World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of May 14, 2001:

Our question this week comes from Barbara H

I have just entered my first judged quilt show and I won Best of Show. Does this entitle the person that machine quilted the quilt to half of the prize money (as decided by the committee running the show)? I don't quite understand her being compensated (by the quilt show) for almost the same amount that I paid her for quilting it.

Robyn P. :
If the quilter is a friend, consider
sharing in order to save the friendship.
If this was a busines arrangement, keep
the prize money, but highly praise the
quilter both to her and to others for
her outstanding work.
(Money can be quickly spent, but kind
words and excellent references will
be long lived.)

Patricia Ann Bryant :
You owe the machine quilter nothing as the quilt was your creation,,and you have already paid her once....in my opinion the comittee has no right to tell you what to do with prize money.
Amanda :
No, not by any means you already gace her enough!!!
Sherryle :
If she shares in the prize money she should share in the cost of materials.
LInda Franklin :
No, she received her compensation already.
Pat J. :
Was this rule written before the
quilts were judged? If so, a rule is
a rule. Personally I think it should
be your choice if you share the prize
money.
Cheryl C. :
Doesn't sound like a fair deal to me. Was it entered in a made by more than one person catagory? Shouldn't be a prize for her if the person did this service as a business. Wouldn't think she would be eligible. In all fairness she should give you the money she receives.
Arlene Phillips :
I am wondering if you should let people know who she is ,so the same thing does not happen to them.I find this situation rude on her part.
sheila s :
calculate the hours & imitial money you invested, then the sewer's hours & money/use of the machine. This should be a fair measure of who gets what in my opinion.
Verona :
No,just recognition should have been enough!
Michelle Stockett :
I don't think the quilter deserves half of the reward. She has already been paid for her services. It may be nice to give her a token of appreciation, but she didn't win the quilt show; you did.
Joyce Besase :
NO she should not have been paid for the quilting. She was already paid once. The committee was wrong in awarding her the quilter part of the prize money. She should recognize that she had already been paid and give you the money that the commettee gave her.
Irene J. Dewar :
This is your decision to make - to share the prize or not, not the judge's. Her/his job is to decide which quilt won. If only a ribbon was presented to the winner would she be expected to give half of it to the quilter? The quilter entered into a business ageement with you, for which I assume she was properly compensated and acknowledged. It is up to you to decide if she should be further rewarded. As someone who also quilts for others joy of being associated with the winner , not to mention the free advertising would be compensation enough for me.
judy Heintz :
If the quilt was entered as a joint project then yes...but if it was entered as just you as the exhibitor then all prizes should go to you...if the judges divided the monies there should be a specific catagory for joint project entries...I'm sure the quilting was a key factor in the look of the project but, depending on the wording of the catagory, if you entered it in a "pieced quilt" ie then the quilting is secondary the piecing is the issue.
A Quilter :
Maybe the mistake was giving the quilter credit for the quilting. (how else did they know who quilted it) But then again you dont want to take credit for something you didnt do, but won for it. If you named the fabric line you used would that company get paid too? You already paid them also! Ridiculous!!!!
Kathy Adams :
NO! She has been paid.
Carrie :
The person who did the quilting is a person engaged in the business of quilting for other people. As long as you paid her for the work she did, I feel that your "ties" to her are cut except for the fact that it would be very nice of you to give her credit for the quilting and thereby give her free advertising for her business. Mentioning her name/business name would be appropriate. Or, you could say that the quilt was commercially machine quilted acknowledging the fact that you did not do the quilting but then she would not receive the free advertising. You should not have to give her any of the prize money.
Lynda from Alabama :
Definitely! While you may have designed and put the quilt together, it's not a quilt until it's quilted. Quilting can make or break a quilt. It was a 50-50 project. She deserves half of any prize or recognition.
Marcia H :
I think that, unless the machine quilter
contributed significantly to the DESIGN
of the quilt, she should not receive part of the prize. However, if her elaborate quilting was part of what made the quilt a winner - - -
Maxine Olinger :
I think if you paid her for the quilting
and you entered the quilt in the show
that only you deserve the monies. Now if
she had quitled it for you at no charge
and requested payment of monies won as
payment for quilting then yes. I do
believe you need to give credit to whoever
did the quilting, as yopu musth have done.
IMHO...very humble!
Mary T :
Unless the quilter was a partner to begin with they are not intitled to half of your prize money. I do agree that one should always give credit to the hand or machine quilter but once you pay for the quilting that quilt is yours.
Telling you to split your prize money is rediculus and will we eventually have to pay prize money to the fabric designers and the thread manufacturers and so on and so on.
