April 2013
Continuous Lines – The AMQA Newsletter for MembersEditors Message
Hello Everyone,
Welcome to the second newsletter for
2013. Wow! Isn’t the year just flying by? We are already at the end of April and into
Autumn. I hope everyone had a good
Easter and are over chocolate for a bit.
I cannot believe the amount of chocolate that gets exchanged at Easter! My favourite is Lindt White Chocolate
anything – bunnies, balls, wafers!
Yummmmmm!!!
I went to Perth over Easter, my
first time in Western Australia. Gee,
Perth is a lovely city. Lots of freeways
and given that it was Easter, it was very quiet in the city. I caught up with
many of my relatives that I hadn’t seen in ages (some since I was 9!) and also
drove down to Margaret River. Lots of
wine tasting, beautiful sunsets across the ocean and wonderful company. I had a
fabulous and restful time over the Easter break; I hope your break was great
too.
The AMQA Member Challenge has
closed for entries this year. We had a
disappointing turnout with only 7 members participating. With such a small group, it will not be
possible to offer these quilts as a travelling exhibition to the guilds, Raylee
explains more in her message. I hope
many more members are able to join in future challenges; it is a great way to
get your work seen by many, many people. Look out for the entries in the next
Newsletter and also on the website once the judging is complete.
The committee is already working
AMQA’s Biennial Quilt Show in conjunction with AMQ Festival for next year. This takes a tremendous amount of planning
behind the scenes, so we want to get on top of it as soon as we can. Any
suggestions, comments for future shows are very welcome. I’m sure many of you
visited the show last September so your feedback would be great.
We welcome Kym Colgrave to our
committee. Julie Nixon and Vicki Jenkins
are on a leave of absence for the immediate future. The committee needs your help! Any members, who want to join the committee
and help to build AMQA Inc, please feel free to contact any of your committee members. The more the merrier and many hands make
light work! All the committee members are volunteers who are working to make AMQA
into a professional organisation that our members are proud of and that can
provide increasing benefits to our group.
The committee is as follows:
President:
Raylee Bielenberg president@amqa.com.au
Vice President:
Position Vacant
Secretary:
Barbara Cutmore (temp)* secretary@amqa.com.au
Minute Secretary: Val Towill minutes@amqa.com.au
Treasurer: Gayle Dayman treasurer@amqa.com.au
Membership: Gayle Dayman membership@amqa.com.au
Newsletter Editor: Vanita
Roychoudhry webdiva@amqa.com.au
Webdiva: Vanita Roychoudhry editor@amqa.com.au
Publicity Officer
(new position): Vacant
AMQF
Liason: Tracey Browning
General
Committee: Juliett Edwards
Sharon French
Kym
Colgrave.
I hope you enjoyed
getting to know Kim Doulman in our last Newsletter. The Member Spotlight is focussing on Kathy
Adams of KoolKat Quilting this month. All
members can use this segment to highlight their business, themselves, their
charities and provide us all with some of their tips. If you are interested in being in our Member
Spotlight section, please contact me at: editor@amqa.com.au?subject=Continuous
Lines
Checkout the review on Glide
threads by Lyn Crump as well. It is very insightful and Lyn is a National
Supplier. We also have a useful tip
from Vicki Jenkins on watermarking.
That’s all from me for now. I hope to get some feedback from our members
and some articles that we can share with our group. Any information about
products that you find useful, suppliers, general tips etc. Would all be welcome?
Yours in Quilting.......
Vanita
President’s Message April 2013
Greetings one and all,
I am thoroughly enjoying the autumn weather here in
Canberra; the trees make such a colourful backdrop at the moment. In a few short weeks this will all change,
and I’ll be desperately wishing to see the new leaves of Spring, meaning warmer
weather will soon come.
The 2013 Members Challenge has now closed and entries are
due to be sent in later this month, details will be forwarded to the
entrants. For newer members a little
background info. In the year between the
AMQA Inc. Quilt Shows, we hold a Members Challenge. This has 2 sections, a Wholecloth quilt and a
pieced quilt. Everyone makes the same
pieced design and the challenge is in how you quilt it. The quilts are not large, 40” square for the
Wholecloth and the pieced design is a tiny bit larger this year. These
challenges are a great way for you to use those techniques you’ve seen or read
about and want to try in a smaller project.
I would like to encourage you all to consider an entry or 2 in the next
challenge in 2015 and schedule some time to make your entry. More details will be released regarding the
2015 challenge next year.
Planning is under way for the AMQA Inc. show next year, with
reviews being made on various aspects of the show. If you have any feedback or ideas about the
show or for AMQA Inc. in general please do not hesitate to email them to one of
the committee via the email contacts available on the AMQA Inc. website.
