Quilts For Orphans

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

Not quite a 'Hot August Night' ... rather ... a pleasant August afternoon ... spent QFO'ing :)

Hello again my readers ... 'tis I, with another update on Quilters for Orphans, following our August Working Bee held on Saturday August 13th at our splendiferous work Barn.

And what a wonderful turnout we had ... Janagi,Julie,Win, Jenny, Rachel,Yvonne, Amber, Joy, Christine, Val, Jan, Karen, Tracy, Alice, Isobel, Emily, Margaret, Pauline, Lois, Annette ... and yours truly!! 

We are still receiving donations following our publicity clip on Guide to the Good Life, a nice little parcel from Liz Mibus in Tanunda South Australia, full of lovely fabric ... pictured below...

 
This will stitch up into some beautiful quilts for India Liz ... thank you SO much!!

And whilst I wasn't there when it arrived, I must on behalf of Gaynor,thank Muriel Bennett from Sheridan Australia, who sent us  an entire pallet of  beautiful 'bedskirts' which we will be turning into quilted bags and using the centres as backings for our quilts. This was an amazing response to our publicity on Guide to the Good Life and will do much for both our quilts AND our creative efforts for fundraising. Thank you SO much Muriel ... and I look forward to sharing pictures of what we have created from Sheridans' generosity. The items we create from the quilted 'skirt' part of this gift will be used to generate funding for the quilt batting we need as the centre of our quilt 'sandwich'.

And from the 'Three friends' in Ringwood we received even more quilt tops. These ladies have, between them, created over 160 beautiful quilt tops for us since they heard about us from our own Pauline. 'Three Friends' Lee made two delightful cot quilts which will be well received in China ... here they are below,

 
She also provided some lovely fabric panels which we will be able to put to extremely good use ..

 
.... aren't they gorgeous ... imagine a little one really being captivated by these bears:)

Val Scrimshaw from the 'Three Friends' also made a couple of rather special quilt tops for us ..

 
 
Aren't the fabric and colour combinations in these two just scrumptious??

Lee also did a full size quilt top. I love the way that mauve and lemon colours work so well together!

 
The 'Three Friends' were pretty busy ... the following quilts are just a small part of the 13 tops that came along to us this month!

 
 
These look to be created from swatches of mens shirt samples ... how creative eh?

 
I love the appliqued owls :)

 
As Maxwell Smart would say ... "Would you believe...." ... that this gorgeous quilt was ENTIRELY created with fabric  from $2 scrap' bag sourced at an Opshop!!! My slightly blurred photo doesnt do it justice, it really is just beautiful!

 
Another quilt made from the shirt 'sample' swatches ...

 
How pretty is this? I love the raspberry pink with the lovely 'windows' of florals....

Next we have a couple of quilt tops pieced by Jan .. another innovative and hard working member of our group ... again the combination of lemon and mauve ... with green accents.

 
 
This reminded me of the 'windmills' on sticks that we played with as children ... isn't it great!

 
This is from Joy .... the elephant characters should prove popular in India I think :) Joy also did the quilt top pictured below ... a nice 'stencil' effect print in shades of grey/blue.

 
Finally Jenny put together this delightful combination below ... with a centrepiece bow ... just lovely!

 
Todays lunch theme was soup, Rolls and dessert ... so we had a lovely warming feast before getting back to the job in hand ... our lunches are always a welcome interruption and recipe swaps are common!

 
Looks scrummy doesn't it?

After the break it was "back to it Ladies"... and as we have been told of an upcoming Mission trip from Careforce Church to India in September, the pressure was on to finish as many quilts as possible. Gaynor is hopeful of being able to send 300 quilts over with this contingent ... quite a monumental job indeed. But considering that we have sent 1100 to date, this is but a small amount toward our total goal of 2000 fabric 'hugs' for India.

 
We were kept extremely busy, finishing bindings, stitching pockets on the quilt s reverse side, into which a small toy will be placed .... we never stopped!

 
But there is always time for a laugh ... as Isobel and Emily demonstrate!! As do Joy & Lois ... below ...