Enjoy your winnings and watch for those hidden clauses next time.
How does the quilter feel about theis I wonder?
Judi M. :
I do not believe the quilter was entitled to any of the prize money unless that was part of the original agreement between the quilter and the person who made the quilt.
Kathy :
Having seen several quilts recently at a show that were a combo job between the one who made the top and the one who was hired to quilt it (but given no mention anywhere on the show info or label), I would say that even though it seems unfair, that woman should also receive a share of the winnings. The quilts I viewed were beautiful tops, no doubt about it. BUT, it was the quilting that totally enhanced the whole quilt. Without the quilting, the tops would have just been like many other quilts in the show.
Sorry to be this way, but machine quilters are artists in their own right, they deserve the recognition also. Chances are, since the woman does such beautiful work, she probably has no time to create quilts of her own, so how would anyone be able to judge her work, unless it shows up on another's quilt?
Kate H. :
Congratulations on winning!! I've never entered
(will in the Fall), but that sounds really
strange to me. You hired her for her services, not to
be "co-owner/creator" in YOUR project. If a dog wins an award
at a dog show, does the vet and/or groomer also get a
share of the award or does the owner/shower reap the benefits alone?
I think just the owner/shower in both your case and the dog's case.
Good luck!
Diana :
Yes as with out her quilting you would not have won I might add that its beyond me why some one would employ another to complete their work surely the art of patch work is both starting and finishing a project then you can say i made this quiltand its truely yours and not only half yours
dale thornton :
no you were the one that put the quilt to-gether
Becky :
"It's not a quilt until it's quilted"!!
Joseph Jackson :
no, as it was your project.
rf schug :
A quilt is usually pieced and then quilted. Obviously, the judges decided that the quilting was as important as the piecing. I frankly think the quilting is often more important and a real asset to a pieced item.
connie :
As in bingo, when someone wins big, that person gives a token of thanks to the caller. No way should someone else decide what to do with your winnings!!
LOIE :
I think that this should have been stated and posted in the rules. If not, I don't see how they can demand that you do this. And did she know that you were entering a show? Did she have any such rules or requests posted or implied when you hired her?
Janet :
Winning best of show is a huge honor. Your quilt wouldn't have won unless all the work in it was of outstanding quality. I would want to thank that quilter with half the money even if the committee didn't require it.
Goldie M :
I never heard of that . I would give her credit on the quilt label but that is all.
Kelly :
Isn't it cheating to pay someone for work then claim it as your own in a contest? If both names were on the quilt it would be one thing, but I think passing someone's work off as your own should result in disqualification.
sharon fitzgerald :
I would be proud of winning best of show for your quilt. I believe the quilting helped your quilt to win. I would have been proud to share the winnings even if I paid her for her talent.
Grace :
I personally think that since you already paid her for quilting the quilt then it should be your prize money. If she had quilted the quilt for you for free and said if it wins we split the money then that would be different. I think you should go before the comittee and explain to them that she has already been paid for her services, and ask them to explain why they feel she should receive half the prize money.
Carolyn :
Congratulations! I'm glad you won an
award AND prize money, too. Lucky you!
P. Jane Coefield :
In my work I draft agreements / contracts. Without a written agreement ANY thing can happen (and usually does). Please read all the Show documents you saw or were given both before and after you agreed to enter your quilt. It is likely that the issue (of splitting prize money) is covered in the documents.

Quilting, like peicing, is a major factor in judging any quilt. Consider this, if the quilting had been done with less skill, could the quilt have won best of show? In your case, it sounds like it took two people to create a winner.

I urge you to read the Show documents carefully and / or contact the Show organizers. Who knows, perhaps they erred?

Carla Edmundson :
NO!!!!!!!!! you put in all the hard work and created the quilt.Paid for all the expences including having the woman quilt it. I think that prize money is yours to keep.
Darlene :
No, it's your quilt, you entered it, you have already paid for the fabric, filler, quilting, you are entitled to all the prize money, in my opinion.
Celeste Smith :
NO!!!!!!!!The Quilt belongs to the one who cordinated the fabric selection, purchased the fabric, sewed it together, then PAID the lady to quilt it. The owner of the quilt took the time to enter the quilt in the show.......The owner wins the prize.
N Seligman :
no, if there was not an agreement prior to the entry made with the quilter. If her name was on the show card, perhaps yes, some of it should be passed along as a courtesy.
N. Seligman :
I wonder if she was listed on the Show Card? If so perhaps she is entitled to some of the money. If not, and there was no agreement from her prior to the entry of show. No.

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