Color Kazoo Blocks and Rails

I finished quiting the Color Kazoo quilt and it came out pretty well. I quilted the center with boxes, it wasn't as easy as stippling at first, but it got better as I went. It's probably easier on a long arm machine, but it wasn't too bad. I thought it looked better after washing, and I think it's a nice little quilt. I hope to get my next quilt basted tomorrow, but have to go get more batting first.
I had a good day Wednesday. I drove down to Gold Beach to judge the quilts for the fair. It was my first judging experience and although I was pretty nervous about it, everything went well and I learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that the reason judges pick on your batting is that may be the only thing to pick on! Luckily we didn't have too many categories with more than two quilts, there was one with 6. They were bed quilts. They were varying in difficulty, but all were well done, and the bindings were one of the big deciding points. Though each one looked like it was done with care, there were differences in the corners, the fullness of the bindings, and the way they were stitched down. So, make sure you take as much care in finishing your binding as you do in your piecing or quilting.

What I look for in a binding: The binding should be even all the way around the quilt, the batting should fill it all the way to the edge, the corners should be mitered, all the same, and nice and square. The joint should not be noticeable, and the general preference is stitched invisibly on the back. I do a lot of mine top-stitched to the front, though and generally get good marks for those! I think ideally the binding should be the same width on the back as on the front, but that's flexible as long as it is consistent in size on both sides.

Remember, the binding is your last chance to make a good impression, whether your quilt is judged or not. Make it as good as you can!