2011 Stellenbosch National Quilt Festival - Last news

The Goodie bags are packed, the tables arranged in the classrooms and the power extensions laid.  Sheila the curator of the Quilt Show is ill with flu and can only whisper. Despite this she is on top of her job and the quilts are getting displayed. Tomorrow is the last judging day and the judges and trainee judges is working very hard to complete their tasks. The show is going to surprise you all. Thank you to all the quilters who entered a quilt in the show- to select a Viewers Choice will be hardly possible- the one quilt is just as magnificent as the next.

I just want to remind you: If you stay in the hostel you must bring your own towel. If you can, bring a quilt for additional warmth and for Show and Tell in the hostel. If it rain an umbrella will be handy for the walking distance between the hostel and the school. Remember to bring your mug- or buy a Festival mug. Bring a lead and multi-plug (well marked) if you drive to school. The chairs are low and some tables are slightly higher than normal- so remember to bring a pillow to sit on.

It is time to finish your class preparations, pack your bags and come!

As we prepared the classrooms it became clear that some classrooms will not be suitable for classes dedicated to it. So I have changed the class schedule slightly. Please print out the new class schedule and bring it with so that you know where your classroom for the day will be. It would be appreciated if you print two or three and give it to people who do not have one (About 100 quilters could not be reached by email).

I leave early tomorrow morning and will not be able to receive further emails. Adres any questions to Sandra Cruywagen please.

(I will try to put some photos on my blog tomorrow evening- so just double click on my URL- below my name.)

See you soon!

Marié du Toit

http://machineembroiderybyaquilter.blogspot.com/

Quilters doing good

Karin, co-writer of this blog, kept this newspaper clipping for me and it makes you feel good being part of a group of women who makes time to do good.  We are proud of you ladies, keep up the good work.

Nature Rhythms free quilt pattern

Although I am feeling much better today, I refuse to get out of bed and is taking overloads of vitamins.  There is just no way that I want to be ill when I fly to our National Quilt Festival in Stellenbosch next Friday.


For those of you who skipped the southern hemisphere flu germs and are still doing fine, Johnny Karwan designed this eye-catching quilt for Clothworks and you can download your free PDF file for this pattern by clicking HERE


The finished size of the quilt is 54½’ x 67”

  

Free e-book from Mc Call’s quilting

I’ve been sneezing since 6 am this morning and never knew one human can produce so much snot!  However my problem, not yours.

Today Mc Call’s has a free e-book for us on offer showing step by step instructions to make no less than 3 bed-sized quilts.

To get these free patterns in PDF format, just click HERE enter your e-mail address and your PDF book will instantly be available for downloading on your computer.

Back to the toilet roll – already ran out of tissues –  and aren’t you glad I can share a book this way with you and not have you fetch it from me and spread my germs all over you?

Courses

I have received pictures from Mari regarding the courses she presents this term which I am posting here but for more information check out our page on COURSES.  I have posted these pictures there too.

Now if this doesn't make your mouth water, nothing will!!

Bonjour free quilt pattern

Isn’t this absolutely stunning?  This free pattern was designed by Dianne Knapp for Anthology Fabrics and is available to you for free by clicking HERE 

Surely there must be one quilter in our guild without any UFO’s that want to start on this right away.

Let me tell you more about perfectionist, Connie Wilke

Q:   In short tell us a little about your family:

A:  Married to Robert. We had 4 lovely kids. Got 3 extra and with them came 6 grandchildren (and 1 in heaven)

Q:  Are you a morning or night person?

A:  A 24/7 person. I never stop working whether its quilting or baking and when there is nothing else to do I create work for Robert

Q:  Which do you prefer – sweet or salty snacks?

A:  Sweet

Q:  Do you collect anything and what?

A:  Chickens for my kitchen, quilt magazines and quilt fabric for the cupboard

Q:  If you could be any animal, what would you be?

A:  A bee

Q:  What is your favorite color?

A:  Green and blue

Q:  Do you believe in ghosts?

A: No

Q:  Do you have any other hobbies apart from quilting?

A: Baking, cooking, preserving and cooking jam  (Here I can add, she bakes the best rusks in Africa!!)

Q:  Have you even been addicted to a computer/video game and which one?

