Newsletter No.19

Editor’s Message

It is a cold dreary day as I am compiling this newsletter. I have a small black poodle on my lap keeping me warm, but my fingers are still cold. It is perfect weather for hot chocolate and snuggling under a quilt. This brings me to think about how many quilts I have made and who they are keeping warm. I am sad that one of my clients has passed away this year and sad for another who made a warm flannel quilt last year for a mother in law who passed away last week. We are very lucky that the quilting we do has the ability to touch the lives of others and that we share a small part in their family heritage by quilting their quilts.

That is the personal side of quilting that it is easy to lose focus on sometimes, especially when thinking about deadlines, advertising, websites and schedules. It is easy to get carried away worrying about things like that, even though they are important. I urge you to take a moment to reflect on all of the good things you have done this year and how you have positively impacted people as a result of your quilting. You may feel a little warmer on the inside.

Michele Turner

editor@amqa.com.au

AMQA Quilt Challenge 2011

A total of ten quilts were received for the AMQA Quilt Challenge, As an organiser, I was disappointed with the low participation rate. I understand that everyone is busy, however a lot of work has gone into organising the challenge and if the participation rate remains low, the AMQA may decide to place this energy and funding elsewhere. This would be a shame, as the Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to push yourself with a quality piece of work which will be displayed at a national event and published in a national magazine. Not to mention some great prize money.

The quilts we received were all very good, and it was still difficult to judge some of the places. Well done, ladies! Here are the award winning quilts.

Wholecloth Hand Guided

1st Place - Pam Hill with ‘Peppermint Twist’

2nd Place - Raylee Bielenberg with ‘Linda in Pink’

Wholecloth Computerised

1st Place - Heather Shanks with ‘Behind the Picket Fence’

2nd Place - Sharon French with ‘So Much Fuchsia’

Pieced Hand Guided

1st Place - Karen Terrens with ‘Purple Haze’

2nd Place - Carolynne Diesler with ‘My Dilemma’

Pieced Computerised

1st Place - Heather Shanks with ‘Royal High Tea’

These quilts are so lovely. Aren't they an inspiration?

Design Inspiration Guessing Competition

There were a few interesting guesses for the design inspiration for the AMQA Challenge Pieced Pattern, however nobody was correct.

Drumroll please.....The correct answer was.....the square window from Playschool on ABC.

Feature Article - Finding Time to Piece

by Michele Turner

Are you mostly a piecer, or mostly a quilter? Maybe a bit of both? For myself, I make quilts with the intention to quilt them in a certain style or method. I make the quilts for the quilting, not for the fabrics or because I love patchwork. I just want something to quilt.

Having said that, I still enjoy sitting at my sewing machine passing fabric under the needle. It is relaxing. I have never been good with colour and fabric choices, so I trust my local quilt store owner to choose them for me (she has great taste and knows what I like). I obviously have great plans to make lots of quilts - the evidence is sitting in my fabric cupboard and in boxes around the place. But who has time to piece?

As professional quilters, I am sure many of us put our own quilts aside to make way for our clients. Who doesn’t like getting paid? Who doesn’t like helping out other people? We are human after all. But our quilts never get quilted. Our quilts never even get pieced! But what stops us? Time? Inclination? Incentive? Time??

In the last month, I have finished off one quilt top and 80% pieced another. For me, this is pretty impressive, especially as I have been rather unwell lately. The quilt top I finished off was all cut out and partially constructed, and the other was cut out from scratch. I tried to analyse why I was so productive this last month and not quite so productive in the months prior.

The standout thing that I did was to have my sewing machine permanently set up in one place. Sounds simple, yes? Well, I will admit that I did get a second machine to keep at home, as the machine I like to piece on is the one I take to patchwork class (yes, I go to class one day a week, which has lots of benefits for me and my business - maybe I will discuss this another day) each week, and I was constantly dragging it out of the case to set up and then packing it back away again. I am not at all suggesting that anyone gets a new machine, but this was a big problem for me. The difference was having one set up and available to use on a whim. I was able to grab even five minute intervals to sew and they all added up.

Keeping my sewing area clutter free is another thing that added to my productivity. I only had one project out at a time (imagine that!) Not having to clear things off my sewing space meant I could just pick up my pieces from the current project and sew. It sounds very simple, but I have found that I am a messy worker and unintentionally put things down in random places when I am done with them. This has two effects - it takes away from the things I plan to do because I see the mess and try to avoid going to it. Secondly, I ‘lose’ my cutter/scissors/pins and waste time looking for them. Both these things mean that I lose sewing time, which means nothing gets done. It is an effort to put things back in their place, but one small effort I can see the benefit in doing. I just hope I can sustain my ‘new’ habit.

