Judging – My thoughts and my latest judging comments
After another competition quilter revealed her judging comments last week, it got me thinking. I have a well-reasoned opinion on judging, for me. These are my thoughts about my quilts being judged. I think they might be useful, or at least entertaining for you.
I don’t have a lot of interesting photos about judging, so I am going to include photos of my yard this spring😊
Let me set the stage:
– I like to have a quilt hanging in the show if I am teaching there.
– I actually don’t care that much about ribbons. Really. I don’t even have any hanging in my studio (not even the Runner Up, Best of Show ribbon for Pacific Int’l Quilt Festival!).
– I am almost 100% correct in my assessment of whether my quilt will jury in.
– I know I am not up for a ribbon in any major show. Maybe, maybe with a future quilt, a low hanging ribbon. Nothing I have now is a ribbon winner. I know this.
– I do like to have my quilts judged. Rarely are their comments a surprise.
– Quilts that ribbon now have far more work in them than I am willing to put in. Their ribbons are well deserved.
The way all this works in major shows, a mere handful of quilts ribbon. The rest of the quilts fill out the show and make it a delight to the eye. I am going to call the non-ribbon quilts “filler”. I do not mean that in any disrespectful way. My quilts are filler.
So, I pay my fee, pay to have it shipped and back and don’t expect a ribbon. My desire is to show the beauty of what I create with the rest of the world. We as quilters have the privilege of giving joy to others by showing the fruit of our hands. And that is why I show.
And I have some very interesting judging history. The first time I was judged, it was for a Wearable Art challenge at my local guild. At that time, we had 4 BERNINA Designers, a very prestigious honor, the best of the best. I was blissfully unaware of how that might affect my entry. I made this jacket. I was so proud. Needle felting machines had just come out and I felted all that awful yarn onto my jacket. It was very well constructed and finished.
And butt ugly.
But I didn’t know that at the time. The judge made very sure I did. Her comments were extremely harsh and unforgiving. She all but told me to find a new hobby. She just ground me to dirt. I cried for a short time and then realized that her comments, although unnecessarily harsh, were true. I learned a lot from that experience.
Since that time, I don’t think I’ve ever been totally surprised by the judge’s comments. Some shows give more feedback than others. I don’t fault shows that give less feedback, it’s the decision of the organizers. The Houston show gives a lot of feedback which I appreciate. All (?) judges give at least one positive comment and one “needs improvement” type of comment.
Judges have a tough road. They usually get 3 minutes a quilt! In that short span of time, they have to assess quality, design, color, and skill. They may not always get it right. If your quilt is up for a ribbon, more time is taken so that they can decide who ribbons and what place they get. I don’t envy the judges trying to make these decisions.
My latest quilt to be judged was Much in Common at Paducah. My category there was ridiculously rich with insane talent. It was a no-brainer: I was not going ribbon. By the same token though, my quilt definitely deserved to jury in. Here are the comments:
Although comments will not be a surprise, it can be enlightening what the judges chose to comment on. As you can see, it was a top-notch group of judges, every one for whom I have deep respect: Susan Cleveland, Sue Nickels and Ricky Tims.
Here is where my “Judging Philosophy” comes in. When I get comments back, I have a decision to make: do I care?
Here’s the deal. There are some legitimate things that judges might comment on that I am just not going to fix. For me, edge treatments that take 2 months, nearly perfect stitch length across the quilt – these are things that would suck the joy right out of quilting for me.
In some cases, I chose not to change. How do I feel about the backtracking issue mentioned by the judges? That comment was well taken on my part.
I really didn’t notice how much the backtracking showed in some parts of the quilt. Yeah, I’ll fix that next time. In this case, I will change. But if I need to have even stitch length throughout the entire quilt? Nope. Life’s too short for that.
So there you go – you get to see my spring yard and my thoughts on judging. This is just my overview of judging. There is so much more to judging than what I’ve written here. If you really want to know more, assist in judging at your local quilt show or sit in on a public judging like sometimes happens at County Fairs and the like.
No matter what, I am the Quilt Skipper and I skip because quilting gives me joy. If it doesn’t give joy, I’m out.
I’ll share at:
Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday
and
Finished or Not Friday.
This is right on for me.
Insane amount of work on ribbon winners. Well said.
I FMQ and will not agonize too much over exact size.
Fun,joy,dance are my feelings also, regarding my quilting.
Oh goodie! Glad you are having fun Pamela!
Great article. Great inspiration for me to keep quilting because I love it and I like my own finished product (most of the time). You are brave to put them in to be judged. 💕
It is a joy to share with others. And yes, it’s wonderful to finish your own quilts!
I love what you wrote Jenny and I feel pretty much the same about why I enter my work in shows. I don’t have 3 months to a year to spend working on one quilt!
Yes, everyone just needs to pursue what they enjoy and makes them happy. And your quilts ribbon without a 3 month commitment!
