I have been going to national and regional quilt shows for years and come to the conclusion that beside VISUAL IMPACT ... the quilts have to be ORIGINAL. I have yet to see any winning quilt be made from a purchased pattern. They are designs made from the quilter ... usually doing their own quilting ( FMQ) WINNERS are usually over the top.

The quilts may be done as a series but the concept usually is from the quilter.... it that SHARON SCHAMBERS quilts look like her signature style. Ricky's quilts looks similar you can tell his style. Pat Holly's quilts have similar looks. ... etc, etc. They come up with an idea and perfect over several quilts. All their work is original.

Scoopie wrote: Great points Dawn. I have had more than one judge tell me that when it gets to the show quilts, it is "impact" that can make the difference once the techiques are all show quality. This is an illusive term and I have been trying for years to figure out what they mean by that. I think what that really means is do they like it. LOL....I'll keep on trying.

I agree! But, every judge looks for/at something different. Yes, every quilt has to have eye appeal, and be constructed neatly and well, but each judge focuses more on one thing than another. It is very subjective! One judge may have a thing about having perfectly mitered bindings while the other looks more at the length of stitch used to put the binding on. Another judge may focus on how flat the quilt lays, while her teammate looks more at how square it is. Let's just say, in order to please all of the judges and have a winning quilt at a major show, you need to have a quilt that ticks ALL of the boxes!

Dawn

I would like to see a show featuring a prize winning quilter(s) who can show us what techniques they use in their show quilts. Maybe include a judge to talk about what he/she looks for when judging a show.