Quilt shows inspire me, gives me ideas, and sometimes I think that something I see is actually possible for me to do. I've entered a few things in the county fair and they have all received ribbons - usually a second or third place but the judges' critique helps me to know the areas I can improve in. Most of my quilts go to friends or family and they appreciate them. I keep a few that are special to me, like the embroidered one started by my mom and finished by me, my first guild challenge that placed, the ones for my bed and the lap quilts for my husband and I, wall quilts for decor.

the only thing I ever regret is spending more money!

And that is MY problem. SHOP TOO MUCH, look too little.

No, I don't feel anything but inspired after a quilt show. I know I'll never do an art quilt or be recognized for my work, as its very simple. But its from my heart, as I do the best I can in every project, and I know that the folks who receive my quilts love them and enjoy them. I admire folks that can produce those beautiful creations, though -- and I thoroughly enjoying looking at each and every one.

I love going for the fun of it. I'm with my daughter and I love to watch others who are with friends and their families, you will never see more happy ladies.
I appreciate the art and know I will never be at that leavel of quilting.
I made a quilt for my grandson and he asked me if he had to hang it on the wall like his other grandmother does. I told him no I wanted to see him wrapped up it it. That's why I quilt I want them to be used and loved.

I always feel I should be at home finishing projects. But I love the eye candy!

To me it is like going to an Art show or such. It is great to see what talented people can do, but tho I know I will probably never get there, I can enjoy what they do and be inspired. Did something you did get dissed?..... or does it just make you feel inadequate? Wish you could just be inspired also. Hugs..............
Judy

I love going to quilt shows to see all the gorgeous quilts. I don't even understand how someone can work for 2, 3 or more years on a quilt. They are amazing, but still. I am a "get er done" kind of gal. Let's just not talk about my ufo's. LOL

Here's something I try to keep in mind when looking at beautiful quilt work:
we should not compare ourselves with others, only with ourselves.
Have fun quilting and improving your skills!

I love to go to quilt shows! Usually I find I am not as bad as I think I am and get wonderful ideas and sometimes there is fabric there that I will never find anywhere else. Sometimes I will buy a pattern and generally have a good time. I like to go with friends and I like to go by myself. So usually if it is 3 days I go once with friends and once by myself. I have been known to go all three days too if there is something I liked. (Love those antique tops!)

I love going to quilt shows and marvel at the talent ladies have. It inspires me to get busy.

Sorry, but I can't agree with you. I have been to dozens of quilt shows and love every single one of them. I learned to quilt from a really good teacher and she taught me some things that assure me that my quilts are going to turn out just fine. I think the most important thing is to sew those seams a scant 1/4 inch and then press them down. I decided right from the beginning to piece quilt tops that I knew I could do. Sure, I wanted to make a Drunkard's Path but decided that baby will have to wait until I get some basics down. Now I feel assured my quilts will look good when finished. I am not really a person who wants her quilts to be shown but I was just accepted into a show that will start later this month. One of the quilts I acquired and the lady who made it has long passed. But I admire her work and wanted others to see it. If I do the best I can in making a quilt, then that's good enough.

I, actually, do not feel that way at all. I'm not an award winning quilter, but I love what I do and am enthused to do it all the time. I love scrappy beautiful quilts - that's what makes me happy. I see some strange things at quilt shows and wonder "What were they thinking".
As long as I keep improving I'm happy.

I think that how one feels after a quilt show depends on whether one was an attendee or part of the group that put on the show. I know which I would rather be!

I love looking at quilts and fabrics and quilts and more fabric. Looking at beautiful quilts makes me happy.

I've only been to local shows, but we have some very talented quilters around here. I come away feeling warmed by the lovely colors and how they are put together. I don't buy much from the vendors - the prices are pretty much the same as the stores, but I do like the guild's fund raising table. Some real bargains there, including a Singer 404 for $5. I come away happy to have had the opportunity to see the quilts. I am not a fan of some of the art quilts, but that's a personal thing.

Think of a quilt show as a gallery of quilts-kinda like an art show only in textiles. Quilt shows are fun! Lots to look at.

