Ricky Tims all day seminar!

We are thrilled with the response to our first full page advertisement in Quilter’s Companion magazine in November. Lots of people have emailed, phoned & joined up to our newsletter in order to hear all about news for Festival in 2012.

So this is a very public announcement that we are opening registrations on 15th December 2011 for

RICKY'S BEST KEPT SECRETS - all day seminar!

being held on Friday 28th September 2012

Join Ricky Tims as he shares some of his most sought after quilting secrets in a day-long event that will leave you amazed and wanting more. Enjoy entertaining and informative live lecture and video demonstrations as Ricky shares his favourite tips, techniques and a ton of fantastic quilting information. No sewing and no supplies but you'll take away the equivalent of at least six hands-on classes and you'll leave with knowledge, inspiration, and a spiral-bound notebook full of detailed instructions to start those projects when you get home. Topics include demystifying machine quilting, quick and easy bindings, his award-winning Rhapsody technique and Caveman, Convergence, and Kaleidoscope techniques. It's the class everyone will be talking about and you don't want to miss it.

Cost: $175- includes the following: more info on website

• 6 hrs with Ricky
• 56 page full colour spiral bound notebook
• Morning tea - endless tea/coffee/expresso & biscuits
• Lunch - Sandwiches and baguettes with assorted fillings, Fresh whole fruit, Orange juice and mineral/spring water. Continually refreshed until lunch break ends.
• Afternoon tea - endless tea/coffee/expresso & biscuits.
• Entry into Vendor Mall & Quilt show with Award presentations & Official opening on Friday evening 6.30-9pm

Registration desk will be open from 7.30am to collect your seminar bags! There are no other classes scheduled for this day to enable everyone to attend this wonderful opportunity.

Ricky will have time during the breaks to chat to attendees & will also have a range of his products available to purchase. He has asked for some volunteers during these times to assist in selling his products. Two will be needed for each break. We will put out a request for volunteers closer to the event via our newsletter, so keep an eye out for that to get in first!

On Saturday Ricky will be in the vendor mall & will be available to chat or sign books, whilst also perusing our wonderful Quilt show & vendors.

Also as our 'Special Event' we have Ricky performing his concert during our Banquet Dinner on Saturday evening prior to our Alzheimer's Benefit Quilt Challenge Auction.

Registrations for the Banquet dinner will be opened on April 15th 2012, the same day as all other class registrations will open.

RICKY TIMS: A QUILTER AND HIS MUSIC
Join award-winning musician, quilter, and story-teller extraordinaire, Ricky Tims, for an evening of music, laughter and inspiration that will keep you spellbound and laughing. Ricky took his first piano lesson at the age of 3 and continued his musical profession until quilting came along, lighting a creative fire that allowed him to combine both his passion for music and his passion for quilting into one very unique career. Spend an evening with him as he plays his favourite and most recent compositions with visual display, and listen as he shares what inspires and motivates him in his work and life today. It's a perfect evening of music, wisdom and humour that will tickle the funny bones of quilters and non-quilters alike.

 

The Ricky Tims seminar is co-sponsored by

Now to help us spread the word even further we are going to have another competition/giveaway!

We have some more beautiful Quilter’s Companion 2012 diaries to give away to the first 10 people who leave a comment on this blog post and who ALSO do their own blog post helping us to let everyone know that Ricky is coming to Australia! Please put your blog address in your comment for verification. I will contact the first 10 to get your mailing addresses to send your diaries to you before Christmas!

Until next time….

Tracey & Sharon

AMQA Show 2012

AMQA Inc have finalised all the categories for their next show being held at AMQ Festival next year.

You can find the terms and conditions for their AMQA Show 2012 on their website.

A summary is provided here but please visit their website for ALL the details and the online submission form to enter your wonderful quilts. The AMQA committee is working hard to obtain some fantastic prizes for their show being held at AMQ Festival, so please consider entering your quilts!

Categories

Note: Perimeter is determined by totaling the measurements of ALL sides. Please measure your quilts once completed to ensure correct measurements as this is needed for category choice and exhibition planning.

1. INNOVATIVE CUSTOM Large: Minimum of 240”, maximum of 480” perimeter. Heirloom/Show quilts have been specifically designed as quilt show entries and/or not intended to be used as functional bed quilts. Fibers, fringe, crystals and embellishments of any other kind are permitted.

2. INNOVATIVE CUSTOM Small: Minimum 60”, maximum 240” perimeter. Heirloom/Show quilts have been specifically designed as quilt show entries and/or not intended to be used as functional quilts. Fibers, fringe, crystals and embellishments of any other kind are permitted.

