Quilts For Orphans

I 'may' be a little late with the May update ... but here I am at last!!

I know, I know ... you've all been waiting for me to get my tail into gear and do my Blog update.... and I've been a tad sloooow. But ... on the upside, in the time I have been procrastinating my little cotton socks off, I have received updates from the Butterfly Hospice ... and some lovely pics of wallhangings created for us from Lynn in Mildura, so it will give you even MORE to digest with your cuppa and chocolate biscuit, won't it??

I also have pictures (received via our Isobel)... of the quilt sets that we recently sent to the New Hope Foundation in China, together with the extract of the email of appreciation for our efforts. So much to share with you in this Blog update and it is always heartening to know that our quilts are happily received on the other side of the world.

First cab off the rank will be Lynns' pictures, some delightful work in these and I'm sure you will be impressed. They will surely delight the children in the Home in China ... Lynn is extremely talented and has blessed us many times with her beautiful quilting and willingness to create for us....

The 'Flower fairies' are a personal favourite of mine and I'm sure the children will love them too...

Some Australian animals in this wall hanging ... and Lynns' quilting will enhance them even more...

Chinese themed flowers and pagoda in this one ... and the red and purple is very eye-catching!

Another beautiful Flower fairy ....

And this one will certainly brighten a wall too ... sunshine yellow and just beautiful! Thanks Lynn!!!

Now .... from the New Hope Foundation .... a snap of the quilt sets we sent .. and the 'Thank you' from the Homes Director Dr Joyce Hill. We must also thank the wonderful ladies from Bundaberg who contributed so much to this consignment. I mentioned them in an earlier Blog post ... their efforts were an immense help to us :)

"Hi Isobel,

Topsy arrived a few days ago with 17 sets equaling 51 quilts. They are absolutely
what I expected re colors and sets and they were most wonderfully made.

Thank you so very, very much. Please see attached pictures.

I will be thanking you and your group in our monthly newsletter at the end of this
month.

With gratitude

Joyce

Dr. M J Hill MBBS. FRACGP. AM.

Director

New Hope Foundation

And also from China .... news via our Joy, who has been sponsoring a cot at the Butterfly Hospice .. on the cots little inhabitant ... 'Swallow', who has made wonderful progress healthwise and will soon be setting off for her new home in America. I will include the original update on Swallow when she was much younger ... and the latest picture and news of her. A magnificent improvement in such a delightful child I'm sure you will agree!

 Download JAN 2011 JOY

 Download MAY 2012 - JOY

 I'm kind of hoping I have managed to insert the upload/download correctly ... being a tad computer challenged there is always the chance that I have messed up the process ... but fingers (and toes) crossed that it works!!

Now ... on to news and pictures from our May Working Bee ... and what a lovely day we had, and were kept incredibly busy too!!

Present were Isobel, Val, Win, Alice, Maxine, Carol, Yvonne, Jan, Christine, Karen, Lois (her last day before returning to the States), Julia, Joy, Margaret, Emily, Gaynor and Tracy ... very nearly full house indeed!

Between our last get together and this one we received a trio of lovely quilt tops from Julia Ozolins, one of our loyal off-site supporters. The pictures below are of her handiwork, and very pretty they are too! Many thanks Julia!!

I love the colour combination of blue and yellow ... always works together beautifully!

... and the mustard, navy and red works nicely here too ... lovely combination Julia!

 

And finally ... a lovely floral offering ... cute daisy effect blocks ... again, thank you so much Julia :)

Next we had three cot quilt tops created by our own Val, who put some  'Sew Blessed' blocks to good use.

 

Such pretty soft colours in these ..... don't you agree?

This 'pretty in pink' top was created by our Jan .... making great use of many shades of pink here:)

Carol, Julie & Maxine busily binding wall hangings and quilts for us while the sun streams thru the windows of the Barn. What better way to spend a sunny Saturday eh?

Lois and Yvonne were also equally busy stitching ....

 
While Gaynor and Win discussed bindings to go on the wall hangings we are currently creating for the International China Concern (ICC) Home in China.

.... speaking of which ... here is a wall hanging created by Jan .. and destined for China!

Margaret had been equally busy, piecing this pretty pale green and pink kit quilt together....

... as had Tracy ... with this pretty blue/lemon/green quilt top, created from one of our 'kits'...

Emily has been busy making pencil cases ... part of our fundraising efforts perhaps, remind me to ask:)

Maxine helped carry some of the curtains destined for the ICC Home out to the car ... these will be decorating the rooms in the Home and adding the finishing touches, together with our wall hangings and beanbag covers.

Win and Val getting in a last minute bit of stitching before lunch .....

Which was 'Italian' ... and 'bellisimo' ....:)

Aaaahhhh ..... pasta!!!

Back to 'Show and Tell' .. and we have Christine ... with her friend Lorraines 'Nine patch' created for us. Many thanks Lorraine .... this is an absolute stunner!!

Also her friend Vicki created this pretty floral quilt top for us ... gorgeous fabric in this too. Thank you so much also Vicki!!

Not to be outdone ... Christine came up with this vibrant little number herself ...

As well as this one ... clever use of colour and shape .... nice work Christine:)

 Now while we had all been 'Ooohing and Aaaahing' over the Show and Tell ... there was also cause for more gasps ... as we had been 'gifted' with an amazing donation from a stash that was almost unrivalled in its sheer size and variety. Many thanks to the very kind folk who shared a family 'inheritance' with us. SO many boxes of craft stuff that will be put to extremely good use both by us in our work, as well as in the fundraising aspect of our mission.

Buttons by the boxful, I hesitate to guess how many, we let Gaynor do the counting (pictures to follow!)

Bits'n'Bobs ..... by the bazillion!!

Fabric by the fat quarterful...

Craft magazines by the cartonload ...

What an awesome donation ... many, many thanks to the family of the 'stashbuilder', your kindness will be put to incredibly good use and we appreciate your thoughtfulness muchly:)

Now as I mentioned earlier .... we are farewelling Lois once again. She has been such an integral part of our group over the last few years and we were so pleased when she came back to us after her last repatriation back to America. She will be returning to the States ... and we can only hope that the powers that be will somehow or other allow her to call Australia 'home' again sometime in the future. She has contributed so much to our little band of stitchers both with her pleasant company and her incredibly talented fingers ... who will ever forget the delightful finger puppets she has created for our fundraising? Safe travels Lois ... and do keep in touch ... we will miss you!!

