Summarizing

First off, thank you for the kind and informative comments and emails regarding yesterday's post about show quilting ethics.  I am most surprised at the response and the number of page views this post has received -- nearly double my previous highest (ha...even more than the bleeding quilt posts :-))!  It's over 750 views right now, and emails/comments keep coming in.  I am not, however, completely surprised at the way the professional quilting community at large feels about this.   We are a relatively small bunch of quilters that quilt show quilts, and we feel strongly about being recognized for our talents.

While I definitely love hearing what each and every one of you thinks on the issue, I really don't think that there is anything I plan to change.  It's not a matter of needing it contractually stated that the person having me quilt the top shall do certain things.  For the cost of most quilting jobs, there is just no way I will seek legal council should an similar issue like this arise.  Is it really a legal issue?? We can all overthink what "we" might do differently to protect ourselves, but in the end, I still don't think that this is a "me" issue.  The vast majority of good quilt shows do require the entrant to list the quilter.  Those that falsify, if they exist, will be discovered.  And as smaller, less experienced shows evolve, they too will require such information.  I am confident that I was listed as the quilter, as this show is reputable.   I feel strongly that all shows should prominently display the quilter's name on the quilt placard in whatever size font the entrant's name is in.  I have been to a few large shows where the quilter's name was in a font so tiny it was barely legible. What is the point in that?  I cannot speak for this particular show's signs; I couldn't read it from the photos.   My biggest bone to pick was about just not being notified that a lovely quilt which I quilted happened to quilt, took the show's top award.  There is no contract that will ensure each and every client will have my degree of interest in each and every quilt touch.  That bit comes from within each of us.  All I can do is express my sadness for not knowing 3 weeks ago when the show took place, and urge all of us to keep those lines of communication open with our clients.  How our quilts do in shows directly affects our business.  She may think that this is "her" quilt, but a small piece inside of me still feels it is "part me" too.