It was with great regret, that the Committee of the AMQA had to accept the resignation of our President, Suzan Saliba, for personal reasons. Suzan worked tirelessly to make our inaugural Quilt show, held in September 2009, a success. Her drive and enthusiasm for the betterment and recognition of Machine Quilting will be sorely missed. Suzan, we wish you all the best in both your personal life and your business ventures
Life has a funny way of throwing curve balls when we least expect it and the AMQA now faces a challenge of huge proportions. The committee membership has been reduced severely and a decision has to be made by its members: “Is this organization to continue or do we submit to general apathy and leave it to die a slow death!”
In our last newsletter, the committee asked for your input and your feedback as to where YOU see this organization heading. What YOU would like to see happen in this field and what direction YOU would like the AMQA to take. The non-response was overwhelming! The committee knows what it wants to do and how we see our business, but that is not the point. The AMQA is not an organization created for the few who are on the committee, it is an organization created for the greater good of all machine quilters. Yes, that means you. And to work, it needs, no… it requires, your input. You have a myriad of email addresses supplied, pick one and share your feelings and ideas about machine quilting, your business, the economy, lessons, teachers, shows, judging and life in general. We are here to share experiences and information. This will only happen if every one of us is prepared to interact.
This brings us to an equally vexing problem. Through various circumstances, the committee has been reduced in numbers that can not sustain the amount of work required to make this organization viable. We need a President, Web Diva and an Editor for our Newsletter. These tasks are being managed by committee members who are already busy trying to deal with their own positions. To make this work, we need more help. This is where our members are supposed to raise their hands, step up to the mark and say: “I volunteer!” Duties are not too arduous when shared and the committee is made up of a friendly bunch of ladies that help each other. Any male quilters or male quilting machine owners, this does not exclude you either and should not stop you from raising your hands. The committee meets every two months, for an hourly session on Skype, so you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home, or face the task of having to dress up and put makeup on. (I have to when I go out, otherwise I scare people – what a blessing Skype can be.)
In short people:
1. We need your input.
2. We want your ideas on what this organization stands for.
3. We want to know what YOU expect from the AMQA.
4. We want to know what you would like AMQA to do for you.
And most importantly:
5. We desperately need your help as a committee member to help run the AMQA.
On a more positive and pleasant note, there are actually good things happening in our quilting world. In the very, very near future, we will be able to announce the arrival of a brand new Australian Machine Quilting Festival, to be held in Adelaide, South Australia at Endeavour College. This will occur over the long weekend in October. It is planned to take place every two years and will be a great boost and boon to our Machine quilting world. It will not only support Longarm machines but also domestic machine quilting. There will be a Retail show with Vendor mall, Overseas Tutors as well as a Quilt Show.
Once details have been finalized, we will let you know the website and more details. So start to have a good think about the quilts you are going to submit to the show.
Sharon Schamber has also promised to return to Australia in 2011 and those of us who were privileged to take classes with her last year, can’t wait for that to happen. Remember, these tutors are brought in for your benefit, so make sure you take the opportunities when they arise. I am so in awe of what Sharon is capable of, but may I also brag, that she believes that Australian Quilters have awesome potential and should be proud of their achievements and that our quilts should really be shown in the US, because she thinks they are that good, we could show our overseas friends a thing or two.
Susanne Hughes, AMQA secretary
Upcoming Events
April 29 - May 02, 2010
Australasian Quilt Convention
Royal Exhibition Building
Carlton, Victoria
19 - 23 May 2010
Perth Craft & Quilt Fair
Perth Convention Centre,
Western Australia
www.craftfair.com.au/sydney09.php
16 - 20 June 2010
Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair
Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney.New South Wales www.craftfair.com.au/sydney09.php
9 - 11 July 2010
Hobart Craft & Quilt Fair
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Brooker Highway, Glenorchy, Hobart
www.craftfair.com.au/sydney.09.php
22 - 25 July 2010
Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair
Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Southbank, Melbourne. Victoria
www.craftfair.com.au/sydney.09.php
Newsletter
We are looking for a new editor for our Continuous Lines Newsletter… If you have a flair for writing and love interviewing people for features then this voluntary job is for you! Please contact our interim editor to learn all about it and enjoy the feeling of achievement of becoming involved and meeting new people. Computer with internet access required. We have now setup a very ‘easy to use’ interface to allow you to complete a newsletter with ease. Full training provided!
Welcome to New Members
Julie Ingram, Melaleuca Merchant Pty Ltd, NSW
Kay Sheahan, Avon Valley Machine Quilting, WA
Natalie Dunn, The Quilting Bug, Vic
Carolynne Diesler, NSW
Cheryl Ambler, Creative Quilting Services PL, WA
Susan Bates, Hotch Potch Quilting, WA
Thank you to our supporters…
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