Lastly, I prioritised having sewing time for myself. I am also an avid knitter - an activity I prefer to do in my down time while watching TV. Maybe it helped that TV has not been very interesting to me lately, but I decided to watch what I truly wanted to watch, and sew for some of the other times that I would just have sat there mindlessly. I tend not to quilt in the evenings, so to me, this is personal time. Time for me to engage in my hobbies. I get to decide what I do and I decided to sew. It was that simple.

These three things combined made my piecing time more accessible, efficient and enjoyable. I did reap the rewards by doing more patchwork than I had in the months prior. Now I just have to find time to quilt my things.....

Achievements in Longarm Quilting

Craft & Quilt Fair/Quilt West

At this years Craft & Quilt Fair/Quilt West in Perth we had a very talented AMQA Member - Jo Northcott. Jo has taken out the following categories with her entries.

> Best Longarm Quilting

> 1st Place Applique

> Runner up Best of Show

Jo Northcott wrote about her quilt...Funny story about this quilt. It was a UFO. I sewed the borders on last Sunday night, started quilting it on Monday. Quilts had to be in by 8.30pm Wednesday - delivered at 8.00pm Wednesday night. I worked until 2 in the morning Monday and very late again on Tuesday. I know, I'm crazy and very tired!

Jo.

Congratulations Jo, well done!

Behind the Scenes

Committee Meeting Report April/May 2011

Hello Members

The April meeting started well with the announcement of three new members joining AMQA, one of whom has kindly volunteered to become our new Secretary. Tonia Brooks from Malanda has stepped into this position, replacing Susanne Hughes, who will still remain on the committee. Thank you Susanne for all the work you have done for AMQA. Tonia owns Malanda Quilting & Sewing Supplies and has recently taken on Longarm Quilting with the purchase of an A1 quilting machine. We hope you will enjoy your time on the committee.

There was also much discussion on the upcoming AMQA Challenge to be held at the Quilt & Craft Expo at RoseHill Gardens, Sydney in mid-June. There is a Pieced & Wholecloth section for both manual and computerised quilting with prize money being allocated for all sections. It is hoped there will be some stunning work on show for everyone to admire. Just think girls, free advertising!!

Are you going to attend Sharon Schambers’ classes at Kadina, SA in August this year? This is Sharon’s second visit & although I myself will not be going, I did attend during her last visit 2 years ago & thoroughly enjoyed myself. She is a very talented lady & I thought it was well worth the time to attend her classes. Once again there will be a $30:00 rebate offered to those members who attend Sharon’s classes and can be claimed off your yearly subscription to AMQA. There are new membership forms being designed so it will be easier to claim this rebate. Make sure you check this out when you renew your membership later in the year.

Are you terribly busy at the moment? Silly question for some of you, I know!! If you happen to have some time on your hands and willing to do some charity quilting, please go to the Charity Quilts page on the AMQA website and chose one of the organisations listed to help them out. You will need to contact them yourselves, I’m sure your assistance will be most appreciated. They are also in need of orphan blocks to make some quilt tops, every little block will help I’m sure.

There are some committee members who have designated jobs to attend to for the benefit of AMQA members. These all take time as we are so often busy with our quilting businesses and family life. Such tasks include monitoring and tidying up the AMQA website, organising a mentor program, keeping track of and listing new members and of course, taking care of the books, plus the organising of special events , exhibitions and compiling this newsletter too! If you are waiting on someone to respond to any requests, whatever they may be, please be considerate of the precious time that these people have available. All of the committee volunteer their time and effort, so please be patient with us as we are all human and often have other life emergencies to attend to. The best way to contact any of us is through the AMQA Website via email or through the Yahoo members’ list, so please utilise them should you wish to get in touch with us.

Cheers

Val Towill

Minute Secretary, AMQA Committee

Upcoming Events

NSW Quilters’ Guild Show - Darling Harbour - Sydney

Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour

June 22-26 2011

For more information, please visit http://www.quiltersguildnsw.com/

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.

Position Vacant

Webdiva - we need a new Webdiva, so please contact Tracey Browning commitee4@amqa.com.au to discuss how you may help.

Coming Up Next Time…

Quilting on the Internet - we all seem to spend a lot of time online (well, I do, anyway). Do you have a web presence? Do you blog? Please let me know what you have found effective in terms of customer contact, marketing etc. I will also talk about how to set up a simple website for your business...I would love some input for this article from you all, and I will include links to your websites (or not) as you wish.