A quilters 'hug' of the non-fabric kind for our Lois!!

And they even roped me into the picture ... a very rare occurence!!

Now .... you will recall I mentioned the 'bazillion' buttons we had been gifted ... well here are a few ... and we decided to sort them into sets. Now whose silly idea was THAT? Oh yes, I believe it was mine ..... oooops!!

Ooops indeed!!

.... and this was 'only' a couple of jars worth of buttons .... the rest is yet to come, as they say:)

Well ... this should keep Gaynor busy for a while I think .... makes a change from sorting fabric:) Do you detect a slight air of desperation in her eyes as she thinks not only of the buttons she has sorted ... but of the many hundred STILL to be collated? Or am I imagining things .....:) Keep up the good work Gaynor!!

And on that note I will finish off this months edition of the Blog. We next gather at the Barn on June 9th ... the lunch 'Theme' will be Chinese ... as an homage to the children that we stitch for in China. We will start at around 9.30am .... stitch and chat till around 3.30 ... though there is no compulsion to stay the entire time.

Please keep in mind the Links to the places we are creating our quilts for and also we thank other Bloggers who have supported us through publicity in their writings. I'll list them below .... and thank you all for not only reading this Blog, but for the many ways in which you support and bless us as we continue to provide our fabric 'hugs' for the kids around the world. Blessings all...

Susan

 Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... gaynorpeterson@bigpond.com

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email: shamilton@aanet.com.au

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

www.chinakidz.org .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/ .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for in China ...

www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com giving hope to children in Zambia.

http://english.chinaconcern.org/

... and our newest recipients of quilts .... in Ethiopia

http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/

And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed.

http://opshop.org/review/810

 

 

Sew ..... here we are again ... a fresh New Year and heaps more to do!!

Hello again Folks ... here I am again, reporting on our first Quilting Working Bee for 2012 and we had an absolutely full barn ... AWESOME!!!

 We welcome 4 new stitchers to our gathering, and I can report that they all enjoyed spending time with us. Welcome to Jill, Maxine, Maria and Carol .... and we look forward to many more such get togethers and your creative input to our happy little band of Quilters for Orphans!

Here we have Yvonne with three of our new stitchers .. Maxine, Carol and Maria .. and our own Alice.

Maxine and Carol  hard at work .... and loving it by the look of things:)

We also had in attendance our 'regulars' .. Lois, Christine, Pauline, Win, Jenny, Joy, Isobel, Jan, Karen, Val, Gaynor, Annette, Emily ... and yours truly. Almost standing room only!!

Now I proceed any further with pics of our gathering ...I must thank Sarah J Home Decor in far off Queensland. Sarah kindly donated a box of scrumptious fabric just before Christmas .. which I resisted opening until Saturday. Well worth the wait ... there were many ladies just itching to create with the gorgeous novelty prints ... I have a few pictures below, but they barely do justice to the delights that were in the package. Just lovely ... thanks again Sarah!!

"Oooohhhh .... shiny " .... or the haberdashery equivalent of ....:)

Truly blessed with this beautiful fabric ......

Sooooo many ideas for quilts ... with fabric this wonderful!

Now the next 'Thank You', hot off the press ... is to Helen Van Dijk and her 90 year old mother Eunice. Helen created 3 lovely quilts for the New Hope Foundation in China ... and Eunice stitched the bindings on them. Brilliant!

Next 'Thank You' is to a quartet of stitchers from far and wide ... who sent us 'blocks' which were then assembled and quilted by our own Yvonne. The finished quilt is below ... together with the names of the talented stitchers...

 

 This quilt was 'blocked' by R.Phillips (Springwood N.S.W), Denise Taunton (Canberra), Nerida Small (Tanunda South Australia) & Lorraine Bradley who made her comtribution all the way from Louisiana U.S.A. Awesome effort, and doesn't it look grand with Yvonnes custom quilting to set it off. A stunner!

 Next Thank You is a double-header ... to Yvonne our custom quilter .. .and to Sue Abernethy from New Zealand ...who sent us a quilt top quite some time ago ... which has finally worked its way to the top of Yvonnes 'quilting In-Tray' and is now almost ready to wing its way across to a child in India.

Hearts, Flowers and fairies .. a winning combination ....

And Yvonnes floral custom quilting matches it nicely ...

Next ..another trio of quilts, headed to the New Hope Foundation, from Sue Nagle in Happy Valley S.A.

How cute is this fabric eh?

And backed with Aussie fabric .... to show it was indeed 'Made in Australia' :)

Still more ThankYou messages to give out .... honestly we were blessed beyond measure in the time between the last Working Bee and this one!!

Now to thank two of our Vals friends. Firstly to Louise who kindly donated two large bags of wadding ... the most hard to 'source for free' component of our quilts. And also to Veronica who donated tubs and tubs of fabric for our cause. Thank you SO much ladies!

Isn't that just the nicest sight a quilter can feast her eyes upon?

Now a little bit of our regular 'Show and Tell' segment of the Blog. And lots of stitching had been done over the Christmas break .... as the next batch of pictures will show ....

This quilt top ... and the next one ... are the handiwork of our talented stitcher Win ...

A pretty use of fabric which will surely delight a young girl in India ...

Next we have two 'tops' stitched by Jennys friend Cheryl ... many thanks ... and your work is lovely!!

What a stunner!

And another dramatic piece .... reminiscent of a stained glass window ...

Not to be outdone ... Jenny produced her own quilt efforts ... and some wall hangings which will grace the walls of the newest China group that we will be stitching for ... The I.C.C (International China Concern), which is being set up on the same premises as Chinakidz.

Aren't these lovely? Now for the wall hangings...

Created using 'blocks' which found their way to us  a little while back ...

The kiddies will surely get a 'buzz' out of this honey of a wall hanging. Yep ... bad puns abound here:)

Very clever use of 'orphaned' blocks that find their way to us ..... the children in China will LOVE these!

And another stunner from one of Jennys friends ... so much work in this beauty!

My mind went blank here ... it may be one from our Christine ... or another from Jenny ...

But I do know that THIS one IS Christines .... isn't it destined to be popular with a budding archaelogist?

And a colourful crazy patch from Jan .... so many different fabrics for a child to study in these 'blocks'.

And finally ... our Joy ... with a combination of flora AND fauna!!!

While all this was going on Win was busily stitching away ....

