Editor’s Message
Hello again. It has been a very busy month in the machine quilting world. I was so happy to see the quilts in the AMQA Show 2010 in Adelaide over the long weekend. I was present at the quilt show the entire time and it was fantastic to see a steady stream of visitors admiring the work of our members and other quilt show entrants.
The AMQA Show 2010 was a wonderful success. This success was due to the hard work of our members and volunteers who helped with judging, hanging, white gloving and carefully removing and packing the quilts for return. I would especially like to mention Gayle Dayman, Julie Nixon and Val Towill for their hard work pulling the show together. Well done, ladies.
Gayle, Julie and Val receiving well deserved thanks at the Presentation Dinner.
I would really welcome input from members to this newsletter. I would like to see it as a great communication piece and future reference tool for members with useful articles and pictures of fantastic quilting. If you would like to submit an article or make a contribution to an upcoming article (as announce in out Coming Up Next Time section) or send me some photographs of a quilt you have done that you are really proud of, then please email me. I would LOVE to hear from you!
This newsletter is published in several formats:
· Online at http://continuouslines.blogspot.com
· In a direct email to members
· As a PDF in the files section of the AMQA Yahoo Group
· As an email to the AMQA Yahoo Group
· In time, the newsletter will be archived as a PDF on the www.amqa.com.au website
Michele
editor@amqa.com.au
President’s Message
Congratulations to everyone who was involved with the AMQA Show 2010 at Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, for making it such a huge success. The show would not have happen if it wasn’t for YOU. You the Entrant, You the Volunteer, You the Attendee and all of You our wonderful Sponsors. Once again congratulations to all the prize winners in your chosen categories. The Quilts and Quilting was stunning and a credit to you all. A huge thank you to the Judges, as they had a very busy day judging and did a fantastic job.
The Presentation Dinner was held on Sunday night at the Mawson Lake Hotel. A slide show of winning quilts ran during the presentation of Awards. This gave everyone the opportunity to view the Winning Quilt for each Category along with the Winner receiving their prizes. It was a terrific turn out, as most winners were present and many of our Sponsors presented their own prizes to the winning quilter.
The AMQA ‘Meet and Greet’ was held on Sunday morning for breakfast, even though it was very quick due to many attending classes. It was wonderful to meet you and put faces to names. I am sure it also helped you by getting to know who we are and assisted with breaking down a few barriers and opening up the communication lines, as we want our Members to become more involved with the Association.
We would love to hear from you, our Members, as to what you thought of the Show. Did you like it? If not, why. Did you enjoy it? What was it that made it so? Are you interested in Shows like this in the future? The Committee would like feedback as to what our Members want. This is the only way we are able to represent you in the future. Please email me (address below).
Secretary Position Available. The Association is looking for someone who is living in the State of Queensland to become our new Secretary. Due to other commitments our current Secretary is unable to continue with this position. If you are interested, and/or wish to find out more, please contact me either via e-mail or phone. Due to AMQA being incorporated in Queensland, the Secretary must live in that state or within 65km of the border. Please see the requirements posted later in the Newsletter and contact me if you can please help.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity in thanking AMQ Festival, Tracey and Sharon, for inviting AMQA to hold a Quilt Show in conjunction with this years’ Festival. The venue was fantastic and showcased the quilts beautifully. There was plenty of room to move around among the stands to view the quilts, with lots of light to show off the Quilting. Once again, thank you for inviting us.
Till next time.
Cheers
Terry Elverd
The AMQA committee with Sharon Parkinson and Tracey Browning.
From L-R, Raylee Bielenberg, Gayle Dayman, Jo Northcott, Sharon Parkinson, Julie Nixon, Tracey Browning, Michele Turner and Val Towill.