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 June 30, 2011, 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: Val Towill, SA minutes@amqa.com.au
Web Diva: 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
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

Newsletter No.18

Newsletter No. 18 - March 2011

Editor’s Message

As the cooler months approach, I trust that our members are doing well and are very busy quilting. It seems sometimes that quilts come out of the woodwork when the weather cools down. My family quilts have started to sneak out on to the sofa of an evening to keep little people (big people too) snug and warm. Hopefully our clients will pull some quilt tops out and send them to us for quilting if business has been slow.

There have been a seemingly large number of natural disasters of late, all those affected being tossed out of their normal way of life and into a period of uncertainty. As quilters, I find that it is a natural thing to want to use our talents to help those less fortunate and it has been great to see quilters and other craftspeople take initiative and donate goods for auction in return for the highest pledge to charitable organisations. Look here for the result of this inspiring initiative.

Part of the reason why I have a tendency to procrastinate is that I ilke to look at lots of blogs for inspiration, trends and new ideas. As you read through this newsletter, I will be asking for members to share their blog links for the AMQA Continuous Lines blog.

I hope you all stay safe and well throughout the upcoming holidays. Please consider making a Challenge quilt or two. Don't forget, a charm pack is still up for grabs for the first AMQA Member who correctly guesses the inspiration for the pieced quilt. Email me with your guess, at the address below.

Michele Turner

editor@amqa.com.au

President’s Message

Christmas Tree, lights and decorations are well and truly packed away ready for next time. I hope you all had a well earned rest after the pre Christmas rush and now back in full swing again.

I would like to take this opportunity to send my heartfelt thoughts and wishes to all those of you who have been effected by the devastating Storms, Floods, Fires, Cyclones and the Earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. If you or your Group has organized for quilts to be done and would like extras. Please let us know so that we can post it on the Community Board for all to see. I know that many Quilters would love to help, however don’t know who to contact or send them to etc.,

The Quilt Challenge 2011 is in full swing. Michele and Raylee have come up with a fabulous design. The Categories are for Pieced and Wholecloth so if you would like to participate please go to the link. The more the merrier, great prize money to be won also fantastic exposure for you and your business.

AMQA Inc., is now on Facebook. Yes that’s right, we have moved forward. It appears that many of you are on Facebook and we, the Committee thought that this might be more appealing to our Members as another avenue for keeping up to date with what is happening. The Yahoo Groups will continue as well, however they don’t appear to be visited regularly for postings. We are hoping that you will all become more involved with the Association. I’d like to see a lot more postings. So please share with us what you have been up to. Any good books you may have read, an interesting Quilting/Patchwork technique you have found. Details of your local shows and Get Togethers, these could be for either Longarm, Shortarm or Domestic machines and/or State meetings being hosted. We would love to hear from you, so please don’t be shy. The Association was formed to keep you abreast of what is happening in and around the Quilting world. Unfortunately, we the Committee don’t have access to all the information available and rely heavily on our members to help us out. An Association is only as good as it’s members and the support that it receives. It shouldn’t always fall back onto the committee.

We look forward to receiving your Quilt entries for the Challenge.

Till next time

Happy Stitching

Cheers

Terry Elverd

President AMQA

president@amqa.com.au

Meet Your Committee Members - Val Towill

Bluegum Quilting Services, Murray Bridge, Sth Australia www.bluegumquilts.com

When I offered to do this profile I thought, where do I start? I somehow think it was likely to happen at some stage in my life as I have been a sewer for most of my life starting off with my Mum’s Singer machine at about age 5. Lots of my clothes, a few doll clothes, 3 sons & most of their clothes, then I fell into Patchwork about 20 years ago once my boys didn’t want my creations anymore - they didn’t have Reebok or Nike written on them! I will admit it did take a little while for the ‘quilting’ bug to take hold (I liked the patchwork part more), but after starting work at the local patchwork shop I found myself doing the quilting for others using my DSM. I had often thought about those big machines so decided to investigate the possibilities. I started out with a Gammill Shortarm which I thought would do the job, but soon discovered I was to out-grow this machine as I was quilting much more than I expected. Little did I realise this would be my training wheels for what was yet to come!