As was Val .....

Jan and Karen selected fabrics for their next quilts....

Pauline and Christine were cutting and matching binding fabric to 'almost finished' quilts ...

Pauline .... hard at work ... and always smiling....

.... and ditto for Christine :)

 

A hive of activity ....

 

Jill and Lois busily plying their needles in one corner of our 'conversation stitching pit'....

While Yvonne, Maxine, Carol, Maria and Alice are well occupied across the way....

Isobel and Joy discussing our next project .... details will be at the end of this Blog Post ...

Well after all that effort ... we'd earnt lunch ... and it was Quiche and Salad ... yummy!!

Delish!! But wait ... there was more! We also celebrated not one, but TWO, birthdays .. so we ate cake!

 

 And the strawberries very nearly make it a health food .... well that's MY logic anyway!

And here are the Birthday Girls ..... Isobel and Pauline .....

Making sure they eat their dinner so they can qualify for cake!

Karen tries to pull a 'swifty' ... but I can see the piece of quiche she has in her other hand. No dessert till its all gone my girl!

Almost packing up time I guess ... and Isobel farewells Carol, one of our new stitchers ...

But Emily isn't ready to leave just yet ...

And that's where the photos finish for THIS Blog entry, as I was soon caught up in stitching bindings and had to quit my job as a moonlighting paparazzi ... for the time being anyway!

 But I still have a few things to share with you ... firstly.... we are now going to be stitching for the I.C.C (International China Concern) Home for disabled babies and children ... situated in the same building as the Butterfly Hospice. Their immediate need is for cot bumpers ...  like the one pictured below: This project is the brainchild of our own Isobel, who has such a heart for the babies in China.

The dimensions are as follow: 63cm wide (the width of the cot). With sides 60cm each side ... to keep out draughts. The depth of the 'bumpers' is 20cm.

The cots are grouped in bedrooms of 6 children, with a 'colourway' of Red/Pink ... and Blue/Green.

They also require cot sheet sets in these colours. The mattresses that these sheets are to fit are sized 63cm wide x 110cm long ... with a depth (for tucking the sheeets in) of 5cm. So the sheet size will have to be 115cm wide x 150cm long. They will also require a matching pillowcase that is 25cm x 40cm.

Finally, there is also a need for floor cushions. Any size cover will do, this is to make it comfortable for the children to lay on the floor at playtime, I'm guessing. There is no need for the floor cushions to be filled, as they will be sourcing their own inserts over there.

So.... there you go stitchers .. a nice, fairly easy task for those that have a mind to help make the lives of the disabled babies in the I.C.C Home just that little bit prettier.

 Now, before I sign off... I want to share with you an inspirational filmclip, shared with me by COMs Jill Malcolm. She thought it was just wonderful, and I think you will too. I'll not spoil the surprise, just click on the Link below:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfaSmDxVZQ

 Pretty wonderful huh?

We next meet on March 10th ... our scrumptious lunch theme will be cold meats/Seafood and salads. For those joining us on the day, a small plate to share will be appreciated ...

Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... gaynorpeterson@bigpond.com

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email:  shamilton@aanet.com.au

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

 And don't forget to support the Blogs and organisations that we both support and publicize for their connection to us ... 

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/   .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for  in China ...

 www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com  giving hope to children in Zambia.

 and of course ... our latest project

   http://english.chinaconcern.org/

 And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed. 

 http://opshop.org/review/810

Till my next Blogpost ... happy stitching Folks and I'll be reporting back to you after our next Working Bee, we meet at 9.30 am at Gaynors .. look forward to seeing you there!

 

Blessings to all,

 

Susan  

Ta-Daaaaa .... it's the 2102 Calendar and lunch menu list :)

Okeydokey Folks .... get out your pens/crayons/filofaxes(!!) and start writing ... here are the dates of our Quilters Working Bees for 2012 ... as well as the suggestions for tasty comestibles with which to fuel our busy bodies on the day ... ready??

All mornings start at 9.30ish, we play sewing ladies till around 3.30 .... though there is no compulsion to stay the entire day if you have other things planned ... and it is suggested that you bring a plate to share on the themes suggested for the appropriate days. How simple is that?

February 11th ............. Quiche and salad ..... (sweet or savoury)

March 10th     ............. Cold meats/seafood and salads.

April 14th       ............. Indian  theme ... curries and pappadums ... yum!!!

May 12th        ............. Italian  .... because a little garlic keeps the colds at bay!

June 9th         ............. Chinese .... to remember the children in China we stitch for.

July 14th        .............  Christmas in July .... of course!!

August 11th    ............. Soups and rolls ... very warming in winter.

September 8th ............ Casseroles ..... always a winner!

October 13th   ............. Take Out ..... cost around $6 per head

November 10th ............ BBQ and salad ..... always a hit!

December 8th ............. Our Breakup .... yet to be decided ....

 

 So there you go ... dig out the recipe books, oil your sewing machines, strap on the stitching pinny of enthusiasm ... and I look forward to another awesome year of creating fabric hugs for children on the other side of the world. And we have some new projects in the pipeline too, which will be revealed in February. See you then!!

 Remember our contact details:

 Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... gaynorpeterson@bigpond.com

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email:  shamilton@aanet.com.au

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

 And don't forget to support the Blogs and organisations that we both support and publicize for their connection to us ... 

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/   .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for  in China ...

and also now .... www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com  giving hope to children in Zambia.

 And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed. 

 http://opshop.org/review/810

 

Our last Working Bee for the year .... but it doesn't mean we are not going to be stitching still :)

Well here we are again ... it's November and yesterday was our last 'Official' Working Bee at the Barn ... and we were certainly kept busy.

We had a slightly smaller gathering than usual ... which obviously meant MORE cream apple slice for everyone ... have to say Reg was pretty chuffed at THAT!! Present were Jenny, Jan, Val, Joy, Isobel, Amber, Yvonne, Pauline, Christine, Karen, Rachel, Emily  ... and Lois, Alice and tracy ... who all dropped in but were unable to stay for very long.

We received via Jenny a wonderful donation of 5 bags of fabric and 4 bolts of plain fabric from Eva ... so many thanks to her for her kindness. I have taken pictures of this 'windfall' and am trying a new way of presenting the photoshoot from our Working Bee. Hopefully a 'slide show' which will make this Blog a trifle shorter in total length and therefore easier to view ... IF it works:)  To 'freeze' each picture, simply hold your mouse over the photo and the slide show will pause for you.