AMQAS 2010
BEST OF SHOW – Fancy Flutterbys by Rachelle Denneny
| Quilt Title | Quilter | |
| Best of Show | Fancy Flutterbys | Rachelle Denneny |
| Best of Show Runner Up | Woven Inspiration | Judy Simcock |
| Viewers’ Choice | Ella’s Quilt | Pam Hill |
| Edge to Edge | ||
| First | Field of Flowers | Karen Terrens |
| Second | Windows on the Garden | Juliet Edwards |
| Third | Yeehaw It’s Rodeo Time | Denise Bold |
| Functional Custom - Wall | ||
| First | Springtime | Verna Horwood |
| Second | Granny Wrap | Sharon McGill |
| Third | Butterflies Friendship Swap | Clare Fairless Lewis |
| Functional Custom – Large | ||
| First | Under Southern Skies | Pam Hill |
| Second | Another Tuesday’s Folly – Autumn | Belinda Betts |
| Third | Cherry Chocolate | Desley Regan |
| Wholecloth | ||
| First | Woven Inspiration | Judy Simcock |
| Second | SnickleDippinlips | Clare Fairless Lewis |
| Art / Pictorial | ||
| First | The Persistant Peacock | Rachelle Denneny |
| Second | Tear Jerker | Ramona Resurreccion |
| Third | Mother and Daughter | Lee Vause |
| Custom Heirloom – Wall | ||
| First | Fancy Flutterbys | Rachelle Denneny |
| Second | Envy | Karen Terrens |
| Third | The Blue One | Vicki Jenkin |
| Custom Heirloom – Large | ||
| First | Double Sided Delight | Jo Northcott |
| Second | Blondie’s Choice | Vicki Jenkin |
| Third | Belle of the Ball | Tracey Browning / Helen Stubbings |
Thanks again to our sponsors who provided donations of goods and money for the place-getters at the AMQA Show 2010. The sponsor for each prize is listed next to the prize category on our website (link below). AMQA also provided cash prizes of $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place for each category. To see pictures of these fabulous quilts, please go to http://www.amqa.com.au/index.php/amqas-2010-information.html
AMQA Show Report
By Gayle Dayman
This years’ exhibition was certainly an inspiration to all who were able to view it. A huge congratulations to not only the winners, but to all members who entered. The judges said that it was the highest standard of machine quilting exhibition they had ever judged. Of course this made their decisions for winners that much harder. (Which is a good thing!)
The second AMQA Show has been a huge success in several ways.
Firstly, we had more quilts to display, in more categories with over $8,000 in prizes. This is a huge plus for our members seeking to "get their business name out there" and to grow their business.
Secondly, with the exhibition being held in conjunction with the AMQ Festival, it allowed more AMQA members and public to view and be inspired by those quilters who entered their quilts.
As with anything, the more we educate and publicity we generate, the more patchworkers are going to seek out our members to have their quilts quilted.
Many thanks must go to our sponsors, Sue's Sewing World, Horn Australia and MS Textiles were major sponsors. Other sponsors were Wonderfil Speciality Thread, The Patchwork Apple, Creative Quilting Services, Pinetree Cottage Quilting, QH Textiles, The Quilter's Quilter, as well as AMQA itself. Please thank and support our sponsors when you next use any of their businesses.
Around 300 people voted for our Viewer's Choice, which was won by Pam Hill with Ella's Quilt, the carousel horse quilt. Congratulations to all of this years’ winners. The complete list of winners and photos of the winning quilts can be found on the AMQA website.
As with all exhibitions there are always things that we can do better. At this stage the committee are looking into ways to better display quilts, but this will also depend on available space. We are also looking into defining categories more clearly. If members have any ideas or suggestions, please email them to one of the committee for consideration. We welcome all comments.
In conclusion I would like to thank all members who entered quilts, those who were volunteers or in some way were involved in running the exhibition. It is AMQA committee running an AMQA show for AMQA members.
So well done everyone!
Membership Renewal
Membership renewals were due on 1st October 2010.
Renew via Post
Please click here and download the renewal form and mail it with your cheque or receipt for your bank deposit to the address shown on the form.
As for those that have yet to send in their renewal, please send them as soon as possible.
After the 31st October your details will be removed from the website and you will be unable to access the Members' part of the website.
Rebate
Here is some clarification about the $30 rebate on your membership fees.
