"This is SAQA Europe/Middle East" - launching the series of introductions

Our SAQA region “Europe/Middle East” is large and diversified – many members, with long distances between them, several different languages, and only limited possibilities of getting to know each other personally. 

A map of Europe - unfortunately without the countries
in the Arab Peninsula, where we have members, too. Picture taken from here.

The internet is a modern means of bridging distances, and the regional blog is one tool set up to serve our special community.

In order for our currently over 200 members to get to know each other at least a little bit, if not in person, we are introducing a new series on the blog. This will be a personal introduction of our members on the blog, and it will be called “This is SAQA Europe/Middle East”.  Members will be invited individually to write a short post about themselves (with a personal photo?), their quilting career and approach, including a photo of one or two of their quilts. If they have a personal blog, they should feel welcome to include the link in that post.

With over 200 members it will be a while until we can have everybody up, even if only half of the people want to participate. Therefore we are staging this series in segments, and if you have not received an invitation yet, just be patient, until your country is called on. Today, members from The North (of Europe) will receive their invitation, other countries will follow eventually. If you are a member of the region, you can watch out for a mail within the next few months.

Looking forward to an interesting presentation of the region’s members here on the blog!

The (Grand Gallery of Europe/Middle East's Contributions for the) Benefit Auction 2014 is on its way

It was in the latest newsletter by Martha Sielman - the Benefit Auction 2014 is on its way! She is calling for Early Bird Contributions, by April 15. On your marks, get set, sew!

You can find information, galleries of quilts from former auctions and the form to register here on the SAQA website. This is the link to the auction donation form.
If you are a SAQA member, please enter a donation, and remember to take a few photos along the way, so you can contribute to the Grand Gallery for the Benefit Auction later in the year. These photos can be sent to either the blog mail-address, or to co-rep Uta's mail account, together with a few words about your inspiration and the process. They will then be published on the blog in the weeks leading up to the auction.
Thank you for your participation!

(N.B.: Uta tried to be amongst the early birds, but managed to end up oversized - now she has to make another one...)

WIDE HORIZONS IV on the horizon!

A view into Wide Horizons II

It is time to start thinking about entering SAQA’s Europe and Middle East biennial showcase exhibition, Wide Horizons IV, which will premiere at the European Patchwork Meeting (Carrefour du Patchwork) in September 2014, and then very likely tour Europe for a year.

The theme ‘Wide Horizons’ is wide open – that’s the idea – you don’t have to think of just landscapes! You may consider making something new for this exhibition, but it is  perfectly possible to enter an existing quilt, provided it has not been shown at EPM / Carrefour before.  You can enter up to three works, but only one per entrant will be selected.

The entry method is online via the SAQA website, and it will be open during the month of May.  You can go now to www.saqa.com, Member’s section, log in, and look into the Calls for Entry.  You can get the full details there, a preview of the registration forms, and also click on links to lots of very useful information, such as how to resize photos.

There are maximum and minimum sizes for the quilts entered, and that seems to have caused some confusion – so here is a clarification of the sizing:

Your quilt can be any size between a minimum of 70 cm by 70 cm (i.e. EACH side has to be no smaller than 70 cm) and a maximum of 150 cm x 150 cm (i.e. each side has to be no bigger than 150 cm).  The quilt DOES NOT have to be square though!  You can make a quilt, say, 85 cm by 130 cm, or 106 cm by 75 cm, or 112 cm by 145 cm, or 87 cm by 95 cm, or whatever you choose.... as long as each one of its sides is not smaller than 70 cm and not bigger than 150 cm.  Shaped edges are possible; but please no very delicate finishes, and unfortunately we cannot accept 3D work.

The minimum and maximum sizes were decided because of likely travelling constraints - too big and it is difficult to transport, too small and it may be more difficult to hang.  We don't know yet how much this show will travel, but I believe there is already a second venue secured.  The previous exhibition, Wide Horizons III, travelled to 6 or 7 venues, most of them in Europe, but the last one was in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A catalogue has been talked about as a possibility, but there are time and budget constraints which may make it difficult to make it a reality for this exhibition.  It may have to wait until Wide Horizons V, in two years’ time….

