Class updates

We have another NEW class! This time we are thrilled to let you know that Brother Sewing Machines have offered machines to be used in our classroom by students. Sue van Riet from Sue’s Sewing World (who has also donated a Brother sewing machine for Best Of Show quilt) will be presenting a fantastic class that will inspire you to keep creating!

Journal cover - 4hrs Hands on with Brother sewing machines supplied in this classroom. Maximum 10 participants.

This book cover will enable the attendees to use the machine for stippling, decorative stitching circular work, crazy patchwork and attaching decorative trims. In the 4 hours we should be able to finish, or close to, so that they can take the project home without wondering how to do it. There is nothing for the customer to bring as it is all included in the kit.

Kit fee $38.50

Front Cover                                      Total cover

Sue van Riet has always had a love for sewing and craft, so she decided to share what she knew with others and in February 2007, the doors to Sue's Sewing World opened. A family businesss, Sue's Sewing World is run by Sue and her husband Richard, with the assistance of a part-time staff member and an experienced sewing machine technician. Sue also employs experienced and passionate teachers to run classes and workshops. They specialise in quilting, dressmaking, pattern drafting, heirloom sewing and machine embroidery, as well as specialist project classes. The staff also offer support and training on software for machine embroiderers.

Sue is one of our wonderful sponsors & will also be vending at the show. Please drop by her booth to say hello & thank you for all the effort she has gone to for Festival!

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We have also filled Keryn Emmerson’s class on Monday now.

428 - Creative Studio 3 in Stand Alone Mode with Keryn Emmerson.

There are two places left in this same class on Saturday due to students swapping days.

Last class notice for today… class 202 - Block to Block Custom Quilting with Pam Clarke has now also been filled to capacity!

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We are also thrilled to advise that Horn Australia Pty Ltd have offered an amazing prize for the Quilt Show! Valued at $899- this will be a fantastic addition to any studio.

Kimberley

• Australian made LARGE Horn lifter for larger sewing machines, with three positions
  – stored
  – flat bed sewing
  – free-arm sewing
• Back flap folds up for large projects. Ideal for quilting.
• Large additional work space to the right
• Australian made swivel trays and a large storage bin for your sewing accessories
• Storage for flat bed sewing insert. Sold separately.
• Adjustable shelves for easy storage.
• Room for storing an overlocker or for storage
• On castors, making it easy to move around
• Conditional one year warranty on materials and workmanship
• Lockable cabinet for child’s safety.
• Storage space or your overlocker.
• Cabinet has more depth than the standard range of sewing cabinets to assist with taller people and give more sewing space when the cabinet is opened.
• Handy storage for threads and accessories, all within arms reach!

Please take a moment to visit our sponsor page on the website to thank & acknowledge all of these wonderful companies!

Until next time…counting down now!

cheers

Tracey & Sharon

Accommodation options

Mawson Lakes Hotel is now fully booked!!  Over the past few days we have received emails from those wanting accommodation and have managed to secure a corporate rate at Quest Apartments at Mawson Lakes - the phone number is 08 70710100 and the only accommodation they have available is listed below.  To secure this rate you’ll need to mention Australian Machine Quilting Festival and book ASAP!

*        Studio Apartment    $161                     
Our spacious studio rooms easily accommodate up to two guests in a King size bed, (or two singles), and offer ensuite bathroom with complimentary Quest toiletries, reverse cycle air conditioning/heating, in-room safe, iron & iron board, kitchenette with tea/coffee making facilities, microwave, toaster, bar fridge, cook top and two person dining suite. Make yourself at home with a work desk with Broadband Internet Access, direct dial telephone
with voicemail, DVD player, LCD television connected to Foxtel digital
service, and the convenience of complimentary onsite car parking, guest laundry facilities and gymnasium. Rates include up to two guests in the apartment and daily housekeeping service (excl Sundays & Public Holidays). Maximum occupancy is two guests.
*        One Bedroom Apartment    $174   
Our one bedroom fully equipped apartments are spacious and stylish,
accommodating two guests in a King size bed (or two singles). The one bedroom apartment features an ensuite bathroom with complimentary Quest toiletries, separate lounge area with reverse cycle air conditioning/heating, in-room safe, along with iron & ironing board. Master bedroom includes LCD television with DVD player for extra guest convenience. Attend to business in your apartment with a work desk with Broadband Internet Access. A fully equipped kitchen provides oven and cook-top, fridge, tea/coffee making facilities, fully equipped laundry facilities, microwave and toaster. Your home comforts have been catered for with direct
dial telephone with voicemail, DVD/Stereo with Ipod dock, LCD television connected to Foxtel digital service, and the convenience of complimentary onsite car parking and gymnasium.