 

While Win, Pauline and Val stitched pockets and bindings ...

 
Janagi was kept busy too ....

 
... and Margaret, Gaynor, Rachel and Joy discuss all things QFO :)

Now don't forget that we still need to generate funds for batting, as mentioned earlier in this months Blog write-up. And this means that once more I remind you of the furnishing fabric that we have on sale at almost give-away prices, the lovely dog coats and pet cushions ... pictured below ...

 
 
 
 
 

 
  ... and don't forget the simply beautiful wedding/debutant gowns which we still have available at bargain prices. With the end of the school year just around the corner, this is your chance to purchase a beautiful designer gown for the school 'Formal'. All proceeds from these sales is immediately put back into obtaining batting and supplies for the quilts we are creating for children in India and China.

Whilst on that subject ... please don't forget Christian Outreach Ministry when doing your Christmas shopping this year. For a very small amount of money you can provide a child in a COM Home in India with just that little bit more. Whether it is a mattress ... which I believe costs a low $10....

 
 
... and provides just that little bit of extra comfort between the child and the hard floor they sleep on ... also gives them that  extra 'snuggle' factor when sleeping under one of our quilts!

Contact COM Office by emailing com@careforce.org or phoning (03) 9760 8040 and ask about what else they have on offer for Christmas this year. You provide the money and they provide the child with a gift (such as the mattresses above) on your behalf ... and you get to make that childs life just that little bit brighter. COM can also provide a village in India with a goat, a family with a chicken, ... these are in turn a way for the recipient to generate income and independance. What better way to spend your Christmas dollar!!! Contact them NOW!!!

 
Here are just some of the smiling recipients of our quilts .....

Now finally .... the 'wrap up for this months Blog edition .... the date of our next get together ... and our contact details ...

Our next Quilting Working Bee will be on Saturday September 10th ... .the ever important lunch theme will be 'Casserole and Cake' ... I can hardly wait!! We start at 9.30 am .... stitch merrily away till around 3.30pm (though you can leave earlier if need be) ... and we look forward to another lovely day spent creating for those who have so little ... and appreciate so much!!

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, 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

 Till next 'update' ... blessings to all, and thank you SO much for your continuuing support,

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 ...

Marching thru March .... halfway to our initial Goal ... woohoo!!!

Well here I am again Folks, with all the news thats fit to print, heaps of photos and lots of thanks for the donations that have dropped into our laps since my last blog update.

Thanks also to the Mount Evelyn Mail ... who featured us in a news article this week ... I will share the Link with you here. Click on it to read the story of our Workbarn .... and many thanks to the paper for taking the time to come out and interview Gaynor. Much appreciated folks!!

http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/mail/mtevelyn/283/story/129757.html 

Now if you click also on picture #61327 in the Star News Gallery tab at the top of the page in the above Link, you will see the accompanying picture of Gaynor and Yvonne that went with this article. There are also several other pictures taken on the same interview session.

Furthermore ... I have managed to get the COM Opshop 'Treasure Corner' onto the Web .... this shop also supports the children in the COM Homes, thru sales generated from the goods donated. The shop is wonderful and has attracted much positive feedback from the local community. The other outlet for pre-loved goodies is FANS (For A New Season), just a few doors up in Wray Crescent. Please support these outlets in order to do even more for the children half a world away!

http://opshop.org/review/810

 We were extremely blessed this month to receive a parcel from Gayle Cunningham in Rockhampton. Gayle managed, despite all the dramas in Queensland earlier this year, to complete 21 quilt tops for us and they were STUNNING!!! Many thanks Gayle, these quilts will be treasured by the recipients and your handiwork was just beautiful. I took pictures of a selection, so that our readers can see just how lovely they are :)

 
Isn't this a beautiful piece of fabric panel .... and the borders match it so nicely.

 
A little child in India will have a heap of fun examining all the pictures on this fabric....

 
This really blew us away .... so much work in the piecing ...

 
Gayles letter,telling us of the pleasure she got from creating for us,thank you SO much too Gayle!!

 
What a stunner .... each block made up of crazy piecing!!