Do feel free to ask questions about entering WH IV if you have any.

(Comment from the blog moderator: As Alicia did not put her e-mail address here, you can contact her via the SAQA website, members' section. U.L.)

Happy quilting!

Alicia Merrett

Wide Horizons IV Curator.

A view into Wide Horizons III

"Farbe, Form und Linie" (Colour, Shape and Line): Uta Lenk in Freiburg

Until March 15th you can see Uta Lenk's exhibition "Farbe, Form und Linie" at the galerie quiltstar in Freiburg, Germany.

Opening hours:
Monday 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.

"Play of Lines" (2009) by Uta Lenk

at the opening

Wishing you all...

a very happy, creative and successful year 2014.

(And wishing the blog some more member contributions...)

Call to Auction: Get Ready for The Grand Gallery of Europe/Middle East's Contributions

In one of her recent messages, Martha Sielman posted the total analysis of the results of this year's Benefit Auction. These are the data provided by Martha, which I copied directly from her message:

Here is the analysis of this year's Benefit Auction purchases:

389 pieces were sold raising $65,575.
32 pieces were unsold (7.6% of the 421 total donated).

DISTRIBUTION BY DATE
Online week 1 totals = $18,900
Online week 2 totals = $15,000
Online week 3 totals = $19,100
Houston totals = $12,575
*All totals include pieces sold later through SAQA Store.

PRICE POINT INFO
$750 - 18 pieces     ($13,500)       1 Houston
$550 -   4 pieces     ($2,200)         0 Houston
$350 - 31 pieces     ($10,850)       8 Houston
$250 - 37 pieces     ($9,250)         5 Houston
$150 - 90 pieces     ($13,500)     23 Houston
$100 - 24 pieces     ($2,400)       24 Houston
$75 - 185 pieces     ($13,875)     27 Houston

188 purchasers purchased an average of 2.1 pieces.
Average price - $168
Median price - $100
31 purchasers (including 17 in Houston) were not SAQA members (16% of all buyers). They purchased 43 pieces for a total of $4,925 (7.5% of sales).  They found the Auction by being at Houston, through member blogs, the QuiltArt list, and Pinterest.

Below is a summary of the SAQA Benefit Auction results since it started:

	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Number of pieces sold	139	231	229	269	293	379	389
Total raised	$27,250	$41,550	$47,350	$52,300	$53,075	$67,450	$65,575
Average price	200	180	207	194	179	178	168
Median price	150	150	150	150	150	100	100
Number of buyers	73	98	102	120	133	182	188
Non-members	14	21	19	18	25	25	31

*** end of Martha’s analysis ***

The development clearly shows that the number of pieces sold has increased significantly over the past seven years, as has the sum that has been raised for SAQA, even if the average price of individual pieces has gone down.

And it is clear there is a slowly growing audience of non-members out there who are buying more pieces – this should be a definite incentive for any of us to participate by donating a small quilt to the auction, and getting our art work out into the world behind the SAQA scene as such.

This is a call to all members of the region Europe/Middle East to start planning their little quilt for 2014. The first call to auction by e-blast or newsletter from the board will be on us before we even know that the holidays are over!

When planning and sewing, take a few photos, and a few notes, and let the blog moderator know that you want to be included in The 2014 Grand Gallery of Europe/Middle East’s Contributions to the SAQA benefit auction.

My plans were triggered while I was clearing out my scrap box, and looking at leftovers from a quilt I had just finished. And I intend to sit down to work just after Christmas.

Happy planning!

Wanted: Co-Authors for the Blog

We are looking for members of the region Europe/Middle East who would like to become more active and help breathe more life into the blog.
Ideally, it would be at least one person from each country in the region who is willing to act as a kind of 'correspondent' for matters that are of relevance for the blog for their own country. That is, somebody from Netherlands would keep an open eye on the quilt/SAQA scene in Netherlands and post these on the blog independently from the blog-moderator.
Good knowledge of English is a must - although posts don't necessarily have to be in English. But there will be more people interested if that international lingua franca is used...

Interested? Send a mail to the blog address as given in the first post, or to Uta's mail address as given in the newsletter.