Continuous Lines
AMQA Newsletter No. 23
June 2012
Editor’s Message
Hi Everyone,
Time to take a break and grab a cuppa. This is a long newsletter!
Firstly, we are sorry that Terry Elverd, who was taking leave of absence from her position as President, has officially resigned from her position on the committee. As we are very close to an AGM, Raylee Bielenberg is now acting president for AMQA. Terry has made a move to a new job and we wish her all the best in the future.
The committee is working very hard behind the scenes to prepare for the AMQA Show in September. Tonia Brooks is doing a fantastic job obtaining sponsors and we have over $12,000 in prizes to give away. There are still a few places where sponsorship is needed for the show. If you, or a quilt store that you know, are able to consider sponsoring a category on the quilt show, please email Tonia secretary@amqa.com.au as soon as possible. The category sponsorships are for a $100 for third, $200 for 2nd and $300 for first prize donation of cash or goods to that value. Sponsors will be advertised at the AMQA Show, in the AMQA newsletter and on the AMQA website, amongst other benefits. Please contact Tonia for more information.
The committee is becoming very excited about the show. We have arranged for a third judge, Nola Pierce to join the judging team. Nola is an experienced quilter from Adelaide who is a past-President of the SA Quilt Guild and a past member of the guild’s judging panel and Nola is currently on the guild valuation panel, and has been since 1992. Nola will bring a wealth of experience to the judging panel for AMQAS 2012. We are fortunate indeed.
AMQA is having an AGM in August. Please read on as more information is listed about the AGM further on in the newsletter. The AGM affects all members and everyone is asked to consider joining in the meeting.
Finally, please take the time to look through the list of sponsors who have donated prizes for the AMQA Show. Without these sponsors backing AMQA and the membership, there would be no Show. Please show your appreciation by placing these sponsors high on your list when you need to purchase products or services which they offer.
Michele Turner editor@amqa.com.au
President’s Message
(Acting) President’s Report
Dear AMQA Inc. Members,
Well the time is creeping up on us when we need to have our entry forms in for the AMQA Inc. Quilt Show later this year. Entries must be postmarked 31st July 2012 if you are posting them or thanks to the hard work of our web diva you can easily submit your entry or entries online via the AMQA Inc. website.
There is an entry fee for the show and again this can easily be arranged via the internet. The AMQA Inc. bank details are on the entry form. Fees are $7.50 per quilt for AMQA Inc. members or $15.00 for other entrants. Each quilt should have its own entry form.
Your quilts can be up to 5 years old and can be entered into this year’ show providing they have not previously been entered into and AMQA Inc. quilt show.
As part of the electronic entry form there are places for you to upload photos of your quits as required, a full quilt photo and a close up, this is much easier than getting them printed for sending. If required for category classification further photos may be requested, who takes just one photo of their quilt anyway?
The AMQA Inc. quilt show is open to all entrants and all machine types, long arm short arm and domestic. We just ask that your quilt be machine quilted. If you need assistance with categories you can indicate this on your entry form and an AMQA Inc. representative will contact you.
So have a look through your quilts or perhaps your customer’s quilts and see if you have any that just need to be shared with the rest of us. I thoroughly enjoy seeing what others have made and just as importantly how other quilters have quilted a quilt. It’s very inspiring.
Here’s a reminder of the categories for this year’s AMQA Inc. quilt show
Happy Quilting
Raylee Bielenberg
Acting President AMQA
AMQA Show - Adelaide September 28 to October 1 2012
We thank the following sponsors for their contribution for prizes for the Quilt Show and ask that you visit their website or call them next time you are looking for products/services for your quilting business. If you are reading this newsletter on the Continuous Lines Blog, here http://continuouslines.blogspot.com.au/ the logos are clickable to link to the sponsors website.
Dayview Textiles
Malanda Quilting and Sewing Supplies
Horn Australia
Walters Imports ph 07 3277 0799
Australian Machine Quilting Festival
Westalee Rulers
Threads and Tangles
Victorian Quilters Inc
Kennard & Kennard
South Australian Quilters'Guild
Know How Sewing Essentials
Pinetree Cottage Quilting - A1 Quilting Machine Dealer
All entry categories and terms and conditions can be found at this web address -
http://www.amqa.com.au/index.php/events/amqa-show-2012
Think about your favourite quilts that you have quilted in the last year or so. If they are your client quilts, it is OK to enter those with permission from your client. Perhaps you have your own quilt that you are particularly proud of. Please enter them and support the AMQA Show.
