Monday, August 7, 2017

The County Fair

Another week has flown by.


I've been helping my daughter reorganize
her 2nd grade classroom,
getting ready for my Florida daughter's visit,
and even had a bit of time for some sewing.

More hst's to trim.

****

The interesting part of my week was
being a quilt judge for the local county fair.


The day started early with
stacks of quilts waiting to be unfolded,
and having them shout, "look at me!"

"I want one of these."

Better yet,
"I want one of these!"


The fair guidelines try to make this a 
positive experience for everyone who enters.
All the quilts are accepted and hung.

The judges accentuate the positive and
provide feedback in areas where technical skills
 might need some improvements.

Even then, it's still a competition.
There are commonalities that can be critiqued,
are the blocks square,
are the borders straight,
are applique edges smooth,
is there even distribution of quilting,


  and don't forget about that binding.

It was a long day,
and I hope that the quilts that I looked at
and critiqued felt that it was done fairly.

It's a heavy responsibility as a judge to look at someone's
work and then making comments,
 and
it takes courage and confidence for the quiltmaker
to enter a quilt show, locally or not. 

 Hopefully, we all had 
a positive experience.


Until Next Time-
Kyle








 
 
 


21 comments:

  1. Judging is a huge responsibility. I've never been brave enough to enter a quilt in a fair nor show.

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  2. It sounds like you took your judging duties very seriously and I know that they benefited from your attention to detail. Unfortunately, not everyone comes away with a first prize ribbon but there is still the satisfaction of knowing that you tried. With all of the helpful feedback entrants can only help but improve for the next time around.

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  3. At least the quilts were in good hands--yours!
    That is a big job, but I am sure you handled it very well.

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  4. Kyle una semana muy intensa!!!
    ser juez es una gran responsabilidad.
    Pero es un honor participar y ver con que mimo se valoran los trabajos presentados
    ¡¡descansa!!y disfruta de tu hija

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  5. I was going to try and get my water-colored quilt done and put it in the fair this year. Then the more that I thought about it, the less I wanted to do it. I'm just a beginner . . . what was I thinking? LOL I am sure that you took your responsibilities very seriously, it would not be an easy job.
    Happy Quilting!
    Connie :)

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  6. Any time a quilt judge takes the time to leave constructive comments on improvement,it's a wonderful thing. If they can tell you why your quilt missed the mark, that's even better. I'm sure many of the entrants will benefit from your expertise if they heed your advice that is!

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  7. Oh Kyle that first photo :) LOL...

    I would find it quite hard to judge / I can imagine how hard it must have been, but you are a very experienced and talented quilter and cut out for the job :)

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  8. We're going to try and go to the state fair this year. So fun to see all the quilts, and you got to REALLY see them!
    Have a great week.

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  9. I'm sure you were a fair and honest judge and that they were happy to have you! Love the vintage photo. Wow, you have a lot of hsts to trim :)

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  10. What a difficult job to judge quilts! I can imagine you would love to give them all a first place, just because there is so much love and devotion in every one of them!

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  11. OH, good for you! I did it once and it is a difficult task at best. I'm sure there will be some happy quilters at the end of the fair.

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  12. I learned so much over the years by entering quilts in the fair and also by assisting the judges. The County Fair is a wonderful event. Thank you for your work, Kyle.

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  13. With all your lovely works & expertise, the County Fair was fortunate to have you as part of the judging. How nice that comments, both positive and also constructive were a part of the program.

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  14. Love the old photo and cartoon you began and ended your post with. There's always something unexpected when I read your blog.

    Looks like you had lots of choice to award the ribbons to.

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  15. I bet it was interesting to see all the quilts up close. I'm trying to place the project those hst's could be for and I'm coming up blank. Something new?? :0)

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  16. I've been invited to judge a couple of times a local county fair and it IS hard work. It's a big responsibility so I know how you feel. I'm sure you were thoughtful and fair. I loved the photos and cartoon. You are so clever with your posts!

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  17. Although a difficult task, the Fair was fortunate to have you as one of the Quilt Judges.
    As always, I love all the wonderful pictures you've shared in this post.

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  18. Sounds like quite and experience Kyle! Sadly, our county fair has a dismal showing in the quilt department each year. It might have something to do with the tiny tiny cash awards given for ribbons - like $1-$2. I have heard that some fairs recruit sponsors (local quilt shops) to up the amount of money ($50-$100) to be won and that really helps with the participation. What does your county do?

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  19. I've considered judging at the fair, how did you get into it? I'm sure you were fair and impartial and encouraging. That is my goal with all quilters - to encourage and inspire.
    I'm entering in my first fair this year so I'll be interested to see how it all goes.

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  20. Scrollin down Bloglovin's posts, I knew it had to be a "Kyle" post as soon as I spied the black and white picture.
    I have never done quilt judging but have helped during the process. I would want to give everyone a ribbon.

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  21. I'm not sure that zip line ride would pass safety standards for a fair these days--lol! The judging must have been a heavy responsibility, but it's great that every quilt is hung for viewing.

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