While thinking about what to blog about after all the QuiltCon posts, today I received my quilts back from QuiltCon. So here's the epilogue with judges' notes. I've only seen one other blogger's post about their judges' comments, but I found it very interesting so I hope more people will share. If you know of any out there, post a link in the comments.
Firstly, the quilts were very nicely packed and included the commemorative program from the International Quilt Festival in Houston. Las Ventanas went straight from Houston to Austin, so this is the first I've seen of the program. It's really lovely to see your name there!
Secondly, they arrived with the information cards they were displayed with. Nice to keep in my files. There was also a note about future calls for quilts. Quilts juried into the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at Houston this year will also be automatically juried into next year's QuiltCon (just as last year). Also, entries for QuiltCon Pasadena next year will open July1st and they will likely be adding some new categories and based on feedback, tweaking parts of the judging process.
So, what about the judges' comments? I was interested to read them. They were very constructive, but also encouraging and detailed. I think this was the most useful feedback I've ever gotten and spot on except for one thing which I'll mention below. I"ll show the photos that were used for quilt submission along with the comments.
Here are the Judging Considerations (straight from the comment sheet):
Design
- elements of modern aesthetic
- visual impact
- use of balance
- use of color
- use of contrast/value
- fabric choices
- innovation/creativity
Workmanship:
- overall construction
- piecing
- binding
Quilting:
- execution
- thread choice
- complements the piecing/applique design
Category Specific- Use of Negative Space:
- innovation/creativity
Category Specific- Improvisation:
- innovation/creativity
- execution
Love in the Digital Age
Category: Use of Negative Space- Quilt design incorporates a creative or significant use of negative space which is integrated into and/or organizes the composition of the quilt.
Comments:
- wide variety of white and beige fabrics give texture to background
- good use of negative space
- nice variety in red tones, well placed
- well-titled piece (This is my favorite comment. Chloe would love that since she came up with the title!)
The Power of Three
Category: Piecing- Quilts that are machine pieced and reflect a particularly strong or innovative use of piecing.
Comments:
- great graphic design that makes use of variety of character and shape as well as play on scale and texture
- direction of points lead eye through the quilt in a fun way
- excellent binding choice
- design decision for how to quilt relates to and supports pieced design, however, it could have been executed better with lighter thread choices and better travel (I totally agree)
- shadowing of red fabric is distracting (also agree on this- and guess what, I now press most of my seams open for this very reason)
Las Ventanas
Category: Improvisation- Quilt is pieced improvisationally (without the use of a defined pattern or templates)
Comments:
- fabrics are very interesting
- good use of color
- good exploration of a theme
- quilting design is effective
- thread color is distracting (This is the one I find curious, as I've had numerous people tell me that they liked the variety in thread for the quilting. I have a feeling this is pretty subjective.)
Well, that's it for now. New work coming up soon!