Further to the above there are 2 Hotel/Motels in the area and if you have a car they are within a 5 minute trip.  We don’t have an arrangement in place with the following but I suggest you ask if they offer a Corporate Rate.

Pavlos Motor Inn - 859 Main North Road, Pooraka  (08) 82606655

Country Comfort - 574 Main North Rd Gepps Cross SA 5094  (08) 8349 4999

HTH,

Sharon & Tracey

Banquet & Accommodation

The Banquet Dinner will be held on Sunday 3rd October and places are filling fast. Final numbers must be finalised in the next few weeks. If you are thinking about attending the Banquet or taking a friend or partner please complete the booking process as soon as you can. The bookings are processed through the website via the online registration form. The menu can be viewed in the AMQF Information Book which is a downloadable PDF file and can be found here This Information Book is a precursor to the Show Program and I'm sure you'll find it of interest. We have a great night planned for the Banquet, the program will include;

• AMQA Inc Quilt Show Presentation
• An interesting fun time with Kimmy Brunner, our dinner speaker
• A free gift for every person attending
• Lucky door prizes

Accommodation at the Mawson Lakes is now completely booked! We have a few other options in the area and if you need accommodation please contact us via email and we'll do all we can to assist you.

We are certainly in countdown mode now and working extremely hard to make this the best experience for everyone that has shown their confidence in us!

Cheers,

Sharon & Tracey

More classes for everyone…

Yes, we have listened and we are pleased to offer you repeat classes at times that hopefully will fit into your schedules!

Firstly:

Class 152 - Do the Zentangle ® and create beautiful background fillers for your quilts with Jane Monk is now also available on Friday 3-5pm

AND

Class 238 -  A1 Tech Talk with Stewart Plank. for all A1 owners is now being offered on Saturday 1.30 -3.30pm

We hope that all those that asked can now fit these in with Jane &  Stewart.

Helen Stubbings has  recently posted this on her blog,  thought  you  might  like  to see what she is  planning for Festival…

Be your own Virtuoso

As stated in my last post I have been busy working up a new version of my Very Own Virtuoso class. I hear so often ‘I cant draw to save myself’ , ‘I could never draw or design anything like that!’. Well, although I believe anyone can learn to draw, this class has been developed for those of you who don’t have the confidence to start…. cos, maybe you can’t draw, but you can trace!

As a designer I see potential designs and inspiration everywhere I go and always have my camera or sketchpad at hand… travelling around the world each country has its own design elements and architectural styles also – now I haven’t been to many  countries but where I have been I have snapped happily – one day I hope to get to many more and add to my photo and design stash! – but I have more than enough to work from for myself and to share with you all.

So, how do I start?  Well I enlarge and print my photos, just in black and white from a photocopier or printer – not as a photo…

Then pick out the main individual design features and use a black sharpie to outline… there you have it, the first design element…

then with the help of rulers, grids, tracing paper and time the options are endless….

I have hundreds of these!!!

and hundreds more in my photo albums…..

View Full Album

now, can someone give me hundreds more spare hours so i can stitch and colour or appliqué all of these ideas into quilts!