The judges for the AMQA Show are Nola Archer, Helen Godden and Kerrie-Ann Riles. Their profiles are listed on the AMQA website, the link is here http://www.amqa.com.au/index.php/events/amqa-show-2012/2012-judges
Volunteering at AMQA Show/AMQFestival
The organisers of AMQF have fortunately been able to allocate the Thursday September 27th as AMQA Show set up day. If you are able to volunteer some time to help set up, it would be very much appreciated. The bonus is that you are free to then attend the Ricky Tims Seminar on Friday September 28.
Volunteers are always welcome to assist during the AMQA Show. To streamline volunteer co-ordination, AMQA’s Val Towill will be co-ordinating the entire volunteer contingent for AMQFestival AND AMQA Show. If you have time to spare, please contact Val at committee2@amqa.com.au or via the AMQF website. Here’s the direct link. http://www.amqfestival.com.au/index.php?option=com_rsform&Itemid=85 To show appreciation of the input of volunteers, there will be a prize basket and 2 hours volunteering = 1 entry to win a lovely prize.
Thank you.
AMQFestival NEWS
Registrations have been great so far, but we still have room for more students. We are working hard to get the word out to the general quilting community with flyers, magazine advertising, online promotion and personally visiting many groups with presentations on Festival. Future plans are local media, banners & radio.
To benefit all sponsors, vendors, teachers & participants we still need to do more to spread the word of the largest Machine Quilting Festival in the Southern Hemisphere being held in Adelaide in September 2012. To this end we are asking all our sponsors, vendors & members to assist by promoting Festival to your own network of customers/friends so that all are aware of the learning opportunities that are on offer. If you could use this link to our class catalogue in your own newsletters then that could go a long way to make this the best it can be.
http://www.amqfestival.com.au/images/stories/classes/AMQF2012ClassCatalogueweb.pdf
Tracey Browning
partner AMQ Festival
Welcome New Members
Welcome to our newest members
Regular Member
Jane MONK - Purrfectly Quilted - Legana TAS
Corporate Member
Bree Frost - Geelong Sewing Centre - Geelong VIC. www.geelongsewingcentre.com.au
Product Review
This is an unsolicited review from one of our members. Thank you Val for sharing your experience with this product. If you have tried a new tool/pattern/etc lately that you simply must share, please email the editor@amqa.com.au with your review.
Red Snappers
Like many other longarm quilters', I too had been suffering from pin pricks to my fingers while trying to attach fabrics & quilt tops to my leader cloths with those nasty thick pins, trying to avoid getting blood spots on my customer quilts & quite honestly, I'd had enough!
I said to myself, "there must be something better than this available, surely". I had seen advertising for 'Red Snappers' in a US magazine, I had also heard about them from other longarm quilters' & seen a demonstration but didn't give them a lot of thought at the time. Just a couple of months ago I attended a workshop with Tracey Browning & she had some 'goodies' for sale with a set of these 'Red Snappers' amongst them, so on a whim, I purchased a set in the 12 foot size to suit my longarm machine.
It was a couple of weeks before I had the chance to set them up onto my leader cloths.
Full instructions were included & I also watched the video from Renae Haddadin's website (she designed them) so I felt that I understood how they worked. I happen to have zippers with short leaders already set up on my rollers & they had a wide enough hem to accommodate the round rod that had to be inserted into this so that step was simple enough to do. There are enough clamps (long & short) included to attach any size quilt, with little 2" pieces that hold the fabric temporarily until you get the longer ones attached.
Once I got past this step, loaded my first few quilts (the plastic clamps are a bit stiff initially) I found that I could load a quilt backing in just a few minutes AND what was even better, when I've finished my work I can remove the quilt in just seconds!! How wonderful!