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0355-4cbe-8a2e?se=6

Quilts For Orphans November 2011 Slideshow: Susan’s trip from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to Monbulk was created by TripAdvisor. See another Monbulk slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

 OK .... looks like I was kind of successful in pasting the slideshow Link ... so make sure your speakers are on too, as it even comes with music (I hope!!). You will have to 'click' on the 'Quilts for Orphans November 2011 Slideshow' title, just under the screen when it comes up on your computer. It was trial and error till I figured this out ... but it DOES work, I assure you:)

And a further bit of news is that our last Quilters get together for the year will be held at The Barn on Saturday December 10th ... from 11am to 3pm. This will be our Christmas Breakup lunch and husbands are invited too. Cost will be $12.50 per head, and Gaynor has asked if we could each bring a folding chair. Phone Gaynor on 9756 7950 to book, so that the numbers for catering purposes can be arranged. 

I have tentatively worked out the dates for NEXT years Working Bees ... and will be posting them here after consultation with Gaynor. Looks to be that the first one will be on February 11th ... so pencil THAT into your diaries now. An update of ALL the dates for 2012 will follow ... as well as the food themes for the Working Bee lunches.

Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... gaynorpeterson@bigpond.com

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email:  shamilton@aanet.com.au

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

 And don't forget to support the Blogs and organisations that we both support and publicize for their connection to us ... 

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/   .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for  in China ...

and also now .... www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com  giving hope to children in Zambia.

 And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed. 

 http://opshop.org/review/810

So .... till next I put fingers to keyboard and dazzle you with my 'puter skills, happy reading, happy stitching ... and keep that support and encouragement coming in!! Please don't also forget that you can arrange child sponsorship for the kiddies in the COM Homes by contacting Jill Malcom at Christian Outreach Ministry (COM) on 9760 8040 and it's not too late to think about perhaps even doing a Christmas 'gifting' thru COM this year, instead of buying the family the usual socks/ties/teatowels. Think about making a donation on a family members behalf and give a child in a COM a gift instead!!!

Blessings to all till next Blog,

 

Susan

Nearly Christmas ..... and our penultimate Blog update :)

 Well Hello there!! Here I am again with a quick QFO update ... have had a few things happening since I last appeared here ..., a trip last week to the beautiful Mont De Lancey in Wandin North, where we had a fundraising stall and were able to share with people about Quilts for Orphans. Always good to let people know what we can do for children on the other side of the world .... and how they can help, with their support of our fundraising ventures. Each 'for sale' quilt/tote bag/custom quilted table runner sold generates funding for more wadding for the quilts we send around the globe.

Our friend Leanne Ingamells made a recent trip to China with ICC (International China Concern) and was also able to visit the Chinakidz Butterfly Hospice where she took some pictures of the little ones for me ... including one of a babe sleeping under a quilt made by us!! These I will share with you in a moment .. and I am also able to tell you that Fiona from Chinakidz has given me a Link to the Blog which is now put out by them. Please check it out ... am sure you will find it a fascinating read:)

 <http://butterflyhospice.blogspot.com/> butterflyhospice.blogspot.com

So what will I share first? Perhaps the pictures taken by Leanne .... it is always wonderful to see where our quilts end up ... proof positive of the journey of our fabric 'hugs' ... and the little lives that they are making just that wee bit more comfortable.

How sweet is this? One of the quilts made by us ... and now keeping this little one 'in the pink':)

 

 These little ones are SO precious .... and Chinakidz does an awesome job indeed!

Plenty of love to share at the Butterfly Hospice .....

How cute is this little Munchkin:)

Just cute as can be .....:)

Now onto the weekend we spent at Mont de Lancey ..... surely one of the prettiest  homesteads in the area, and also the site of a marvellous gallery ... full of local history and memorabilia. One of THE nicest places to be able to have a QFO a stall ... and we thank the Mont De Lancey folk for allowing us space to set up. Hopefully this will not be the last time we are able to be their 'guests':)

Mont De Lancey Homestead ....

... and our display, in the nearby Gallery ...showcasing the talents of our quilters ...

Gaynor in the Gallery .... a lovely spot ...

Custom quilted runners .... Mont De Lancey was holding a weekend for draught horses & Clydesdales. This particular runner was hand painted and then quilted ....

 
Farm themed fabric tote bags .... these were VERY popular!!

'Horses for courses' .... and quilts for horse lovers .....

 
We had a group of spinners nearby ..... fascinating to watch in action ....

Cannot remember what this particular device was called... but it was being used with silk thread ...

A Christmas custom quilted runner ...... with hand beading ....

 
More of our Christmas themed crafts for sale ..... placemats were popular ... and our Santa Sacks:)

Now I have created a Slideshow of Mont de Lancey for those who are interested in the venue ... have amalgamated it with a previous trip of my own ... in order to give a few more views of the homestead itself. Enjoy!!! Just click on the Link below....

 

 http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-03a6-751c-b37f?share=1&cs=a&lb=1

 

8 December 2011 Slideshow: Susan’s trip from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to Wandin North (near Seville) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Seville slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

 

8 December 2011 Slideshow: Susan’s trip from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to Wandin North (near Seville) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Seville slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

Now I will put this Blog to bed ... as it were ... and leave you with the anticipation of a further update following our Christmas get together this coming Saturday ... December 10th at the Barn.

Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... gaynorpeterson@bigpond.com

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email:  shamilton@aanet.com.au

 

And in the meantime .. please view the Blogs and associated sites that support us and that we have links to.

Till next week ... blessings to all,

 

Susan

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/   .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for  in China ...

and also now .... www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com  giving hope to children in Zambia.

 

 

Quilters for Orphans ... who we are ... what we do ... and why we do it ...

I have been asked to write a 'Cover page' for this little Blog .. in order for readers to understand a little more about us ... so I will attempt to do so, with a little 'cutting and pasting' of words from one of our founders, Rachel Breukel' .... and the previous CEO of Christian Outreach Ministry, Glen Cox. I will also attach Links to the organisations that we are helping to support with our fabric 'Hugs' ...and provide the dimensions of the quilts we create so that those willing to donate quilt tops can readily see how they may help us. So without further ado ... here goes ... reprinted from December 2008 ... and in Rachels words....

Who the Quilters for Orphans are .....

