Quilt Show Categories

Please restrict the size of your quilt entry to 108 inches or less in both length and width.

Click Here for a Quilt Show Entry Form (pdf file)

Traditional Quilts—Large:  Stitching that imitates traditional patterns and techniques of our honored ancestors but uses the machine quilting techniques of today. Large Quilts are larger than 216 perimeter inches.*

Traditional Quilts—Small:  Stitching that imitates traditional patterns and techniques of our honored ancestors but uses the machine quilting techniques of today. Small Quilts are less than 216 perimeter inches.*

*Perimeter Inches equals length plus width times two for the outside dimensions of the quilt

Contemporary/Art:  Thread play or a mixture of mediums can be used.  Foreign objects and/or embellishments MUST be securely attached to the quilt.

Whole Cloth:  Solid, tone on tone, marbled, hand dyed one piece of fabric.  The quilt may be pieced to the appropriate size, but only one fabric is used on the top and as the backing. The quilting pattern(s)  should incorporate the entire quilt top.  Please, no pre-printed fabrics or kits are allowed in this category. 

Wearable:  Vests, jackets, garments, coats, skirts, etc.

Pictorial:  Three dimensional or realistic designs created with a mixture of sewing techniques and machine quilting that adds texture to the piece.

Teacher’s Quilts:  Teachers at Innovations are encouraged to enter their work in this special category.  Teacher’s quilts will be judged against other Teacher’s quilts.

Youth:  Any quilt quilted by anyone 17 years or younger.  Quilt may be pieced or appliquéd by an adult.

New Quilter:  Any quilt quilted by anyone with less than 1 (one) year of machine quilting experience.

Templates and Tools: A significant amount of the quilting must be done with the use of rulers, plastic shape templates, tabletop mounted stitching guides, such as Circle Lord, EZ Quilter, Hartley Fence, etc. Templates can be used as the basis for quilting designs, such as the spines of freehand quilted feathers. Describe in your Quilter’s Statement what tools are used.

Hands Free Quilting:  A computer guided quilting system, such as Statler Stitcher, CompuQuilter, PC Quilter, etc., has been used for at least 75% of the quilting. A small amount of hand guided quilting will be allowed.

Unusual:  Anything that doesn’t fit into the above categories.

Challenge Series #6 - Water  Click Here for details on this Challenge.

Fabric Challenge:  Any item created and quilted with the special Fabric Challenge Fabric. Click Here for details about the Fabric Challenge.

Creativity Challenge:  Quilts that have been pieced according to the Creativity Challenge instructions and then quilted. Click here for details on this Challenge.

Quilt Show organizers reserve the right to change the category in which a quilt is entered.