Great comments on judging and very close to what I think when I send a quilt up for a show. I do, however, care about the ribbons, but not the the extent that it makes me terribly upset if I don’t get one. I care about making the vision in my head come out as close to what I wanted as possible. Right now, I don’t have a quilt suitable for upcoming shows. Often I get a few hours of feeling a little down if I get difficult judge’s comments and then it goes away and I can reasonably look at their comments to gain what I can from them both positive and negative and ignore the rest. I would not want to be a judge. I totally respect the job they have to do. I totally love the pictures from your yard!!! Hugs.
Yes, it is briefly upsetting if you feel like a quilt should receive some kind of ribbon. You have such a wonderful attitude – gain from the comments and the rest….poof, gone! Yeah, I would love to jury but judging takes courage. Hugs to you!
I like your thoughts on judging.
When I saw the comment sheet, my first thought was whoever wrote it needs to learn how to spell.
I noticed that too. The judges have a scribe and they have to move fast also. I do think a lot of people misspell that word.
Spelling errors always jump out at me, 3 on that comment sheet. I spent many years in businesses where proof reading was essential.
I write about 1,000 words a week and try to get it right. I do my own editing and I’m sure good editors catch my errors frequently! Being a good proof reader is a great asset.
Thanks Jenny for your comments.I have been disappointed a few times when I put my best work out there and get nothing.
I do carefully think about where to enter and what category.
I just had a class with Andrea Brokenshire. Great teacher. Her philosophy is do what you have to. So there you go, am I willing to do that much work? Would that take the pleasure out of it for me? My ribbons are in a shoe box btw.
Ah, another shoe box ribboner! I would love to take Andrea’s class, lucky you. Yup, do what you have to. I’ll go to the ends of the earth for what is important. The key is what’s “important”.
I have never entered a quilt in a show. Quilting brings me joy and I don’t want to have my bubble burst! I guess it’s because I like to make quilts to be used, not hung on a wall. I’m not thin-skinned, I’m also a writer and relish criticism of my work.
I have followed quilt shows for years and it seems to me that complexity is what tends to win these days. Complexity does take skill, but does not necessarily correlate with beauty, which I believe is paramount.
So it appears to me that there is an undercurrent of controversy in the quilt world right now about that very thing. Is a complex quilt from a pattern more likely to ribbon than a simpler but original piece? A point to ponder. And yes, joy is what it’s all about!
I agree. It seems as if there is a shift toward complexity vs. strong design / beauty, though the big awards almost always have both.
Love your yard, Jenny. Looks great!
THank you Corrie!
Remember a few years back, when it seemed like every show quilt needed 4,637 Swarovski crystals, and the number of crystals were on every statement? If the quilt is a poor design, all the crystals in the world are not going to improve it. And sometimes all that sparkly stuff detracts from the message of the quilt. The most effective use of crystals is…sparingly. Likewise, over the top quilting can take away from the other elements of design in the quilt. If one element is shouting, it can overpower everything else.
I did not appreciate all those crystals either, some even put them on the back. What is “over quilted” is in the eye of the beholder. Certainly there is more quilting now than in years past. I think too it depends on the end use. If it is a bed quilt, I would hold back on the quilting.
We are like-minded on judging — no surprise. I really like to be “part of the party.” my most recent “party” excitement was having a piece at PIQF — loved being one of the “fillers”! And your yard — oh my goodness! Thanks for sharing your pics.
Yes Jan, being a filler is a privilege and good for you to be in PIQF! Your work is original and extraordinary, purely Jan, and needs to be shown to the quilting world.
Thank you for permission not to have stitches perfect. Recently I borrowed my friend’s Stitch Regulator to see if it would improve my quilting. I did a sandwich with half done in free motion and half doe with the BSR. There was no noticeable difference, especially from 5 feet away. I saved myself a bunch of money.
Well isn’t that cool – you have gotten to where your stitches are so even you don’t need the BSR! Brava! Yes, you did save some money!
I quilt for the joy it brings me. When I have entered our local show, I have won ribbons, even best of show once. I can say the comments are welcome …corners are not square, great color choice, I know mostly what the note might say. The thing is, judging is mostly subjective, so depends on the judge you get.
Quilt for the pleasure , love it, give it away and make another!
I envy your beautiful flowers and plantings. Here in our part of Canada, leaves have just shown, and yesterday it hail/ sleeted….brrr. I enjoy your blog. I also noticed the spelling in the judging comments.
I do enjoy the weather here and the beauty it brings to my yard. I grew up in north central Illinois so I do remember the long winters and the snow and sleet that can make an unexpected visit in May! I hope you thaw out soon and enjoy your own version of beauty!
I am a Certified Canadian Quilt Judge since 2009. It is a very cerebral activity judging a show. I always make certain that my critiques are written in very kind, positive language. We all pour our hearts and souls into our quilts and all deserve respect. Sometimes the quilt is so amazing it is difficult to find anything to say to possibly improve it! Quilters just keep becoming more talented all the time! My motto is, ‘ Be Kind’ as I want to add value, but in the nicest way possible.
What a lovely note Wanda – I want you to judge all my quilts! What a blessing you are to anyone who has their quilt judged by you. I do know it’s a tough job. Yes, Be Kind!