3. WHOLECLOTH: Minimum of 100” perimeter, maximum of 480” perimeter. The entry must be a single piece of fabric or minimally pieced from the same fabric to increase size only. The Wholecloth piece should be designed to highlight the many quilting techniques of today’s machine quilters, including, meandering or background quilting, straight lines, feathers, continuous line and non-continuous line designs. The quilting must be the dominant feature of the Wholecloth and the quilting should encompass the entire quilt. Painting or other embellishments are not permitted in this category.

4. TRADITIONAL CUSTOM LARGE: Minimum of 240” perimeter, maximum of 480” perimeter. This category is for those functional bed quilts that we do for ourselves or for our customers that are meant for daily use but have been machine quilted with high quality custom quilting techniques. No embellishments, metallic threads or thread painting of any kind are permitted in this category.

5. TRADITIONAL CUSTOM SMALL: Minimum 60”, maximum 240” perimeter. This category is for those functional quilts that we do for ourselves or for our customers that are meant for daily use but have been machine quilted with high quality custom quilting techniques. No embellishments, metallic threads or thread painting of any kind are permitted in this category.

6. THREAD ART /PICTORIAL: Minimum of 100” perimeter, maximum of 280” perimeter. Involving thread play and/or a mixture of mediums and embellishments.  All embellishments must be firmly attached and quilt must be able to be hung conventionally and with minimal care required.  All quilts entered in this category must be the original design of the quilt maker and not made under the direction of another person in a workshop/course situation.

7. MACHINE EMBROIDERY: Minimum of 240” perimeter and maximum of 480” perimeter. The quilt must incorporate machine executed embroidered blocks or machine embroidered appliqués or motifs as a significant design element. Hand embroidery, while beautiful, is not allowed in this category. Specialty threads and embellishments are allowed. The quilt will be judged equally on the quilting and machine embroidery.

8. EDGE-TO-EDGE: Minimum of 240” perimeter, maximum of 480” perimeter. An all-over-the-quilt pattern which is continuous-line derived from a pantograph or freehand quilting. The quilting design must cover the quilt completely from one edge to the other. Painting on fabric is permitted in this category.

AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED

Best of Show

Runner up Best of Show

1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in each category if applicable (as per above)

Novice Award – This is an additional award given to a quilter who has begun quilting since October 2010, either on a Domestic Sewing Machine, Short or Long arm and have NOT entered any other exhibition.  This award is applicable to a quilt entered into any of the above categories. Please indicate on entry form if you wish to be considered for this award.

Note about quilts that are machine quilted with a Computerized Quilting System (CQS): Any quilt that is machine quilted with a CQS may be entered into the categories except for the edge to edge category. Utilization of a CQS is not a guarantee of perfection since stitch quality, stitch length, design choice and proper design placement are important factors for ALL machine quilters.

So we encourage you to start planning your quilts to enter the show for next year. We thank you in advance for making this an amazing exhibition of machine quilted quilts.

Until next time…

Tracey & Sharon

Quilt Challenge

The fabrics have now been received for the Alzheimer’s Benefit Quilt Challenge which is being held in conjunction with AMQF 2012.  The fabrics are lovely and we can’t wait to see them transformed into your memories.  The packages of fabric will be posted out by Wednesday 7th December.

We’d like to thank everyone that has registered to take part in this great initiative to raise money for alzheimer’s research and a special thank you must go to everyone that donated extra money to this charity.

Please circulate this information to your friends, quilt and sewing groups so that we can raise a grand amount for this very worthwhile cause and get to look at more inspirational quilts!

Accommodation

The accommodation at the Oaks Embassy is steadily filling so be quick to ensure you don’t miss out!  There are one and two bedroom apartments available with a fully equipped kitchen; information is available on the website.

Transport

We’ve had a few enquiries regarding transport and this is a little difficult if we don’t know exactly where people are thinking of staying.  However, the Adelaide Convention Centre is in the heart of the CBD – right on North Terrace.  The central train station is separated from ACC by the Intercontinental Hotel – it’s that close.  It is also directly on the tramline which runs from Glenelg to Port Road, Hindmarsh.  If you need any help in deciding if the area you are looking at is close to transport you are welcome to send me a brief email and I’ll do my best to let you know if it’s near the ACC or appropriate transport, sharon@amqfestival.com.au.

Vendors

It is exciting to  see some new vendors joining  us  in   2012.  As  vendors  commit  with their deposit they will  be listed  on  the website so  that you can  see  who  will be  there.  If  there is  a  particular  item  you  wish to  see or  purchase you  can  let  them  know  to  bring it  along  with  them  to  Festival!

That’s it for now and we hope to bring you more information in the near future.

Until then…..keep on quilting!

Sharon & Tracey