I was working in the lounge room of our home & space was limited, so a studio had to be built adjacent to the house (we are on a large block) so I could have enough space for all my ‘stuff’, teach patchwork & maybe upgrade to a larger machine. About 18 months later an A1 longarm arrived, then last year I added an Intelliquilter which has been one of the best investments ever made. As I’ve had many problems with back & shoulders over the years, this has helped take the ‘stress’ out of the body while still being able to maintain my workload in both edge to edge & custom quilting. I have now been working ‘Bluegum Quilting Services’ for 8 years & still find much pleasure in the ooh’s & aah’s from my clients’ when they see the work done on their quilts. Operating your own business has it’s many challenges as most would know, but there are also many rewards with the lifestyle that this job creates, including the many friendships made with both clients & fellow quilters’. I enjoy most aspects of quilting, even more so now that I have the IQ, but I am often challenged to create miracles for a few of my regular clients. They seem happy with the work I’ve done for them, some of which are on the gallery page of my website.

Although time is always limited, I still like piecing my own patchwork projects. The more traditional designs are fairly common but I do like machine applique, stained glass plus many other techniques & designs. I constantly have UFO’s waiting to be finished (piecing) & more are always waiting in line to be put onto the longarm. After all these years I think my husband & family finally understand my passion for quilting (it took them a while!). They now know to book well ahead for any babysitting duties just in case I’m off to some seminar, booked solid with work, teaching a class here at the studio or going to a class as a student! Life is never dull around here.

Last year I was involved with the inaugural AMQF in Adelaide. Having known Tracey & Sharon for some time, it wasn’t hard for them to ‘rope me in’ & I was soon given the job of Volunteer Co-ordinator. This was certainly a new experience for me, but I could not have done it without the help of others who made it much easier. Although quite tiring, I had great satisfaction with how everything came together as the Festival approached with all the Volunteer duties. If you were one of the many Volunteers who offered their time, I thank you once again most sincerely for your involvement, it was very much appreciated. I’m quite looking forward to the next one in 2012 & hope to have just as much cooperation as we did for 2010. Hopefully there will be lots of volunteers as many hands make light work, then we’ll all be able to enjoy the experience even more.

I’ve also been a member of AMQA since it’s first year & have followed the activities of the committee in their endeavours to promote machine quilting in Australia. During last year with AMQF approaching, I put my hand up to join the committee to give some of my time & hopefully contribute in some small way. Recently I have taken on the role of Minute Secretary which I’m sure will be an interesting journey to see how such an organisation operates for the benefit of its’ members’. I am looking forward to the upcoming Quilt Challenge & hope to put in an entry myself as time did not allow me this privilege last time it was held.

I am located at Murray Bridge in South Australia, which is about an hour east of Adelaide on the freeway toward Melbourne. There is a map on the contact page of my website if you want to find me, so if you are travelling through the area & need a rest break, please call in for coffee as the kettle is always on. Keep on stitching everyone!

Val

AMQA Quilt Challenge 2011

The AMQA Quilt Challenge 2011 has been launched. Important dates to remember are -

May 9, 2011 - Entry forms due

June 3, 2011 - Quilts to be received by this date

June 13, 2011 - Winners announced on AMQA website

June 18-19, 2011 - AMQA Challenge Quilts exhibited at Quilt and Craft Expo at Rosehill, Sydney

The definition of hand-guided vs computerised quilting has been queried.

Any machine may be used to quilt the quilt for the Challenge, but if any part of the quilting is the result of computerised application of a design, it must be entered in the computerised subcategory. If the quilting has been applied entirely by hand guiding either the machine or the quilt, (eg. in the case of quilting with a domestic sewing machine) then it should be entered in the hand guided subcategory.

Michele Turner is offering a prize for the first person who can correctly guess the inspiration that Raylee used for designing the quilt. Email me, editor@amqa.com.au , your guess. I will publish all guesses in the Newsletter. The first to correctly guess the inspiration will receive a Moda Charm Pack.

Do You Blog???

Blogging is a great way to show your work and have your clients and friends get to know you a little better. On the right side of the AMQA Newsletter blog, www.continuouslines.blogspot.com, there is a blogroll of AMQA members blogs. If you would like your blog to be posted there, please email Michele editor@amqa.com.au with your blog address and your blog will be listed in the AMQA Blogroll. C'mon, show us your stuff!

Some Housekeeping…

AMQA Web Site

The AMQA website will soon be having a little overhaul!

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!

Irish Chain - quilted by Michele Turner February 2011

Behind the Scenes

Upcoming Events

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.

‘Committee News’ – February 2011 Meeting

During February the Committee got together over Skype to discuss the business side of running AMQA. It was during this meeting that a suggestion was made to do a short report of these meetings to keep you informed with matters that develop & post this into our newsletter. This was also my first meeting as Minute Secretary, which is all quite new to me, so I hope I have included things that will be of interest to you.

