A throwback to Being Rejected. 

QuiltCon 2017 acceptances and rejections are going out. And it makes this link about my thoughts on rejections all too relevant again. I did not have any quilts in competition for this year. I only made one Quilt for show this year and it’s already traveling. 

Rejection always stings. Anything that you do that “puts yourself out there” has skin in the game. The stakes are always somewhat higher because it’s our artwork that’s up for judging. 

When I put my classic Mustang in a car show, it’s up to the judges to say what car in my class is worthy of a trophy. After sitting and watching judging happen right in front of me, it is a literal “beauty contest”.  My car is often just as nice and restored as the car next to it. But perhaps the judge doesn’t like red.  Perhaps they had a 1973 model like mine when they were young. Or perhaps the girl that broke their heart had one just like mine. Any number of reasons can take you out of the running, or catapult you to the top. 

So it it with quilt judges. You could have the most technically precise, on topic, thematically correct entry in the world, and a rough day, a fleeting memory, or any number of silly whims stood between you and the letter you got. The judge is human.

But you did a good thing. You made something wonderful and you put it out in the world. 

You asked for a small group of people to accept it into a very narrow window. It’s ok to feel hurt. Please continue to try to share yourself with the world!  We want to see what you have made.