To claim the rebate, please include a copy of your receipt for workshops at AMQ Festival. If you have that and the rebate form filled out, please only write your cheque or transfer just the $70 for your membership fee. This will avoid the need for a cheque to be written for a $30 refund.
A rebate application form is available for download here if you need one.
Some Housekeeping…
AMQA Web Site
Quilters and Their Machine Page
We would like to update this page to give you an opportunity to highlight yourself and your most important tool, your quilting machine. Please send me a few paragraphs about yourself, including information such as when and why you started quilting for others, about your machine and why you chose it, where you live and any other interesting things you have to say about your quilting life. Please include a photo of you and your machine that we can place on the website.
Find a Machine Quilter Page
Please have a look at your information on the "Find a Machine Quilter" page and check to see that it is current and valid. Some of you may have changed address, telephone number or e-mail address so please take a minute to check your listing. If you have a link, please make sure you take a minute to check that it is correct and your website is accurate and up to date. Sometimes we forget to update things on our web sites and any link to an invalid address or to incorrect information compromises the professional image of AMQA.
If you would like a web link attached to your name, please contact Suzanne, the Web Diva and give her the corrections to be made.
We hope that you take the time to check your information and notify us of any changes required. Thank You!
Behind the Scenes
The AMQA Committee meets monthly (via Skype linkup) to discuss lots of things about the AMQA. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes and here is a brief summary of our last meeting:
Applications for new 8 members have been received and processed since our last committee meeting in September. We have had 32 new members since Feb 2010. The $30 Rebates only apply to the year that they are applied for.
Committee are looking at purchasing a laptop of the Treasurer/ Membership Secretary to keep all records on.
Webdiva report -Suzanne Cappello has all the AMQA Show prize winners and quilts on the website. And she is continually improving things on the website.
Diary of Events report - Raylee Bielenberg has taken this position on and will be emailing members for details about their local exhibitions.
Newsletter editor Michele Turner has the next newsletter almost ready and is waiting for reports from the AMQA Show.
Mentoring report - Raylee has spoken to most new members and let them know who their state co-ordinator is, so they can go to them for assistance. Co-ordinators will be Michele Turner for NSW, QLD; Gayle Dayman for SA; Raylee Bielenberg for ACT, Tas,& Vic; Terry Elverd for WA & NT.
General Business:
Debriefing of the AMQA show and any suggestions for improvement were being looked into. Terry will be sending out Certificate of Appreciations to all sponsors. Thank you letters were also going to "outside helpers" for the exhibition.
Some good ideas came out of the AMQA members Get together held at the Festival, which the committee is going to implement.
AMQA management committee also had a get together and it was nice to put faces to names. (Editor’s Note - Some of us had never met ‘in person’ before and I think it is amazing how we can have a committee work so well considering this)
Committee will be contacting members looking for a new Secretary needed that resides in Queensland.
Discussion about next year’s exhibition had some great suggestions about a Challenge being held then. Raylee and Michele would organise.
Congratulations…..
To everyone who entered a quilt in AMQA Show 2010. It can take a lot of courage to put your quilt “out there”, so well done, entrants. The quilt show would not have run without any quilts in it and your participation made this truly the show of the Australian Machine Quilting Association.
Upcoming Events
| 20 - 24 October 2010 | Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair | Brisbane Exhibition Centre | |
| 4 - 7 November 2010 | Adelaide Craft & Quilt Fair | Jubilee Pavilion, Adelaide Showground | |
| 20-21 November 2010 | Australian Quilt Market Trade Only | Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Cnr Clarendon Street and Normanby Road, Southbank. | |
| 29 - Nov 2010 | Tasmania Craft Fair | Deloraine |
We would love to hear of any local quilt shows or events near you! Please email your details to Raylee and we will include it in the newsletter and on the AMQA website.
Youtube at AMQA Show 2010
Vicki Anderson, who publishes Machine Quilting Unlimited, was one of the visitors from the USA who attended the show. She interviewed some AMQA members and here are the YouTube clips!!!
To see Jo Northcott -
To see Cheryl Chevalier -
To see Lizzy Hentze -
Article –Hints and Tips on How to Stay Focused when working from home
By Michele Turner
Do you have trouble staying on track when working from home? Is it hard to say no to going out for coffee with friends when you know you should be working? Are you really disciplined when it comes to staying at the machine for a full working day?