'Each month, fifteen to twenty women gather together in someones' house to continue their efforts  in providing Indian orphans with quilts. After the tsunami in Indonesia their passion was awakened to help others. Being told that the orphans in India simply slept on the floor, they decided they would do something about it. Making that decision was the easy bit. Fulfilling it is a task of mammoth proportions! The story goes on .....

"There are 25 ladies on our books, and we meet on a Saturday each month. Making quilts for orphans sounded simple at the time. Then we realised how many kids there were. We are making over 2000 quilts. For anyone who has made one quilt .... .well you understand the gravity of this challenge. However, we have also found out that a quilt is a sign of status in India, which encourages us even more in what we are doing.

The next container Christian Outreach Ministry (COM) sends to India carries some 100+ completed quilts. That's another 2 orphan homes worth. Something extra special about this is that the kids from Careforce Church have been creating cards for each of the quilts. On the back of each quilt is a pocket. In each pocket is a handmade card with a Bible verse, picture and the name and age of the child who made it. Then it is laminated so that it can last forever. How cool is that? Every single quilt will have a card in it.

 Personally I feel like a 'real grown up'. Being involved in something tangible and having a direct input into a childs life and their future is something difficult to put into words. My vision for the future is to see a quilt that was made by us in the arms of the son or daughter of the child who received that quilt so many years ago. I would love to see a family photo of a child of God whose life was impacted by a group of women in a far away land, all with one mission in their hearts: to send a God inspired, long distance, never ending present of a HUG. We like to think that our quilts are like a mothers arms, willing to go around them for any reason and at any time.

In October of last year I was contacted by the magazine 'Patchwork and Stitching', to do a story on us. It is one of the largest magazines of its kind in Australia. In that article I mentioned that if anyone had a quilting machine lying around that we'd be happy to get it out of their way. Within 5 days of the magazine hitting the newsstands I was contacted by a lady with a machine. She text messaged me saying 'read your emails'. I did. She wrote that she had a machine in her garage if I was interested. I rang her to say it was price dependant and that we had no funds to work with. She very sweetly said "I would really rather donate it". That did me in. The tears flowed and flowed. Within 3 days we had picked it up. God had answered a prayer we had dared to pray! A quilting machine! Not just the machine, a frame (3.6 metres long) and a table. (Editors note: these machines are worth LOTS of money!)

Our group has great fellowship. Women have responded to the magazine and joined in our workdays. They are people from different walks of life and religions. There are even ladies interstate sewing and posting their work to us.

At this point we have no financial backing. Everything is donated, whether that be by the ladies themselves or wherever we might beg from. I quite enjoy asking for stuff (it really pays to be thick skinned. The worst reaction I can get is  'No'). I've found that most people, if given the chance, really like to be generous. Never say "they'll never give us anything". How do you know? God does indeed work in mysterious ways AND he doesn't always use the people we expect to do HIS work. One of the most charitable givers is quite a colourful character. (I could be quite offended really, but I like him. Who are we to judge?). Fabric, cotton and time is donated. Whenever we run out, I start begging again. We are always running out of batting (the inside layer). It is very expensive to buy. Some has been donated by Birch Haberdashery and Mac' Crafts. The ladies also put their own money toward it. Our greatest need at this point is a studio. At the moment everything is cramped in and outside of Mum and Dads house. Basically we are waiting/praying for God to tell someone to donate us a shed. It needs to be at least 9mx12m. Pride is not an issue. We'll accept donations from anyone. We are even happy to advertise the generous giver. We have the land and most of the interior bits and pieces, but we need a concrete slab and work benches. We also need room for storage (thus the large size).

We are hoping to have quite a few things for sale during Missions Month at Careforce Church in October. We will have displays around the church. There will be quilts for sale with all proceeds going toward batting. The need is great. The challenge will be ongoing. Unfortunately there will always be orphaned children. Fortunately we will continue as long as needed. If you would like to help us in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us."

                                                                                Rachel Breukel

So there you are folks ... in Rachels own words the QFO story. Obviously the October 2008 Missions Month has been and gone and our shed is so very nearly a completed reality.... but the rest of Rachels story is still as relevant as when she spoke to the church magazine. Just thought it would be nice to share her obvious passion with the rest of our Blog readers.

Now to share from our previous COM CEO, Glen Cox .... from May 2010

 The Why:

   No matter what path we follow in life....it is our passion/calling (the why) that ultimately drives us. To travel to a developing country like India & walk through the streets/slums in the big cities & the village roads of rural communities you can't help but observe the obvious need that exists among the children of this great land.

  To understand that literally millions (indeed 100's of millions) of Indians never get a chance to be educated or have any hope of breaking out of the cycle of poverty is something that strikes you as soon as you spend a few hours in these communities. You ask yourself.....'What can I do?' or 'What difference could I ever make?'.....The feeling can be overwhelming if not daunting!

   It touches your heart & indeed often challenges your whole world view on the important role we have as coming from a society that takes all we have for granted. Often 'messes up your hair' big time as we seek to understand what our purpose in life ultimately distills down to.

  The realisation that we can make a difference...even if it is to a single child in India can be profound & life changing for us & the child concerned.

  This is what COM has done both through its support for on average 1250 children every year for the past 25+years. The running of the opportunity shop(s) in Mt Evelyn has effectively supplied the capital required for each of the 25 homes over the past 25 years & continues to allow development & growth of this vital part part of God's plan to see us 'rescue' the widows & particularly the fatherless in this context.

In addition to this to see the outworking of peoples concern, care & love for these children by seeing a project develop that is going to provide each of these children with a handmade quilt is yet another example of how we have been able to engage in a meaningful way with these amazing children.

   Making a difference in the life of child & giving them an opportunity that they may never have had if COM had not turned up is the real heart beat of both the shops established in Mt Evelyn & the Quilting group.....it is the why!

Glen Cox

So there we are ... who and what we are ... now to add a tiny bit more ... the details of our quilt sizes for those willing to get out their sewing machines after reading this ... and our contact details and related Links.

Quilt top sizes for India and China... updated and current as of November 2010 .. for India we require tops sized 65" x 45" ... it seems that the children in India now require extra length, as these quilts will be their for life and they don't stay 'munchkin size' forever ... and we are also using new double width wadding for our quilt 'insides'.

