This was sent to me by a friend... lot of good information

Anna, Karen Mctavish has a book titled "Quilting for Show." You can
also
find the following info online at NQA:

"Below are some of the criteria judges look for. The judges do their best
to
comment on the best features of your quilt, as well as to give you a
constructive evaluation within the time frame allowed for judging.
WORKMANSHIP

* General Construction: Piecing should be precise; corners matched and
points sharp using appropriate thread type and color. Seams should be
secure. Borders should be straight and well executed with no ripples,
puckers or stretching. Appliqué should be securely attached without puckers,
using matching thread (unless stitches are decorative.) Curves should be
smooth and points sharp, with no shadowing of dark fabrics under light.

* Quilting: Stitches should be even and consistent with balanced
tension, front and back. No knots, backstitches, pleats or bubbles should be
evident. Starts and stops should be unobtrusive. Amount of quilting should
be sufficient and appropriate for the design of the quilt top with the
consistency of quilting stitches reasonably maintained throughout.


* Finishing: Batting should extend to edge of binding with corners neat,
well executed, and consistent. No wobbles or distortion should be evident on
quilt edges. Stitching should be secure.
* Special techniques: Embroidery, embellishments, beading, overlays,
trapunto, photo transfers, etc. should be secure, neat, effectively
executed, and appropriate to the design.

APPEARANCE AND DESIGN


* Unity and Design Elements: Design of the top, quilting, fabric
choices, sashing, borders, imagery, and finishing should be well planned and
integrated. Line, shape, color, texture and value should be effectively used
to produce an interesting, balanced and well-proportioned design. Quilting
pattern should complement the top design, fill the spaces well, and be
consistent in proportion to the top design elements.

* General Appearance: Item should be neat, clean, and "show
ready" with
no visible markings, loose threads, bearding, soil, pet hair, odor or
stains. No major distortion or sewing problems should appear on the front
and/or back of quilt."

Hope this is helpful. Remember, though, that quilt judging is subjective.
Good luck! Carla

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Original Message

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From: Ladyrags [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 6:19 PM
To: mailto:carla.s.barrett@sbcglobal.net
Subject: [Feathered Fibers] Comment: "Quilt Show Judging"




You can see all comments on this post here:
http://featheredfibers.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/quilt-show-judging/#comments

That was some interesting reading, thanks for the links.

Pat in Rockport, TX

http://www.marilynquilts.com/id22.html

http://www.nqaquilts.org/judgesFAQ.html

http://piecefulchoices.com/Judging_Criteria_.pdf/Judging_Criteria_for_Newsletter.pdf

This is a pdf file


http://thequiltasylum.blogspot.com/2007/03/dallas-quilt-show-re-cap.html

http://wordpress.com/tag/quilt-show-judging/





This might be of interest to read... I am googling ( Criteria for Quilt Show Judging) other sites and will share as I find them. I am still looking and have not read all of them.

I think what they mean is that no matter which techinque you used it should be done as perfectly as possible. A good judge will not judge based on hand stitched vs machine, but on the accuracy with which it is stitched, the evenness of the edges, fullness of the binding, squareness of the corners/miters, etc.

"ricky says something in his "grand finale" dvd that...(loosely quoted) "what ever you do, the judges look for it to be done the best possible way"



BUT WHAT IS THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY? There is a judge school I think at the quilt university/ or AAQS where ladies go to learn to judge. I guess they should publish what their expectations are.


I do know having gone to a lecture give by a quilt show judge that the binding should be full and no missing batting ... their logic being the binding is protecting the edges of the quilt.

there use to be a thread on this about a year ago... maybe we should search for it and bumb it back us so it might help you.

I like that idea!

I had a binding a while back that, once I stitched it onto the quilt sandwich, turned out to be too wide. Instead of removing it, I rolled the folded edge of the binding under about 1/8" before turning the binding to the back for hand stitching. The extra layer of fabric inside the binding made it very tight and nice, and I was spared a lot of seam-ripping.

I know the one thing the judges look for is that the binding is full. Meaning the edge of the quilt sandwitch fills in the fold of the binding. I think Sharon Schamber also talks about the judges and binding in one of her videos. Sorry I don't remember which one.
Cheryl

Thankyou for the replies. I decided to go ahead and redo the binding. I carefully took it off tonight and I'm just about to get it ready to put back on. I know its a lot of work but at least I will feel happier!

Bakewell wrote:
ricky says something in his "grand finale" dvd that...(loosely quoted) "what ever you do, the judges look for it to be done the best possible way"

I have been told that both sides do no need to be the same size. They do however need to be a consistant width on each side. Maybe we have a certified judge who is a member of TQS who could tell us what they are taught about this in their training. Betty Ann

Does anyone know if you are penalised for a binding that is bigger on the back than on the front in a judged show ? I am trying to decide if I need to reapply it before I enter it into a competition.