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

 

 

Special deliveries ... bound for China and Ethiopia ...

Just a quick update ... with pictures taken recently at the Barn ... of the goodies that will be bound for China and Ethiopia VERY soon!!

I headed over to the barn a week or so back, camera in hand, to capture for posterity all the stitchings that had been made for the International China Concern (ICC) Home by our willing hands. It looked more than a little impressive when laid out on display, and I look forward to seeing and sharing some pictures when they are all in use in the Childrens Home there.

A selection of knitted goodies which will soon be keeping the babies extra snuggly ....

All stitched with love ....

Some of the wall hangings which will soon brighten the rooms at the Home ...

How good are these rooms going to look?   A little bit of binding to finish them off ....:)

... and on these too ... and ...

....... very soon these too will be delighting the young ones in China ....

We also created cot sheet sets in a variety of pastel shades ... as well as 'Boomerang' pillowslips ..

And of course the beanbags and liners .... which made extremely good use of our furnishing fabrics.

The applique work on these beanbags will certainly keep the attention of the little ones ...

And the cute bear is sitting atop the curtains for the the rooms .... 11 rooms ... 13 windows all up ....!!

Now on to what will shortly be heading to Ethiopia ... to the Lola orphanage ...

A selection of these quilts will soon be comforting the little ones ... aged from infants upwards ...

 
In addition ... each child in the Lola home will recieve a small knitted bear made by one of our quilters Kay ... which will also brighten their day.

So, all in all, we have been extremely busy. And as I mentioned earlier, I look forward to being able to share with you the pictures from both these places when our gifts are distributed among the babies and small children so far away.

So, until my NEXT Blog update, which will take place soon after our next get-together this coming Saturday .. May 12th.

Lunch theme will be .... Italian ... and I can't wait!!!! Bellissimo .... break out the garlic bread!!!

In the interim ... please continue to support us ... as well as those that promote us thru publicity in their own Blogs. 

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

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

 Our Quilts for Orphans 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 now the Links for the children that we are providing quilts for:

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 in Kolkatta, India.

www.com.org.au/ .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn which oversees the work being done in the COM Homes in India.

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

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

http://english.chinaconcern.org/ .... who will be receiving the wall hangings and items pictured above.

... 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

Till my next Blogpost ... happy stitching

Blessings...

 

Susan

 

No April showers for us .... just a sunny stitching day at the Barn ...

Well Hello there again Readers ... yes, tis me .... with another Blog update to share with you our latest Working Bee update ....from our get-together on April 14th 2012.

So grab that coffee again (or perhaps a tea this time? ).... and settle in for the read ... but first the Roll Call from Saturday, and we had another full house/barn and heaps to do to keep each and every one of us well and truly occupied! We enjoyed the company and stitching contributions of: Karen (with Ethan), Christine, Lois (and friend Vi), Jenny, Yvonne, Amber, Isobel, Denise (and new recruit Elizabeth), Maxine, Val, Pauline, Carol, Noelle, Emily, Tracy and Joy.

Here is young Ethan to introduce and oversee the days reporting .......

Now Gaynor, Yvonne and crew had been busy since last we met, creating 25 beanbags for the ICC Home in China, our newest project. They looked exceptionally good, as the pictures below show:

We then spent a deal of our time at the Working Bee this Saturday assembling the liners to go inside the bags, to make them just that little bit sturdier and 'proofed' against the beans escaping during use.

Here is Yvonne .... giving us detailed instructions on the assembly of the liners ...

.... and Val getting all set up to stitch away for the day ...

A row of zig-zag stitching over the seams as extra reinforcement .... even I got into the act:)

Here is the Link to ICC http://english.chinaconcern.org/ please visit it and see what they are all about.

Gaynor has also been asked to make curtains for the ICC Home and here is just a small portion of her efforts so far ... there are 11 rooms to be fitted out with curtains, 13 windows in all ... and this has kept her EXTREMELY busy, as you can see ... the pile on the right is all curtains, whilst on the left are the beanbags. The children are sure to love the individual appliques on each of the bags.

A number of wall hangings have also been created, to brighten the walls and make the rooms even more attractive for the children and staff at the Home.

And last, but by no means least, we are also making sheet sets for the Home ... all nicely trimmed and finished off with machined embroidery ... no half measures taken by our willing volunteers!

