Sneaky Piecing by Beth Ferrier
C&T Publishing; $26.95

I’m always in the market for a tip that will make my work go faster, easier, be more accurate. How about you? That’s what you’ll find in Beth Ferrier’s Sneaky Piecing. Beth shares little tips and tricks she’s picked up in decades of quiltmaking, everything from using a “landing strip” on your sewing machine bed to using 1/4″ masking tape to measure a seam allowance offset to shortcut recipes for blocks. And, once you’ve got a handle on Beth’s sneaky tricks, you can put them to use in the six projects included. You’ll enjoy Beth’s humorous writing style and her witticism, e.g., when referring to color, “A quilt that is all medium is neither rare or well done.”

Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

You’ve just finished your latest quilt, are proud of your accomplishment and want to show it off. You first share it with your family, then with your small quilting “bee” and finally take it to show and tell at your next guild meeting. For some quilters, this is enough. For others, it is not. Many quilters want to see how their quilts stack up against the competition, whether that is hanging the quilt in a local, non-judged show or entering it in a major juried and judged competition. In addition to gaining recognition for your quilts, you also educate other quilters and the general public about quilting and its standards. For local guild shows, this is often a primary reason for holding a show. Additionally, if your quilt is entered in a judged show, you can set goals for improvement based on feedback from the judges or your own comparison with winning quilts. And, of course, you might just win a prize, either a ribbon, cash, or merchandise.

Impartiality in judging is important and one way this is done is through use of a panel of independent judges, usually three. Judges can be trained and certified by the National Quilting Association, or they can be trained through experience. They all adhere to similar standards of judging, although final results will be varied based on the individuals.

Judging can take place either before or after the quilts are hung, and each method has advantages. Judging quilts after they are hung allows the visual impact of the quilt to be better appreciated. Judging quilts before they are hung is usually faster, but visual impact takes second place to the ability to view the workmanship.

Judges often use scorecards or evaluation forms and either a point system, an elimination system or a combination of the two to evaluate the individual entries. The point system uses a predetermined maximum number of points to judge specific areas, for example, up to 20 points for the color and design, up to 20 points for construction, up to 15 points for finishing, etc., with the total equaling 100 points. Each quilt is judged on its own merits, and the quilt with the highest total number of points is awarded the first place.

The elimination system, on the other hand, allows each judge to evaluate a quilt, make comments on its technique and offer feedback for improvement. If the judge feels the quilt should be held for ribbon/award consideration, it is put aside. If not, it is released from the competition portion. After the quilts are judged in this preliminary fashion, the held quilts are compared to others in its category and the winners are determined.

Neither system is perfect. Regardless, judges evaluate quilts against the same standards. Here are just a few of the commonly held standards that judges use:

General Appearance

• The quilt makes an overall positive statement upon viewing
• The quilt is clean and “ready to show,” i.e., no visible marks, no loose threads, no pet hair, no bearding, no offensive odors.
• The quilt’s edges are not distorted. This is easier to gauge when the quilt is hung.

Design and Composition

• All the individual design elements of the quilt – top, quilting, choice of fabric, sashes, borders, embellishments, finishing – are unified.
• The design is in proportion and balanced.
• Borders or other edge treatments enhance the quilt appearance.

Workmanship

• Piecing is precise, corners match and points are sharp.
• Seams, including those of sashing and borders, are secure, straight and flat.
• Quilting stitches are straight where intended and curved where intended.

As noted, judges consider certain “standards” when evaluating quilts – and the list is really quite extensive – but how do they decide which quilts are the prizewinners? And what is more important, design or workmanship? In the end I think it comes down to design, the quilt with the greater visual impact. But even the quilt with the greatest visual impact cannot rescue poor workmanship

The Professional Quilter has an ongoing column geared just for judges, but it’s useful for those who are entering shows. Scott Murkin, NQA Certified Judge, writes those columns. We also offer three resources recommended for those in judging programs. You can learn more about The Challenge of Judging by Jeannie Spears, Judging Quilts by Katy Christopherson, and a audio recording of a conversation on “The Judge’s Perspective” between Morna McEver Golletz and judges Jane Hall and Scott Murkin on our resources page. We also offer a package with all three of the resources. See the Resources for Judges page on our website. Use code Judge when you check out to save 15% on any of these resources through 3/15/13.

Please share your thoughts on support systems on the blog. 

Creative Uses for Decorative Stitches

Karen Linduska
AAQS Publishing; $24.95

Have you figured out what to do with all the stitches on your sewing machine? I know I never did, and I’ve had a sewing machine for more than 40 years. In this book, Karen Linduska teaches you how to create 40 flowers, stems, leaves, bushes, and ferns from those stitches. She also covers a variety of grids, shapes and fillers. Once she’s taught you all these stitch creations, she offers you nine projects to reinforce what you’ve learned. This will get your creative juices going next time you sit down at your machine.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

I know we always hear we should do this; yet, how many really do? I know I hear people say, “Wait, I’ll take extra out at the end of the month.” This is particularly true for those who are just starting their business and who aren’t relying on their business to support the household. The thought is to wait until you get some experience and cash flowing in.