If you come to any of my design classes you are able to use my design element package already done for you to make a wholecloth design on the day – you will then know exactly how to start your own portfolio… imagine that, your very own design portfolio.. and you said you couldn’t draw! Before you know it you will be designing your very own original elements and adding to the architectural styles of the world.

happy inspirations, hope I may be able to share and help you with your designing process one day at a class somewhere..

hugs, Helen – back to drawing for me now…

All I can say is WOW – this is inspirational! Come & join in on the journey with everyone else in Helen’s class.

Until next time…

Tracey & Sharon

Important information for Students

We'd like to share some information that may be of interest to our students and attendees at Festival. All registered students and those that have purchased an Attendee package will need to go to the registration desk to collect their bags containing the information that will be required throughout Festival.

The hours of operation for the Registration Desk will be provided at a later date along with a timetable/program for the weekend's activities.

Mawson Lakes is a new development and all the facilities that you would require are within a very short walking distance and in your Registration Bag you will find information relating to Restaurants/Eateries, Supermarkets, Doctor/Dentist Surgeries, Hairdressers, Banks & ATM's, Transport etc. There will be onsite catering consisting of pastries, sandwiches, wraps, cake, fruit and drinks and there are cafes and take away places within 3 minutes of Endeavour College.

Intelliquilter Classes

It is strongly suggested that if you are wanting to take your IQ to classes that you ensure that your battery is fully charged; there will be powerpoints available. Having previously taken Helen's classes it is not a requirement to take your IQ - you will be supplied with comprehensive handouts and sometimes having your IQ with you can be a distraction, JMO!

Vendors

A few of the vendors that will be attending Festival are wholesalers and as such can only sell to registered businesses. If you have a registered business it would be greatly appreciated if you could email a copy of your Business Registration/ABN details. Once we receive this information we will create your name badges which in turn will allow the vendors to easily identify you. Without this information you will be unable to purchase wholesale.

Business Listing

One of the benefits offered to those purchasing an Attendee Package was a one line listing to be printed in the Show Program. To clarify this - it is a ONE LINE LISTING. It is up to you how you'd like this to appear - it could be your name, address, phone number OR Business Name, web address etc. Please note that the font used will be the same for all listings. Please email this information ASAP.

There will be another new class released shortly - a class for those using a DSM. Stay tuned for further updates & information.

Cheers

Sharon & Tracey

AMQF Information book now available!

It has been frantic both at Sharon’s house & mine these past few weeks! It will only get busier now that we have only 6 weeks to go!

With amendments & additions happening all the time, we have finally got our AMQF Information book available for everyone to download and share with your non-internet friends. This has been a lot of work and hopefully will not change now, except for extra advertising up until Festival itself. It includes class descriptions, quilt show information, vendor listing & much more…

We would be thrilled if everyone was willing to download & print this book and provide it to your local guilds, local shops and friends that do not have internet access. We will also be printing these to provide to our local shops here in Adelaide & for those that have requested them so far, but to spread the word we need everyone’s help?

Class change:

We would also like to advise you that the following class has been changed to a 2 hr class.

Very own Virtuoso with Helen Stubbings

2 hrs

Say you cannot design? Learn how to use your photographs of architecture all around you to make your very own wholecloth or quilting designs – you don’t have to be able to draw, just trace and flip.

In this short class Helen will demonstrate her design method showing step by step how you can use your own photos to ‘cheat’ and get your own package of classic design elements. You will then use Helen’s element package to design your own 20” wholecloth design. Helen will then demonstrate her simple Colourqué® technique so that you can continue to colour your piece after the class.

Please visit the website to view further information & the requirements list.

Travel information

We have been advised that it would be approx $30 by taxi from the airport to Endeavour College at Mawson Lakes. There are also buses & trains that will deliver you there as well. There is more information & maps on the website on how to get to Mawson Lakes that is located only 12kms north of the city. There will be quite a number of you that are flying in on various days. We encourage you to use the comments section on this post on our blog to post when you might be arriving to determine if you can meet up with others to share a taxi out to Mawson Lakes!

Until next time…

Tracey & Sharon

Do the Zentangle® … would you like to??