 
This is Gayles contribution to QFO ... a magnificent effort indeed!!

Now I also received some fabric from a friend. Teresa, a tennis player that I see weekly at work, asked if we would like some fabric she has had in her stash for many years. Naturally I said 'yes' ... and she presented me with a deal of fabric which will soon reappear as quilts. Many thanks Teresa for your generosity!!! The fabric is pictured below ....

 
Gaynor also received a parcel from Julia in Yarragon, who had put together three lovely quilts, all in the same fabrics .... I'm thinking that this delightful trio will soon be 'fabric hugging' three wee babies in the New Hope Foundation Home in China. Thanks and blessings Julia, the quilts are delightful!!

 

 
Our get-together this month was the first 'real' sit and stitch since moving into our barn .... and how lovely was it, to sit in our new 'home' .... comfy as can be and put our heads down and tails up as we merrily bound quilts for the children in India. There is a container heading to India in a couple of weeks, so we were kept extremely busy with binding and handstitching pockets on the quilts destined for the COM Homes.

 
Part of our new workbarn, with a display board showing the children in India with our quilts. We have made and sent close to 900 quilts now .... nearly halfway to our target of 2000, which Gaynor set at the start of the QFO project.

This is the sit and handstitch corner ... a 'before' shot ... looking a tad empty .... but very pretty :)

 

 
.... looks a bit 'busier' now eh?

 
Just two of our happy band of stitchers .... Win and Kay ... honestly, where would we be without wonderful ladies such as these. So much has been achieved since QFO began .... and so many children on the other side of the world now sleep happily under our fabric 'hugs' thanks to the efforts of our willing stitchers.

This month we had a full house (or workbarn!), with Jan, Jenny,Win,Yvonne,Rachel (and Charlotte),Kay,Christine,Isobel (and Layla),Margaret,Joy,Karen,Gaynor,Amber,Alice,Annette,Tracy .... and yours truly in attendance. Sounds crowded ... but we fitted in nicely and had a wonderful day.

Now no Blog update would be complete without our 'Show and Tell' section, so before I start a run through of our Working Bee, I will showcase some of the work from our talented stitchers ... starting with Kay ....she had been EXTREMELY busy, presenting us with 11 quilt tops, where does she find the time?

 

 
Assembled from donated 'pieces' and painstakingly put together by Kay ....
 
Isn't this combination of colours just stunning??

 
 
 
Imagine the ironing that went into the preparation of this work .... so much piecing!!

 
One of Kays trademark 'dramatic' pieces .... love this one!!!

 
Another masterpiece .... and again, so much ironing of the 'piecing' ...

 
 
Love the colours in this one too .... very pretty :)

 
'Show and Tell' always gets an audience ....

 
..... Amber busily stitching away ... we must feature her handiwork soon I think. She is always at the machine and is one of our most dedicated workers ... in the background is the shelving unit full of quilts to be 'bound' before being loaded into the container going to India soon.

 
Jan was busy between our get-togethers. She created this lovely 'chevron' effect quilt. Isn't it lovely, and so much work has gone into it ...

 
... . and this colourful quilt ... is this what they call an 'eye-spy' pattern I wonder?

 
Win had been busy too, with this lovely blue and peach quilt ... these quilts will look even lovelier when accentuated with some of Yvonnes specialty quilting to finish them off ..

 .... just as Tracys quilt has been embellished .... see below ....

 
.... an all-over floral  pattern completes this pretty quilt just beautifully!

 
Christine had been extremely creative with this quilt .... how effective is this use of strip piecing!

 
And this is another colourful offering from our Christine ...

 
... as well as this vibrant offering ....

 
We had a newcomer drop by ... Jenny brought along a quilt pieced from furnishing fabric, this will look lovely when quilted and the electric blue sashing and border was really stunning.

 
Margaret brought along this quilt top, pieced by a lady at church for us .... many thanks :)

We soon got down to business ... so much binding and hand stitching of little pockets to be done ... the time flew!!

 
Jenny and Yvonne stitch and chat ....

 
Rachel busies herself at our custom built cutting table .....