For the children in the New Hope Foundation in China the requirements are a little different. The quilts must be in matching sets of three. The reasons for this are that the nannys in this fosterhome are each responsible for 3 babies. These babies are in rooms of a specific colour, and for ease of identification the beds/quilts are colour co-ordinated with the rooms. In other words, green cribs and quilts in the green room, pink in the pink room etc. Now the quilts can be pieced together in different styles, but the fabrics MUST be the same for each set of three quilts. The dimensions for these quilts are 30" x 45". All basic colours are needed. The website for the New Hope Foundation is:

 Now our QFO Contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson .... (03)9756 7950

Susan Hamilton .... (03)9737 1825 ... shamilton@aanet.com.au

.... and finally ....Links to those that we support and that support us through publicity Links in their own Blogs:

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for ...

******************************************************************************************************

       ***********   IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR ******************

Now to see the latest Blog entry from now on as well as those leading up to the latest, simply go to the top right hand side of this page and click on the 'Archive' tab for the relevant month ... simple as can be ... blessings to you, and thank you for reading ..

 

Susan

eBay,eBay,eBay,eBay ..... yep .... we are going global:)

Ok Folks .... just a very quick 'Heads up' ... young Fiona.... Gaynors extremely 'puter and eBay savvy daughter in law ... has put some of our fundraising quilts on eBay. This will hopefully attract a few 'nibbles' from far and wide and generate funding for us. We hope to be able to purchase more wadding and supplies with which to create even more of our fabric hugs for India, China and now Zambia.

Here is Fiona and Gaynor .... at our last get together earlier this month.....

Please share the Link around so that we can continue our worthwhile stitching and put even more smiles on even more little faces around the world.

Go to:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CATS-DOGS-FROGS-PATCHWORK-QUILT-147cm-x-110cm-/170715799295?pt=AU_BABY_BEDDING&hash=item27bf745eff

.... to see just one sample of the quilts that Fiona has put up for sale on our behalf. The others are all on the same page ... I truly hope that this little venture will be a way of getting our quilts out there whilst spreading the word on what we are doing for the children.

 
Some of the children that we have already provided quilts for .... 26 COM Homes in India alone and we have managed to create quilts for almost all of the children already ... but we naturally will be providing the new children arriving in the Homes in future with quilts too. As well as the children in the Butterfly Hospice and now Zoe Hope Project in Zambia. This quilting for orphans is an ongoing project so funding will continue to be a pressing need for us.

Hope to be able to report on some eBay success in my next Post ... till then, blessings to all,

Susan

 

Springing into Spring .... and busy, busy, busy getting fabric 'hugs' ready for India.

Well here we are again ... another chapter in the Blog for Quilters for Orphans ... with all the news thats fit to print following our September 10th 2011 Working Bee.

We were as busy as could be on Saturday, finishing off the quilts that are destined for India later this month ... to be delivered by the next Careforce COM Missions Trip heading over there. Hopefully someone on the trip will take along the updated equivalent of a good old 'Box Brownie' and capture on film the handing over of our fabric 'Hugs' Our stitchers always get an absolute 'buzz' when they see something that they have created in the arms of one of the children in the COM Homes that we are stitching for.

It was lovely to have at  our 'Roll Call' : Yvonne, Amber, Karen, Val, Julie, Jenny, Christine, Kay, Jan, Win, Joy, Janagi, Noelle, Margaret and Emily ..... and of course our founding stitcher and absolute gem ... Gaynor (and kitchen co-ordinator Reg!!). So it was a pretty full house (or barn) and we made every moment count as we stitched pockets on so many quilts destined for India. These pockets were then filled by Karen with small soft toys for the children ... an extra little 'something' for these children who have so little compared to children in Western society.

 
Here we have Emily and Julie .... hard at work ....

 
Yvonne, Janagi, Christine and Margaret ... equally busy, whilst in the background Karen is counting and folding quilts prior to 'bagging' them ready for collection.

Now before I go any further I must do a 'Thank You very Muchly' for the gifts that come our way from stitchers and 'Stash unloaders' out there ... we are always blessed and appreciative when we receive fabric and quilt tops from folk who are supportive of our efforts ...

Firstly I must thank the music students of Diana, the lovely lady who travelled to see us in July with that amazing bootload of fabric . Her students have donated $70 which will be put toward batting for our quilts. thank you SO much Diana for your kindness and that of your students in supporting us this way.

This stash of fabric, pictured below,was given to us by Margaret Downes, a friend of our Val .. it will make lovely backing for our quilts and we thank Margaret very warmly for her kindness and generosity.

 
Val also brought along two quilt tops stitched by Lee of the 'Three Friends' quilting group. These ladies have been incredible kind and amazingly prolific in stitching for us  over the last couple of years ... and these two quilt tops are just lovely. Thank you Lee!!  

 
Clever use of applique in this one .... above ... and a nice 'quilt as you go' effort below .. 

 

I will now launch into our 'Show and Tell' as it seemed that everyone had something lovely to share with us ... and I get a lot of enjoyment being able to showcase out talented ladies in this Blog ...

 
This is one of 3 quilt tops created by Jan ... the rose fabric is so pretty isn't it?

 
Interesting 'piecing' on this one ..... Jan is very inventive and has created some lovely tops for us ..

 
So much piecing on this one too ... Jan is an absolute whizz at putting together many of the smaller bits of fabric we have had donated to us ... we really appreciate her talent!

We also had a quilt top brought along by Jenny ... her friend Cheryl Meyer had created this for us ... many thanks Cheryl ... the ladies were knocked speechless by the vibrant use of colour and amazing piecing in this, just spectacular!!

 

Jenny herself had also been more than a little creative ... as these pics below will show ..

 
 
Isn't this fabric scrumptious? First we have the pooches .... then below ... the feline counterpart...

 
 
Aren't they lovely?

 
And a vibrant use of colour here too ...

Next we have Gaynors stitchings ... two interesting 'Log Cabin' piecings ... and a most effective use of colour.

 
 
 
Aren't the 'windows' in these just sweet?

It was Christines turn next .... I love her clever use of small strips in this 'quilts as you go' ... 
And the hexagonal windows in this one ... below....

 
 
.... with a Flower Fairy in each one ...

Isobel had sourced some appliqued fabric and had created three of the required 'matching' cot quilt tops for the New Hope Foundation in China ... these will soon grace the cots of small babies in this Home. Here are two of the three tops ...

 
 
The 'sameness' of the fabrics make it easy for the nurses at the Home to identify the babies they are responsible for ...