Our lovely web diva, Vanita has been keeping up the website
and I encourage you check it regularly.
If you have anything to add please send it to Vanita using the contact
for the web diva found on our website. I would also like to encourage you to
share your knowledge and experiences by writing an article for our
newsletter. We’d love to hear your
stories and/or opinions about all things quilting related. Please send them to
Vanita for inclusion; I look forward to reading your articles.
We are hoping to build closer links with the state guilds as
we realise many of you are also members of you own and perhaps other state
patchwork/quilting guilds. The committee
is currently leasing with guilds with regard to supporting guild
exhibitions. Your ideas for building
these links would be appreciated please email them to a committee member using
the contacts available on the website.
At the most recent committee meeting we welcomed a new
member onto the committee, Welcome Kym.
There are still roles that need to be filled so please consider joining
the committee and help with the operation of our Association. We are aiming to
improve the Association and could really use your input. Please contact a
committee member with your interest.
Happy Quilting,
Raylee Bielenberg
Member Spotlight
This edition of Continuous Lines
is excited to focus on Kathy Adams of KoolKat Quilting.
About Kathy Adams:
Kathy, from an early age showed an interest in painting and
drawing and won the Mayor’s Medal in Bundaberg while at high school. She
went on to graduate in Fine Arts, then developed an interest in pottery and
completed a Certificate in Ceramics in the 1980s. However, it was her
childhood experiences of dress-making with her mother that led her to an
interest in textiles. She made her first quilt around 20 years ago and it
survives to this day – as a quilt used in our camper-trailer. Kathy’s
other interests have included stained glass, some of which has been
incorporated into various housing renovation projects. “A current
interest is mosaics incorporating glass and tiles to decorate pavers and also
to make feature mirrors for our verandah” says Kathy.
Kathy’s current interest is creative textile pieces,
incorporating her painting and drawing skills and hand-guided quilting using
her Sweet Sixteen machine. The next stage of this process will be to
create her own fabrics and she is currently experimenting with hand-dyeing silk
fabric for use in future projects. She
enjoys the creative process of design and utilising variegated and other
threads and she finds her Sweet Sixteen is much easier to use than a Gammill
with specialty threads. (Good to know Kathy).
KoolKat Quilting was born 10
years ago when Kathy decided to buy her first long arm machine, a Gammill
Classic, while living in Warwick, Qld. This was a hand-guided machine and
no sooner was it installed than a friend knocked on the front door with 5 quilts.
While this was a vote of confidence, Kathy also took every opportunity to
undertake training in the art of long arm machine quilting – Kaye and Bruce
Brown of The Finishing Touch have
always been helpful and Joanne Knott also gave a class in Queensland which was
invaluable. Also helpful has been membership of AMQA and information
gleaned from various on-line forums. KoolKat moved to their current location in
Toowoomba in early 2004. In the mid-2000s KoolKat Quilting had grown to
the point where computerisation was inevitable, so Kathy took the plunge and
purchased a Statler Optimum. KoolKat then grew with the addition of a
Statler Supreme, the retro-fitting of the Gammill Classic with the Statler
system and a Prodigi industrial embroidery machine. This led to the
naming of the 3 Statlers – Baby Bear, Mother Bear and Father Bear. Baby
Bear has since found a new home, and the Sweet Sixteen added for Kathy’s
creative work. In mid-2008 after husband Geoff was made redundant by his
employer, KoolKat Quilting became a partnership. Shortly afterwards, the
external 12 x 6m double garage was lined and converted to become Kathy’s studio
and teaching space. The 2 Statlers are housed separately in a former
family room, which is Geoff’s work-room. “This arrangement of separate
work areas keeps the peace, as neither of us can agree on temperature settings
for the air-conditioner, choice of music, etc” says Kathy.
Kathy made the difficult
decision to cease custom-quilting just over 2 years ago. This has allowed
KoolKat to grow and diversify into quilt pattern design, teaching, writing
columns for Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine travel to quilt clubs,
stands at quilt exhibitions, and launching into social media, as well as
allowing Kathy time to develop her creative textile projects. Geoff does
e2e machine quilting, “But we confer on each customer’s quilt before commencing
and have a double-checking process for quality control for all stages including
packing and dispatch”.
