What the Judge 👩🏼‍⚖️ Said, 2023

We just had our county fair, August 7th through August 13th! Having grown up in 4-H, I still get the urge to enter my projects when fair time rolls around!!! 🎡

This year I entered 7 quilts and 1 crocheted item. It was the same judge as last year, who had a lot of comments. The judge has scribes that do the writing for her. Below I list the category it was entered in, the ribbon it received, the judge's comments in quotes, and my response below that. We don't get to talk with the judge personally and we don't see the comments until we pick up our items at the end of the fair and take them home.

I'll start with my crocheted selvage rug--although it's crocheted, it's made from selvages I cut off of my quilt fabrics all year round! ⤵️ Here it is in a display case, folded into fourths. The finished size is 24" x 41".

1. Rugs--Crocheted: Award of Excellence & Blue Ribbon/1st Place--"Very pretty--great use of those selvage edges. Corners may need an extra stitch to keep from curling."

The judge said the same thing last year--add another stitch in the corners, so I did. I also steam pressed the corners beforehand, but those corners just have a natural curl to them.

Here's a tutorial on how I make these rugs: Crocheted Selvage Rug. Each August I finish up one for the county fair and then start one for the next year. I work on it a few rows at a time, as the fabric has no "give", like yarn does, and it can make the hands sore very quickly. I always have one finished by the time the fair rolls around again!

2. Large Bed Quilt, 60" x 80" or larger,  Pieced, Machine Quilted by Entrant: Red Ribbon/2nd Place--"Good placement of fabric colors. Exemplary piecing. Curved quilting is good for geometric blocks. Well done binding. Long seams, borders well done."

This is my Chilhowie quilt, the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. A red ribbon is 2nd place and means some improvement is needed. But I didn't get that vibe from the comments. I'm not sure why this quilt got a red, other than it's one of the largest categories in the fair and she ran out of her blue ribbon quota.

3. Scrap Quilt, 60" x 80" or larger, Pieced, Appliquéd or Mixed, Using at Least 40 Different Fabrics, Machine or Hand Quilted by Entrant: Red Ribbon/2nd Place--"Variegated quilting thread enhances polychromatic piece. Piecing is well done. Excellent binding. Variety of fabrics is interesting and fun to explore."

This is the first and largest of 7 Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts I finished in January. Not sure why I got a red ribbon here, either--all positive comments.

4. Quilt less than 60" x 80", Machine Quilted by Entrant: Award of Excellence & Blue Ribbon/1st Place--"Floating triangles & directions add interest. Precise piecing at intersections. Curved quilting pattern is nice contrast to angular blocks. Well done binding." 

This is my Katrina quilt that I made from GE Designs' virtual class. I wasn't too crazy about the off-white background when I finished--I think the white background on my Zoe quilt, made from the same blue fabrics, looks better so it's interesting that I got a super ribbon on this one!

5. Wall Quilt, (249" or less perimeter) Pieced, Machine Quilted by Entrant: Blue Ribbon/1st Place--"Striking bright piece! Quilting motif well done, enhances entire top design. Excellent binding. Yellow flower centers add unity."

I made this during the Strip Twist SAL, hosted by GE Designs--this is Strip Twist, version 2.0. 

6. Wall Quilt, (249" or less perimeter) Appliqué, Machine Quilted by Entrant: Blue Ribbon/1st Place--"Nice variety of fabrics. Most blocks have good contrast. Match stick quilting adds texture. Binding fabric direction could be more straight. Makes piece appear distorted. Binding well done."

This is my Lucy Boston summer homework that I finished last December. There is a change in the binding print where it's pieced together, but it's not noticeable to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

7. Wall Quilt, (249" or less perimeter) Mixed Techniques (pieced and appliquéd) Hand or Machine Quilted by Entrant: Blue Ribbon/1st Place--"Very "tasty" looking piece. Fun and appropriate fabric. Beading is secure and adds texture. Piece is somewhat off square. Tension issues noted on back. Excellent binding."

This is my Ice Cream Cone Summer Homework quilt. Here's the back, where the judge mentioned the tension:

8. Table Runner or Two Placemats: Red Ribbon/2nd Place--"Excellent piecing. Strive to reduce some bulk in block intersections. Quilting design adds movement. Excellent binding." 

I made this table runner and another just like it from my leftover Zoe Quilt blocks. It's the same blue sashiko prints as my Katrina quilt, number 4 above, with a white background, rather than the off-white prints. I do like the white background better! I quilt all my table runners very dense so that bulky seams are not an issue when placing things on top of it, like a vase of flowers.

I received 2 Award of Excellence ribbons, 5 Blue/First Place ribbons and 3 Red/Second Place ribbons this year. The three that I thought were my best all got Red/Second place! It's based on one person's opinions, and she is rather busy and rushed with so many quilts to judge! My premium check was $29.

Now, here are a few photos of the quilts at our county fair this year:

I thought this crib quilt was especially sweet!!! ⤵️

Here are the two Grand Champion quilts, chosen from all the quilts. One is from the 18-64 year old class and one is from the 65 and over class.  ⤵️

The two Reserve Champion quilts are on the bottom shelves of these showcases. ⤵️

My niece, Gretchen, entered one of the loom knit hats she makes and was thrilled to receive an Award of Excellence ribbon!!!  ⤵️ She has knit 1200+ hats since the start of the pandemic! Gretchen's hats mainly go to Jack's Basket, where babies with Down Syndrome are celebrated. 

That wraps up the county fair for this year! We enjoyed going through many of the buildings--crafts, photography, foods, woodworking, 4-H, rabbits, goats, and the county parks building, as well as had some fun fair food! Are you attending a fair this summer? Are you entering your quilts?

Grace and peace!!! ~Nancy

Check out all the quilt inspiration at: Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF, Finished Or Not Friday, Peacock Party, Off the Wall Friday, From Bolt To Beauty, Patchwork & Quilts, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, Monday This N That.