Sunny wrote:
I was admiring the gorgeous quilt that won the top prizes at this
year's local guild quilt show a few weeks back today. It was made by
one of the owners of the LQS here. I opined that picking the fabrics
must have been really a hoot when she said that she hadn't picked any,
it was a kit.

OK, I understand somebody entering a kitted quilt if they are just
getting started, but ...... this struck me as just a bit unethical.
The show is viewer's choice and the quilt is stunning. It's paper
pieced and the design just seems to glow. But she didn't really make
those fabric choices.

What do you folks think? Am I just being rude and snitty, as my DH
suggests?

I've got a pile of old magazines that I've just been reading, I've read
many many articles, so I'm a bit mixed up, but I'm pretty sure one place
said that back in the 30s it was entirely normal to enter kit quilts
for shows. In the present day, it seemed that it might be ok, but very
much depends on the rules for the specific show. If it's a kit, credit
must be given to the designer of the quilt and displaying it might break
the copyright of the original designer and it should definitely be made
clear on a note by the quilt that it was a kit designed by x and made by
y. If she didn't fill that in on the application and it's just something
she happened to let slip, I agree that would be unethical. Even with the
information being clearly stated, I guess that not all viewers would
read it or take it in, but I guess that's a risk you take if you enter a
show that's entirely viewers choice, there are some traditional designs
that can be stunning as well as some that come completely from the
makers imagination, a judge should be reading the accompanying info and
applying knowledge, you can't expect that of viewers choice and some
unusual winners crop up.

Having said all that, even if it's all within the rules, I'd hope for a
better example by an LQS owner, in a similar way to how you'd expect a
fireman to not have an open fire in the woods, you expect something a
little bit more from them, whether that's fair or not!

Cheers
Anne