 
Margaret and Joy machine away merrily ... on another table specially made for us ...

 

 
Whilst Emily, Isobel, Kay and Christine are kept busy under the watchful eye of young Layla ...

 
.... and Alice, Win and Yvonne sew pockets on the quilts.  
These are some bears which have been kindly donated to QFO. A few minor 'nose' jobs to repair stitching and these brand new bears will be heading to India and the arms of some lucky children in the COM Homes. We are so blessed by the generosity of folk who support us in so many ways ...

Soon it was time for a break. Lunch this month was quiche & salad. Stitching is hungry work you know!!

 
The queue for the lunch munchies starts just behind Charlotte and Layla ....

 
..... and there was something special about to happen this particular lunchtime ...

 
Someone (actually some TWO) were about to celebrate birthdays .... Reg was very nearly three score years and ten ..

 
While young Tracy tells us she is 21 ..... again!!

 
Joy provided the scrumdiddlyumptious cake ..... with a mixed berry and cream filling ...

 
And proving that sometimes 'two heads ARE better than one' .... they BOTH blew out the candles before the Fire Brigade got wind of the special occasion!!

And that just about concludes this months update .... our next gathering will be on Saturday April 9th at our Workbarn. Lunch 'theme' will be seafood and salad and we look forward to another day of stitching and convivial company. We are ALWAYS happy to receive donations of fabric, threads or offers to stitch for us. We also offer for sale, as part of our fundraising  ...(which is so necessary in order to generate funds to obtain batting for the 'innards' of our quilts) .... wedding/debutante dresses, furnishing fabric at almost give away prices .... and a selection of quilts specially made for sale by us. 

 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 ...

Blessings till next Blog ....

 

Susan

Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay .... we all moved in today!!!!

Yes Folks... that's right. Today was the day that the Quilters for Orphans upped sticks and carried/hauled/dragged all the stitchin' stash stuff from Gaynors house to just a few short metres across the yard to our  .... (insert drum roll *here*) .....dedicated QFO Workbarn.

We welcomed Joy, Rachel and Charlotte, Pauline and Chris, newcomers Julie and Ian Robinson, Sandi, Isobel,Yvonne and Don, Tracy,Janagi,Noelle (and Jenna her trainee Guide Dog), Gail, Win, Annette and Alice who all put their shoulders to the wheel and helped us move.

 
Couldn't resist taking a snap of Jenna ... and she was SO well behaved during all the tumultuous unpacking and stashing of all our fabric. I guess we may well see more of her during her 12 month training period with Noelle .... she certainly blended in well :)

I busied myself recording the unpacking for posterity and this Blog ... and I think you'll agree that the wait was well worth it. We have been through much trauma and stress leading up to this moment, which has been in the pipeline since 2009 ... but today we finally got to see all our fabric cosily settled into the shelving in our dedicated QFO 'home' and the workspace is just AWESOME!!

 
Here it all is ... ready to be transported from Gaynors home ...

 
 
Looks a little different when all the 'stash' has been cleared eh?

 
Eventually this little sofa set will take up residence in our workbarn too ... so that we can still handstitch our bindings and pockets in comfort ...

 
Our version of the 'red carpet' leading up to the entrance to our workbarn ....

 
Pauline, Yvonne, Sandi and Tracy admire our 'beeyoutiful' barn ... it truly is stunning!!

 
So much space, so light and airy ... this will indeed be a delightful place in which to create our fabric 'hugs' for the children in India and China ....

 
Storage for 'quilts in progress' ... these are awaiting bindings and pockets before despatch...

 
Shelving for all our cotton fabrics and fat 'quarters' and bindings. And of course the all important tea table front and centre (we all know stitching is hungry and thirsty work!!) ...

 
A cuppa before we all set to work unpacking and storing all our fabrics and bits'n'bobs .. here we have Rachel, Pauline, Joy, Yvonne, Alice and Tracy ...

 
.... and Isobel, Janagi, Gaynor, Annette, Rachel and Win ....
 