I LOVE GOING TO SHOWS!!! and i feel inspired and happy when i leave!!!
i love to ooohhh & ahhhh over the beautiful quilts-
i love to dream that one day i will make something as beautiful
i get ideas and want to go right home & try new things i never thought of before.
i have (perma-grin) on my face for days after wandering through a wonderful big show! so happy to be part of such a wonderful art

This has been an interesting topic. My guild is putting on a quilt show next week, and I have volunteered to help, plus I put three quilts in, though I put them in the non-judged category. (I don't have a competitive bone in my body.) I am trying to analyze how going to a quilt show makes me feel...and I guess I really don't know. I have only been to two shows, and I wasn't a quilter when I went to the first one. I only went to the second one because our guild was putting it on, and I wanted to be supportive. I had been quilting about a year then.

Maybe it will be like I feel after "Show and Tell" at our meetings....that my quilts are so different, maybe I don't want to show them....but I always do.

At any rate, this thread has made me think. I will probably be second guessing myself next weekend....wondering how I feel?

Ha, none of this makes any sense, but I am going to post it anyway. I like reading how the shows inspire all of you. Maybe this one will inspire me too. Who knows, maybe next time I will enter mine in a category to be judged. :)

Dina

I love going to quilt show here! Love to see others beautiful work & I feel inspired! I quilt for me, but am always looking for new ideas & patterns & whatever, so what I see never bothers me. I don't compare myself to them, I just am in awe at times, & truly admire their work! Love it, love it, love it! Then, there are always a few quilts there, & no offense meant, but I wonder why they were even in the show. Maybe the quilter just wanted to show off her quilt too, & if that's the case, then I admire her for doing so! So, all things considered, I think you should come away from a show, inspired, & want to keep at it, doing what you enjoy!.... It's not a contest, it's a show, remember!...

I love to see the work of people who have much more ambition, dedication and skill than I do. They push me to at least try to progress. I look at great quilts all the time on this board and elsewhere on the internet, but it's a rare treat to go to a show and see them in person. I always come away wanting to try something that I haven't done before.

Well, I'm a heretic. I go to quilt shows just for the vendors. I love to see what gadgets are new, what inventions have been presented, what fabrics I've missed locally and to try out the longarms. I look at the quilts, of course, but only to find something I haven't seen before or to find that quilt that stops me cold. And I file it in my heart under Deep Appreciation. I have no desire to enter my quilts in a show and no desire to stress over my creations...just not interested. But I really admire the effort the quilters have put into their wonderful entries...again under Deep Appreciation.
I find quilts I want to make right here on the Board or on Pinterest.

I feel absolutely inspired after going to a show! Here's why: I take a look at those perfect quilts, a real CLOSE look, and I find mistakes-a cut off point, a seam that doesn't line up... they ALL have a mistake or two. Then I know that even if my own quilts have a mistake or two or a hundred ;), they can still look amazing and beautiful.

I've never been to a quilt show except the ones posted on here. I ooh and aah and get inspired. I just wish I could be inspired the same way when I see before and after pictures of people who have lost weight. haha

I enjoy going to quilt shows to see the quilts and check out vendor booths. While I will never make 'show quality' quilts I enjoy them at shows and museums and am quite content to come home and continue with my own special creations. It is also an opportunity to meet other like minded folks.

I've been to a couple of national quilt shows and a few local and have enjoyed all of them. I like to see the new tools and techniques and fabrics the vendors have and I usually take at least one class. The quilt display is like going to a fine art show: I don't aspire to this level myself, but I recognize and enjoy the color combinations, designs, and patterns of the quilts. I'm facinated that anyone could have such talent and skill. I agree with some of the others: we have quite a quilt show here every day and this is where I really learn and feel inspired.

I love going to quilt shows. It is so amazing how diverse quilters can be. I tend to like hand quilted better than machine quilted, but sometimes the art form is so powerful that it carries the machine quilting in a beautiful way. Oh, I do not have the natural talent of the award winners, or the experience in techniques they possess, but I enjoy being able to see first hand the creations of another quilter. They are an inspiration, not an intimidation.

I love shopping at quilt shows. I had to stop going to quilt shows with my guild. Some of the members made shopping a negative experience because all they did was complain about the high prices.