 
This is a beautiful quilt that Margaret finished the binding on ...this will be a 'For Sale' quilt ... the money received from its sale will help purchase batting for more quilts for the children in India.  As batting is such an expensive component of our work, and not generally something that we receive as a 'donation', it is necessary that we sell some of our quilts. One quilt sale will enable us to create several quilts for the children, so it is quite cost effective ...

 
Soon it was back to stitching .... aiming to get a little more finished before lunch ... Gaynor,Joy,Isobel and Kay.

 
Noelle, Val, Yvonne, Jenny, Win and Amber .... it was a rather cold and wet outside, so snuggling and stitching under a lapful of quilts was a great way to spend the day .... :)

 
Amber and Janagi .... all the quilts on the table at the back of this picture are destined for India....

 
Noelle and Val ...... these quilts will soon be added to the pile headed for India ...

Soon however it was lunchtime ... the theme of the day was 'Casserole and Cake' ... and we ate most heartily indeed. We had earnt it .... stitching is hungry work ... and the aromas permeating the workbarn were almost unbearable as noon approached!!

 
 

 Isobel .... waiting for the queue to shorten .. kept busily stitching ...

After lunch we resumed stitching, but not before seeing what had arrived from Lyn in Mildura ... one of our talented off-site quilters. You will recall she has done some amazing quilting for us on her amazing machine ... and this batch were no exception ... we are absolutely blessed to have the services and willing help of Lyn, who puts so much effort into the quilting she does for us. Such a heart for our work and we cannot thank her enough.

 
If you look carefully you'll see the kangaroos quilted into this top to match the 'Australiana' fabric used.

 
Stars and teddy bears quilted into this one ....

 
How amazing is this elephant piecing ...... incredibly clever ... I love the intertwining trunks!

 
Another clever piece of piecing .... we have some talented quilters out there!

 
A pretty 'Shabby Chic' quilt top .....

 
This one was quilted with puppies to complement the doggy themed fabric used ... see detail below.

 
 
More cat and dog themed fabric .... so much lovely material around ... we are blessed indeed to be able to put it to such good use in our quilts!

 
A veritable kaleidoscope of colour!

 
.... and a close up .... such pretty fabric .... so many pieces lovingly stitched together for us ...

 
Stunning!!!

 
The mauve is the backing fabric ... which is a nice combination with the lemon and sage green ...

 
This tartan quilt has been artfully quilted with ..... wait for it ....

 
Scotty dogs ...... neat huh?

 
 
Such a pretty combination of colours ....

 
 
A little girl will love this ...

 
 
Loving the applique on this quilt ....  and the 'pebbles' surrounding the doll is actually quilting ....

 
A lot of work has gone into this piece ....

 
 
This was the last quilt we were treated to ... and how stunning is not only the fabric ... but the fluorescent 'starburst' quilting. Yvonne was of the opinion that the thread might glow in the dark .... I would not be surprised if it did!!!

 
So much beautiful 'piecing'  .... and set off by Lyns amazing quilting .... just wonderful work!!

Now whilst all this 'Show and tell' was being displayed ... Karen had been busily counting, packing ... and weighing ... bags of quilts destined for India.  
 Each bag held 5 or six quilts with a total weight of 5kg. This is the allowable baggage for each of the people going on the Mission trip to India in late September.

And here are the filled bags ... how much fun will be had at the other end as they are unpacked and given out to the children at the COM Homes!! Gaynor has just told me she will be personally handing over (wait for it!!) 28 bags ... holding in total 137 quilts to COM. That's 134 quilts for the children ... and 3 for the Host parents at the Homes. Pretty amazing effort, if I do say so myself:)

 
 
All in all a very productive Working Bee ... cannot wait to see the smiling faces as the children are handed their very own fabric 'hug' .... made with love in every stitch. Here is a sample picture of some of the children who have already been gifted with our quilts in previous shipments...

 
 

Gaynor also tells me me that our next Childrens Home to get quilts after this batch will be the COM Home in Orissa India ... they will need 100 quilts.And after that we will be required to complete 180 quilts per year to keep up to date with the incoming children to each Home. Of course this number could well be flexible, as there will always be a need somewhere for a fabric 'hug' from QFO .... and we still have the children in China as well as the FreeToBeKids organisation in Kolkatta that we are supporting. As long as there is a need we will stitch ..... and enjoy the companionship that goes along with our work. Personally I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday than with these lovely ladies and their creative minds, hearts and hands.

 And that just about wraps up, so to speak, this months Blog ... however (yes, there's a leetle bit more...) we are going to again have a stall at the Tulip Festival in Silvan.

http://www.tulipfestival.com.au/

This stall will showcase not only our 'for sale' quilts, but an array of Christmas themed handmade gifts. Funds generated from this stall will be put directly back into purchasing batting for more of our quilts for India and China. last year we were very successful in generating funds in this manner ... and it is to be hoped that we are equally 'prosperous' this year. So please spread the word. we will be there on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday two weeks in a row .... on the Tulip Festivals 'Childrens Days', which will be September 27th, 28th and 29th ... and October 4th, 5th and 6th 2011.

 Now our next Working Bee will be Saturday October 8th .... lunch theme will be  'Take Out' .... so $6 lunchmoney will be required on the day so that our 'lunch monitor' (aka Reg) will be able to do our lunch 'run' prior to midday:)

Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email:  shamilton@aanet.com.au

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

 And don't forget to support the Blogs and organisations that we both support and publicize for their connection to us ... 

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for  in China ...

And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed. And Treasure Corner has a 'sister shop' a few doors up in Wray Crescent. FANS (For A New Season), also used to generate funding for COM.

 http://opshop.org/review/810

And that just about wraps it up from me for this Blog update ... am in dire need of a restorative coffee ... so without further ado will bid you all a fond farewell till next Blog ...

Blessings,

Susan 

 

We have a date for our TV debut!!!!

Just a quick 'Heads up' Folks .... remember I said a while ago that we had been approached by Channel 7 who were interested in what we do with a view to doing a spot on 'Guide to the Good Life', their lifestyle program?

Well they came in April, with the lovely Nicky Buckley and did a feature segment on Quilts for Orphans ... and Gaynor has just given me the 'to air' date. So set your recorders, lay on the refreshments ... call in the neighbours .... tell everyone you know ... a special segment on QFO will be screened on Saturday June 25th at 5pm on Channel 7.