.. a group shot before we all set to work unpacking and storing away ... Reg didn't have a skirt, so Pauline kindly shared a corner of hers so he wouldn't feel left out :)

 
Yvonne and Joy help put away the bolts of fabric that Win is carrying ... wait till you see it  finished!

 
Tracy stacking bolts on our brilliant cutting table ...this sturdy table was specially made for us and will be an absolute 'plus' when it comes to cutting without backstrain. We will be getting three matching (but lower) tables for sitting and sewing using with our machines ...

 
Bags full of fabric ready for sorting and storing .... what a job!!!

 
We even enlisted the help of Paulines husband Chris who was willing to stay and help sort fabric .. 
Men at work ....... Yvonnes husband Don and Reg .... supervising ....

 
Rachel and Joy ... hard at work sorting fat quarters and smaller lots of fabric into boxes ..

 
... a break for lunch ..... we had all worked up quite an appetite and it was .. (as usual) .... delicious!

 
 
 
Each of the windows in our workbarn frames a pretty piece of the outdoors ... and the fabric in these curtains show it to advantage ... the roses are from Gaynors garden, aren't they beautiful too?

 
... a mother and daughter moment. Rachel travelled all the way from her new home to spend the day with us ...

 
... while Julie Robinson ...(from Prayers and Squares) joined us with her husband Ian.

 
Julie said she actually enjoyed ironing ... so we let her get some creases out of fabric to be stored ...

 
Doesn't this look wonderful .... and the light in this room will make it so much easier to match shadings when selecting fabric for our quilts.

 
These machines have been donated for our use .... and some for despatch to India ...
Hardly looks like we have made a dint in it ... makes me wonder how Gaynor found room to move in her home with all this fabric taking over :) But we will soon see this put to rights!!

 
But see how beautiful it looks when it is  on the shelf ... what a delight to the eye!!

 
We even have storage for fleecy fabric ....

 
... and stretchy fabric ...... or was it the other way around?  My head was spinning with fabric overload by the days end!! These fabrics will be used for the 'Hugs' we make for Chinakidz and also the New Hope Foundation in China.

 
All the little touches that go toward making our workbarn a 'home away from home' ... this hanger was a barnwarming gift from our off-site quilter Maxine.

 
Mustn't forget our Mezzanine floor ... the wedding dresses now have a new storage place ... we will also be storing our completed quilts for India and our fundraising saleable quilts up here. Money generated from the sale of these items goes toward purchasing the batting needed for the centre layer of our quilts, as well as other supplies needed for completion of our fabric 'hugs'.

 
Janagi, Sandi and Win ... looking over the mezzanine area ... deceptively roomy ...

 
I thought this was an abstract artwork ... but closer examination proved otherwise ...

 
... Gaynors handiwork ... isn't it beautiful? And the fabric board it is pinned to will be handy for laying out our quiltblocks before final stitching. Just what is needed when unsure of 'patch placement' ... :)

 
Soon we were all feeling a little jetlagged ... and it was time to depart ... but we had made a pretty good start to setting up our dedicated QFO workbarn. And I can assure you it will be looking even better by our next working bee.

Now I MUST NOT FORGET ... that prior to moving from Gaynors to our new 'home' today, and since our last working bee in 2010, we had received some more quilt donations and fabric ...

 
 
... so I must thank the following generous souls who felt moved to send us their gifts from the heart for our project. Libby from Kains Flat in New South Wales sent sets of three matching quilts for China ...

 
We also received donations from Marleen Russell in O'Halloran Hill, South Australia and Silvie Bevan in Mornington Victoria ... seems that word of our project stretches far and wide ....

Pat Taylor from lakes Entrance sent us a quilt top.... pictured below ....

 
Vivienne Bahr from Huntfield Heights in South Australia sent us a huge bag of fabric ..

