So many of you have told me how one of your quilts got very different results and reactions in different shows. The question is, if it is just down the personal choice, style preference etc, when you loose, what is it when you win?!!!
Straight on top of my mixed results at Birmingham Festival of Quilts, I entered 2 of my quilts (you've seen them both before) at The Great Northern Quilt Show in the UK.
.JPG "Cosmic Split")
Cosmic Split won a judges' choice ribbon in the Large Wall Hanging category. I am really please because I love this quilt. I feel it is so dramatic, I can't imagine how I am every going to make a better quilt.
Square Spiral won the Amateur Whole Cloth Category - as in came first!!
In many of the quilt shows in the UK, as well as all the categories that you can enter, there are technical prizes that the judges can award to any quilt in any category. (Is it the same in other countries?)
You won't be surprised to learn that the one I covert is the one for machine quilting. In every show I've entered so far (all 4 of them!) that prize has been won by a professional long arm quilter (and yes there is a separate prize for long arm quilting, but I suppose quilting on a long arm is also technically machine quilting so they get that one too).
Don't get me wrong, the winning quilts are spectacular, but I just don't feel as an amateur on a domestic I can compete with a professional doing a huge bed quilt on a long arm. So I was thrilled to find a category for amateurs - and even more thrilled to win it! (Didn't get the overall one for machine quilting though - that one is still to aim for).
And now for something that you haven't seen before.
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| Getting to the Point - FMQ Cameo 40 |
This is another of my castellated designs (as is 'That is the question' or All Aflame). This is such a useful technique as it allows you to flip the motif on it's head and frames it nicely at the same time. I've called it 'Getting to the point' but I also see a ship being launched. I love the shape created by superimposing the 2 versions of the motif, one tall and skinny, the other fatter and squatter. It doesn't really matter which you do first, but I always start with the tall and skinny. Bit like me really - started life tall and skinny and ended fatter and squatter!
Thanks for visiting
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.
Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/
Linky Tuesday at Free motion by the river @ http://www.conniekresin.com/
Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/
Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/
Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk
WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced @ http://www.freshlypieced.com/
WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/
WIP Wednesday at TN + TN @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca
I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/
Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/
Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/
Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/
Lizzie Lenard @ http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk 
I really like the work of cosmic wonderful pleasure for me to congratulate you on the success you have found your blog in a large virtual world
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the Square Spiral, it's such an amazing work! Do you teach how to do this?
ReplyDeleteI really love your gold quilt. It is just so striking.
ReplyDeleteThe AQS shows in the United States have a "Best Machine Worksmanship" award that can go to a longarm or domestic machine. I've seen them won a number of times by domestic machine quilters. Don't give up!
It's really inspiring to see such amazing free motion quilting done on a domestic machine. Breath taking!
ReplyDeletecongratulations! Both quilts are exquisite!
ReplyDeleteHilary, your quilting is amazing! I love Cosmic Split -- I agree that it is dramatic and thoroughly wonderful. Congratulations on the awards!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations with both quilts. I really do not know which one I love the most. They are both so beautiful and so uniwue quilted. I am amazed. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteLove from Amsterdam
congratulations! They are both unique and beautiful! I don't know how the judges work but if they can't tell the difference between longarm and domestic, that is not quite right. I hope mines are as good as yours...
ReplyDeleteWow! The castellated design on the blue is fantastic, and your whole cloth quilt just blows my mind. It's amazing and you deserved the win! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on both awards, certainly well deserved!
ReplyDeleteWow, such amazing work. I love the new Getting to the Point design
ReplyDeleteI love Cosmic Split! This type of bold, split design has been on my brain lately and this quilt caught my eye immediately. Did you paint the center section or is that gold fabric?
ReplyDeleteAs for shows and winning ribbons, I completely see this as arbitrary as winning the lottery. I've had quilts win an Honorable Mention, then go on to win Best Machine Quilting - it just depends on the judges and their opinion and attitude that day. Don't take it personally when you don't win (yeah, easier said than done), but keep showing and sharing. The point is for your quilt to be SEEN because it's so beautiful and inspiring!
It's the same when you win as when you lose. Although workmanship and design can be objective......a 1/4" stitch is a 14" stitch. When it comes to the subjective things like beauty, and what they're drawn too, a judge's personal feelings will fall into the mix. That's why shows should try to mix up their judges from year to year. As for long arm vs domestic. I believe they should be different categories. I feel the same way about software guided machine quilting (long arm and domestic) vs hand guided machine quilting. I think machine quilting categories are expanding faster than shows can keep up. Some shows simply aren't big enough to offer prizes for a lot of different categories or have the number of entries to warrant different categories, so they combine them in one. I think you'l see this change over the next few years. In the meantime, enjoy your wins. You've worked hard for them. I hope you'll keep trying to enter different shows and put your work out there for people to see it. It's too good to keep to yourself.
ReplyDeleteOh dear....that's the longest comment I've even left...anywhere...and I still forgot something. Your new quilting design is inspired. I love how you keep coming up with new ones.
ReplyDelete