Hello, I'm Deanna Springer live at the Great Wisconsin Quilt
Show with insights to this year's event. It is setup day
Wednesday and I am joined by Allison Rainboth. Welcome
Allison. be here with you. Deanna I love
working the show and as one of the certified judges for this
year's quilts, I can tell you we're getting an awful lot of
beautiful quilts to see. >> Wonderful. So we're standing
in front of one quilt, but we have over 300 quilts in the
central contest exhibit this year. That's a lot of quilts
for your team to judge. >> Yes it is. And I'm very
fortunate to be judged or joined by two fine judges from
Iowa, my colleagues Kathy Eubank and Carol Brooks. So we
are getting the work done in a timely fashion, which is
the show and hang ribbons tonight and photograph the
quilts all in one day. >> Yes, which is really amazing.
And I have to say, it's a testament to the PBS volunteers
and also the skilled crews, because to get that much done
in one day is really amazing, right?
to put on the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show. Let's talk about
the quilt we're standing in front of today.
>> Yeah. Isn't this a beauty? An unusual piece. The pattern
is a chevron or half log cabin. And all the centers have been
what we call fussy cut. Which means the maker put the little
flower exactly where she wanted it to be in the piece.
>> So instead of randomly cutting strips and cutting it
apart. falls right in the center of
that block. that go out, and then her
coordinated stripes that go around the edges make the whole
quilt just sparkle. Beautiful color arrangement as we look
across the quilt. And then this quilt is hand quilted and we
call this big stitch quilting. And the maker here has
coordinated her heavy thread to match with the colors inside
each block. Some of them are made so that they're very
blendy, and some of them are made so that they're a contrast,
like this peach color on top of a rest. So really strong color
work here. Bold graphic. I love to see Kay Fassett Fabrics in a
quilt. They're just so much fun. >> And that's what the prints
are. The floral prints are k faceted and that's why it
caught my eye. A contemporary fabric, yet a very traditional
hand quilted technique. >> Yes. And that's been one of
the fun things, has been to see newer quilters often venturing
into Big Stitch hand-quilting that, you know, the tiny, tiny
stitches. Even I don't pretend that I can do those well, a lot
of. >> Practice when it comes.
>> To that big stitch is something that most people can
handle and do a really competent job of making
something attractive and really, really durable.
>> And that's what you're looking for when you're judging,
basically looking for two things.
strong design, and I'm looking for really solid workmanship.
And those elements play together to determine which of
these quilts are going to be winners and which ones are
awesome quilts absolutely worthy of being here in the
show, but they're just not quite as strong in those two
areas as some of the other ones. >> Won't receive a ribbon this
year, correct? We work on those areas, and then maybe we can
receive a ribbon next year. >> Yes. And that's what we try
to tell people, particularly those who choose to receive
comments, is that we're trying to point out some things that
you probably already know, you know, about that corner you put
in three times, you know, and it still didn't come out square.
You already knew that. So if we pointed out, maybe next time
you'll fix it and then who knows, you might get a ribbon.
What I will say is that getting in this show is a big, big deal.
I mean, back in the beginning, I even entered quilts in this
show and they were pretty funny quilts, let me tell you. I mean,
we're talking way back at the very, very beginning.
>> It's our 21st year. So you're going back 21 years
where your quilts accepted into the show?
something. And I was a long armer. I was already doing that
at that point. But some of my customers quilts got in. Well,
what I'll tell you now is that we have a really strong
entrance from a lot of big name quilters, and it is an absolute
delight to get to see that work and to judge it.
>> And it's a juried show before you judge it. So a quilt
jury meets and looks over photographs and entry forms
that were submitted. So that happens months before the show.
Yes. And then letters are sent out to quilters that are
accepted into the show and quilts that are not accepted in
the show. So not everybody makes that first round cut.
>> And that also helps continue to raise the bar because we get
stronger and stronger entrants as the years go by and people
do pay attention to the comments.
>> Yes, and we've had quilts. First time quilt makers enter a
quilt and be accepted into the show. So you don't need to have
20 years of quilting to, you know, have a quilt accepted
into the show, do your best workmanship and see what
happens. think about that design and if
you're not sure about it, get your girlfriend to come look at
it with you. And if she says you know that one peachy pink
is just kind of, you know, maybe you should pay attention
to your girlfriend. Yeah, she might see something that you
don't. been, you know, sewing up north,
quilting, making a quilt up north. I take a photograph with
my phone and I look on my phone and it pops right out at me.
What? I could change or turn a block.
>> It's so. I mean, here when we're judging, one of the
things we do a lot is just back across the aisle, because even
that change in perspective really helps us focus on the
things that are strong or weak about a particular piece.
>> Well, you're doing a great job this year. Taking a close
up look at a far back. Look at all of the 306, I believe
quilts in the central quilt exhibit. So we'll let you back
to your judging. I really appreciate you joining me today.
Allison. Deanna.
again. Thank you. And thank you for tuning in to learn more
about this year's event and next year's event, head over to
quilt Show.com.