 

And Julia Ozolins from yarragon sent us two lovely quilts ... pictured below ... thank you So very much. How wonderfully kind of these ladies ... and how much we appreciate their generosity :)
 

 

So all in all it was a pretty wonderful day today ... and I look forward to sharing more pictures with you after our NEXT Working Bee which will be on ... March 12th ... lunch theme will be Quiche and Salad. The day will begin at 9.30am and continue till around 3.30. There is no compulsion to stay the entire day, but we usually have SO much to chat about whilst stitching that very few leave early :)

I will now put this Blog to bed, so to speak, and look forward to sharing again with you soon. I have another story up my sleeve concerning Chinakidz and a very special little girl ... but will put that tale together probably tomorrow. Always leave the audience wanting more is my motto :)

Blessings till next Blog .... and a HUGE thank you on behalf of Gaynor and Reg to all who helped us move in today ... and all who support us in so many ways along our project to provide a fabric hug for each child in each COM Childrens Home in India, as well as the children in the Butterfly Hospice in China and the New Hope Foundation (also in China) and the FreeToBeKids Foundation in India.

Blessings,

Susan

You can contact us for further details on QFO by calling Gaynor on 9756 7950

or email myself on

shamilton@aanet.com.au

or Rachel at

rachelbreukel@bigpond.com

 

 

 

 

A very Happy New Year to you all ..... as well as a belated Christmas update

Yes I know ... I've been a tad preoccupied and not Blogging as I should have in recent weeks. Would a promise to take my stitching and sit on the naughty step get me back into your good graces I wonder?

Have good excuse ... Father Christmas brought me a brand spanking new hip ... and suggested that a spell away from sitting down at the computer was the 'payoff' ... that's my excuse and I'm going to get as much mileage out of it as I can ... OK? But now down to business ... and Blogging.

Firstly an update, complete with pictures, of our Christmas get-together at the Chapel Restaurant in December. Thirty people attended the Christmas breakup lunch on December 11th ... and the photographs here were taken courtesy of Pauline, who did a magnificent job in my absence. Hospital food and company had nothing on the good time that appears to have been enjoyed by our little group ... I'll certainly not miss NEXT years!!!

 
Here we have the founders of Christian Outreach Ministry, Keith and Helen Greenwood ... with Reg Peterson (honorary QFO member) and his grandchildren Tom and Charlotte.

 
Joy and Charlotte .... doesn't the meal look scrumptious? The Chapel restaurant did us proud!!

 
Yvonne and Amber ..... almost didn't recognise either, without a needle or sewing machine in sight!

 
Rachel .... one of the QFO founders ...... with Yvonnes husband Don.

 
One of our admirable Builders ..... without this wonderful man and his brother, our workbarn would still be in pieces on the ground .... they have worked like Trojans for us.

 
Margaret and husband David....

 
Lois and her husband ....

 
Christine and Emily ....

 
Our builder, David Higgins ... with his son. This is one wonderful and selfless man ... who has had quite a year whilst involved with our project, but has still managed to not lose his enthusiasm for what we are achieving for the children in India .... !!!

 
Helen, Gaynor and David with his lad ... the Chapel restaurant is just delightful ....

 
Noelle, Alice and Annette enjoying their Christmas repast ....

 
Our photographer ... Pauline :)

 
Kay and husband Bob ....

 
Dessert option 1 ...... mouthwateringly delicious .....

 
Option 2 didn't look too shabby either .....

 
Gaynor taking centre stage ... with an update on what we have achieved this year .... 

 
... and Helen Greenwood speaking on behalf of the Christian Outreach Ministry... which she co-founded.

And that just about takes care of the pictorial part of this Blog, am sure you'll agree that a wonderful time was had by all our hardworking stitchers ... and  full marks to the staff at the Chapel restaurant for the wonderful meal they served on the day.

Now, an update on what we have been able to do in the time we have been stitching for the children in India and China ....Gaynor tells me that we have so far created and despatched 812 quilts, with a further 75 due to go to India very soon. What an amazing number of fabric hugs to have come out of our little group ... as well as from the number of wonderful stitchers that we have 'offsite', who create for us despite being distance challenged and not often to join us at Monbulk at our monthly Working bees. Thanks particularly to Lyn and Maxine who use their wonderful quilting machines to custom quilt for us, as well as making quilts with their own fabric for us ... how awesome are these ladies!! Thanks also to the 'Three Friends' who have stitched an abundance of quilt 'tops' for us ... and many others who have (often anonymously) despatched parcels of 'tops' or completed quilts to us ... you know who you are, and we thank you for your generosity!!

