From the President
Visit the NQA website in the coming weeks for a new membership benefit.
As a NQA member you are eligible for the
VIP Discount
Card. To receive your card simply click on the link and follow the
instructions.
Please note: you will need your NQA membership card when you register at
your local Jo-Ann Store!
From the Vice
President
SewBatik
Challenge Update
Excitement is starting to build around this year’s SewBatik Challenge.
All 100 of the kits provided
by SewBatik for the 2014
Challenge were sold in a matter of days so the popularity of this Challenge
is growing.
To those of you who are working on a quilt, you’ve already been notified
that the new dates for the NQA Quilt Show – May 23 – 25,
2014.
A few other changes have been made to facilitate entering
your Challenge Quilt:
• The date for you to submit your entry has been moved up to April 1,
2014.
• Be sure you indicate whether or not you want your quilt to be a part of
the traveling exhibit. Those
traveling quilts will be at four additional quilt shows
throughout 2014 and January
2015.
• Quilts must be shipped to arrive between May 12 – 16, 2014. Plenty of
time once you’ve submitted your entry to put the finishing touches on your quilt.
Questions? Contact either Mary Zesiger or Margaret Powers. We’d love to
help.
powersthatbeequilting@comcast.net
H-812-372-4154
C-812-371-2152
Mary Zesiger
zesigerm@hotmail.com
H-717-964-1979
C-717-926-2574
From the Annual Show
Director
News from the past month
includes:
-
Saving money is always welcome, and we are happy to help here at
the NQA. Notice the discounts offered for members in quilt entry costs
and class registrations. Now, more than ever before, your membership is
working for you. Encourage your travel buddies to share in the wealth,
and sign up or renew your membership before you register! Getting your
membership number activated on the website can take some time, so don’t
delay!
-
We’re tweaking the website to make class registration fun and
easy for you. The new system will make choosing your classes fun, with
pop-up windows of information at your fingertips and controls for time
management built in. Please be patient as we work out the bugs, and
watch for the system to go live around the 15th. Meanwhile, you can
read up on the exciting staff and check out the classes each has on the
schedule. For a direct link, use http://www.nqaquilts.org/teachers/.
-
New faculty, new classes, more fun! Make your plans now to
be there! Travel Information can be found at http://www.nqaquilts.org/whenwhere/
-
Quilt Competition is a large part of the NQA Annual Quilt Show.
Remember we take every quilt entered – but only the first
400. More information can be found at http://www.nqaquilts.org/quiltentryinfo/
-
Volunteers are a vital part of the NQA Annual Quilt Show this
year, and we 
are very
fortunate to welcome back Sherri Powell as Volunteer Coordinator.
Sherri will be happy to hear from
you when you write to her at spowell.vcnqa@gmail.com . Use the on-line form at http://www.nqaquilts.org/forms/helping-hands/
Or print this one, and send it in:
Volunteer
Form
Having trouble finding your way
on the website? New buttons added this past month include ‘Board of
Directors’ on the Home page, and ‘Little Quilt Auction’ on the
Quilt Show page. On the Vendor Info page, we
added the link for an advertisement in the 2014 Show Book. We hope
this makes your website more friendly and encourage your
comments.
Little Quilt Auction
Information
NQA invites you to participate in the
annual Little Quilt Auction by submitting a quilt for bidding. Entry is open
to everyone and there is no limit to the number of quilts you may
enter.
Guidelines for Entry:
- Any style of quilt
- Any technique
- Must not exceed 30 inches on the largest side
The Little Quilt Auction is held every year at the Annual Quilt
Show. All the proceeds from the auction to towards the funding of the NQA
Grant Program. Follow this link to complete an entry form - http://www.nqaquilts.org/forms/lqa-entry-form/
. All entry forms must be submitted by April 1, 2014, and the
quilts must be received by April 30, 2014. Contact vpresident@nqaquilts.org
for additional information.
From the Grant
Chair
Kudos and huge thanks go to The
Annapolis MD
Quilt Guild who made a generous
donation to the Grant Fund. Their thoughtfulness and
foresight will go a long way as the art and techniques of quilting are kept
alive through grant-funded projects across the country. If your group would
like to consider similar action, contact the Grant Chair at NQA.
Grant funds are secured only through donations and the proceeds of the
Little Quilt Auction which takes place at the annual quilt show. Donating a
little quilt is another way to help quilters across the country. For specifics
on the little quilts, consult the website by clicking on programs, then
grants, and you will find your way to details about the Little Quilt
Auction.
