Meetings Highlights August 2009

   Presidents Piece

President, Pam Hammer, welcomed all, Marina read the Minutes, Darelle presented the Correspondence and Allana presented Treasurer’s Report on behalf of Helen Mihalic.

Today’s Banner: “Red Cross Gives”

Treasurer’s Report: General Acct Balance at 30/6/09 was $8473.29 $1824.71 paid out since 1/7/09 and $43205.60 banked. 

2009 Exhibition:19th and 20th September at Siena College.  Entry Forms for Quilt Challenge due in. Quilts can be brought to Meetings for Pam to collect, if you wish. Raffle tickets due back 17th September. Please put your name down on a Roster  to help.

 Members who participated in the Quilt Blocks Challenge, which Shirley Loddington organized during 2008, can have their resulting quilt in the group display.

30th Anniversary Lunch and Calendar:

Calendar has been done. 30th Anniversary Luncheon on Monday 16 November.

Quilt-In: Guests from as far as NSW and Tasmania joined 130 Members.

Skill Shares:  September Sit ‘n Sew: Olga Walters: ‘Solvey’ water-soluable stabilizer..

Gift Quilts: Prue has some partially-made quilts, tops ready for batting and binding, and bags of cut squares to be joined. Thanks to Members who helped on Gift Quilt Day.

Retreat 2009: 15/16 August at Hepburn Springs Chalet.

Other Business: Pam asked Members to consider joining a 2010 Symposium committee.

Louise Lamont’s presented a letter from Berry Street Babies Home, requesting financial support, will be considered by Committee.

Guest Speaker: Margaret Mahon (Red Cross efforts during the Bushfires).

Show and Tell

Raffles: 1 Dymphne Anderson 2. Sadie Stevens 3. Alison Head

Door Prizes: 1. Kaye Hardman 2. Nancy Flowers

NEXT MEETING: MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2009   

        the form of Quilt Shows; the first one I attended was the Victorian Quilters Showcase, held at the Exhibition Centre at Southbank. This is a massive building and an asset to all us Victorians. It was able to house the Vic Quilters Members Exhibition, the Machine Quilters Exhibition, Under Flynn's Wing (Royal Flying Doctors Quilt Competition) and a display of Japanese Quilts and Textiles as well as what seemed like over a hundred traders, where all sorts of tempting things were there to entice us to open our purses.
The next week I attended the E.L.F's Quilt show that was held in a Primary School Multi Function Room out a Knoxfield, which also had a very diverse display of Patchwork and Quilting. I enjoyed both Exhibitions immensely and if I had to, I would not be able to choose if one was better than the other. Well done to both the organizing Committees of these Exhibitions.
At the Monday Sit and Sew I see a lot of beautiful Quilts being produced. I hope that they will be available for our very own Members’ Exhibition in September 2009.I would like to encourage/challenge Members in our 30th Birthday celebration year to think about making this Exhibition something special and memorable. I would especially like to see Members who have never entered before rise to the challenge, keeping in mind that this is
not a judged Exhibition and an opportunity to show the wider Community what our Association is about. I was also able to attend the Geelong Quilters meeting last Sat and was again entertained and left awe-inspired by the talent of Mariya Waters who was the Guest Speaker. It was also their A.G.M and I noted that all the vacant positions on the committee were quickly filled. Please keep in mind that our A.G.M will be held in
November and I hope that all our vacancies will be filled with equal enthusiasm and commitment to ensure the Australian Quilters Assoc continues to flourish. If anyone would like to talk to me about what is involved as a Committee Member please see me at the meeting or call me on 9873 4371. Current Committee members are always willing to help you settle in if you choose to volunteer. I have recovered from my 5 week stint of full time work and slowly catching up on customers’ quilts; I have been able to return to one of my own Quilts I was working on, however in the time I was not able to work on it I have changed my mind on what I want it to look like and have done a lot of unsewing and rearranging. I was
never that happy with the blue flower pots and have changed them to various shades of green; as I said life is full of contrasts.
Kind Regards, Pam