The number of quilts so far produced takes us almost to the halfway mark of what we initially set out to achieve ... which was 2000 quilts. Watch this space Folks ... with our new workspace almost completed, there will be NO stopping us in the months  ahead!!

I must thank also Fiona  ....who Pauline tells me has forwarded (via her friend Judith from a Chat and Craft group in Mount Waverley), an amount of fabric triangles and backing fabric with which we will be able to produce some lovely quilts. Many thanks ladies!!

Now our Workbarn is almost at completion, so our next Working Bee will actually NOT be a stitchfest as usual ... but a 'MOVING IN DAY'. Yes, you heard correctly ... on Saturday February 12th from 9.30 onward we will officially take up residence and be putting all hands to the pump, so to speak, and be moving into our Barn. This will be an amazing moment .... we have had a long, and at times heartbreaking 'journey' to get this far. But it has been done ... so we invite all our quilters to come that day .... leave your sewing machines behind ... and help us 'set up house'. Lunch that day will be a BYO cold meat and salad affair. So bring a plate and willing hands ... I will update the full years dates (and the all-important lunch 'themes') for our Working Bees as soon as I have them to hand.

In the meantime I look forward to catching up with our stitchers on February 12th ... cannot wait to be able to report back here with pictures of our BIG DAY!!

Now don't forget what we are all doing this for, I probably do not need to remind you, but am sure there will be new readers out there who may be wondering what we are all about. We are a group of stitchers who create quilts (aka fabric 'hugs') for the children in the COM Homes in India, also the rescued children in the Freetobekids Homes in Kolkatta, the children in the Chinakidz 'Butterfly House' palliative care Hospice in China and finally the New Hope Foundation, also in China.

 
This is pretty much how we started off ...

 
 My how we've grown.....!!!!

 

The children in India with our quilts ....

 

Compare this to how children in our lucky country live .... time to count your blessings Folks....

 
This is why we are doing what we do ... children in India with our fabric hugs ....

 We've been doing this for the last 3 or so years, and are totally reliant on donations of fabric/thread and time to achieve our aim of a quilt for each child in need. These children have so little, and we are so blessed by comparison ... it is an absolute privilege to be involved with this project and I cannot speak highly enough of the ladies who have done so much for us since we started. So read through the Blog updates on this site, spread the word ... offer to help, if you feel so inclined. Always room for another pair of willing hands ... and I will provide the Links below that show who we are doing all of this for ... as well as contact phone numbers should you wish to get involved with QFO :)

 

Blessings to all till next Blog entry,

 

Susan

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 ...

 

 

 

 

 

November ... and where has the year gone??

Goodness gracious me ... we are very nearly at the end of our Quilting year ... and hasn't it flown? A year of highs and lows ... mostly highs thank goodness ... and I am pleased to report that our workbarn is so very close to completion ... we should be 'in residence', so to speak, by Christmas!! Just imagine how much more we will be able to achieve for the children in India and China when we are operating out of a dedicated workspace!!!

See the pictures below which show how much has happened since my last Blog entry ...

 
We can now access the loft from the verandah ... and what awesome workmanship we have here!!

 
Here we have Gaynor surveying our new storage area ...

 
Looking toward the front ... I think we all want to set up our sewing machines by this window!!

 
This is the view from the window ... lovely, isn't it?

 
Gaynor, Christine and Lois ... checking out the ground floor ... which now has doors ...

 
.... and will soon have wallpaper and workbenches  and be filled with happy quilters .... :)

 
.... like Jan ... who has been VERY busy since our last get-together ...

 
Isn't this colourful ... and made completely from fabric 'scraps' .... how effective!!

 
Yvonne has also been busy ... quilting for us on her new machine ... check out not only the front...

 
... but also the reverse of this quilt ... isn't the custom quilting stunning?

 
Another beautiful quilt .... we have some extremely talented stitchers helping us, don't we?