Various reports are usually presented such as Memberships (both Individual & Corporate) & Treasurer’s Report to keep up to date with all the finances. An ongoing issue for the last several months has been the position of Secretary. This is currently being held by Susanne Hughes in Brisbane, however she wishes to step down after spending some time in this position. We need someone to take on this post & that person must be a Queensland resident or at least within 65km’s of Queensland border (eg northern NSW). This isn’t a huge job, mostly letter writing when required & being available for committee meetings over Skype approx every 2 months. We all know how busy life can get, especially if you operate a machine quilting business, however AMQA needs someone to step up & share some of their precious time to help in the running of this association. All but one of our current committee are in a similar position & seem to manage to do this. If we can all put in a little, then it makes the workload much easier on everyone, & so I urge you to consider making yourself available for this position. Please contact our President Terry Elverd or Secretary Susanne Hughes if you are able to help us out, thankyou.

Another report on the current website found that some tidying up in this area is required to make navigation much easier & this will be attended to over coming weeks. Our Vice President Raylee is working on our mentoring program, which is there to help out those who have requested someone to help them or just to talk out any issues they may be experiencing. We are hoping this will be up & running very soon.

A page for Charity Quilting is being added where members’ can find information about groups who are looking for machine quilters’ to help them complete their charity quilts. If you know of a charity looking for some help like this, ask them to let us know their details so this can be added to this page on the AMQA website. Michele, our Newsletter Editor, requested some photo’s (quilt related) from committee members’ to put into the next edition,plus any other articles we think would interest our members. She also asked for a volunteer to do a profile about themselves for the newsletter, so I volunteered to do this even though I have only been on the committee since last year’s AGM.

There was also a lot of discussion on the upcoming AMQA Challenge. Michele announced the categories, terms & conditions as well as the prizes that will be available. The quilts that are entered will be on show at the Sydney Quilt Expo, Rosehill Racecourse in June 2011. Advertising for this challenge will commence shortly through blogs & the AMQA website. It is hoped that a major Australian Quilting Magazine will feature the winning quilts in one of their issues later in the year. This might be a good opportunity for some free advertising & to show off your work, so make sure you have your entries into Michele by 9^th May 2011. Categories are available for both hand guided & computerised techniques, in both the supplied pieced design & wholecloth quilts.

Michele has offered a small prize for the first person to correctly guess where Raylee found the inspiration for the design, so if you think you know where it came from please let Michele know by email.

Another point of discussion was about setting up a Facebook page for AMQA as this seems to be a popular form of communication. We are hoping members will make use of this opportunity to keep in touch with each other & also with current committee members. The page is now up and we hope it will be helpful. Loading photos is quite easy, great for asking questions about quilting options, and each ‘album’ can hold 200 photos. No need to resize the photo for uploading either. To be able to access the Facebook page you will need a Facebook account, this is free and you can change your settings to be quite secure, only people you ‘friend’ are able to see your ‘wall’. So if you’d like to make use of the facebook page, log in and search for AMQA Inc. It is set up as an organisation page, so you can’t make AMQA Inc a facebook friend, it is the page where you can write a question, comment, or show some photos. Others can then comment on your question or photos easily. The graphics will be improved soon.

Meeting over Skype works quite well although there are those little technical issues now & then. It’s a great way to communicate with a group of people such as our committee as we are spread all over the country. I hope you found this first edition of ‘Committee News’ of some interest, we are hoping to keep you all well informed so that you may have a better understanding of what goes on with your committee. We will ‘meet’ again in mid April.

Val Towill

Minute Secretary, AMQA

Position Vacant

AMQA still 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. 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…

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

NEXT MONTH -Finding Time to Piece - please give me your hints and tips on how you find time to piece.

Submission Deadline is April 11, 2011, 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: Val Towill, SA 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

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

2011 AMQA Quilt Challenge Entry Form - Now Available

Dear AMQA Members

The 2011 AMQA Quilt Challenge Entry Form is now available for download in the AMQA Yahoo Group Files Section. Click here to go there - you need to have yahoo group membership to access.

The Entry Form and the Quilt Challenge Pattern should be available for download from www.amqa.com.au in the next few days.

Here is a picture of the quilt design.

 

There are two categories to enter for the 2011 AMQA Quilt Challenge, Pieced and Traditional, with a subcategory for each, computerised and hand-guided. There is a total of $1200 in prize money available for the winners of the challenge, so please get in and have a go. We can't wait to see your entries!

 

Don't forget, there is a Moda Charm Pack to win of you are the first AMQA Member to email Michele Turner (editor@amqa.com.au) with a correct guess at the inspiration Raylee Bielenberg used for the Quilt Challenge Pattern.

