the shows and seeing the others quilts has been the most helpful thing for me. P.s. You are NOT a loser just cause you didn't get a ribbon!!!!!

Not sure if anyone out there is still checking in on this thread but I have learned so much this way I thought I'd put it out there for others who are curious. I received my quilt back from HMQS today along with judges comments. It is kind of what I expected - although I was shocked not a word on my binding!! That was what I was most stressed about! It was actually the monogram on my whole cloth and I went so far as to embellish it with gold thread which was a big mistake as it made every imperfection stand out rather than hide. I may actually go and remove it before I send it into my local show - it won't change some of the imperfections of the quilting but at least detract from it.

I received mostly very good's although they didn't like the thread embellishing and marked me low on that - but honestly I'm pretty happy with the results!!! The way I see it - you would pay an expert to honestly evaluate your work wouldn't you? Well, I feel like the judges judged my quilt against the same standards that the mega star quilters were judged...so I just kind of feel like it was straight forward in that regard. My quilt was not a show stopper nor the most difficult quilt I've ever made - and it reflected that in the judges remarks. I knew it was a "nice" quilt when I sent it in, and I guess it just reaffirmed that they saw things much the way I did.

Just thought I would share - I may be a loser but I'm a happy loser!! LOL!! It kind of confirmed my thoughts and forced me to re-evaluate how I look at my quilting. When you are thrilled with something it can bes hard to see the flaws, because you love what you have made and you put time and effort into it! But if your ultimate goal is to improve your quilting and do the best job on a quilt you can possibly do - you have to be able to see your flaws without emotion to correct them. This was a very helpful experience and I'm actually really excited about my next entry!!!

In any case - just sharing for anyone lurking around (as I do sometimes!) and interested.

100c8_41f1 by Valerie/Pumpkin Patch Quilter, on Flickr

100c6_368e by Valerie/Pumpkin Patch Quilter, on Flickr

Here's a few pictures of the quilt actually hanging in the show too - I love that it was placed next to this awesome phoenix quilt - the colors compliment each other!

Janet - I am close to the NQA show too - I've missed the deadline for this year but would really like to enter something next year. The piece I am working on (well - there are several in the works, it's a matter of which one will be finished in time really) for MQX may go there next year. I really appreciate the advice!

Zarah - I am SO with you about making quilts you like. I am still discovering what works best for me. I go between planning out a spectacular quilt and building one organically and making up each part as I go along. It takes longer - but the latter method I am finding works best for me. If I don't know what's next - I'm more apt to maintain an interest and finish the project...where as if I have a plan to follow it's more like work - drudgery! I've moved beyond bed quilts into this odd area where I am not in the "show quilt" arena just yet but I do think of my quilts as more expressions of art than bedding.

A quilting friend of mine and I were recently chatting about how it becomes frustrating because I grow so much with each quilt that by the time I get anywhere near finishing a project I see all the flaws and I want to pitch it and start over fresh. Really hard to finish things with that philosophy though!!!

I think you're on to something though Zarah with the notion that each show and the judges tastes do play a factor. I tend to be a traditional quilter who dabbles in art and contemporary quilting. I am still finding my voice really.

In any case I am grateful for the feedback and discussion! This was a fun experience and I love knowing that I was a part of something so big!

I like your quilt very much. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Some of mine while reading were: you have to make quilts you like yourself and not try to accommodate what you really don't know.I mean some people like quilt patterns like you've done here, others like a lot of variation in the same piece. You don't know what the judge happen to like the most. By the way I love the color too

Congratulations for entering your quilt in the show! It's beautiful! The competition at that show was incredible. I would encourage you to enter NQA, as they have one of the best judging systems. And in case you ever need to find a home for that quilt, that "S" would fit in quite nicely at my house!

Oh thank you both very much - I truly appreciate that!! I really liked my entry and in terms of execution I think it is some of my best work. I think it needed more visual impact and design elements - it just wasn't enough for the wall hangings or whole cloths at HMQS at least. I think it will be a good quilt to put out at some of the local shows though - but I don't think I'll enter it again into a big show. Though I don't regret entering it at all. I noticed visual impact was a serious factor to the quilts that performed well so that is something to chew on a bit!

I agree. Your piece is very, very nice. I love it. Thanks for all your thoughts.

I think your piece is gorgeous!

I forgot to come back here and update about my HMQS experience for Lois and anyone else reading! I haven't received my quilt back yet but I have to say it was an exciting experience none the less. I am looking forward to the judges critiques and it was super exciting to see photographs of my quilt hanging in the show. I didn't send my most spectacular quilt as my goal was to gain experience more than anything, but I'm pretty sure even if I had I wouldn't have had a flying chance in you know what!!! LOL!!! But that's ok, it was fun just to have my quilt there!! LOL The quilts I saw from photographs were amazing and gave me so much inspiration.

DSCN4981 by Valerie/Pumpkin Patch Quilter, on Flickr

1520756_779173105429278_8350930427309390095_n by Valerie/Pumpkin Patch Quilter, on Flickr

I learned a couple of valuable lessons through the experience...one being - there is a fine art to choosing categories. You really need to understand the entries of the category you enter and how it pertains to your quilt for each show. I also noticed many entries were entered into several categories...so I am thinking if your quilt fits in more than one category - might not be a bad idea to have it entered into whatever it fits into because while one category may have stiff competition with blue ribbon winning quilts from previous shows in it - another category may not and chances of winning something are higher. The real gamble of it all is that you don't know what categories the big show stoppers will be in.

Not that my only interest is in winning something - though I think anyone and everyone would love to be recognized for their hard work and skill in their art form! I have a small long arming business and clients in that region so it was great to have my work out there to be viewed - and I did get a lot of positive feedback from friends and friends of friends who went to the show.

Above are a few pictures of my little quilt that was there. I have a couple more projects in the works and hopefully one of them will make it to MQX Midwest. I also have pieces that will be in several local shows and exhibits.

I will share more when I get the judges feedback - I have a feeling they will touch on my binding, some of the womplyness in the center circle and monogram, and recommend that I added more intricate quilting designs to fill out the portion that is all wine glass/continuous curves.

So for those curious those are my thoughts so far! I'm really glad I did it - I have been hemming and hawing over entering my work somewhere and I felt like I outta just DO IT and get the first one out of the way so future entries are painless and without fear. I figured if I already have a huge national show under my belt - failure or success it's done and I can only grow from there. (Plus I'm from Ohio and nobody local can laugh at my entry - so if you're shy about your work that's a bonus!!!) LOL!!

Hi Lois! I would love to share - I only decided to enter something because so many others have shared and inspired me!! The big fancy show quilts that I'd love to quilt when I grow up are what make my heart and soul sing!

The show is May 8-10th so by Betty Jo's estimation that judging usually happens shortly before the show - I'd say I won't know about who wins what until towards the end of this week or next week. Not that I'm holding my breath to win anything (though who wouldn't want to win something?!) but I do try to look closely at quilts who have received awards or recognition to see what I can do to make my own quilts better.

I do have a pal who is going to the show and volunteered to take photos for me! For that I am thankful! I just have a small quilt in the show but I do feel it was some of my best work. I'm heading off for the day with the family but will try to post some photos when I can steal away a little time.