If you are a quilt show coordinator looking for a judge, please feel free to call or contact me.  Some
things to think about include:

How many quilts will need judged?  100 to 150 is a limit for a day's judging normally.
How much does a judge cost?  Usually a gratuity of $150 per day plus mileage is a normal amount in my
area for a non-certified judge, your area may be different - but either way, this is negotiable with the
judge.  NQA Certified Judges may cost more.
Who will aide and scribe on the day(s) of the judging?  You need a minimum of 2 to 4 volunteers to move
the quilts along and support the judge's efforts to do a fair job on all of the quilts.  More people can be
helpful, if the space allows for it.
What type of space is needed for the judging?  A clean large room with good lighting is a necessity and if
2 large table surfaces can be set up and used alternately, time will be saved.

If you would like me to judge a show for you or your organization, please contact me.
I first started judging quilt shows in 2005, and found that I loved the quick pace of the task and the
sense of accomplishment that comes with a very full day!  Basically, I feel that I bring some unique
attributes to the table in the area of Judging quilt shows.  As a busy Professional Longarm Quilter, I
see a quilt show come through my doors every month!  I have been blessed by a wide variety of
customers, from the most precise to the not-so-picky, from the 'takes all the quilt shop classes' type
to the 'this is the way Grandma taught me'.  With such a variety, I have been pressed to quilt heirloom
and meanders, and everything in between!  So I've seen all that goes into a quilt, and I've encountered
first hand all of the pitfalls that are possible along the way.

Another thing that I feel makes me a good choice for a quilt show judge is my poor memory!  What
other job in the quilt arena can benefit from the lack of recognition of a particular quilt, or the
remembrance of a well-known quilter's style of the quilt in front of you?  A judge must be able to
block certain things from their mind, and concentrate on the task at hand, making decisions that are not
based on personal ties or feelings.  Judging, in many quilt shows, is made up of short groupings of quilts
-categories- and no other quilts are considered when judging that category.  Many times that is why we
can't agree with the placement of the ribbons as we walk through the quilt show later.  In other quilt
shows, there may be no categories at all, and each quilt is judged against a list of criteria that would be
present in a perfect quilt, and scored.   Timely decision making is a key in both methods.  
So, even before that first judging in 2005, I took some classes by Certified Judges when and where I
could.  I wanted to know what it was all about, and I was trying to decide between judging and quilt
appraisal.  My first formal classes included:

Chicago International Quilt Festival, April 11th-13th, 2003
I worked as an angel, helping to hang the quilt show on the evening of April 9th, and being a white-gloved
aide on April 10th.
'Picky, Picky, Picky - Applique for Competition' with international winner, judge, and juror Dixie McBride
'Prize Winning Quilt' with Linda Fiedler, prize winning quiltmaker and judge.

Chicago International Quilt Festival, March 25th-28th, 2004
'Repair and Restoration' with Dixie McBride
For more information on my Judging History, click on a link below:
Quilt Show Judging
2011
2012
 You can find a great reference book on Quilt Shows on the NQA website  called 'Guide to Judged
Quilt Shows'.   Check out the store at www.nqaquilts.org.