A: No – I’m allergic to computers and TV

Q:  Name ONE bad habit you have and are aware of.

A:  I do not know how to relax and quit working

Q:  What do you regard as your best personality trait?

A:  I’m hospitable

Q  Are you mostly a messy or clean person?

A: Very clean

Q:  If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A: Switzerland

Q:  What is your favorite drink?

A:   Rooibos

Q:  What is your favorite gift to receive?

A: Damascus Nougat

Q:  Which type of gift do you like the least?

A: Chocolate

Q:  If you could change your name, what would it be?

A: I like my name (I might be tempted to delete my second name of the record J

Q:  Name one thing not many people know about you

A: I’m terrified of frogs and mice, err

So the next time you give me a hard time Connie, I'll remember your last answer okay?

Stellenbosch Festival 2011 - Copyright and Class etiquette

I would like to share this e-mail from Marié with all of our members and blog readers.

Dear Quilters,

I know many of you are still so busy, that you have no thought to spare for the Festival. Just remember, looking forward to something, is part of the wonderful experience. Enjoy this as well!

If you attend workshops often, you might have a very good system whereby you organize your stuff for a workshop. Perhaps you should refine this even more. Think about the things that did not work so well and tweak them a little bit to get the perfect system. The vendors will supply anything you might have forgotten -so there is no reason to stress about this.

Please do all you pre - preparation. There are very specific instructions for Mastering Machine Quilting - Helen Granville’s class. If you are taking Doortjie Gersbach’s Sandsterre class, please make sure that you have your grid drawn on paper ready for the class.  Also Una Cloete’s workshop requires fabric to be cut.

Class requirements are available in the “Quilt Festival 2011 Programme” at  if you do not have the printed programme.

We do have to discuss the Copyright issue. There will be a poster in every class regarding the copyright of the teacher to her teaching and class material. I know one gets inspired at Festival and would like to share what you have learnt with quilters at home. The line between sharing and breech of copyright is not always clear. We know if we copy the teacher’s notes and hand them to others, this will be a breech of Copyright. If you offer a workshop - teaching what you have learnt, is also a breech of copyright even if you do not receive money for this “workshop”

Why do we not rather encourage our teachers by inviting them to teach all over the country? Then everyone can learn from the “Master” and benefit from her in-depth knowledge of her subject.

We would love to see you inspired to start teaching as well after this Festival. Experiment, practice and do research by buying and reading books and magazines. It will provide you with the necessary experience and confidence to be a successful teacher. This is what one should strive for - to be a Master of your subject. Then students will get first hand knowledge. The old adage - do unto others that you would like people to do to you, is so very true when regarding copyright and respect for a teacher’s right to her original class concept and notes.

I am attaching the class etiquette for the Festival. Please read it. A big problem in classes is cell phones. If we all behave according to basic good manners we will have a wonderful Festival.

Please remember that a Festival is organized by volunteers. If everyone involved in Festival got paid, a festival would cost 3 - 4 times more. Please be as helpful and friendly as you can and we will all experience a wonderful, never to forget Festival.

See you in two weeks!

Marié du Toit

http://machineembroiderybyaquilter.blogspot.com/

Make it easy on yourself, stick to the rules!!  I do however love this take on copyright.  If you so badly want to teach then become a teacher, whereby YOU type and print the notes, YOU do the preparation, YOU make the sample, YOU find the students, YOU find the venue, YOU walk up and down between students and explain the same concept over and over and YOU deal with any possible problem arising from the lesson.  I think once anyone realizes just how much goes into preparing and teaching we'd all think twice before simply 'taking' somebody else's work.  So let's be considerate.

Free Finger pincushion pattern

Stitched together Studios designed this handy finger pincushion for Bernatex.

Get your free pattern by downloading the PDF document HERE. 

   

Another free e-book

Sew Daily gives us the opportunity to download yet another free e-book.  This time for sewing accessories and in this free book you will find purse, bag and scarf patterns.

To download your free e-book just click HERE  and type in your e-mail address to get started.

2011 Stellenbosch festival news

Are you as excited as I am about our National Festival in Stellenbosch?  I can hardly wait and when I got this e-mail today I got even more excited.  Herewith a letter from Marié du Toit.