From Chapter
Services
CHAPTERS
CHAPTER QUILT SHOWS: Another new year is upon us with quilt shows
being organized. A reminder to Quilt Show Committees to check with the
NQA office for show insurance and ribbons all at special pricing for NQA
Chapters in good standing.
CHAPTER ROW AT NQA ANNUAL SHOW: At the NQA Annual Quilt Show
(May 23-25, 2014) will be a special display of quilts made by NQA
Chapters. Please consider sending a quilt to represent your guild at the
show. In the past, we have had some gorgeous quilts displayed – why not
show off the talent in your guild. See the website (
http://www.nqaquilts.org/quiltentryinfo/)
for further information about entering your
quilt.
CHAPTER SHOWCASE – 2014: Each month on the website we feature a
NQA Chapter. We have a few openings available for 2014. Please contact
Heather Tighe at
nqachapterc@nqaquilts.org for more
information and to schedule a month to share your guild’s talents and
accomplishments.
CHAPTER RAFFLE/DONATION QUILTS: Please do not forget to check the
Raffle/Donation Quilts section on the website. If your Chapter has a
raffle/donation quilt and would like to have it posted on the NQA
website, contact Heather Tighe at
nqachapterc@nqaquilts.org.
MEMBERS
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT – 2014: Every month we feature on the website a
NQA member. We have so many talented quilters – why not share your
experiences and accomplishments with other quilters across our beautiful
country. Contact Heather Tighe at
nqachapterc@nqaquilts.org for more
information and to schedule a month for you.
From the Education
Chair
Nominate
a Certified Teacher for Teacher of the Year
This is another reminder that you may nominate an NQA Certified Teacher
for 2014 Certified Teacher of the Year. The nomination form is available
on the
Certified
Teacher's page of the NQA website.
Deadline for nominations is May 1, but don’t wait. The Certified Teacher
of 2014 will be announced at the NQA Annual Quilt Show to be held May
23-25 in Columbus, Ohio.
GALAXY
Block of the Month
The design and instructions for the February star in the Certified
Teachers’ Block of the Month project for 2014 are now posted. This
month’s block is called “Saw tooth Checker Star.”
It’s not too late to begin! You can get January’s and February’s blocks
made and stay current. Also provided is the Supply List necessary for
making the Galaxy blocks.
Instructions are posted in the Members Only section of the web site.
(Hint: Be sure to have your NQA member number handy when you want to
access the Members Only section. If your membership card has gone
missing, your NQA number is printed just above your name on your Quilting
Quarterly address.
From the Masterpiece Quilt
Coordinator
Call for
Masterpiece Quilt Nominations 2014
NQA is pleased to announce new for 2014, that collaborative quilts may
be nominated for Masterpiece Quilt evaluation. As the 2014 schedule of
quilt shows commence, consider nominating extraordinary quilts for this
award. The quilt must exhibit the highest degree of skill in workmanship,
design and quilting. The quilt must measure a minimum of 25 square feet, be
constructed of any technique or combination of techniques, and have been
completed within the last five years. The quiltmaker(s) must be living at the
time of nomination. There is no distinction between amateur and
professional, since it is an evaluation of the quilt, not a
competition.
Full requirements and updated information are available on the NQA web
site.
From the National Quilting Day
Coordinator
Have you started designing your entry for the 2015 National Quilting Day
contest? Rules and regulations are posted under Programs on the NQA web
site:
http://www.nqaquilts.org/nqd/ . Designs must be submitted by July
1, 2014.
Your design has a chance to win. Evelyn Young of LeRoy, IL won the 2014
design contest and the quilt directions for “Stash Attack” are also found
under Programs on the NQA web site.
Here's my first try at Stash Attack! While a very small dent was
made in my stash, it is a quick and easy quilt to make . It was
donated to my guild’s Friendship Quilt Program and will be given to a
local community service organization. There will be more to
come as I try to “Attack the Stash”.
From the Communications
Chair
Lots of Social Media news again this month! 
In addition to the Buzz, you can keep
up with our news on Facebook . Quite a few posts have been made this month. Login
using your personal Facebook account and click the Like button. Invite your
quilting friends, too.
And of course, you can always
visit National Quilting Association webpage to find the latest news! Additions to
the web page this month include a Quick Link to our Board of Directors page
and several updates on the Annual Quilt Show
site.
Do you have suggestions for other ways we might use social media to
communicate? If so, let me know at communications@nqaquilts.org.
