Quilt Categories

World of Quilts XXXIV
May 4-5, 2013

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Click here for registration form

Quilt Categories

Bed Quilts (Quilts made to go on a bed, regardless of size)

100      Hand quilted – appliqué and/or pieced (specify if hand or machine appliquéd)*

200      Machine quilted by maker of top – appliqué and/or pieced (specify if hand or machine appliquéd)

300      Machine quilted by someone other than the maker of the top – appliqué and/or pieced (specify if hand or machine appliquéd)

Wall Quilts (Quilts made to hang on awall, regardless of size)

400      Traditional design hand or machine quilted by maker of top – appliqué (specify if hand or machine appliquéd)

500      Traditional design hand or machine quilted by maker of top – pieced

600      Art – people, portraits, animals or other figures (quilts that illustrate some recognizable aspect of the human or animal form)

700      Art – pictorial (quilts that illustrate a recognizable image (other than human or animal see 600, above) such as naturescapes, landscapes, cityscapes, still-life, flowers, rooms, etc.)

800      Art – abstract (quilts of original forms and compositions, non-literal designs)

900      Art – small (any type of art quilt measuring less than 20” on each side – includes postcards)

1000   Wall quilts, regardless of subject, quilted by someone other than the maker of the top

Special Category Quilts

1100   Special Techniques (unusual techniques such as yo-yo’s, cathedral windows, miniature quilts (a scaled-down version of a full-size quilt), whole-cloth quilts, heavily embellished quilts and crazy quilts)

1200   Group Quilts (any bed or wall quilt top made by two or more persons)*

1300   Young Quilters (all sizes and techniques. Quilt must be made by someone who is 16 years old or younger with little or no help from an adult. Please use the Young Quilter’s registration form and state your age, where you learned to quilt, and why you chose this pattern or colors. (First 15 entries will be accepted.)

*Categories 100 and 1200 include quilts that have been quilted by the maker(s) of the top as well as quilts quilted by someone other than the maker of the top.

Questions? , Contact Caryl Castellion at 66 Stamford Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902 or

Email:  NSQGRegistrar@northernstarquilters.com

Special Instructions for Selecting a Category

To decide what category your quilt belongs in, proceed as follows:

  1. Does your quilt fit into one of the Special Categories (1100-1300)?
  2. If not, is it a Bed Quilt or a Wall Quilt? Note that these designations are not based on size. They are based on your intended use of the quilt.
  3. Next, if it is a Wall Quilt of traditional design, decide if it is pieced or appliquéd. If it includes both techniques, choose the predominant technique. If the Quilt Registrar disagrees with your choice, she will contact you to discuss it further.
  4. If your Bed Quilt has been hand quilted by you or by another, choose category 100. Having your Bed Quilt hand quilted by another will not put it into a separate category.
  5. If your Bed Quilt was machine quilted by you, choose category 200. If it was quilted by someone other than you, whether or not that person was compensated for the quilting, choose category 300. Machine quilting includes quilting on a stationary domestic machine as well as quilting on a mid- or long-arm track machine.
  6. If your Wall Quilt is of traditional design and quilted by you, choose category 400 or 500, depending on whether it is predominantly appliquéd or predominantly pieced.
  7. If your Wall Quilt (of traditional design or an Art Quilt) has been quilted by another, whether or not that person was compensated for the quilting, it must be entered in category 1000 where it will be judged together with all other Wall Quilts quilted by another.
  8. A Wall Quilt is of traditional design if it is constructed of blocks in a traditional pattern or method of piecing or appliqué. A “One Block Wonder” quilt, for example, would be considered a traditional design because it is pieced in rows of triangles which form hexagons even though it results in an abstract geometric design.
  9. All quilts where the quilt top has been made by two or more persons, whether Bed Quilts, traditional design Wall Quilts or Art Quilts, should be placed in category 1200, regardless of who did the quilting.

Please Note:  All quilt registration forms must indicate the name of the maker as well as the name of the quilter, regardless of whether it is the same person. This information will be displayed on the quilt card accompanying each quilt at the show.

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