Judging the International Quilt Festival Judged Show

It was an absolute honor and pleasure to be a judge for the 2023 International Quilt Festival. I know quilters have lots of questions about the judging process so I’ve gathered a few of my thoughts.

I had the great pleasure of judging with Karen Stone and Charlotte Angotti.

We judged 218 quilts in seven categories. These were selected by a three-person panel who selected these quilts from the entry pool of 442 quilts.

We had two main jobs. First, to pick the award winners: best of show, five master awards, first, second and third in each category and our judges choices. Second, to fill out the Judges Critique form for each of the quilts.

We started judging each category with the Quilts Inc staff (the Piece Corps!) holding up each quilt in front of us. We divided the category into two sections: potential award winners and non-award winners. Then we went through each non-award winner and filled out the critique forms. Then we went through the potential award winners, filled out the critique forms and selected about five or six that were in the top for that category. Then the three judges reviewed those top quilts and put them in order from 1st to 6th. We repeated that process for all seven categories. After we’d been through all seven categories, we selected the best of show from the 1st place winners. We then selected the five master awards. As quilts were pulled for these major awards, the other quilts in the categories moved up to fill their spots finalizing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. Then we selected our Judges Choice winners. The process took three full days.

IQF has a policy in place that a quilt can only be awarded one ribbon. I really like this format and I love that we could spread so many awards out over so many fantastic quilts.

At any point in our review, we could ask for details from the entry form (other than the artist’s name). We often asked about source material (photos, patterns, classes, etc), technique and artist statement.

We could also ask for the quilt to be held up or to look at a picture of the whole quilt. Looking at a quilt up close on a table is different than looking it up close hanging, is different than looking at it hanging from far away, is different than looking at a picture of the overall quilt. With the time allowed, we tried to see each quilt as fully as possible.

We sometimes looked at the back of a quilt. Looking at the back can tell you more about how the quilt was constructed and can indicate attention to detail, intention of the process and sometimes there’s something special and surprising on the back.

I loved working with Karen and Charlotte. We had great conversations, shared opinions, pointed out details, asked questions, and listened carefully to each other. We each brought different ideas and experiences to the job and I learned so much from each of them.

The Quilts Inc staff masterfully manages the judging process by organizing every quilt, category, judging sheet and entry info. Each quilt is handled with care and respect and every single person there LOVES quilts.

The Judged Show at the International Quilt Festival is a competition. This is obvious, but I have a fuller understanding of this reality having had the experience of judging. This particular show is known for exhibiting excellent work and giving away significant prize money — $52,500 in total. Attention to detail, technical mastery, artistic vision, and visual impact must all be very very strong for a work to rise to the top. But also, it’s subjective and a different set of judges could make different choices.

Sometimes a quilt made a strong positive impact upon first viewing and then upon closer inspection the details didn’t live up to the first impression. Sometimes first viewing was positive but not particularly strong then upon closer viewing I was totally enamored and found the quilt much stronger.

Well thought out beautifully executed details make a work rise to the top.

There were many absolutely stunning quilts that did not receive awards.

There is absolutely not enough time to make as many comments on each quilt as we might like or as much as the quilter might like. We work with the format of the judging sheet which sometimes is very helpful and appropriate and sometimes doesn’t apply as well as we’d like for a particular quilt.

I really wanted to honor, respect and celebrate the work of every single quilt by making the critique sheet thoughtful and positive within the time available.

If a quilter is looking for a holistic, full, dedicated, thoughtful analysis or critique of a particular quilt or their body of work, the judges critique sheet from a show may be one component but can’t possibly be a complete review. (And each sheet is just the opinion of one person.)

I believe a person who has a depth of experience in the quilt world can make an excellent judge. This experience may be in quilt making, winning awards, academic study, publishing, leadership in quilt organizations, entrepreneurship, or many other areas. A team of judges with a variety of experiences makes for a holistic team that can work together to choose worthy winners.

Every quilt show is different -- which is great! They each have their own priorities and personalities. The rules, entry forms and judging critieria developed by the show organizers help set the tone and organize the process. Reading and understanding those documents will offer insight into the judging process and results.

You can see a list of the winners we selected here.

I was delighted to select Surfside and Beyond by Jean Wells Keenan as my Judges Choice.

I’ve seen all 218 quilts in up close detail and I’m still excited to see them again at Festival in November.