>> Hello? I'm Deanna Springer live at the Great Wisconsin
Quilt Show with insights to this year's event. I'm standing in
the central quilt exhibit with Allison Rainboth. Welcome
Allison Allison. You are a National Association of
Certified Judge member, right? >> Yes I am, yes, I am, I'm a
member of the National Association of Certified Quilt
Judges. We're judges who receive extra special training to be
sure that we know how to cope with quilts at a high caliber
show like this. And myself and my judging partner, Kate Alkema,
are here today with our wonderful team of scribes and
Aids to judge the quilts. >> It takes many hands to judge
the exhibit. >> Yes it does, it does. And
there are a lot of quilts here to look at. So we're having a
really good day. >> And it's more than an
exhibit. This is a juried and judge contest. Yes. Tell us
about that. >> Well there are ten categories
in this judged component of the show. Let me see if I can name
them for you. There is hand quilted bed, hand applique bed
and then there are some really, really big machine quilted
categories. The one we're standing in front of happens to
be one of the machine quilted bed quilts. There were like 85
quilts in that category. >> Large large category.
>> Yes, yes. And then there's machine quilted bed sized
appliqué which was not quite so big. And then we go on to wall
quilts. We have machine wall think there's machine wall other
then there's pictorial machine embroidery, and then I'm trying
to remember mixed. There you go. Mixed all the way down at the
end. quilts like we're standing.
>> Yes, yes. >> And the ones directly in
front of us are category one, the hand quilted bed size
quilts. People who hand quilt bed sized
quilts have a special gift. And so many of them have the skill
to create such wonderful design, even without anything but
quilting. And it's just amazing to see what they come up with. I
mean, that's true for all the categories. That's one of the
most interesting things for me as a judge is what new twist
this contestant has come up with to make her quilt unique and
special. In some way. And you know, we see so many like,
flashes of inspiration where somebody has come up with an
idea that just takes their piece to a different level.
>> Right? And some of the quilts are handmade and or machine
made, and the design is created by the quilt maker. Some list
the pattern as their inspiration. So yes, each quilt
is accompanied by a quilt ID tag so you can read the story as
you're going through the exhibit. And what do judges look
for while they're judging the quilt?
>> Well, essentially what we're looking for is really good
design and really solid workmanship. And that is the
nugget, the heart of what we're looking at when we're assessing
a quilt. And within that, there are a number of different
components. So for instance, we look to see did you piece your
seam straight. Did you cut neatly. So the thing hangs
square. Did you put your binding on with care or did you fling it
on the night before you had to ship it at the last minute. And
so it kind of ripples, you know, we're going to see those things
when the quilt gets hung up here at the show. But the cool thing
is that so many people take the time to do it right. And so then
we're left to comment more on their design features. You know,
how well did they mix the different values of color in
their quilt? And what does that do for it? How well did they
choose different scales of prints? Does the quilting design
add something to the quilt or is it just kind of laying there and
the stitches on top of the fabric? Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
So and we've seen some just absolutely gorgeous workmanship
and we're, you know, just maybe halfway through. Right.
>> So we'll let you get back to the judging. And it's important.
It's an important process because they're hung the same
day that they're judged. And then tomorrow morning on
Thursday morning the winners will be announced. They'll be
announced. >> In this week you're also
appraisals. Yes. this year because that would
have stretched me way too thin. I would have been like Gumby,
but I will be working on my other hat. I'm a quilt appraiser
and certified by Aqs, and I'll be here with my friend Kathy
Glover, also Aqs certified and appraisal is putting a dollar
value on your quilt, usually for insurance purposes, but it could
also be if you're going to have to have it shipped or to settle
in a state. So if you need an appraisal, go to the front desk,
make an appointment right and with your quilt Expo quilt.
>> Excuse me Great Wisconsin You'd get to see the appraisals
on the stage. So there's a secondary stage with quilt
appraisals so people can learn and see what you're doing or see
what listen to you talking about the appraisals.
show, but we're happy to let them watch while we do more
observing as an audience. Exactly.
.com to learn more about this year's event and next year's
event.