Kathy’s most recent quilt awards
are as a finalist in the 2013 Australian Quilt Convention challenge and
Viewer’s Choice placings at the 2012 Queensland Quilt Exhibition and Toowoomba
Quilt Exhibition. Several quilts commercially-quilted by Kathy won class
event prizes at Queensland Quilt Show and Brisbane Royal Exhibition in the
mid-2000s. When asked about her
favourite quilt Kathy says “It is hard to pick a favourite, but Gather Ye
Rosebuds is a quilt I will always treasure”. Kathy showed this quilt
when still naïve, and didn’t realise she shouldn’t have put a false backing on
it. However, two people made it as a BOM, entered their quilts into shows
and won prizes! She is thrilled to be a finalist in this year’s AQC
Challenge “Free”. “It is a privilege to
be “hung” in such company as Helen Godden and others while the exhibition tours
various quilt shows this year”.
KoolKat machine-quilts charity
quilts for Kathy’s local club in Toowoomba as well as other organisations and
was particularly busy in 2011 when floods hit Toowoomba and devastated parts of
the Lockyer Valley.
Any tips for persons wanting to start a quilting business? -
The key word here is “business”, which means planning. Commence with a
written business plan – templates for these are on-line. In addition to
ticking all the boxes that business plans require, consider carefully how a
home-based business will affect the family.
Any tips for quilters in general? -
There are basic skills that if acquired early in your quilting journey, will
save time, money and frustration. Don’t be afraid to join a quilt club or
group, and take as many classes as you can afford. Some class experiences
are better than others, but it will be rare class indeed if you can’t take away
at least one idea or skill that will be useful.
Best advice someone gave you? - Probably Andy Warhol who said something like “keep showing up”. That’s Kathy’s philosophy for entering quilt shows!
Something you live by? -
Each day try to do something on your quilt project even when you don’t
feel like it. Tell yourself you’ll just spend a few minutes on
something – it’s marvellous how quickly the time then goes!
Any suppliers that support you that you would like to plug? Apart from Kaye and Bruce Brown who were invaluable sources of advice as well as retailers of Gammill machines, KoolKat Quilting has a range of suppliers for batting, threads and so on. Developing good relations with suppliers is important – in return for timely payment of goods the key issue is delivery, the best suppliers contact us to let us know when an item has been dispatched, or if not in stock, how long it will be on back-order and if substitutes are available.
Thank you, Kathy for sharing!
Kathy and Geoff can be found at:
Kathy & Geoff Adams, KoolKat Quilting
PH 07 4696 8746, International (617) 4696 8746.
Mail: Reply Paid 18, PO Box 18, Harlaxton, Q 4350
Studio: 7 Crestview Crescent, Blue Mountain Heights,
Toowoomba, Q 4350.
Quilters! - 7 day e2e machine quilting. Free
delivery to and from KoolKat within Australia. Please use our Reply Paid
address above to send quilts free of charge. Completed quilts returned
free by Registered Post insured to value of quilting. Embroidered quilt
labels, backings, wadding, original quilt patterns by Kathy Adams also
available.
This segment is open to all
members, so if you want to be part of the member spotlight or want to highlight
the charities that you support, please contact me at editor@amqa.com.au and I will highlight on the
website as well.
Tips from our Members:
Resizing
and watermarking a photo
Resizing and
watermarking photos can be done using a photo editing program. There are a number of free photo editing
programs available on the internet. I
found pixlr to be fairly easy to use.
Go to www.pixlr.com
Open (left click
on) Pixlr Editor (advanced)
Locate the image
you want to use from your computer and double click on it to open it in the
pixlr screen.
Resizing the image
from a large file to a smaller one
Left click on
"Image" on the tool bar at the top of the page, then on "Image
Size"
Ensure the
"Constrain Proportions" box is ticked, and then click on either of
the down arrows. Hover cursor over the arrow on the slider bar, hold down the
left mouse button and slide the arrow down the bar to the desired size and then
click OK. I find that 1200 on the longest size is good for posting photos
online or for emailing, it is large enough to see but will upload or email
quickly.
To add a watermark
Left click on the
text button (the capital A) from the tool bar on the left hand side of the page
and then on your photo where you want the text to appear. A box will then pop up, click in the text box
and type in your text.
Click on the arrow
beside the font box to get a drop down menu with lots of different fonts. The font in the box is the one currently
showing on your photo...
Left click on the
first one below the box (Ahoroni) which will then be highlighted blue. Use the down arrow on your keyboard to look
at the different font options. Each time you press the down arrow the font on
your photo will change. Keep going down, or up, until you find one you want to
use hit then left click again to select that font.
Now left click on
the down arrow next to the size option and use the slide bar to choose the size
of your text.
Then click on the
black box under "color". Hover
the cursor over the circle on the left side of the square, hold down the left
mouse button and drag the circle around the square to change the color of the
text. Click "OK"
When you have
finished each of these steps click on OK.