 And,just when we were wondering who else we could 'bless' with our quilts .... last week we heard from Kylie Draper from Easter Palliative Care, who has taken on the responsibility of taking 20 of our quilts to Ethiopia, for the Lola Childrens Fund, an organisation which has been running for 4 years, looking after babies and young children with HIV. The Link is below and we do hope that the children enjoy the 'hugs' that our quilts will provide them .

http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/

 So it was full steam ahead last Saturday, as we stitched furiously away, in order to get the beanbags ready for despatch, bound quilts for Ethiopia and generally kept as busy as we always seem to be on these occasions ....

"To your posts ladies .... if you please.." says Yvonne:) .... and we were soon off and racing!!

Emily .....

Christine.....

Gaynor ......

Amber .... (and friend)

Peek a Boo .... it's Karens lad ... young Ethan.

Full of beans ... and energy:)

 Carol and Maxine ....

 

Lois and her friend Vi ... with Elizabeth, Yvonne and Pauline keeping busy in the background...

Maxine again with Noelle ..... is there anything nicer than stitching in a sunny corner of our pretty barn?

..... though lunch runs a pretty close second as far as I'm concerned .. and this one fulfilled ALL my expectations ... a curry lunch ... delicious!!

Always pleasant to break off from 'work' for a scrumptious lunch ....

Though I think Pauline just 'had' to get a few more stitches completed:)

Yvonne, Christine, Isobel,Elizabeth, Denise and young master Ethan ... enjoying their lunch ...

Yvonne entertained us mid-lunch with some amusing anecdotes .....

But very soon it was full steam ahead as we resumed stitching ....

Elizabeth busily ironing, Denise stitching ... whilst Pauline answers a question for Ethan ...
Tracy and Isobel chat and sew .... as does Emily ....

..... before she kicks off our 'Show and tell' session .... bet you were thinking we weren't having one this month eh? This is her handiwork and will quilt up beautifully ....and give a child lots of comfort:)

Next some lovely creations from Val .... in muted shades ...

... and another .... a pretty use of pinks ...

... and this, with peach and an almost pale khaki colour teaming up nicely ...

And another .... in shades of pale teal and pink ... Val has a real flair for colour matching ...

Next ..this vibrant piece from Christine I like the way that the border picks up the vivid blue flowers.

..... and from Christines friend Lorraine ... this incredibly bright and pretty piece ....

 

 

 And that .... dear Reader .... just about winds up this months edition of this little Blog ... hope it kept you entertained and inspired. Now, don't forget to have a looksee at the other Blogs and sites that we are Linked to. These sites are either supporters of us, thru publicity in their own Links, or are places that we have (or continue) to support with our fabric 'hugs' for the children they care for.

And naturally I am enclosing the Link for our very own COM ... Christian Outreach Ministry ... which was the catalyst for the creation of Quilts for Orphans. This organisation has built in excess of 25 childrens Homes in India and is well worth remembering when you start planning your Christmas giving this year. Contact them for ideas on what YOU can purchase this year ... to make the life of a child in one of their Homes just that little bit brighter. And I'm sure that the other childrens Homes that we have provided quilts for would also be equally pleased to be the beneficiaries of your kindness through Christmas (and just random) giftings in 2012 as well. Give it some thought please:)

We next meet on May 12th ... and I thought we might enjoy a little Italian for lunch at this gathering, so break out the garlic and parmesan and join us. A small dish to share would be appreciated, for those able to ... and a gold coin donation to help offset the power costs for our hostess Gaynor would also be lovely. She looks after us so graciously at the barn ... tea and coffee always on the go, its the least we can do to lighten her outgoings on these days:)

 And ... before I finish this off ... a few pics of our fundraising bits and bobs ... please let your friends know that we have items for sale, the proceeds of which we put straight back into purchasing the all important batting for our quilts for the children in India, China, Zambia and Ethiopia. Whilst we often are the recipients of fabric donations ... the batting is just not something that is 'gifted' to us at all regularly, or in sufficient quantities for the number of quilts we need to make forthe children. We have so far sent off in excess of 1000 quilts ... and that is a HEAP of batting that had to be sourced. So spread the word and share this Blog with your friends by emailing them the Link to it.

