What Do the Comments Say? See the Judging Results from AQS Paducah

One of the best parts of entering a judged quilt contest is receiving written feedback from the judges. As quilters, we work in a vacuum with little input from outside sources. It is sometimes hard to stretch yourself when you don’t have a way of getting an outside critique of your work.

Personal Thoughts on Quilt Judging

Judges’ comments can be beneficial, and a large part of why I share my remarks publicly is to decrease the mystery behind entering a judged show. Feedback can range from helpful to outright damaging, and I have been horrified by some comments I have read over the years. If you enter a show that provides judges’ comments, please remember to take them with a grain of salt.

If you want to read more of my thoughts on the judging process, please check out this post I wrote last year.

AQS Paducah 2024 Judges’ Feedback

This year, I entered one quilt into the AQS Paducah contest, which was accepted. 

Where We Connect is an unusual quilt because I did all of the needle turn appliqué and quilting before cutting a circle from the quilt, binding the edges of both the circle and the surround, rotating the circle, and re-inserting it into the main body of the quilt. Since I chose to use a facing on the quilt’s outer edges, the only binding is found in the center of the quilt rather than the edges. This technique is a contemporary reflection of the traditional potholder quilting technique.

Because of its unusual design, I entered it into the Small Wall Quilts—Quilter’s Choice category described as:

Width 30″ to 72″; Length 30″ to 72″. Quilts made for display on a wall, using any technique of your choice.

This category frequently becomes a catch-all for contestants who have entered quilts of similar techniques or styles in other categories. Still, my favorite entries in the category focus on an innovative technique or style. (Next year, I am excited that the Paducah contest will include a Fiber Art/Mixed media category that explicitly encourages the innovative use of fabric as the primary medium. You can see the rules for next year’s contests here.)

Where We Connect

Quilt Information

Measurements: 

44″ wide by 35″ long

Techniques: 

Hand Appliqué, Walking Foot Quilting

Description:

Two solid fabrics merge through semi-improvisational reverse appliqué to create the top for this quilt. Following the quilting process, a circular segment is removed, bound, rotated, and replaced to develop new connections.

AQS Judges’ Comments:

Best Feature(s):

Clever inset technique

Stitching is nicely done

Area(s) to Improve:

Would benefit from more quilting

More Judging Comments From Previous Shows

This is the second show Where We Connect has received comments from the judges. You can see the comments it received at QuiltCon 2023 here.

My Thoughts on the Judges’ Comments

The “Best Features” section is similar to the remarks I received at QuiltCon last year. Most of us recognize our strengths as quilters, and I know my needle turn appliqué technique is good, although it is always good to have it confirmed!

I don’t know if more quilting is needed. As a concept, the quilting was never intended to become the star of this piece. It was an intentional choice to keep the amount of quilting consistent on every appliquéd line regardless of its width. Was it the right choice? I don’t know. At the widest spacing, there is about 1-1/2″ unquilted. That is generally considered acceptable in most modern quilts, but that spacing isn’t always okay with more traditional quilt show judges.

Receiving feedback is always good because there is no other way to improve as a quilter. Feedback can come from judges’ comments, comments on social media posts, or input from quilting friends. Do I listen to that feedback? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t. Ultimately, the trickiest part of receiving feedback is determining what to do with it.