What is this – you might ask?

Well if you visit the blog of our newest teacher you will be blown away by this drawing technique.

Jane has been drawing with pencil and ink since she was a child. When she started quilting in 2002, she realised her love of drawing could be combined with her love of quilting and she purchased her own long-arm quilting machine in 2007. Jane’s customers love her freehand quilting style and she has won a number of awards for this style of quilting. Jane also designs and draws a lot of her own quilting patterns and background fillers for specific use in quilts. The development of Zentangle by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas was a fantastic catalyst for Jane to create background fillers from her drawing and use everyday life and items for their inspiration.

Do the Zentangle ® and create beautiful background fillers for your quilts - Basic starter class

You may have noticed that Zentangles are taking the world by storm. Zentangle® is an easy to learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is a fascinating new art form that is fun and relaxing. It increases focus and creativity as well as improving your dexterity and pen control. Zentangle provides artistic satisfaction and an increased sense of personal well being, even if you thought you couldn’t draw ... you really can, one stroke at a time!I have taken Zentangles one step into the world of quilting where I use this method of drawing to discover new designs for background fillers. Inspiration is everywhere we look, even in the fabric we are quilting. So come along to this hands-on class where I will teach you how to draw simple, beautiful Zentangles and then how to adapt these patterns into background fillers for your quilting.

Anything is Possible One Stroke at a Time

Registration is now open for this class….don’t miss out!

The opportunity to sponsor our bags is now closed, however there is still time to get an advertisement in our Show Program that will be available for all attendees and visitors during the 4 days of Festival. Please visit the website to view your options on marketing your products or services to a target market of machine quilters.

Don’t forget the Quick Quarters spotlight demonstrations as well. Demonstrate your product to the general public on the stage to show everyone the benefits of owning it! Download application form here.

Until next time…

Tracey & Sharon

New Class available!

We are thrilled to introduce to you a new class…

Penny Roberts is the owner of Penny Quilt LLC a professional machine quilting business that has thrilled hundreds of quilters since 2002. Her quilt friends lovingly refer to her as “The Quilt Whisperer,” a title she is proud to hold. Penny has been an Elite Beta Tester for the Statler Stitcher and a Certified Creative Studio Trainer since 2007. She continually strives to find innovative ways to improve her quilting talents and skills by pushing her abilities to the creative edge. She has designed the “3D Threader” for use on Gammill, APQS, A-1 and other long arm machines because she wanted to offer you the opportunity to stretch your creativity in texture quilting. With this new tool, the 3D Threader, she has won a 3rd place ribbon in the Thread Challenge Category at the 2010 Machine Quilter’s Showcase.

3D Threader is her website where you can see more information.

Class 251:Thread Dimensions, Adding Texture to Quilting

There is more to quilting than just patterns! Learn how you can creatively quilt with multiple threads on Gammill, APQS, A-1 and more! Make 3D Textures of dense outlining, fluffy soft fuzz, and loopies! How about Red Work on your longarm? Thrill your customers by learning how to blend color and add depth using multiple threads on Edge to Edge and Bread and Butter quilts!

Group Discounts

We would also like to encourage local groups to attend Festival to come shopping & see all the amazing quilts that have been entered from around the world into AMQAS 2010. We are thrilled with the quality & number of entries that we have received. Now we just have to fit them all in.

There will be a discount if you have a minimum of 10 people coming to Festival together. Buy a minimum of 10 daily tickets for $5- each. To obtain this, ONE person needs to come to the ticket desk & purchase all the tickets in one transaction then distribute them to their friends to come in. As long as there is a minimum of 10 purchased at one time then there is no upper limit. ie: purchase 15 or 20 or a busload for only $5- each ticket in one transaction.

Please let all your friends know of this offer & encourage your local guilds to bring a bus or car convoy to Festival! There will be lots of shopping, quilts to see & demonstrations to view on the stage.

Keep watch for some more exciting news next week!

Until next time…

Tracey & Sharon