Our wedding dresses ....

Our spiffy dog coats (dog not included)...

Quality furnishing fabrics at $5 per metre ....

Cushions .... $25 each ...

And now our Links ... as promised ....

 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

Till my next Blogpost ... happy stitching

Blessings...

 

Susan

 

 

Hup 2, 3, 4 ... it's March time again!!!

Well Hello there my lovelies ... here I am with another Blog post ... so grab that cup of coffee, put your stitching aside for a moment, and prepare to be entertained as I fill you in on all that happened at our March QFO Working Bee, held yesterday at our barn. Plenty of photos and some heartfelt  thanks to some lovely stitchers who have blessed us with their gifts in the last week or so.

But first a Roll Call, and we welcomed another recruit to our ranks ... Gaynors daughter in law Karen inveigled her friend Denise to join us, and we hope that yesterday was the start of a wonderful connection between us all. Welcome Denise!!

We also had a fairly full barn as we also shared our workspace with Lois, Maxine, Carol,Christine, Win, Pauline, Yvonne, Amber, Val, Isobel, Jan, Karen, Alice, Jill, Emily, Margaret, Jenny, Tracy, Gaynor (of course) and yours truly ... aka the Scribe:)

We soon got down to stitching, interspersed with some lovely Show and Tell moments ... but before I get onto that I must thank the folk who blessed us with their handiwork ... so without further ado ... here goes!!

Margaret Watson, a friend of our Julie Robinson sent us a lovely Quilt top and we thanks her very warmly for her kindness ... isn't it just beautiful?

Christines friend, Cheryl, also sent us a quilt top .. I'll upload the picture first ... apologise for the quality of the photo ... blame the camera (as you do!) and faithfully promise to get a better pic for the next Blog ... in the meantime ... just imagine Pablo Picasso took the next shot .... and I am SO sorry Cheryl. This is one of those moments where I truly wish the dog HAD eaten my homework ..:(

'Do not adjust your set .... the problem is with the photographer' .... :(

Next we have another quilt from one of Christines friends ... this time Lorraine ... :)

... no malfunction this time,so I am gathering the tatters of my credibility and pressing on ...

Our next Thank You is a 'Biggie' ... both to the Guide to The Good Life (and the continuing blessings that flow onto us from the programme they did on us last year) .. and to the wonderful Quilters from Agnes Water in Queensland, who saw the show and were prompted to stitch for us.

This was the letter we received from Karen Thompson :

... and I will now continue with pictures of the articles in the local paper she sent us ... which gave a wonderful overview both of the work of her Group, and a nice 'heads up' for our project too .... many, many thanks Karen ... and to all the wonderful members of your group. As you said, some of the ladies completed quilt tops at home (Gina and Margaret) and Val Marwick saw the show and alerted the quilters to our work ... so many thanks to you all. A wonderful effort which we all appreciate so much!

Also a BIG Thank You also to the Quilters Shack in Bundaberg, which donated a huge amount of fabric to the Agnes Water Quilters so that they could bless us with their work. So much kindness ... we are humbled.

And here is the box containing the 42 quilt tops ... isn't the fabric scrumptious?

Just two of the 42 quilt tops we received ... you will surely see more 'down the track' as our Yvonne custom quilts them before despatch to China and India:)

 Now our next Thank You is to our Jans friend, Julie .... who went through her 'stash' and so very kindly gave us a marvellous donation of books, patterns and fabric (the fabric will be sorted and stitched by Jan ... so pics will follow soon) ... in the interim, here is a small sample of the patterns that Julie gifted us with ... and some works-in-progress to start us off:)

 It seems that more of our quilters  have their very own bunch of generous friends who willingly stitch for us too ... these 'unseen angels' were not overlooked on Saturday either ... first we had Jennys friend Cheryl ... who made these two lovely quilt tops for us below:

 
Pretty stunning colours, don't you think? Many thanks Cheryl for your kindness :)

Noelle had also been busy ... creating this dramatic quilt top with fabric donated by her friend Fran ..:)

Now our ladies had not been letting the grass grow whilst others were doing all this stitching, so I will now showcase the works of Val, Alice and karen .... :)

Here is Val .... with some of her work ... I wasn't quick enough to capture all of this one ...

