Judging quilts and bindings . . . .

I recently helped judge the needlework (including quilts) at our county
fair. My partner is the owner of one of our LQS's.

First off, I was very disappointed since I know that there are some
wonderful quilters in our area - not a one of them entered a quilt in the
fair. No, I didn't look at the names before they were judged, but I did
afterwards!!

The bindings on many of the quilts were absolutely terrible. Some of them
were unbelievably sloppy. I don't know whether people thought because this
was 'just' a small county fair, it didn't make any difference, or if they
really don't know how to bind a quilt. My partner kept saying over and over
"they need to take my binding class."

The bindings were all sorts of widths (on the same quilt). Where the two
ends met was some of the sloppiest work you've ever seen. Some of them were
machine stitched, not neatly on the very edge of the binding, but wandered
from the edge of the binding to the middle of the binding and back again!

One lady was trying to stretch her backing fabric further than it would
stretch. We had planned to give her a blue ribbon until we turned the quilt
over. The front was pieced well & the quilting was good. However, she had
not cut the selvedge off the fabric she used for the backing which was an
extremely dark green. All the way down one edge of the back of the quilt,
running parallel with the binding was a white streak from the untrimmed
selvedge. If she would have pieced the backing, she would have gotten that
blue ribbon!

Then there was the king sized crocheted bedspread - absolutely GORGEOUS!
Crocheted with the afghan stitch in ecru. Then the crocheter had used what
was probably a counted cross-stitch pattern & stitched an absolutely
beautiful huge picture in the center of the bedspread. Flowers were
stitched all the way across the bottom of the bedspread - probably two to
two and a half feet tall. A beautiful floral pattern was stitched on the
top for the pillow return. Needless to say this bedspread received Best of
Show in the needlework division! The kicker - a man made it. He also
entered another afghan that got a blue ribbon. I guess he has made a
bedspread for each of his grandkids. I cannot imagine how long it would
take to make one!

The moral to my story is - if you've made a really nice quilt - pieced
nicely and quilted nicely - don't ruin it with a sloppy binding! If you
don't know how to put a nice neat binding on, take a class or something!
--
Donna in Idaho!
Project Linus Boise/SW Idaho Coordinator
Website: http://donnakwilts.tripod.com/

The ultimate inspiration is the deadline!

No! I could just kick myself because I didn't take a camera to the fair
either the day that I judged, or the next evening when we went to hear the
Oak Ridge Boys! I don't know what I was thinking of - I guess not thinking
is what I was doing!

I understand that the same gentleman took a different bedspread to a
neighboring county fair and took Best of Show there, too! He does wonderful
work!
--
Donna in Idaho!
Project Linus Boise/SW Idaho Coordinator
Website: http://donnakwilts.tripod.com/

The ultimate inspiration is the deadline!

"Sharon Harper" wrote in message
u...
Do you have a photo of that afghan? I'd love to see it - it sounds
wunnerful!

--
Sharon From Melbourne Australia (Qof DU)
http://www.geocities.com/shazrules/index.html
Member of the Houston 2004 Party Animals
"Donna in Idaho" wrote in message
news
I recently helped judge the needlework (including quilts) at our county
fair. My partner is the owner of one of our LQS's.

First off, I was very disappointed since I know that there are some
wonderful quilters in our area - not a one of them entered a quilt in
the
fair. No, I didn't look at the names before they were judged, but I did
afterwards!!

The bindings on many of the quilts were absolutely terrible. Some of
them
were unbelievably sloppy. I don't know whether people thought because
this
was 'just' a small county fair, it didn't make any difference, or if
they
really don't know how to bind a quilt. My partner kept saying over and
over
"they need to take my binding class."

The bindings were all sorts of widths (on the same quilt). Where the
two
ends met was some of the sloppiest work you've ever seen. Some of them
were
machine stitched, not neatly on the very edge of the binding, but
wandered
from the edge of the binding to the middle of the binding and back
again!

One lady was trying to stretch her backing fabric further than it would
stretch. We had planned to give her a blue ribbon until we turned the
quilt
over. The front was pieced well & the quilting was good. However, she
had
not cut the selvedge off the fabric she used for the backing which was
an
extremely dark green. All the way down one edge of the back of the
quilt,
running parallel with the binding was a white streak from the untrimmed
selvedge. If she would have pieced the backing, she would have gotten
that
blue ribbon!

Then there was the king sized crocheted bedspread - absolutely GORGEOUS!
Crocheted with the afghan stitch in ecru. Then the crocheter had used
what
was probably a counted cross-stitch pattern & stitched an absolutely
beautiful huge picture in the center of the bedspread. Flowers were
stitched all the way across the bottom of the bedspread - probably two
to
two and a half feet tall. A beautiful floral pattern was stitched on
the
top for the pillow return. Needless to say this bedspread received Best
of
Show in the needlework division! The kicker - a man made it. He also
entered another afghan that got a blue ribbon. I guess he has made a
bedspread for each of his grandkids. I cannot imagine how long it would
take to make one!

The moral to my story is - if you've made a really nice quilt - pieced
nicely and quilted nicely - don't ruin it with a sloppy binding! If you
don't know how to put a nice neat binding on, take a class or something!
--
Donna in Idaho!
Project Linus Boise/SW Idaho Coordinator
Website: http://donnakwilts.tripod.com/

The ultimate inspiration is the deadline!

