quiltermidwife Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 I have never been to MQS or for that matter any 'hands on' classes. Do others find it helpful taking 'hands on' classes if they are on machines different to the one they own. I don't know whether it would be best to go for the demo instead? thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrystitcher Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Hi Chris: Actually I found it rather fun to be able to quilt on other machines. No one expects your samples to be perfect and you still get the focus of the class to go home and practice. Take as many as your pocket book will afford; BUT my very first year, by the second day my brain was in overload - so pace yourself and allow for some good breaks to sit and digest each class. My first year after day 2 I was in brain overload. My 2nd year, I paced myself and got much more out of each class. Sitting and talking to other quilters is also very informative. There are no strangers at MQS that\'s why I love to go!!!! Have Fun. Sharon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Actually I prefer the lecture demo style class. I get better notes/drawing that way. I don\'t know how much actual hands-on time you would get in those classes. The classes I went to last year had 30 or more people in them. Some folks may shy away from the high price in favor of the cheaper lecture only class. If you don\'t have a machine yet, then it might be fun to try out a different one. I had to laugh when I saw the catalog. Dawn Cavanaugh, the Director of Education for APQS, has a class and at the bottom of the blurb in the catalog it says "Gammill machine will be provided for this class". Though, I think that Dawn could quilt using a blender and still make a gorgeous quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrna Ficken Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Hi Chris. Sharon, your advice is good. One can get in overload, especially towards the end of the week;) Save time to shop and look at the great quilts! In my hands on classes we draw and quilt back and forth. Looking forward to teaching again in 2008. Myrna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I like both types of classes. Like Sharon said, you don\'t have to be perfect, you get to try out all different brands of machines, and of course there are the people you meet. Linda has a good point too, you do get lots of notes from the lecture classes and good reference material for later on. I use my notes all the time. Linda, I notice the Gammill thing for Dawn too, and you are right - Dawn Cavanaughn AKA MacGyver could quilt with a blender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Hi Chris, I have a millie but have taken classes on a Nolting and a A-1. The instructors are great in explaining anything that you need to know about the machine. The other students are also very helpful. Decide what classes you want to take and don\'t worry about the machines. You\'ll learn so much that the machine won\'t matter. You will learn the basic idea being taught and can easily go home and refine the technique on your own machine. Be careful not to take too many classes. Allow some seasons times to go blank or do some volunteer time in classes. You can easily become overloaded on what you are learning if you take too many classes. You also want to have enough time to visit the vendor hall several times and look at the quilts. Char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veg-girl Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Chris , does this mean you will be going as I think i will need to go also. Do the classes book up quickly? Am I too late already? I know I always learn a lot by watching an expert work, subtle things like body position, how to hold fabric/ tools and order of work, but its nice to then be able to put it into practise immediately to see if it works for you and it helps you to remember. Yvette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltermidwife Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Yvette Yes I do intend going and have just worked out what classes I would like to do. I believe classes do book up quite quickly but registration does not start until Dec 1st and some time after that for non IMQA members (see website), so if you are not a member it is definitely worth joining. The other thing to consider quite early on is your hotel reservation as the hotels closer to the convention centre tend to go first and certainly people have already made reservations ahead of booking classes. I wasn\'t able to get any classes I wanted at Houston so am keen to be successful this time. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 OK.....Here is a dumb question.... I have been seeing this throughout the site, and I still don\'t know what it means... What is MQS class? And where is it and when...... I know nothing!! thanks! linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltermidwife Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Hi Linda MQS stands for Machine Quilters Showcase. Here is the link http://www.imqa.org/ Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Thanks Chris, I\'ll check it out! linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltermidwife Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 You\'re welome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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