But I DID get this beauty .... and am loving the 'colourwash' effect Val has done here...

And also the set of 3 quilt tops that she created for China and the New Hope Foundation.

Next we have Alice and the pretty pink and blue  top she made .... such a sweet combination of fabrics.

And finally ... last but not least ... Karen and her 'heartfelt' quilt top and wall hanging ...

Karen had actually made quite a few of these quilt tops in various colour combinations ... just stunning!

Now a few more snaps of our quilters talents ... before a random overview of the days 'works in progress' as our stitchers all sat and chatted.

This is Gaynors own 'project' ... which will eventually grace her home ... beautiful, isn't it?

And here is one of Gaynors lovely bits of handiwork ... a lovely appliqued wall hanging ...

And the next few pieces are from Christine ....but my mind was having a wander as I took the pic, so am not quite sure of the full history of these pieces. Glad I am not being evaluated on the quality of my reporting skills this month... think I'd surely fail ...

 And now the random snaps that I promised, of our ladies all hard at work stitching ... and clearly having a jolly good time doing so ...

Karen and her friend ... and our latest recruit ... Denise. Busily ironing ... well, someone has to do it:)

Alice .... handstitching bindings .... this was a task that most were doing on Saturday ... and what nicer way to spend a pleasant day eh?

Maxine ... putting the finishing touches to a quilt that was featured in our last Blog ... now nearly done!

And Carol ... also new last month ... and looking so very much 'at home' already...:)

Amber .... who has been much missed over the last couple of working bees .... welcome back!

Lois and Yvonne .... and more bindings to stitch ...

Goodness me .... lunchtime already? Here we have Tracy and Christine ... sharing a cuppa and a chat.

I blinked and I almost missed it ... but lunch was salads ... and delicious....
 
And in the meantime Margaret was busy .... 'measuring twice and cutting once' ... as quilters do:)

While Yvonne and Amber collaborated over a quilt ...

Win threatened me with all manner of mischief if I took her picture' ... but I did anyway:)

Much happy chatting in the 'chat room' corner of the barn .... while the needles 'flew' thru the bindings.

Jill, Alice and Noelle .... obviously having an absolute ball ... we truly have the happiest stitchers!

Jenny .. with a panel which had been donated to us ... now discussing with Gaynor whether it needed another border before it could be made into a wall hanging for one of the Childrens Homes in China.
A discussion on the relative merits of 'bindings and backings' for Pauline and Jenny ... 

... and whilst all this was going on .. we had a small cake cutting ceremony for our very own Birthday Girl ... Tracy ... who thought there was obviously no better place to be on her special day ... but with us!

So ... after cake/cups/chats and much stitching and laughter ... we concluded this months Working Bee and looked forward to having equally as much fun NEXT month.

We meet again in April ... on the 14th to be precise. The Lunch 'theme' will be Indian ... so I am looking forward to a fine feast of curries and pappadums ... my favourite. For those attending, a small plate to share ... with the theme of the day ... would be appreciated, as well as a gold coin donation to assist Gaynor with the power bills associated with running the Barn for all our machines and power usage.

We start at 9.30 .... run thru till around 3.30 ... though if someone has a pressing engagement that overlaps we will not refuse to let them leave early :) ... and we look forward to another day of stitching for those precious children in India, China and Zambia.

 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 next Blog ... blessings to all,

 

Susan

 

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

Ooops!!! Sorry I'm a tad late....Santas' Reindeer ate my Blog Homework .......

Sorry about the delay in Posting a Blog update dear Reader ... but this year Christmas (and all that is entailed in the preparation) just got the better of me ... but here I am, bright eyed and bushy tailed ... with all the pics from our Christmas Breakup held on December 10th 2011. Also have news of our support for our latest group of quilt recipients ... in Zambia, at the Zoe Hope Home. So, without further ado ... grab a coffee ... settle back and be prepared for all our news:)

 I have created a Slideshow of the Christmas Breakup .... this will take up less room here than if I had uploaded the pictures  of us all individually ... but do not panic!!! I will add separately the quilts that I took snaps of at the breakup ... so that you can see them in detail without getting the 'giddies' as might have happened in the Slideshow. Don't I think of everything? So ... click the Link below to see us all having the loveliest of times at our Christmas lunch earlier this month ... and whilst you are doing that ... I will be beavering away, adding all the quilt pics. Enjoy!!!