Dear Quilters

The Festival Committee is ready to welcome you in Stellenbosch- we are counting the days. (So little time left to get everything done)

I am sure you would like to know where your classes are. Hereby attached is a plan of the school with all the areas marked. The class schedule is in an excel spreadsheet. The class numbers are in the first column.

We are thankful to the sewing machine companies who have provided sewing  machines - Bernina will give 58 machines and their machines will be in rooms 5 -10. Elna will supply machines needed in classes 24 – 27 - these are mostly hand work classes and in classrooms 30 and 31. Husqvarna, Pfaff and Singer will  provide 20 machines in total and they will be in classroom 4, 28 and 29. Unfortunately we are over our capacity for machines on Saturday. Jigsaw puzzle is a handwork class with sewing machines as an optional. Those  who requested machines and will be in this class on Saturday might have to share.

Please bring a multi plug – there are always too few of these. If you are coming by car, please bring a lead as well. Please mark all your property so that it does not get lost or confused with some one else’s.

We have very comfortable plastic chairs in the classrooms. They are not so comfortable for sewing though! Please bring one or two cushions to make the seat higher, or your pillow from the hostel.

It is winter in the Cape and often cold and wet. (We are having beautiful sunshine now and it looks as if it may continue for the next two weeks - so it might rain during Festival!)  If you get flu easily it might be wise to get injections. Also make sure you take a daily walk to get fit for the Festival!

There is lockers in the school to use for shopping (it is not big enough for a machine-store your machine in the classroom) you just need a padlock. You will also need this for the cupboards in the hostel.

We are not going to supply polistyrene cups at Hospitality. Make sure to bring your own mug - or buy a Festival mug at R20. Do make a colourful mug bag now and let’s see who has the most interesting bag!

Unfortunately for the smokers - the school is a no-smoking area. Smoking is only allowed in the parking areas and on the one side of the building. We request that you will all be supportive of this request.

We would like to have “Show and Tell” in the hostel. Do bring a quilt from home - it will be good if it is nice and warm to sleep under as well. Maybe a hot water bottle is also a good idea! You will have a duvet- so if you want a top sheet please bring that as well. Please remember your own towel.

I will talk to you again before Festival.

Marié du Toit


PS:  I intend to shop till I drop.  Anyone prepared to bring my clothing back to Bloemfontein in black garbage bags?  I need my suitcase for all my purchases!!

Second quarterly meeting – Furoshiki

Our chairperson, Marianne le Roux, gave a very interesting talk about Furoshiki, the art of wrapping with fabric and even gave us demonstrations of some of these folding techniques.

Furoshiki originated in Japan as a way to save the environment by eliminating waste, so instead of wrapping a gift in useless paper, rather wrap it in fabric that can be re-used (especially by quilters).

Several folding techniques for wrapping different types of gifts with full instructions can be found by clicking HERE.




In fact if you simply GOOGLE the word Furoshiki you will find many more interesting facts and some videos on this.

Second quarterly meeting – Types of quilts

Our 2013 Festival coordinator, Iessie Steenberg, talked about the different types of quilts but anyone who knows this woman will also know that if I had to type up everything she said, it will take me 7 days and 7 nights, for there are few that can talk as much as she does!

However it seems the ladies were fascinated to learn the differences between the types of quilts.

Iessie used Pam’s Quilted Memories as one source of her information but you can find many more rather interesting topics on all the types of quilting by searching it on Google.

The nicest part of Iessie’s speech is that she had examples of all the quilts she mentioned so we all could clearly see the differences.

Our guild meetings turn out not only a lot of fun but rather informative and educational as well.  

Second quarterly meeting – The People

Just because I can I’ve decide to do a post with all the photos taken of the members at the meeting.  As much as we all would like to sit and look at quilt pictures all day long, these can unfortunately not happen without the people who made them.  So meet my fellow guild members.

Some of the vendors manning their stations

Sonja, our treasurer welcoming all at the door making sure we pay for our tea.

Speaking of paying for our tea - the table neatly

set for us and some of the ladies responsible for

the divine soup on this day.

More friendly faces

And finally, my kind of people

Second quarterly meeting – Wearable Art challenge

For this meeting our challenge to meet was to bring any wearable art we’ve created and the entries were absolutely amazing as can be seen on these photos.

They ACTUALLY have time for this???  I'm just battling daily to finish my UFO's.