Fine Feathered Quilts

 

Timeline

  • December 16, 2024: Registration opens
  • April 24, 2025: Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. CST
  • May 6, 2025: All entrants notified
  • May 20, 2025: All accepted quilts are due in the Quilts, Inc. office *

*NOTE: Do not send quilts before notification of acceptance. See the Shipping Instructions/Information for specifics about the return of quilts after the show.

Entry fee: A non-refundable fee of $20 (USD) will be paid per quilt entered.

Who may enter: The entries may be the work of one person or more than one person, as long as proper recognition is given to all involved in completing the quilt. This includes piecing, quilting, embellishment, and finishing. The person entering the quilt must have been directly involved in the quilt’s creation. You may submit a total of two (2) quilts for consideration.

Size Requirements: 

Width = side-to-side

Length = top-to-bottom

  • The quilt must be a minimum of 50 inches (127 cm) and a maximum of 90 inches (228 cm) on any side.
  • Each entry must have a double 4-inch (10 cm) finished sleeve or casing sewn to the top back edge of the quilt. Please include ease of .25 inches (.635 cm) to .5 inches (1.27cm) ease in the sleeve or casing. Sleeves should be secured with stitching at the top and bottom edges. (Instructions are on our website. You can link to them here: https://www.quilts.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/sleeves_binding.pdf)

Photo/Image permission: Entry into the exhibition automatically grants permission for the image of the quilt and/or all or part of the Artist’s Statement about the quilt to be used in articles, ads, promotions, catalogs, books, magazines, websites (including any webcast coverage), blogs, CDs, news coverage, television, online and/or multimedia productions for and about this exhibit, the International Quilt Festival, the International Quilt Market, or for and about quilting and developing creativity. The quilt artist retains copyright to the quilt and will be credited in any usage. There will be no compensation paid for any such use.

Jury: A qualified jury will select the quilts. The jury’s decision is final. Entries selected from digital images are subject to additional evaluation when the quilt arrives in Houston. If the quilt differs significantly from the digital image submitted for jurying, Specials Exhibits reserves the right to reject the entry and override the jurors’ initial decision. The decision as to whether the difference is significant is entirely at the discretion of Special Exhibits.

Condition of the quilt:

  • Due to transfer issues, any glitter glued, sprayed, or applied onto any quilt will cause the quilt to be disqualified. If the fabric used in the quilt contains glitter that is flaking off, it will be disqualified.
  • Printed metallics and fabrics with metallic painted surfaces are acceptable if the metallic does not migrate to another surface from the surface to which it is applied. (It is helpful, though not required, for the fabric name and manufacturer to be listed under the materials section of the submission form.)
  • The majority of the quilt must consist of three (3) distinct layers—top, middle layer, and backing. Quilts must be quilted by hand and/or machine with three exceptions—Crazy quilts, which can be tied or quilted, Cathedral Windows-style quilts, and Yo-Yo quilts.
  • All quilts must arrive clean, undamaged, and free of strong odors to be shown.
  • Your quilt must be able to be stacked with other quilts and boxed and/or rolled with other quilts without potential damage to your quilt or any other quilt in the show. This determination is at the sole discretion of Special Exhibits and can result in disqualification from exhibition. If this is the case, the entrant will be notified.
  • A cloth label with the entrant’s name, quilt title, address, telephone number, and email must be securely sewn to the bottom left side of the back of the quilt.
  • Odd-shaped quilts and quilts with multiple panels must be mounted on black fabric containing a sleeve. The top half of these quilts must be sewn securely to the black fabric. The bottom half should be loose. The black fabric must not extend past the outermost edges of your quilt. Quilts with multiple panels hanging side-by-side horizontally may be mounted to a single black sleeve, but the quilt measurements should be taken after the sleeve is added.

About Kit Quilts

  • Quilts made from kits are not allowed in this exhibit. You may use a kit pattern; however, you may not use fabrics kitted with the pattern. We want to see your interpretation of the pattern.

A kit quilt is composed of patterns, fabrics, and quilting designs packaged as a unit for retail sale. This includes packaged patterns and fabrics for workshops or classes, blocks of the month, and pre-printed wholecloth quilt tops. These are not allowed in the show. Reproductions or adaptations of kit quilts will not be accepted.

Copyright: It is the entrant’s responsibility to obtain all necessary copyright releases for work that is covered under the copyright laws of the United States. This may include work derived from or copied from the photo or art of another, quilts made from patterns, etc. You must also give proper credit for the design on the entry form. Entrant will provide Special Exhibits with the copyright release upon request.

Selling Your Quilt: You may choose to offer your quilt for sale while on exhibition. Upon its sale, 25% of the selling price will be donated to the Texas Quilt Museum. The museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please check with your tax advisor for information about deducting the donation. Please Note: The quilt becomes the buyer's property upon its sale.

Photography Instructions: 

Please carefully read the information for your digital images. The complete instructions may be downloaded here: https://www.quilts.com/photographing-your-quilt/

  • Each entry requires you to upload one full view of the quilt and one detail view.
  • The full-view image should show all edges of the finished quilt. The edges on all sides must be clearly seen in the photograph.
  • Please remove any previous show labels or ribbons that may be attached to the front of the quilt before taking a photograph.
  • Please take a new photograph for the detail image. Focus on a portion of the quilt that relates to the category theme and/or an important part of the quilt, as well as some of the quilting stitches.
  • A neutral background is preferred.
  • As our policy is to jury blind (i.e. without the jurors’ knowledge of the entrant’s name), you may not identify your photographs with a watermark or put your name on the photograph itself.
  • Please crop the photo(s) so there is minimal background. Please leave a clear edge around all sides of the quilt in the overall image.
  • If you open your photos in image-editing software to crop the background, you will be asked how to save the photo when you have finished. Save it as a JPEG, RGB color (the default setting in most image-editing programs), standard or baseline setting, and set the quality to maximum. No CMYK images or progressive setting JPEGs will be accepted.
  • The finished image should not be less than 1500 pixels and should be no more than 2400 pixels. If the resolution is not correct, do not increase it within the software program. Instead, take another picture that has a higher resolution.
  • Image size should not exceed 3MB
  • There is no requirement to label the image file names. The system will automatically rename them after they are uploaded.

Shipping information:

  • Complete shipping information will be sent if your entry is juried into the exhibition. DO NOT SEND QUILTS BEFORE NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE.
  • Return shipping fees are the responsibility of the artist. Payment and return shipping arrangements will be explained in the acceptance letter. The link to complete the return shipping will be emailed in September. The artist will be asked to verify the shipping address, phone number, and availability to receive the quilt. Payment must be made before shipping. Return shipping labels from UPS, Federal Express or other shipping companies will not be accepted.
  • Quilts will be packed and shipped beginning the week of October 20, 2025, and we will ship through November 21st before the Thanksgiving holiday. Please refer to the Shipping Information for specifics.

LIABILITY/INSURANCE INFORMATION
Accepted quilts should be insured through the owner’s insurance company. Quilts, Inc. will insure each quilt from the time we receive it until it ships back from our office. Quilts, Inc. shall not be held liable for any damages or loss beyond the insurance limitations. Furthermore, such insurance shall be the sole remedy of the entrant.