I agree with you completely in that the amount of work that goes into the ribbon winners is just way beyond what I’m interested in doing. I appreciate seeing those quilts up close at the shows, and seeing that SOMEONE has the patience and energy to create things like that is cool, but it’s just not what I personally want to aspire to. As much as I may nitpick over each and every triangle point, I’m still primarily drawn to making quilts that are functional as bed coverings, so I’m never going to be spending hours with thousands of crystals or quilting anything so extensively that it defeats the loft and warmth of my batting. At least that’s how I feel about it today. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future! ;-). The thready buildup on backtracking comment you got was kind of a head scratcher, though, because isn’t that more of a personal aesthetic thing? I know that in Karlee Porter’s graffiti FMQ, she is deliberately using thready buildup in backtracked areas to create an effect and that’s how I look at your backtracking, too. There’s definitely a tradition of heirloom machine quilting where backtracking is supposed to be as invisible as possible, but that’s not at all the style of what you create.
You do indeed have the right to change your mind! Your journey make take you on some magical path that leads you to award winning quilts! In defense of the backtracking comment, in Karlee’s work it makes sense. On my daisies, some petals had 2 passes, some one and it was a bit distracting. That quilt will win no ribbons but I do love it!
Seeing what wins at the big shows, I tend to think there is too much emphasis on technique and craft (these are important of course) and very little attention to design. Some pretty trite, static imagery gets rewarded because of the incredible technical skill of the quilter. I’d like to see more balance in this regard.
YES!! Some of the paper piecing from a pattern seems to trump well executed original design. But I have learned – sometimes when I find myself questioning the judge’s decisions, I later see that quilt and realize that there is more there than I saw in a photo. I do think the current trend is to reward technique and I too would like to see a better balance between rewarding expert technique vs expert original design.
We do believe that quilting is “not competitive a sport” ; thus we choose not to have our work judged when entering it in a show .
Great! It’s a very personal decision and we all want do what gives us joy.
Belatedly catching up on my blog reading, and enjoyed this. I particularly chuckled when I read the comments from those illustrious and well-known judges. I didn’t know that you could quilt a “boarder” (someone who pays for room and board)… ;-) I bet he/she would put up a fight! ;-) And yes…other spelling challenges…but given how little time they have to make their remarks, it’s probably not surprising. I don’t envy them, either! I still think your work is *exquisite*!
Well thank you on many counts Margaret! I didn’t want to make a big deal out of the misspelling. I am surprised at how many misspell that word!
I know…but my Grade 7 English teacher would haunt me if I weren’t a vigilant representer of good grammar and spelling! LOL!
Oh agree! I try to write/speak the King’s English unless I deliberately break the rules on purpose for emphasis. And there are times when my online Editor corrects something I’ve been doing wrong all my life – and I cringe.
I found you’re thoughts on judging enlightening Jenny. :) I enjoy exhibiting my quilts and am interested in the judge’s comments, but I too am not always as concerned about the techniques that judges tend to focus on. That being said, I have corrected a number of items pointed out by judges if they are important to me. I agree that it would be lovely if the judging process could strike a balance between rewarding expert technique vs expert original design.
Jenny, thank you so much for these comments. They were taken to heart and I will remember them as I am often myself too hard before the judges even get their opportunity! However, I just returned from Paducah having attended for the first time, and my mind was blown by the scope of beauty each quilt had! It was inspiring and no picture represents the quilts after having seen them in person. I can not imagine being a judge there.
I agree Pam – this year’s Paducah was ridiculously rich with talent! I spoke with one of the judges who remarked that some categories were packed with talent, making the judging very difficult. I’m glad you found my comments encouraging!
One more thought on this topic, after reading your follow up post and then coming back here to read all of the (public) comments. Do you know, and if so could you possibly share in a future post, what is the criteria for becoming a certified quilt judge? I have a feeling that’s where this tendency to overlook original design merit in favor of technical complexity is coming from. If quilt judging required credentials in both Art/Design as well as in the technical craft of quiltmaking, we might see different quilts winning those top awards. QuiltCon is the one show I know of that explicitly states a preference for original designs versus quilts made from patterns, and plenty of quilters get miffed about that — but it does ensure that you don’t see the exact same quilts ribboning at QuiltCon that you do at the other major shows.
Good point and good suggestion. I do think that NCQC is less about original design and more about technique. QuiltCon definitely is appreciative of original design. Gotta say though, QuiltCon delivers more head scratching as to ribbons, non-ribbons and who juries in. I find it downright bizarre sometimes. In 2017 there were 3 quilts, improv, obviously by the same maker, using the same fabric and colors as well the exact same aesthetic. And in one category a barely quilted, totally sloppy hanging quilt with nothing particularly exciting about it ribboned.
Love your philosophy!! (And also all those gorgeous flowers… where do you find the time to quilt? You must be out in the garden all the time…)
Oh I just plan and buy the flowers, dead head them. I have a wonderful landscaper who maintains everything. And yes, we have to have the right attitude about judging!