 
.... and another lovely piece of 'piecing' .....

 
.... and the reverse ... every bit as nice as the front I think you'll agree ...

 
 
... another lovely 'pairing' of quilt top and custom quilting to finish it off ....

 
 
... and a close up ..... many hours of work have gone into this 'finishing off'  ...

 
This originally came to us as a number of 'blocks' with houses pieced on them. Kay then assembled them together to create this lovely quilt ... and most beautifully too ... now quilted, it only needs binding :)

 
This beauty is almost Queen size ... an absolute stunner ... with much work put into the 'piecing' ..

 
Soon we were all hard at work ..getting into our regular routine. Here we have Joy, Isobel and Emily ...

 
.... Amber, Yvonne and Robyn ...

 
.... and Lois ... all happily attaching bindings to the many quilts yet to be completed ...

 
While Win measured and cut fabric, Joy handstitched bindings and Margaret kept busy in the corner...  
.... Gaynor made busy in the kitchen .... lunch today was a Barbeque ... but we had to 'earn' it first :)

 
Alice and Annette did their bit outside ... though it was a 'tad' chilly they tell us ...

 
... it still didn't stop them from producing these pieces ...

 
Soon we all felt we had worked hard enough to warrant a 'refuelling', and with Reg manning the Barbeque we soon took time out for lunch ...

 
 
... and delicious it was too!!

Speaking of meals ... we now making arrangements for our final Quilters 'meet up' for the year ... which will not be a Working Bee ... rather, it will be a Christmas luncheon at Careforces very own 'Chapel restaurant' in Lilydale.

Situated at 42-44 Castella Street Lilydale .. we have made a booking for noon on December 11th. The Chapel will be providing us with a choice of two main courses, two desserts, fruit juice .. and tea/coffee for $23 per head. Please let Gaynor know by November 30th if you will be attending, so that numbers can be finalised ... her phone number is 9756 7950.

And that almost winds up the penultimate Blog entry for 2010 .. very little remains for me to add, other than to thank each and every person involved with our project. From those who stitch 'off-site' for us, those who go through their 'stash' and donate fabric, those who support our fundraising throughout the year. Without your kindness and generosity we would not have achieved as much as we have been able to for the children in need of our fabric 'hugs' on the other side of the globe.

Of course we give a HUGE Thank You to our awesome builders who have donated time, effort and energy into raising our Workbarn ... despite setbacks along the way, you were always willing to do your very best for us ... warmest thanks and blessings to you.  You are truly wonderful people indeed!

Now ... I will 'create' a cover page for this Blog ... which will explain what we are doing, why we are doing it .. and how YOU can help us ... this cover page will remain at the front of the Blog from now on .. so simply access my updates by clicking on the appropriate months archive 'tabs' on the top right hand side of the page.

Till next time ... blessings to all ...

 Susan

 Please don't forget that we still have many items still available for sale as part of our fundraising. All money generated is ploughed straight back into creating quilts for the children and into finishing off our dedicated workspace for this project. We still have many beautiful wedding/debutante dresses for sale. All brand new ... each one absolutely stunning. We also have tote bags, many, many rolls of mock suede furnishing fabric in an array of colours, dog coats in sizes x-small (9" measured from collar to base of tail ... suit chihuahua) small (13") Medium (14 and 1/2") and large (20 and 1/2"). We have dog cushions in Warwick fabric, small bags that would delight a little girl for Christmas ... and these items are able to be viewed by contacting Gaynor.

You can also gladden the heart of a child in India by contacting Jill Malcolm at Christian Outreach Ministry on (03)9760 8040 to organise either child sponsorship or the purchase of an item which will make a childs life that much more blessed. You can purchase a mattress for as little as $10... school satchels and supplies, chickens to enable a family to escape the cycle of poverty by generating an income through the sale of eggs. You could buy a goat ... there are as many items that can make such an immeasurable difference to a life on the other side of the world ... why not call Jill at COM now!!!

Christmas is just around the corner ... and it's not to late to give a gift that will REALLY make a difference.