Hullo Donna
Interesting! I always do try to make the back and bindings as well as I
can, but I never knew that judges take the back into account! a
salutary lesson.
However, I have recently seen a quilt entered into a large show which
didn't have any binding at all (not even a facing!!!). There was the
edge, with all the quilting lines running off it, and all the threads
still hanging there. Eeek! Please don't tell me this is the latest
modern trend?
To add to the effect - the fabric was black and the threads were white!
..
In article , Donna in Idaho
writes
I recently helped judge the needlework (including quilts) at our county
fair. My partner is the owner of one of our LQS's.

snipped

The moral to my story is - if you've made a really nice quilt - pieced
nicely and quilted nicely - don't ruin it with a sloppy binding! If you
don't know how to put a nice neat binding on, take a class or something!

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

There is a woman in our guild who enters a quilt every year. One year she
was very late with it, the next, it wasn't even finished and got a ribbon!
The next year she just never brought it, even tho she had filled out the
forms to enter it. Sigh.


--
LN in NH
a crazy quilter * hand quilter * & hand appliquér
all in all --- a very slow quilter.... So send quilts!
http://photos.yahoo.com/lns_obsessed

"Patti" wrote in message
...
Hullo Donna
Interesting! I always do try to make the back and bindings as well as I
can, but I never knew that judges take the back into account! a
salutary lesson.
However, I have recently seen a quilt entered into a large show which
didn't have any binding at all (not even a facing!!!). There was the
edge, with all the quilting lines running off it, and all the threads
still hanging there. Eeek! Please don't tell me this is the latest
modern trend?
To add to the effect - the fabric was black and the threads were white!

In article ,
"LN \(remove NOSPAM\)" wrote:

There is a woman in our guild who enters a quilt every year. One year she
was very late with it, the next, it wasn't even finished and got a ribbon!
The next year she just never brought it, even tho she had filled out the
forms to enter it. Sigh.

But did she win a ribbon then too?

marcella
well, you were wonder too, weren't you?

Not when she didn't bring it at all. LOL But she did get one when she
entered the unfinished quilt. Go figure.

--
LN in NH
a crazy quilter * hand quilter * & hand appliquér
all in all --- a very slow quilter.... So send quilts!
http://photos.yahoo.com/lns_obsessed

"Marcella Tracy Peek" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"LN \(remove NOSPAM\)" wrote:

There is a woman in our guild who enters a quilt every year. One year
she
was very late with it, the next, it wasn't even finished and got a
ribbon!
The next year she just never brought it, even tho she had filled out the
forms to enter it. Sigh.

But did she win a ribbon then too?

marcella
well, you were wonder too, weren't you?

I did see a quilt at a show one time that had won the top prize....and
apparenlty the
judges didn't notice one place ...about eye level yet!!!...that was marked
but
not quilted !!!....I happened to walk into the auditorium to meet some
online
chat friends of mine and right as you walked in the quilt was on display.
My friends
pointed out the unfinished part which some how had been missed. I'd
always thought
that judges went over entries with a fine tooth comb , so to speak, when
they
were down to the finalists. Mary

"LN (remove NOSPAM)" wrote in message
...
There is a woman in our guild who enters a quilt every year. One year she
was very late with it, the next, it wasn't even finished and got a ribbon!
The next year she just never brought it, even tho she had filled out the
forms to enter it. Sigh.


--
LN in NH
a crazy quilter * hand quilter * & hand appliquér
all in all --- a very slow quilter.... So send quilts!
http://photos.yahoo.com/lns_obsessed

"Patti" wrote in message
...
Hullo Donna
Interesting! I always do try to make the back and bindings as well as I
can, but I never knew that judges take the back into account! a
salutary lesson.
However, I have recently seen a quilt entered into a large show which
didn't have any binding at all (not even a facing!!!). There was the
edge, with all the quilting lines running off it, and all the threads
still hanging there. Eeek! Please don't tell me this is the latest
modern trend?
To add to the effect - the fabric was black and the threads were white!

The bindings on many of the quilts were absolutely terrible. Some of them
were unbelievably sloppy.

The most sorely neglected element of quilts in competition is the binding. As
a judge, I have seen time and again, an otherwise wonderfully crafted piece,
that was totally ruined by a poorly applied binding.

Word to the wise....pay as much attention to the finishing of your "labor of
love" as you do to the body of it. Your work deserves this attention.

Kathy





"Work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt....and dance
like no one's watching !"

Hullo Kathy
I don't suppose you would have time to give us a few pointers on how to
do a *good* binding, would you? I, for one, would be extremely
grateful. I think mine are all right, but since I've never managed to
extract any comments from judges, I really don't know.
..
In article , Kathy Riley
writes
The bindings on many of the quilts were absolutely terrible. Some of them
were unbelievably sloppy.

The most sorely neglected element of quilts in competition is the binding. As
a judge, I have seen time and again, an otherwise wonderfully crafted piece,
that was totally ruined by a poorly applied binding.

Word to the wise....pay as much attention to the finishing of your "labor of
love" as you do to the body of it. Your work deserves this attention.

Kathy





"Work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt....and dance
like no one's watching !"

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Long time no hear---unless I'm not getting your posts
Butterfly (good to see you again

Kathy Riley wrote:
The bindings on many of the quilts were absolutely terrible. Some of them
were unbelievably sloppy.


The most sorely neglected element of quilts in competition is the binding. As
a judge, I have seen time and again, an otherwise wonderfully crafted piece,
that was totally ruined by a poorly applied binding.

Word to the wise....pay as much attention to the finishing of your "labor of
love" as you do to the body of it. Your work deserves this attention.

Kathy





"Work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt....and dance
like no one's watching !"