Judging a quilt show is one of the most difficult things that I love to do -- it's a dichotomy, love and dread at the same time. You get to look at the most beautifully done quilts without the crowds and the hustle and bustle of the show; just you and your fellow judges (in this case, Karen Stone and Laura Wasilowski) and the quilts. You can stand in front of each entry and contemplate the elements of design and workmanship, all coming together to result in the quilt hanging before you.
Of course, I can't tell you what quilts were selected; I didn't even bring my camera because that wouldn't be fair to break the news before AQS did, but I can tell you that there were some magnificent quilts that richly deserved the awards that they won. Some of the prizes here are many thousands of dollars, so our decisions were not made lightly, nor easily!
The three of us did our judging this morning, then walked around Knoxville. Luckily, we ran into Jan, a friend of Laura's, who lives here and was a wonderful tour guide. We went up to Market Square and had lunch at Tomatohead; then returned to the hotel, where I decided to read for a while, but fell asleep instead!
Dinner was a yummy New Orleans gumbo at a restaurant who shall remain nameless because only the address appears on the receipt (?), also in the Market Square. The gumbo, and a Dos Equis Amber, made a great meal....
Tomorrow I teach my beginning class, Introduction to Machine Quilting -- looking forward to it!
Thank you for being a judge and sharing your insights on the process. Not an easy task and so many quilters do not realize how difficult it is. Always good to increase awareness of the process and de-mystify the perceptions about the judging process.
ReplyDeleteHave fun at your FMQ classes. Love to take one of your classes someday. {hopefully soon}
SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com