I can now load my quilts in a fraction of the time it used to take. This has saved me not just my precious time, but also the sore fingers & the lost blood (plus bandaids) so I no longer have to be concerned about this. Yes, it took a little getting used to at first, using the base of my hand pushing onto the clamps, but I say that's small compensation for all the other advantages this loading system offers. If you're tired of dealing with the pin pricks & all the time it takes to attach your quilts with those horrible pins to your longarm machine, take a look at this wonderful product. Money well spent I say!! (available from www.constantinequilts.com, look under longarm supplies or type into the search box, there is a link there to watch a video on how to install & use them).
I also purchased a pair of snap on side leaders to hold the outer edges of my backing fabrics, great product here too. These are clear plastic with an elastic cord which you attach the clamps onto that come from the frame of your machine. A bit stiff to work with initially but they soon loosen up, keeps the fabric nice & taught while you work on the borders of your quilt. Available in different sizes to suit the depth of the throat of your machine, I use 12" ones for my A1 which has an 18" throat & that works well for me. These are also available from the same website.
Let us know how you get along if you purchase these goodies, I know I'm not sorry I bought them.
Val Towill,
Bluegum Quilting Services, Murray Bridge, Sth Australia
Achievements in Longarm Quilting
Time for me to brag about myself now. I quilted four award winning quilts at the NSW Quilters Guild Show 2012. My clients recieved the following awards:- 1st Place, 4th Place and a Judges Commendation in the Open Commercially Quilted Category. Also, I quilted the 1st Place quilt in the Open Group/Collaborative quilt. I am thrilled.
Symbols of Japan - Quilt by Patty McGee - Quilted by Michele Turner of Pinetree Cottage Quilting
Enough about me, PLEASE let me know when you have done well - I can’t possibly stalk all of you members to see what you’ve been up to, YOU need to let ME know, so I can share your successes with other members.
Michele Turner
Behind the Scenes
AGM
The AMQA AGM date has been set for 2012. It will be held on August 2, 2012.
Please be aware that new committee members are needed if AMQA is to move forward as an organisation. This organisation does not belong to the current committee, it belongs to the members. If you feel that you have a contribution to make, then please consider joining the committee. If you see a need for improvement and wish to take action, then consider which role on the committee that you would best be suited for and put your hand up for it!
You may note that the AGM is to be held BEFORE AMQA Show. Please do not think that if you join the committee then you will be expected to take over the reins for the AMQA Show the month before it is on. The AMQA committee has a Show Committee which is functioning alongside the AMQA Committee. The Show Committee will see that the show is run smoothly and will cooperate fully with the new committee members that come on board.
ALL members are welcome to attend the AGM via Skype. To join in, you must have a free Skype http://www.skype.com/intl/en/home account and email Tonia secretary@amqa.com.au your Skype contact details/name so she can add you to the meeting.
Several members of the current AMQA Committee have been serving for a number of years now and are ready for a break. If AMQA does not fill a committee at the AGM then the future of AMQA will be in jeopardy. You are implored to think about AMQA and what it means to you and how you can help. If you have been waiting in the wings or wanting to add your ideas then this is the time to put your hand up and go for it!!!
Hint and Tips
Please share your hints and tips. Email them to editor@amqa.com.au
- Did you know that a light mist of water when rolling your backing onto the frame will help take care of wrinkles in the backing? Once you mist the wrinkles and roll up the backing, the wrinkles will disappear.
Volunteering at AMQAS/AMQF
Here is a previously-published article by Sharon French of Morning Star Quilting, Avoca NSW. It is worth re-visiting as Sharon talks about her time as a volunteer and the benefits it has given her.
Volunteering at AMQAS/AMQF
by Sharon French
When I originally put up my hand for volunteering at AMQAS I had no idea how much fun I would have and what an opportunity this would be to learn and meet so many new people.
I came down to Adelaide on the Wednesday before the Festival opened with the intention of doing some shopping and heading up to Murray Bridge for a couple of days with my good friend Val Towill. Val then put her hand up to be our wonderful volunteer coordinator and told me that we would be staying in Adelaide for Judging Day (Thursday) and set up day (Friday) before the Festival started. I’d booked my flights so I was in!!