  Quilts For Orphans Christmas Breakup 2011 Slideshow Slideshow.

TripAdvisor™ TripWow ★ Quilts For Orphans Christmas Breakup 2011 Slideshow Slideshow ★ to Monbulk. Stunning free travel slideshows on TripAdvisor

We also had a 'Show and Tell' at the Breakup .... and I'm sure I will be sent to the Naughty Step for admitting this, but if I said that the 'dog ate my notes' ... do you think I will be believed? I cannot for the life of me locate notes (assuming I actually remembered to take any on the day)  ....and so the beautiful quilt tops below will have to be un-documented as to the creators of their beauty, at least until someone gets back to me with a reminder upslap.

I DO recall however, Jenny telling me that several of the quilt tops were created with fabric recently donated by Eva ... who was EXTREMELY generous and I believe was mentioned in my previous Blog entry. As I said, I WILL endeavour to properly match the quilt tops pictured here and give thanks to the folk who created them, as I always try my best to give credit where it is so richly due.

So .... until I get an update on just who created these beautiful quilts and quilt tops ... i will just have to leave them here for your appreciation and enjoyment.

And .... now onto our latest project ... the Zoe Hope Zambian Orphanage. And for details on this I will do a 'cut and paste' from a recent email that I received from our own Pauline, who met with Donna at Gaynors a week or so back and was able to obtain details of how we can get involved in this wonderful ministry.

Pictured below is the project Founder, Donna .... and I have transcribed the content of the email I received from Pauline ... in Donnas words ....

 Donna says that

"Zoe hope is 36 hours old in the photo with me and 9 months old in the
Christmas photo. We estimate that Zoe was born on August 20th 2009 so she
turned two years old when I was there in August.

.... and after meeting with Gaynor and Pauline .....

"I am blown away by the quilts. They are just so good and I know that the
girls in Africa will love them. Thank you so much for considering these
girls and for all the hard work that you do

Your friend in  Christ

Donna."

People can follow Zoe Hope story on the website:
www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com  which shares to story of giving hope to
children in Zambia.

She then was in contact with Pauline again ... and here is the content of that email....

" Hello Pauline,

I am still in awe of the beautiful quilts and so grateful to the ladies who
prepared them. I cannot wait to have pictures of the quilts on the girls
beds.

I received

          6 quilts for the girls

          7 quilts for the babies

          1 quilt for Zoe Hope

          1 queen size quilt to raffle &

          2 square quilts between the girls size and the baby size.


I know that every quilt will go to a girl who will really appreciate it.
Thank you Pauline for considering me and for allowing this to happen.

This has really blessed me."

Donna

So there you have it  Folks ... the update on our very latest 'project'. How wonderful to be able to send our fabric 'hugs' even further afield ... to bless and comfort more orphans, this truly is THE best thing that I have ever been a part of ... and to get feedback such as Donnas' makes it all so rewarding for us. I cannot wait to be able to put pictures in this Blog of the children in Zambia, snuggled under our quilts!

Now ... we meet up again in 2012 ... the first Working Bee will be held on Saturday  February 12th ... starting at 9.30am, as usual ... and stitching away till around 3.30. though we will not hold our stitchers to that deadline if they cannot stay the entire day. We consider ourselves blessed by every moment that they can spare for us ... and we always welcome newcomers to join us. We meet on the second Saturday of each month at our purpose built Barn ... with a 'bring a themed plate' lunch. I will have to sit down and figure out what our Themes for each lunch will be ... and this will appear in my very next Blog update, which will be entirely devoted to our 2012 Calendar.

 I will now put this Blog 'to bed' so to speak ... hit the 'publish' button and get it out into cyberspace. I will, however, be back well before our first meetup in 2012, to not only give you the calendar dates ... but also to let our ladies know what the first lunch menu will be for that date. I'm thinking .... Hmmmnnnn .... Quiche and Salad ... but I'll confirm that for sure before February.

Till then, almost Happy New Year ... and onward to even MORE quilting in 2012!!

Blessings to 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

 

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

Till next Blog ... 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.

  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

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