My local quilt guild, Desert Quilters of Nevada. recently held their 28th annual show of Quilt Las Vegas. I’ve been entering off and on over the years since the early 2000’s and it’s still exciting to participate after all these years.
Desert Quilters of Nevada quilted banner made by past president Karen Garth
The competition is always fierce, and the judging is always performed by a certified judge. Even after all these years of entering this show, it’s still thrilling whenever one of my quilts wins a ribbon and I love the feedback provided by the judge.
Below are my entries from the show along with the judge’s comments, plus several more that caught my eye. I’m so happy to see that more and more members are making modern quilts, and especially that more are being accepted into non-modern categories. Enjoy the virtual show!
Diamond in the Rough, made in 2016. 2nd place, Modern category.
Originally patterned in QuiltCon magazine 2017, it hung in QuiltCon last year and also received an honorable mention in the modern category at UQSM quilt show in 2017.
Judge’s comments for Diamond in the Rough
- Repetition of shape unifies design while variations provide interest.
- Very graphic presentation.
- Very good piecing.
- Quilting designs are well-chosen for their areas.
- Good machine quilting technique.
- Slight imbalance in tension noted with red thread. Continue to strive for accurate retracing.
- Bit of red in binding was a good choice.
- Binding is good.
Positive Direction, made in 2016. 2nd place, Holiday category.
Originally patterned in one size in Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine.
Updated pattern now includes 4 sizes, available as print pattern or PDF download.
Judge’s comments for Positive Direction
- Good interplay between quilt top design and quilting design.
- Very good accuracy in piecing.
- Good machine quilting technique.
- Strive for more accuracy in retracing bubbles.
- Binding is well done.
Scrap Happy, made in 2017. 2nd place, Pieced – One Person category
Cover quilt + patterned in American Patchwork and Quilting magazine, October 2017.
I recently gifted this quilt to my son to take with him to college.
Machine Quilting Detail on Scrap Happy
Judge’s comments for Scrap Happy
- Good definition between figure and ground.
- Good machine piecing.
- Colors are well balanced across quilt top.
- Quilting designs further enhance definition between figure and ground.
- Continue to strive for consistent stitch length in machine quilting.
- Pieced binding enhances scrappy feel. Corners should be square.
I always mention to my students when teaching machine quilting not to stress too much about consistent stitch length when making their quilts. Yes, judges notice my “imperfections” in my quilts, but they still like them enough to award them ribbons, and I love making them without stressing about creating perfect stitches!
Other Gorgeous Quilts
Autumn Leaf by Vicki Ruebel of Orchid Owl Quilts
1st Place Pieced – One Person category and best machine quilting.
Vicki is a great friend and amazing quilter. We encourage each to other enter lots of quilt shows and I don’t even mind that she usually beats me every time, LOL!!
I love our friendly competition because it always pushes me to be a better quilter. Incidentally, her quilt was also patterned in the same issue of American Patchwork and quilting that has Scrap Happy on the cover. There’s even a bonus article on how she quilted it!
The Big Pickle, also by Vicki Ruebel. 1st Place, Modern
Yep, this one beat mine in the modern category, but isn’t it fabulous? This quilt nabs an award at each show it is entered, and deservedly so!
Corn Flowers by Cory Allender and her Instagram quilting bee.
2nd place, collaboration/group quilt.
Design source: Blossom Heart Quilts Beehive
I love the quilting on this quilt. Cory is an amazing award winning longarm quilter and she’s nailed both the modern and traditional aesthetic.
Diamond Rings by Karen Garth, Honorable Mention Modern Category
Original design and made by Karen
Karen, the past president who made the DQN banner at the top of this post always creates such stunning, dynamic work. I have a thing for black and white and this design really makes my heart sing!
Float by Melissa Bonilla – Modern Category
inspired by Floating Embers
Every time I attend quilt shows, I wish I could bring my own ribbons! If so, I would have put one on Melissa’s quilt above. I may actually have to do that at a show someday. Hmmm, maybe I can create my own “Christa’s Choice” ribbon!!!
Super Star Bingo by Lynda Blair – quilted by Cory Allender – Modern
I walked by this quilt and was stunned by the gorgeous colors and fabric placement. I was thinking “why do I love this quilt?” and on closer inspection realized the maker had used my Modern Logs quilt pattern to make it, LOL!! She even gave me credit in her artist’s statement as the design source.
I’m totally happy when people make quilts from my patterns and enter them into shows, and I especially love it when they give credit to the designer. 🙂
Bertha (left) by Melissa Curley – Third Place Modern
Theresa’s Crayon Box (right) by Theresa C – Third place, small pieced
I took this picture from the show which illustrates what I love about quilting and the quilting community. From minimalist modern designs to blinged and bedazzled art pieces – there’s truly something for everyone when it comes to quilting!
Ben by Melissa Curley – Judge’s Choice – Show Theme Category
Here’s another fabulous piece by Melissa Curley. I’m a fan of everything she makes and her sense of design and color are spot on! I think it’s kinda cool that she gives all of her quilts first names. Read her artist statement below, explaining the fun pop culture reference.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the virtual show and remember – entering quilts into shows isn’t really about the competition. It’s about sharing your work with a larger audience and inspiring others to make quilts they’d only dream about!!
Christa Quilts 
Stuning quilts, thanks for sharing!
They are all just so beautiful!
Thank you, Christa, for giving Karen a shout out for creation of the DQN banner and for including her work, and mine, in your post! And thank you for posting the judging comments you received on your pieces. I view comments as an educational process where the judge will see an area I can/should improve and then it is my decision to act on it or not. I have learned from judging comments over the years and my work has improved as a result.
Wonderful quilts! I was just looking at my copy of American Patchwork and Quilting and I really do want to make “Scrap Happy” and work at it over time from my scraps. I have been cutting, sewing and stowing away 2 1/2″ squares for it.
You have shared some really fun quilts. The scrappy ones have my heart. I’m a sucker for scrappy 🙂
Wow! Some amazing work! I’m not a fan of black and white quilts but Karen’s Diamond Rings quilt is just fabulous!!
oeh I love them all 😀 Thanks for sharing. It is always inspiring to see more modern quilts
I love your Quilt Guild banner quilt. Absolutely captures the beauty and spirit of your guild. And your quilts are stunning, with gorgeous FMQ. I Do appreciate you sharing other stunning quilts from this show. I respect the judging process in that winning an award is “relative” to what was entered and truly it should be an honor to be accepted to exhibit a quilt in a juried quilt. But I really respect and admire you for sharing the judging feedback and encouraging your students and others to enter. For some it can be a painful process, but we all need to realize that the judging process is also ‘relative” to all the entries and the feedback is often also hard for judges to figure out what they can provide as constructive feedback. I recall an award winning quilt, that took first in a variety of quilt shows, received feedback from judges for “lack of trimming threads on the backing”, as the FMQ was stitched on a Bernina with an auto thread time that left a good half inch of thread. as this was such an amazing quilt, it is a reminder to us all that the constructive feedback needs to be remembered that it comes from the judging process (e.g. they need to reach to find constructive feedback, as that is truly part of the process).