Meet Amanda Bernay, Director of PartnershipsWe’d love for you to get to know the MQG Staff! Every few weeks, we’ll highlight one of our eight staff members. We’re quilters too, and we each made a quilt using a pattern from the MQG Resource Library to share with you. Once the quilt is made, we will donate it to a local organization or raise money for a cause through the sale of the quilt. This week, Director of Partnerships Amanda Bernay is showing her version of the Synapse quilt by Kari Vojtechovsky.How long have you been quilting? 12 years – I started quilting in 2011, and learned through books, classes, and trial and error.Do you have any quilting friends? (By quilting friends, we mean pets that like to hang out on your quilts!) My cat Pete is a chonk who loves a good quilt. He and my late and beloved dog Hank feature prominently in the hashtag #bastingistheworst watching over my quilt basting through the years. (This is a surprisingly under-used hashtag.)Do you have a favorite block or technique? I love handwork – hand piecing, hand quilting, needle turn applique. That might also be because I love my couch and the two go so well together.What about non-quilty hobbies? I love to read, I sometimes love to bake, and love being outdoors when the weather cooperates here in Texas. I have a toddler and a baby on the way, so my hobbies are in somewhat of a backseat these days. I miss you, hobbies!Tell us about your life before the MQG. My previous professional life was in public education. I spent 12 years teaching in and supporting public schools. I joined the Austin MQG in 2013 after attending the first QuiltCon. I became a part-time staff member at the MQG in 2016 – it’s hard to believe it’s been 7 years now. I’m really proud of the progress the MQG has made in that time.Did you make any modifications or additions to the quilt pattern? I don’t think so! I picked a lovely straightforward pattern with no curves. 🙂Where are you donating your quilt? I’m donating this quilt to LifeWorks, an organization in my city of Austin, TX helping homeless youth develop a stable future.