You now need to
save this new version of your photo.
Click on "File" (top toolbar) to name your image and for
choices on where to save the photo.
Written by Vicki Jenkin, Horsham, Victoria
If you have a
useful tip that you would like to share with our readers, please email editor@amqa.com.au
Product Review:
Glide Thread by Lyn Crump
I first heard of
Glide Threads from Filtec in early 2010 through the APQS Quilting Forum. I sent off my email to get samples but
unfortunately they would not send them to Australia. So they were on the long list of Vendors to
visit on my trip to Houston in November
2010. In each of the Longarm classes I
took at Houston we were given a sample of Glide threads and Magna Glide Delight
bobbins. So I came home with samples,
two large cones - a black and a glorious gold colour called Cleopatra, as well
as Magna Glide Classic bobbins in black and white.
My first quilting
when I got home was a customer’s Drunkard’s Path, where I used my samples of
Magna Bobbins and Cleopatra. They must
have worked well as the remainder of the quilts I quilted that year I used
Magna Bobbins.
The secret to the
success of these bobbins is the magnetic core that rotates the bobbin
consistently throughout the entire bobbin resulting in uniform tension to the
last stitch. You take the backlash spring/bobbin brake spring out of your
bobbin and put the magnet side of the bobbin into the bottom of your bobbin
case and away you go. Have your bobbin
case set to the correct tension with a thinner weight thread before starting
with a magnetic core then you don’t need to adjust it again. I have a case that
I use only for the Magna bobbins; very rarely do I even need to clean out under
the finger for lint.
The Magna Glide
Classic bobbins are wound with a 60 wt Polyester thread and come in 12
colours. The M size has 220 yds of thread;
the L size has 130 yds of thread on them.
The Magna Glide
Delights come in 48 colours wound in the same 40wt Trilobal Polyester as the
Glide threads. The M size has 132yds of thread; the L size has 72 yds of thread
on them.
Classics and
Delights are the most often used magnetic bobbins, but the magnetic core is
also available in 50wt Long Stapled Cotton Magna Quilt and in 50wt Magna Soft
which has the look of cotton but the colourfastness of polyester.
Glide thread is a
40wt Trilobal Colourfast Polyester thread that has the lustre of Rayon thread
without the thread breaks. There is
virtually no lint throughout the machine, so less time is spent cleaning, the
tension assembly or hook area. There are 180 colours in the range of Glide
threads and they come in an economical 5000m cone. The sheen of the thread
looks perfect on fabrics that read as solid, rights, batiks and modern prints,
as it provides a texture to the quilting. If you want the look of a Metallic
Thread without the hassle then there are many colours of Glide that have the
lustre and look of metallic threads. I find that Glide can unspool quickly on
the thread stand, but the use of a thread net on the bottom half of the spool,
alleviates any problems.
Not every quilt
needs Glide; I have very successfully used Cairo-Quilt a 50wt long stapled
cotton thread that has been mercerised so it has minimal lint. Cairo Quilt
works well on your traditional quilts and for the “cotton purists”. It comes in a 2750m King Spool in 49
different colours.
The King spools
that Filtec uses for their threads have a flip out bottom on them, can’t think
of a better name for it, that when you have finished with the thread you can
flip the bottom, slip the end underneath and flip back. This holds the thread end securely when you
store it. I use a 110/18 or 4.0 needle in my machine and find I do not need to
change it for any threads.
In early 2012 I
made the decision to become a dealer for Filtec threads, when the cost of
postage, for the average longarmer to purchase their usual thread needs, became what I thought was too high. Now my postage and
import costs are hundreds of dollars! I stock all 180 colours of the Glide
threads, most of the Magna Glide Classics in L and M size, and neutrals in the
Cairo Quilt. If you want a Filtec
product that I don’t have in stock and are willing to wait until I put my next
order in then I am only too happy to place special orders for you. My website is still a long work in progress. As with all longarmers I’d prefer to be on my
machine than on the phone, but I take frequent coffee/tea breaks and use that
time on the computer.
If you want more
information or are interested in obtaining Glide Threads, emailing sales@busyquilting.com.au is often the easiest way to contact me.
Upcoming Events
The website calendar is maintained regularly by the webdiva.
If you want to add any events to the calendar please contact webdiva@amqa.com.au
Key Dates:
March – June
2013
AMQA 2013 Members Only Challenge
August 2013
AMQA AGM - Keep checking your inbox and the yahoogroup for
updates.
Please consider joining the committee and contributing to
AMQA.
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