Judging Day was a fantastic experience. If you ever get an opportunity to work on a Judging Day, take up the chance. It was incredible pulling all those beautiful quilts out of their calico bags – what a treat to see them all. I spent time sorting and organising the quilts, helping with the set up for photos and also in the judging room itself. This was the highlight of the day. The two judges, Susan Campbell and Tina Whittaker were amazing and what a job they had. They were both very willing to share with the volunteers what they were looking at and how they were making their decisions. Although as quilters we ‘know’ what judges look for, to have this first hand experience was a huge bonus for me.
Set up day – well that was busy! To see the whole Festival and Show go from an empty room to a full-blown exhibition and festival in just a few hours was wonderful. Didn’t it look great - the quilts all hanging and looking beautiful.
Other areas where volunteers worked were as classroom angels, vendor mall angels and white glove angels.
As a classroom angel I got to sit in on a class with Kim Brunner on the Friday afternoon. A classroom angel is basically the teachers assistants, marking off students names, taking money, passing out handouts, writing receipts, sorting out any problems which occur during the class (air con, equipment, lighting, etc). There really wasn’t much to do, other than be there if the teacher needed you. So I got to sit in on a great class, and for those of you in this class, you will remember what a great laugh we had teaching Kim which American slang terms NOT to use in our country. Kim got an education in her own class!!
Vendor Mall Angels, just roam around the vendor mall and if the vendors need anything (toilet break, drinks, etc) it is our job to accommodate their needs. This was a lovely opportunity to meet the vendors, have a chat, and help them out, where necessary. They were all very grateful for the support and thought it was a great idea for a show.
We have all seen white glove ladies at our own State and local shows, so I don’t need to tell you what is required in this areas, except to say, you have to be careful how hard you slap sticky fingers as they get too near the quilts. I wasn’t allowed to do this job!
“Angelling” was a great opportunity to actively participate in the Festival and AMQA Show. It was also an opportunity to meet a lot more people than I would have just attending classes.
I’d also like to say a huge thanks to all the angels who volunteered at the festival and show. It really was a case of many hands make light work. We had one angel, Belinda, who I’d like to say a special thanks to. She got us out of trouble on several occasions when we were short of angels. Thanks to everyone who volunteered.
Upcoming Events
July 31, 2012
CLOSING DATE FOR AMQA SHOW Enter Here http://www.amqa.com.au/index.php/events/amqa-show-2012/amqas-2012-entry-form
August 2, 2012
AMQA AGM - Keep checking your inbox and the yahoogroup for updates. Please consider joining the committee and contributing to AMQA.
August 15 2012
Deadline for submissions for the next Newsletter.
Positions Vacant
Committee Members - we would love to invite members to join the committee. Your commitment is to be available for once a month voice linkup via SKYPE and help out on the committee. Please email the secretary, Tonia Brooks, for more information. The next meeting is July 5 2012.
Publicity Officer - technically, this position is yet-to-be created. However, the committee is looking to create and fill this position in the coming months. Ideally a publicity officer will assist with all marketing and media related aspects of AMQA. If you like to talk to lots of different people and are not afraid to be ‘out there’ then please think about becoming the publicity officer for AMQA.
Coming Up Next Time…
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! editor@amqa.com.au
Submission Deadline is August 15, 2012, so do it NOW!
Your 2011-12 Committee and Contact Details
President: POSITION VACANT president@amqa.com.au
Vice President: (Acting President) Raylee Bielenberg, ACT vp@amqa.com.au
Secretary: Tonia Brooks, Qld secretary@amqa.com.au
Treasurer: Gayle Dayman, SA treasurer@amqa.com.au
Membership Secretary: Gayle Dayman, SA membership@amqa.com.au
Minute Secretary: Val Towill, SA minutes@amqa.com.au
Web Diva: POSITION VACANT 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
Vicki Jenkin, VIC committee4@amqa.com.au
AMQF Liaison/General Committee Member
Tracey Browning, SA webdiva@amqa.com.au
AMQA Corporate Members
Our Corporate Members are:-
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.
Geelong Sewing Centre
Avante Longarm sales and service. Sewing machine sales. http://www.geelongsewingcentre.com.au/
Call Bree Frost Phone: 03 5229 6302 Mobile: 0411 129 920
