GSQA Show Entries

Today was the deadline to enter quilts into the Gulf States Quilting Association biennial show. So yesterday I entered three modern quilts. That's what I'm counting as my finish this week. Although I did get some sewing done, nothing is complete.

I planned to enter five quilts, which is the limit, but decided that two of the quilts are too large. I can't afford all of the costs of entering shows. The two large quilts are too heavy for standard mail and won't fit into the flat rate box with the quilts that are going.

Modern Scrap Sampler

I thought about this for a few minutes. I wanted to know, in general, the total cost of entering a quilt show.  This is what I came up with: 1) you need to be a member of the guild or association; 2) you pay the costs to enter the quilt(s) in the show. Of course, 3) you have to get the quilts there, so pay for shipping. No matter what, 4) you know you want the quilt(s) back, so pay for shipping again. All total, I will spend $80 to enter these three smallish quilts.

I may want to go to the show with my guild, that's more money for transportation, meals and shopping (maybe?) Add these in and I've hit $100 before I consider the question of shopping. I guess I know the answer to that question. :) Do you get to do much shopping at shows?

Now don't misunderstand me: I am president of our local guild and know how much everything costs. Even little prizes and treats add up quickly. So I get it, the guild is trying to raise money. The problem is that I'd really like to participate more in state, regional, and national events but, honestly, I can't afford it. Not being able to participate hurts my heart: there's a whole world of quilting out there. Oh, how I'd like to be a part of it somehow!

I'm open to suggestions for ways to be more involved without it costing more than, say, my monthly water bill. If you have any ideas, please pass them along in the comments.


I'm also adding this post to a few...

Link Ups!

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish It Up Friday)

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or Not Friday)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!) 

QuiltCon Results

"Reflections in Grey" photo by Stacy Burkhart Photography
taken at my house.  The quilt is hanging sideways here
because it's too long for the space.

I forgot that I'd promised to share the judges' responses from QuiltCon.  I guess it's time to do that.  They weren't so horrible, in fact, I knew some of the issues with the quilt before sending it and didn't really expect it to win any awards.  I wanted it submit it mostly to see whether I could get one into the show.  The nice part was talking to some of the attendees and getting feedback from them. 

So, what did the judges say?  The comments were not so difficult to read:

"Very ambitious quilt but doesn' feel "modern" to us."

"Thread tension across wole quilt is off which is unfortunate."

"The yellows are a nice touch, surprising and vibrant."

 

"Reflections in Grey" hanging (correctly) at QuiltCon.

Areas for Improvement includes checks in these areas.  The first sections are typed on the form, while the quoted phrases are written in.

 

Design

• Ineffective use of color  "gray-greens esp."
• Fabric choices detract from the design  "the prints seem unrelated to one another"

Workmanship

• Piecing is not accurate 



Goodness knows with whom I am talking.  Rich was able
to get one almost-decent photo of me in front of the quilt.

Quilting 

• Quilting does not complement the piecing
• Tension problems are evident
• Stitch length needs to be more consistent
• Thread choice is distracting "too dark"

There are two checks in Positive Attributes:

• Quilt is straight and lies flat
• Binding is well-executed.

So I'll leave it at this and let you mull it over. Respond if you feel that you can add something, positive or negative, it's okay now. 

Really, I've moved on and while I am a little disappointed that there were many, many more areas for improvement than positive attributes, I'll just accept that I'm not ready for serious competition.  I am, however, going to keep doing what I love--quilting for fun, for show, for family, for no reason at all!
Happy Quilting,
Mary

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: QuiltCon #4

Another set of photos from QuiltCon.  Since I took so many, I may never get to post them all.  I just hope that I remember which ones I've posted already and don't repost them. :-) 

 I'm sorry, even though I've cropped these photos down, the cropped version doesn't load.  I have no idea how to fix this problem.  Strangely enough, some of the cropped pictures do load.  I uploaded about ten pictures at one time.  Every one had been cropped.  Weird.

See, here's a cropped photo.  But then the next few are not cropped.  It's a little frustrating, especially since I spent time cropping and enhancing them.

 

 There should NOT be a light showing in any picture!  Now there's something else to figure out!

This zig zag quilt is one of two quilts that Angela Waters from Cut to Pieces had in the show.  She wrote about the judges comments and her feelings as a result on her blog.  You should go by for a visit when you get the chance.  She brings up some interesting points and, I have to admit that since I read that post, I've been thinking about my own comments on students' works.

I hope you enjoyed the show.  Many of the quilts in today's post are winners.  Not that I want to open the worm can on winners, judges and worthiness.  At least not today. 

Later I'll share my own judges' comments, but first I have to work up the nerve to open and read the letter.  I didn't realize that they were in the box with the returned quilt until I read the post on Cut to Pieces.  I'll get to that, I promise.

Happy Quilting,
Mary