How to Create an Award Winning Quilt

Have you wondered why some quilts win awards and others don't? Why quilts that appear beautiful to the average person are virtually unnoticed by the judges? What makes an award winning quilt?

The answer to those questions is not simple. To begin, we need to look at the process of judging. The judges are properly trained professionals, certified in quilt judging. There are many factors involved in the decisions they make when judging quilts. They decide which quilts are award winning by one of two methods, the Point System, and the Elimination System.

The Point system uses a set of point values that must be considered for specific areas of design and construction. A quilt's overall appearance, its use of color, its design and quality of quilting stitch, and its borders are some areas that are given point values. With this method, quilts are judged on their own merits. However, there are drawbacks to this method. For instance, if a quilt has no borders, it automatically will lose points. Quiltmakers are thereby penalized, even though the design of the quilt does not call for borders. The number of points a quilt has earned when this system is used determines the award winning quilts, as well as the order of the ribbon awards.

The other judging system, called the Elimination System relies on forms that must be filled out by individual judges, one form from each judge per quilt. This system is more beneficial to the quiltmaker, as it allows the judges to make specific comments regarding his/her quilt. After evaluating a quilt, it is then either held or released from competition. Each held quilt is then reevaluated, compared to other like quilts, and ribbons are awarded, based on this comparison.

a blue ribbon winner?

Credit: Linda Pastin

Copyright: Linda Pastin