Please email Michele - editor@amqa.com.au if you would like to be emailed a copy of the entry form and quilt pattern.

Thank you.

 

Michele Turner and Raylee Bielenberg

AMQA 2011 Quilt Challenge Co-ordinators

 

Newsletter No 17

Editor’s Message

As I am busily finishing off the last quilts of the year before Christmas, I find that it is a good time to look back and think about the year that was and think about what is to come.

I wonder if you are thinking about the same things? Do you think you have grown your skills this year? What can you do now that you haven’t been able to do in the past? What steps have you taken to get there? Classes, books, DVD’s? Good old fashioned practice? I hope you all are progressing nicely with your quilting and always look to further your skills each year. When you look back, you may really be surprised, and dare I say, impressed with your achievements this year.

At this time, I like to look forward and plan some projects for myself for the upcoming year. Can you believe it is 2011 coming up???? Wow, time has really flown by. I hope to make another wholecloth (or two??) over the summer break (I take January off each year, if I can to do these things for myself) and maybe even finish off a few UFO or two.

AMQA is having another Quilt Challenge next year. It is open to all AMQA members. There is a pieced quilt category and a wholecloth quilt category. Details will be further on in this newsletter.I hope that everyone will give it a go and enter the challenge. Are you up for it?

This month’s newsletter features a profile of Raylee Bielenberg, our AMQA Inc Vice President. Sharon French of Morning Star Quilting has written an article about her experiences volunteering at AMQAS/AMQF. I have also written an article - with a wonderful contribution from Kathy and Geoff Adams of KoolKat Quilting - about maintaining a professional image when working from home, which I will admit, can be very difficult at times.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Please have a safe and Merry Christmas and get your thinking caps on ready for our 2011 Quilt Challenge.

Michele Turner

editor@amqa.com.au

President’s Message

Christmas is fast approaching and like many of you, I am busy finishing off the last of my Customer Quilts. Haven’t even thought about gifts or cooking at this stage. Guess it will happen, always does.

In October this year, we held the AMQAS in conjunction with AMQF in Adelaide. This was a wonderful Show and I again Congratulate all those that participated. In my eyes, everyone was a winner. So many original works both in piecing and Quilting. The categories included Domestic, Hand Guided and Computer assisted. We have some very talented Quilters here in Australia.

We Committee thought that it would be a good idea to have another Quilt Challenge for 2011. The rules and requirements will be laid out in the newsletter. I would like to thank Michele Turner and Raylee Bielenberg for putting everything together. I hope you take the time to read the rules etc., and enter this fantastic challenge. I know that many of you who entered the previous one enjoyed it immensely and have been looking forward to another one. So here’s your chance to showcase your work once again.

You will note that we have a For Sale section now on the web site. So if you have a machine you wish to sell, please send details to the Web Diva and she will include it on the web page. Also, we are looking at adding a Community section. This will be used for notifying our member of Charity Quilts or items that are required by different Organizations. AMQA will not be involved in anyway. This is for posting only with contact details etc., so that you can follow up if interested.

I wish to congratulate the Committee on the wonderful job they are doing. This Association would not function if it wasn’t for the dedication of these wonderful ladies. They are all running there own businesses and have families to look after and still manage to find the time to keep up to date with the running of the Association. So on behalf of myself and our Members. I Thank You.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2011.

Cheers

Terry Elverd

President AMQA

president@amqa.com.au

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.

Meet Your Committee Members

Vice President - Raylee Bielenberg

Last August I was pleased to step away from my computer after the AMQA AGM having been voted in as the Vice President, here’s an opportunity to help I thought. So here’s a little info about me.

I have been sewing for most of my life. It's a bit like reading, I don't remember not knowing how to do it, sew that is. I still have my first quilts, cut with scissors using a cardboard template, not many corners match, and quilting? What quilting? Buttons hold them together. These quilts are wonderful reminders of some items of clothing worn by our family as they are made from leftover fabric. Things are certainly different now.

As I have been sewing for many years I had collected a few projects that needed finishing, as we all do. Mum and I purchased a short arm machine to complete these projects though I soon found that I was thinking on a bigger scale and after much research I decided on the A-1 Longarm machine as I love the features it has. After a trip to Sydney to the Quilting Symposium 2009 where I learnt a lot from those already in the quilting business and was tempted by much fabric and sewing items, my machine was delivered and set up in its current position. That was a very busy weekend for us all. Now my Mum has a quilter she knows very well.