Uncoverings 2012
Lynne Zacek Bassett, ed.
American Quilt Study Group;

Over the past few years I’ve talked with several clients about a lack of support or encouragement from their friends and even family members. Actually, it’s more that their friends don’t really understand why they want to have a business when they can just quilt or make art. Or, why they should expect to make a living from something others can share. Or, why they don’t just enjoy retirement instead of starting up that new business.

It’s a difficult place to be. We want our friends and family to support us. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. I read a quote from the late motivational speaker Jim Rohn: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If the five people we spend the most time with are those that don’t support us, what does that do to our business? It certainly doesn’t help us grow our business easily.

What can you do to change the situation? First, identify who is not in your camp, support-wise. Then make a decision that you need to remove them from your life or limit the time you spend with them. I get that this is not always easy, particularly if it’s a family member. Hopefully, some of these people will get on board when they experience your passion at what you are doing. Next, look for people you can add to your circle that will be supportive. Of course, you may first need to identify what you actually need from people. Look for ways that you can be around these supportive people.

If we really are the average of those five people, don’t you want to be average with people who support you?

Here’s another quote to remember if you struggle with this,

Colorful Quilts for Playful Kids: 14 Colorful Projects with Dozens of Playful Designs to Mix & Match

by Jane Pittman
Landauer Books; $24.95

Quilters love making quilts for others and having kids, or grandkids, in your life inspires many quilts. For author Janet Pittman, her two granddaughters inspired her to take a fresh look at kids’ quilt patterns. This collection of quilts and projects starts with a focuses on getting the kids you love involved in your hobby, whether that’s helping choose the colors of the quilts, play with blocks or help embellish their own quilt. The book features six main themes, each with a quilt and something extra, such as a pillow or bag. For example, “Construction Zone” features a quilt with appliqué construction vehicles and a tote bag with the dump truck. Janet also shares her “be creative” ideas for embellishing or adding something extra to the project.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

You may know that I offer a 30-day coaching program periodically. Our current “When it Absolutely, Positively Has to Be Done in 30 Days” program started a week ago. I love this format. Everyone has a specific project and works each day towards its accomplishment. This week on our Monday intention call, we discussed accountability and how that makes the difference for the participants. They each announce a weekly commitment. Knowing they have to report on their progress on Friday helps to hold them accountable. What systems do you have to hold yourself accountable? Here are some ideas:

1. Create a buddy system with a good business friend. You have to be picky about the friend you choose. She, or he, needs to be committed to help you with your business as much as you are and vice versa.

2. Start your own small mastermind group. This would be adding more to your buddy system, maybe 3-6 people. Again, choose the participants wisely. It’s not your “bee,” it’s your business team.

3. Join a formal coaching group.

Regardless of which format you choose, you need to set parameters for the accountability. Will you check in with each other every day? That works for some people. This can be a quick five-minute chat each morning to ask, “Did you get done what you said you would do? What will you do today to get you closer to your goal?” It could be a weekly phone chat with daily emails that let you track your commitments. It could be a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly in-person meeting to share your successes and challenges and refocus your goals.

Here are a couple of good quotes on accountability:

“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.”  Sir Josiah Stamp

“Thinking well is wise; planning well, wiser; doing well wisest and best of all.”
Persian Proverb

Please share your thoughts below.

Scrappy Firework Quilts – A Blast of Strips, Scraps & Triangles

by Edyta Sitar
Landauer Books; $27.95

Quilter and fabric designer Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts is sharing 19 quilt designs that use half-square triangles, strip panels, 8-pointed stars and fusible appliqué. The resulting quilts really do have a firework quality, with light popping from the quilts. While most of the projects are quilts, she does include a fun sewing box. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, with lots of step-by-step photos. I love the way she blends traditional prints with batiks. A good stash busting book.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to  Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

I’m sure many of you have purchased from Zappos? They have great customer service, free shipping, 365-day return policy, someone to answer your questions 24/7/365. Plus all those shoes! What’s not to like?

Have you looked at the service you offer your customers? Shoes aside, how does it stack up to Zappos?

One of my private coaching clients has set an intention for the year to Zappos! She is aiming for 100% customer satisfaction. To do that she is going back over all her processes, and she is creating written standards and checklists to be sure that every product she offers can be a 100% satisfaction for her customers.

Is this one of your goals? Here are some tips:

1. Customer satisfaction begins from the first time someone is aware of your existence. People will draw conclusions about you and your product from the first time they are aware you exist. They also draw conclusions based on anything and everything. For example, if you fly on an airplane and the trays are dirty, you might think that if the company doesn’t care about the cleanliness of the plane, they aren’t maintaining the engines. That could be extreme, but look at it in relation to your business. If you consistently have mistakes in your pattern directions, that leaves a negative impression on your customers.

2. Take time to write what your standards are and communicate them to your team and your customers. You can include on your website, if appropriate.

3. How do you let your customers know that you value them? It could be extra help on a project, following up personally on their experience, or offering a special gift with a purchase.

4. While your goal is 100%, you may not get there right away. You need to have a process for measuring your results and making adjustments.

What are your customer service standards? How do you measure your results and make adjustments? Please share your thoughts below.