I know that I can spend too much time procrastinating before starting my quilting for the day. Suddenly catching up on my email or checking out my favourite blogs can seem much more exciting than actually quilting. I am human after all. Despite my hatred of bookwork, I have even been known to catch up on my bookkeeping instead of starting the quilt for the day. But I still manage to get my quilting done almost all of the time. I will share some of the tactics I use to get myself in the groove to quilt.
Let me share a little about my work style and work and family commitments so that you understand where I am coming from. I have four children aged between 9 and 14. I aim to work during school hours, sometimes in the evenings and often one full day on the weekend. I do a lot of custom quilting interspersed with all over quilts. I know at the beginning of each month how many quilts I have to quilt by the end of the month. I also go to patchwork class once a week – I find it is a good thing for networking purposes (but that is a story for another day). In a nutshell, I aim to spend around 30-40 hours a week on my quilting business. Your mileage might vary.
Planning my month is essential to me. As I said, I know at the beginning of the month how many quilts I have to finish. I print out a monthly calendar blank and write on it all of my non-negotiable non-business commitments. Things such as school assembly when the kids are taking part, grocery shopping, medical appointments all go on there. I have been quilting long enough now to be able to fairly well estimate how long a quilt will take to do. I check the sizes of each quilt and allocate enough time for each one on my calendar. Seeing my monthly plan in black and white pinned onto the noticeboard above my desk with all of the mini-deadlines for each quilt really keeps me right on track.
Every day I look at my monthly work plan and see where I should be. I motivate myself by aiming to finish each quilt on the day I plan to. The fear of not being able to catch back up is enough to keep me motivated. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not stressing myself out over it, I leave myself plenty of time for each quilt. It is a little game I play with myself to keep on track. Sometimes, it is all the motivation I need to look at the calendar and get off the computer.
That is the monthly plan, but sometimes it is hard just to get started in the day. I feel like this when I know I have a long session of stitch in the ditch ahead of me before I can do the fun stuff such as feathers etc. Sometimes I am a bit stymied when it comes to the quilting design. Sometimes I would just rather do something else. At these times, I challenge myself to simply begin. Work for 30 minutes and take a little break. By the time I am 30 minutes in, I have found my rhythm and often want to keep going.
If I am stuck on the quilting design, I find that while I am quilting all of the ditches, I have been thinking about design possibilities and which order to quilt them, I am keen to get on with it and see how it goes. If all else fails me design wise, I pop onto the computer and google quilts of the same style or design that I am working on to get the creative juices flowing. BUT, I give myself only 15 minutes to do so or I will find myself procrastinating again!
Being at home for the work day means there is always the temptation to cook, clean, garden, play with the dogs, watch TV etc etc. To avoid these temptations, I make a point of only doing housework if someone is there to see me do it. Think about it. If I am annoying the kids and hubby with the vacuum cleaner, then they know that it is not magically done by Mrs Nobody. Same with the cooking. And the other household chores. If I worked in an office, I would not do these tasks during my work day, so I don’t do them during my day at home. There is one exception, I do hang out the wash and re-load the washing machine throughout the day (remember 4 kids – three of whom are boys, need I say more?), besides, the bending and hanging out clothes is a good relief from quilting.
As far as having coffee with my friends or going to other social events, of course I do this. I simply plan for it. My friends all know that I take my business seriously, so they don’t drop by for a visit or expect a long phone chat when I am working. I can do things with them in the daytime if I plan ahead (and only if I think it is important enough to miss working to do it. Shhh don’t tell them that!).
Staying on track does take a little motivation and sometimes a lot of discipline. However, doing so pays you back in spades when you are not rushing madly to finish a quilt you have almost missed a deadline for because you were off doing something else…
AMQA Members Only Quilt Challenge 2011
The AMQA Committee are excited to run a Quilt Challenge next year. The Quilt Challenge will be a great opportunity for members to show off your quilting skills . More details to come in the next Newsletter. Stay tuned!!!