I love quilt shows! I walk away with dozens of quilts on my bucket list! I study how other people quilt their quilts...I like to get inspiration from other quilters! We all can't make blue ribbon quilts, but is that really why most of us quilt? I think we quilt to make us happy..at whatever skill level we are at...99% of the quilts out there will never see a show or a ribbon, but they are winners to us...try to look at it that way...don't be so hard on yourself...even the most basic quilt can be a well loved quilt. All we can do is plug along, try to improve..but be happy with your accomplishments..even the winners at quilt shows started with simple, basic quilts...but I'd bet that they love them! I love my first quilt..and I made every single mistake in the book!
I came from a sewing clothing background and just could not grasp the idea that a 1/4" seam would hold anything..so I made it with 5/8" seams! I also thought "all white is white"..so my blocks have many shades of white backgrounds!
The backing has ripples galore...but I just love it...I have improved greatly over the years from going to quilt shows and looking and learning, and from on line forums and tutorials...but do not be intimidated by the quilts at shows...it's like everything else in life...that's how we get inspired and learn! Look at the shows through different glasses!

Yes, I know what you mean. I feel so unskilled when I go to a quilt show. I like the ones that have antique quilts because then I can marvel at the age and skill of women from the past who quilted under less than ideal conditions. I love looking at the quilt shows on this board.

Do not be intimidated by quilt shows. I am sure if you got a really good look at each item, you would find that they are not perfect. Do your very best on your quilts and be happy with the results. Not all of us are quilt show quilters. Went to the quilts at Chautauqua, NYlast weekend. Thouroughly enjoyed it and came away with a few new ideas and no bad thoughts about what I can and cannot do.

One year
 

at our small town quilt show that anyone was invited to enter. There were two quilts entered by an unknown. They were breath taking and I was stunned that they hadn't won a prize. Not even viewers choice.

I have long forgotten the names of the winners, even though they were my friends.


The name of the non-winner was Joan Colvin. It was her first show.

Actually, it inspires me. We are completing thePine Belt Quilters Aibe Art and Quilt Show tomorrow, of which I am a member, and I can't wait to go thru one more time and admire the beautiful 380 entries.

Just went to a quilt show in Des Moines, Iowa. Came away with so much more fabric and patterns. Just wish I had more time to sew. 24 hours a day would be nice. There are so many quilts that are just beautiful but I want my quilts to be used and loved. I make a lot for charity and those quilts on display would not be one of them. I love to go and see all the new things and "love" to buy fabric. I am making an "I Spy Jar Quilt" from Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial and found so many neat fat quarters for it. I have 8 grandchildren so always busy. I found a pattern for making a doll bed fitted sheet, top sheet, quilt, and pillow to fit on a 28 gallon Sterilte container and can't wait to make it for my granddaughter. Love quilt shows, I go to at least 2 shows a year on bus trips. So much fun.

Perfect is in the eye of beholder..

I must admit I feel humbled when I see what has been made in this last year. But like many of you, I tend to see that it can make me better if I let it. I can look and learn, or I can look and be defeated. I choose to do the first. I have also found that many times you can look at a quilt and think-- what was she thinking! Did it work? What set the best ones apart? Am I inspired by their work? What can I take away?

I went to a quilt show before I started quilting. I almost stopped the quilting thought right there. They all looked so great and perfect! I thought why should I bother for I would never be able to make those " perfect" ones.
I am glad I got over that thought. Mine may never be perfect but it is so much fun. The end result is a quilt with some flaws( I know where they are) and I will improve over time.... Hopefully! ; - )

I enjoy looking at and being inspired by what I see. However, quilting has a place in my life, but it isn't my calling. I don't aspire to be a nationally known quilt artist, I just want to keep improving on what I do. I do enjoy the amazing work I see at shows, or on programs like The Quilt Show. Wow!

It really helped me to know how much time these show quilters spend on their quilts. I dont think I would be able to work on one for 4 years like the Grand Prize winner at Paducah one year. I just enjoy the process and making new and pretty things.

Even the applique pieces are so complex and detailed. I like my simpler applique quilts. Big pieces make for easier stitching. Good thing there is a place for all of us.