How wonderful is THAT ???? I can hardly wait to see what reaction this wonderful bit of publicity will bring us ... and to be able to let even more people know about what we are managing to achieve for the children in India and China with our quilts. Many, many thanks to 'Guide to the Good Life' and APIA for showing such an interest in us ... we are truly blessed by the kindness of others.

     
 
   Please let everyone know about this special event in the life of QFO :)

Susan

April ..... come what May ..... and look what we have to share with you this month :)

Well, well well ... another successful Quilting Bee happened today, the weather was perfect and the company just splendiferous .... what more could we ask for??

Present today were Yvonne, Amber, Kay, Win, Janagi (who brought along her son to show him what we do), Pauline, Grace, Rachel (and Charlotte), Gail, Christine, Joy, Isobel( and Ayla). A slightly smaller turn out than we have had in recent meet-ups, but we still managed an impressive amount of stitching ... interspersed with chatting.

Gaynor had some wonderful news for us ... on Thursday she entertained the crew from 'Guide to the Good Life', the Channel 7 lifestyle program hosted by Nicky Buckley and Andrew Gaze and sponsored by APIA. The producers of the show had heard about our project through an article last year in a local newspaper and was interested enough to contact us with a view to giving us a little 'airtime' on their show.

Gaynor tells me that they spent a considerable amount of time at our 'Barn', learnt lots about COM, spoke to Keith and Helen Greenwood (Founders of COM) and were most interested in what we are doing for children half a world away. The upshot is a feature segment on QFO on Guide to the Good Life, which will go to air in late May. The show screens on a Sunday afternoon at around 5p.m ... watch this space for the screening date .... pretty exciting huh? Also on Thursday we received a large donation of fabric from Spotlight ... which was (I believe) linked to the shows promotion of our cause. How wonderful and kind people are ... we are truly blessed!! The fabric is utterly scrumptious, thank you SO very much!!!

 
 
The fabric donations from Spotlight ... and we have the promise of MORE apparently ... PLUS batting!!

 
Joy was soon hard at work, colour co-ordinating the donation into containers for our shelves ...

And on the subject of donations, we must also thank Vivienne Harris and her neighbour and friend Bev for the HUGE amount of backing fabric (and other fabrics) which they so kindly gave to us. Our Pauline was their connection to QFO and she wanted to make sure that we knew just how wonderfully generous they had been. Many heartfelt thanks ladies!!! Also thanks to Teresa Blackmar who has given me more generous swatches of shirting fabric which will be put to good use in the assembly of our quilts.

Now after that wonderful news, and the kindness of our supporters, we were spurred on to stitch our little socks off today ... and stitch we most certainly did!!! Below is the proof positive ....

 
Here we have Gail & Grace busily handfinishing biondings on quilts in our 'stitching corner' of the Barn.

 
.... and here is Rachel. After a 3 hour drive from her new home in the country ... she was sitting down on the job ... one  would have thought she'd had enough of sitting, but no .... not our Rachel :)

 
Pauline and Yvonne weren't letting the grass grow around their sewing machines either ...

Now no quilting get together would be complete without the obligatory 'Show and Tell' segment ... so here we go ... am afraid I didn't take notes as well as I should have, so I am unsure whether this first quilt is Janagis or Kays ... ooops ladies, best I go to the 'naughty step' for ineptitude eh?

 
 
Lovely use of some pretty fabric panels ....

 
Am pretty sure it is Kay hiding behind this 'beary' cute print ...

 
Now this is DEFINITELY Kays ... I can see her holding it up :)

 
... and of course we all recognise Kays handiwork here, her 'signature' dramatic use of black sashing!!

 
Isn't this just gorgeous? Imagine the pleasure a little child will get from all the crazy cats in these 'windows'!!

 
.... and this is another stunner from Kay ... her clever placement of fabric is an absolute delight!

 
Another shot of this 'beary' nice quilt ...

 
Amber had not been idle either, combining this pretty panel with some lovely co-ordinating border fabric. She is an absolute delight to have on our team .... and already has a great eye for colour.

 
This is a stunner from Isobel .... that chequerboard sashing is actually many small squares of fabric, cut and 're-pieced'. The colours used have picked up the tones of the mushroom panels and young Ayla was most proud of her grandmothers efforts.

 
I adore this fabric!!!

 
"Now .... where was I ....?". "Doing a great job as usual Joy ....". Gaynors right hand woman!!

 
... and Christine was kept busy too .... not a corner of our Barn was not being put to good use by at least one of our QFO team!

 
Kay and Janagi, discussing the layout of some blocks that Janagi had created ...

And after a positive 'stitchfest' of a morning, it was time for a welcome break to refuel ..

 
This months theme? Seafood and salad .... and most delicious it was too!!

 
Gaynor, Rachel, Yvonne and Amber ....

 
Amber and Pauline .... who is rarely seen without a smile. Quilters are by nature a happy bunch!

 

 
So many bears, so many colours .... these fellows were in need of a little 'cosmetic' surgery, and after a few noses were put back in 'joint' they will be heading off to India to brighten up the life of a child in one of our COM Homes. 

Speaking of which .... I very nearly forgot to mention that earlier this month we sent off our 1001st quilt in a container bound for India. That's halfway to our initial goal of 2000 quilts. Not a bad effort for a little bunch of ladies and their 'offsite' stitchers and friends who have stitched so many wonderful fabric hugs for India (and not forgetting those that we stitch for in China too!!).

 

And that just about wraps up the April edition of this Blog .... and a most exciting newsy edition it was too!!!

Our next gathering will be on May 14th ... the lunch theme (and yes, it IS almost as important as the stitching we do ... well to ME it is anyway!!) will be ... Indian. Most appropriate, given our commitment to that nation thru COM ... and I am partial to a nice curry (hint, hint ladies!!).

Until next Blog (and the screening date information for our magical media moment ...) blessings to all,

 

Susan 

 Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far, an amazing achievement indeed. And Treasure Corner has a 'sister shop' a few doors up in Wray Crescent. FANS (For A New Season), also used to generate funding for COM.

 http://opshop.org/review/810

 Now our QFO Contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson .... 9756 7950

Rachel Breukel ... rachelbreukel@bigpond.com

Susan Hamilton .... 9737 1825 ... shamilton@aanet.com.au

.... and finally ....Links to those that we support and that support us through publicity Links in their own Blogs:

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 www.hopefosterhome.com ... the latest group of babies we are creating crib quilts for ...