New Members
Welcome to the following new members:
Helen Rhodes – Wattle Moon Quilting – MANDURAH
Eleanor Healy – Tickle Belly Quilting – OUYEN
Adriana McRea – Jeannette of Rosebud Quality Quilting Service – DROMANA
Naomi Hynes – The Elegant Stitch Quilting and Design – HAMPTON PARK
Jenny Robertson – ALBANY
Leone Ward – House of Quilting – ROBINA
Sandi Kelliher – GERALDTON
Position Vacant
AMQA needs a secretary to be on the AMQA Committee. The requirements are:
The secretary must be an individual residing in Queensland, or in another State but not more than 65km from the Queensland border.
Functions of Secretary
The secretary’s functions include, but are not limited to—
(a) calling meetings of the association, including preparing notices of a meeting and of the business to be conducted at the meeting in consultation with the president of the association; and
(b) keeping minutes of each meeting; and
(c) keeping copies of all correspondence and other documents relating to the association; and
(d) maintaining the register of members of the association.
(e) duties of the secretary may be delegated to other committee positions, such as minute secretary, membership secretary, as required.
Please, if you fulfil the residential requirements and are able to perform the duties of Secretary, please contact Terry Elverd president@amqa.com.au. The committee ‘meets’ once a month via Skype linkup. There is an AMQA Committee Yahoogroup which the committee uses to communicate on a regular basis. You will find that the other committee members will welcome you with open arms and will give you all the help you need to get going. Thank you.
Coming Up Next Time…
Next Issue, I am writing an article on “Presenting a Professional Image”. Those of us who are in business should be aware of the way in which we present ourselves. Which is difficult, as in many cases, we work from home. What have you done to enhance your professional image?
Please email me with your ideas to share, I would love to hear from you.
Submission Deadline is November 1, 2010.
AND
We NEED more pictures - please share your triumphs and quilts that you are extra proud of - don't be shy. Email them to me please!
Submission Deadline is November 1, 2010, so do it NOW!
Your 2010-11 Committee and Contact Details
President: Terry Elverd, WA president@amqa.com.au
Vice President: Raylee Bielenberg, ACT vp@amqa.com.au
Secretary: Susanne Hughes, Qld secretary@amqa.com.au
Treasurer: Gayle Dayman, SA treasurer@amqa.com.au
Membership Secretary: Gayle Dayman, SA membership@amqa.com.au
Minute Secretary: Jo Northcott, WA minutes@amqa.com.au
Web Diva: Suzanne Cappello, NSW webdiva@amqa.com.au
Editor: Michele Turner, NSW editor@amqa.com.au
Committee Members:
Julie Nixon, SA committee1@amqa.com.au
Val Towill, SA committee2@amqa.com.au
Sharon McGill, WA committee3@amqa.com.au
Tracey Browning, SA committee4@amqa.com.au
AMQA Corporate Members
Our Corporate Members are:-
Lorien Quilting
Lorien Quilting - Australian publisher of machine quilting patterns by local and international designers.
We carry block designs and motifs, pattern sets and a huge range of pantographs for all sizes of quilting machine. Our pattern clubs are a must for adding variety to your pattern stash while saving big bucks!
Visit our website for discounts www.lorienquilting.com
We would like to give a special thank you to Hermione of Lorien Quilting for allowing AMQA to use her design "Fantasia" on the background of the new AMQA website.
Widebacks Australia
Widebacks Australia is an Australian owned company which specialises in top quality 108" (275cm) wide backing fabrics including well-known names such as Moda, Benartex, RJR, P&B, South Sea Imports and Marcus Fabrics. Widebacks Australia only sells top quality fabric and Brenda, the proprietor, feels confident that you will be delighted with the look and feel of them. They will certainly enhance your quilts and add value too.
Many colours are available from White on White to Jet Black, with every colour in between, including a selection of Batiks. The fabrics are all 100% cotton. Also available is a range of 108" wide Flannel in solid colours, Reproduction Civil War & 30's prints too.
Visit Widebacks online at www.widebacks.com.au