I haven’t always been a quilter; my previous work was in Pathology and then being a Mum. Thomas and I married in 1995 and we have four boys aged 11, 10, 5 & 3 years old. We have settled in Canberra and I use the studio out back for my sewing and quilting. My 11yo has made a small quilt this year and won a prize. I asked him how he wanted to quilt it, thinking of the domestic machine. “I’m going to use the big machine Mum!” And he did. After that I had to go shopping with the 10yo to buy fabric for the quilt he’s going to make. I’m pleased to say they all call them quilts (no rugs here!).

When I was looking into starting a quilting business I was pleased to find the Australian Machine Quilting Association on the web and be able to talk to some one if I needed to and also ‘listen’ to comments and questions posted online. Part of my role as VP is to improve the Mentoring Program so if you have indicated your interest in either mentoring or being mentored I will be in contact soon.

Sunflower Quilting is my business name and it is a flower I love. I had my first customer other than my Mum last August and I’m quite pleased with how my first year as a quilter has progressed. I have been fortunate to have quilts come my way which has pushed me to learn and grow in skill and technique. My work is mostly pantographs but I have also enjoyed the challenge of custom work. I love seeing my customer’s faces when they see their quilt top quilted, and I enjoy being part of the completion process.

If you are going to be in Canberra let me know, the kettle doesn’t take long to boil.

Raylee Bielenberg

Article - Maintaining A Professional Image When Working From Home

by Michele Turner with contributions from Kathy and Geoff Adams of KoolKat Quilting

One of the biggest challenges I faced when I began my business back in 2003 was that I was running my business from home. To me, it was very important that I maintained a professional image with my clients. I wanted them to take my business as seriously as I was taking it myself. I did not wish to be perceived as a hobbyist trying to make a few extra dollars. Rather I wanted to be seen as a respectable and trustworthy place that clients could bring their quilts and receive a quality service for which they were happy to pay.

My situation was complicated by my having three small children at home and limited space. So what did I do to increase the professionalism that I presented, despite all client transactions taking place in my home? First of all, I made sure my home was clean, tidy and welcoming. I would not want to leave my precious quilt with someone who didn't care enough about their surroundings to clean their own floor, so I made sure mine was always clean. To manage this with small children who are not keen on clean, I had appointments scheduled only on certain days of the week and did not, and still do not encourage drop ins. Having clients make an appointment also added to the perception of professionalism.

Kathy agrees. She wrote, "The guiding principle for presenting a professional image as business people is to remember to keep seeing our businesses through the eyes of our customers. Home-based businesses face particular challenges – there is the potential conflict between home and business life. Matters such as business hours, who answers the phone, etc need to be discussed within the family and agreement reached. Children need to learn they can’t barge into your workspace or yell at the top of their voices when you’re with a customer or on the phone."

What Kathy said is very true. I have a dual line from Telstra and the business number rings a different tone so that my family know which is a business call and which is a personal call. It really helps.

It is also important that customers have easy access to your business and that your place of work is clean and tidy. Kathy says, "What does the customer see when they arrive – do you have a separate work area, clearly marked with signage so that you can be found easily? While it isn’t essential to have a show-winning garden, is the yard tidy and external appearance presentable? First impressions count." How often do you return to a store that is unkempt and uncared for? When we are at home all the time, it its easy to develop a blindness to your surroundings. Go out and take a look at what your clients will see when they arrive and meet you at your place. Is your dog overly friendly? Make sure they are away, not everyone is a dog lover. Will anyone trip over the cat? Likewise, ask kitty to rest on the bed while you have a client over. Yes, our businesses are in our homes, but we are asking people in and providing them with a service. How would you like to be treated and see if you were in your clients' shoes?

Communication is also an important aspect of your business, and one I personally struggle with often. Kathy has suggested to consider' "Do you answer the phone in 3 rings, give your name and business name? Smile when you answer the phone, even on those days when it hurts." and with regard to email, "Email – while we often are deluged, do you reply to customers that day? Electronic communication is instantaneous and websites are operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hence, no-one who is serious about giving good service should take a week to respond to an email or follow-up on a web-based sale if you sell products from your site." How do you manage communications with your clients?

Professionalism is maintained in your pricing and invoicing system. I always give the client a firm price when they bring the quilt to me. I feel this avoids any 'sticker shock' when they are expecting quilting for $XX and it costs $XXX. If I err and it takes me longer, then I simply take it on the chin. Believe me, you stop accidentally underquoting very quickly in this case. To me, it is better to wear the price difference than ask for more $$$ when the client picks up the quilt. I think it would be a public relations nightmare. I would not want word to get out that I had done this to someone. Kathy also gives a quote up front. She wrote, " Quoting – this should be in writing, preferably when the sale is made. Machine Quilting Business Manager (MQBM) is fairly good software for this – although at times it has some irritating foibles. Verbal quotes aren’t worth the paper they are written on." Clients need to know what they are getting, how much it costs and when their quilts will be complete. Following through on your promises will maintain your professionalism.

Kathy also adds the following points. "What do your customers see when they see you? Dress like you were going to your job – after all, that is exactly what you are doing. " Whilst I have been caught out once, I do dress neatly every day. It is easy for me, as I do have children and have to face the world each morning and afternoon. Think about how you might appear to your clients. Does the way you present yourself show them that you take your job seriously?

Are your brochures, website, blog etc up to date? Kathy says to think about, "communications materials – business cards, price-lists, brochures etc. Take a minute to look at the quality of the material that comes as inserts in your newspaper or as junk mail in your letter-box. Very little of this is now just black type on a plain sheet of A4 bond paper. Colour and graphics are standard fare." Again, I agree with Kathy. Professionalism means caring about each aspect of your business and promotional material is another aspect that is very important.

The most important professional indicator, I think, is what do you do when something goes wrong? I wrote a full business plan before I started my business, and it does contain a policy in this situation. Have you thought about what you will do? Being prepared for this situation will make it easier if you encounter it (I hope you don't). Do you have a refund/repair/replacement policy to enact? Kathy writes, "This is the toughest situation of all, but it will happen." It is appropriate to be prepared, even if you have taken all precautions and always do the best job you can.

Running a business from home is very fulfilling. It affords many lifestyle benefits that working outside the home does not. It is easy to become complacent, so I hope that I, and Kathy, have given you some food for thought.

Kathy's website is KoolKat Quilting. Michele's is Pinetree Cottage Quilting. (Click to follow links.)

AMQA Quilt Challenge 2011

AMQA is running a challenge in 2011. There are two Main Categories, Pieced Quilt and Wholecloth Quilt and two sub-categories in each. One for computerised quilting and one for hand guided quilting. Guidelines for the entries are as follows:

1. Wholecloth
   1. Can be from any single piece of fabric.
   2. Any colour may be used. (However, black is not recommended due to its photographic qualities for magazines).
   3. Must be a 40” x 40” square when completed.
   4. You may use any quilting techniques and design you choose. No embellishments, crystals, beads or colouring.
   5. If a computerised quilting system has been used for ANY part of the quilting, you must enter in the computerised subcategory.
   6. Quilt must be completed after January 1, 2009.
2. Pieced Quilt
   1. Must finish at 46” x 46” square. Quilt must be made according to pattern provided.
   2. No embellishments to be used, be creative with your quilting.
   3. Plain or patterned fabric using a three coloured palette of purple, blue and red. Any variation and as many variations as you like, in these three colours only. No other colours to be used.
   4. If a computerised quilting system has been used for ANY part of the quilting, you must enter in the computerised category.

The entry forms will be available for download in February. The pattern for the pieced quilt will be available for download as soon as practical. It will be available in the files section of our Members Only Yahoo Group and also from the AMQA Website.

Michele Turner is offering a prize for the first person who can correctly guess the inspiration that Raylee used for designing the quilt. Email me, editor@amqa.com.au , your guess. I will publish all guesses in the Newsletter. The first to correctly guess the inspiration will receive a Moda Charm Pack.

Achievements in Longarm Quilting

Following are Prize Winning quilts from the Adelaide Festival of Quilts that were quilted by Longarm Machine Quilters.

Two Person Category

1st place Lone Star Quiltmaker Pat Schlemaker, quilted by Judy Simcock

2nd place Shades of Blue Quiltmaker Margie Crombie, quilted by Helen Campbell

3rd place Applique Quiltmaker Allan Moffatt, quilted by Elaine Kennedy

Predominantly Applique Category

2nd place Midas Touch Melissa Bull, quilted by Suzanne Akhurst

Innovative Category

1st place Strike a Pose Quiltmaker Bernadette Robinson, quilted by Kim Bradley

2nd place Aztec Butterflies Quiltmaker Jill Lush, quilted by Sally McKenzie

Excellence in Long/Shortarm Quilting

Strike a Pose, quilted by Kim Bradley

Group/Collaborative Quilt

1st Place A New Beginning Flerieu Quilters Committee, quilted by Val Towill

Well done!!

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

Upcoming Events

We would love to hear of any local quilt shows or events near you! Please email your details to Raylee nd we will include it in the newsletter and on the AMQA website.

Position Vacant

AMQA still 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. 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…

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 January 31, 2011, so do it NOW!

Article –Hints and Tips on How to Stay Focused when working from home

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.