Quilts For Orphans

Our Calendar for 2009 ..... got your Diaries out??

 

Hello again .... hope that you have a 2009 Appointment Diary handy, as Rachel has just given me the list of dates for our 2009 get-togethers .... sharpen those pencils Folks :)

These are all Saturday Working Bees, held at Gaynors, located at 'Briar Rose', Macclesfield Road Monbulk, just past the Mountain District Christian School. Melways reference is 123 J8.The 'Bees' will run between 9.30a.m  and 4.30 p.m. It has been decided to hold full day working sessions every month now, in order to achieve more in the time given. Of course, once we realise our dream of a workshed, you will be able to drop by and sew in between these dates ... fingers crossed that 2009 will see our dream come true!

A HUGE thank you to all who have participated in this project over the last 12 months ... you have all been simply wonderful. And even as the year draws to a close we are still receiving offers of assistance ... only last night Rachel emailed me that she has had help offered from a lady living in the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' ..... New Zealand. How incredible is THAT?? Seems our little Blog is spreading the news all over ... fantastic!!

Also a big 'Thank You' to Kayleen West, the Newsletter Editor from Mount Evelyn Christian School, who has been spreading the word for me both through the school community and via her own Weblog ... cheers Kayleen!! After this publicity I have been contacted by Melly from 'Melly and Me' who is keen to help a much as she can ... she is a brilliant fabric and quilt designer ... as well as busy Mum, so her assistance will be much valued ... many thanks Melly!! Also had fabric donated this week from Lesley Moore from a local Mount Evelyn gym group ... thanks Lesley!! I am simply blown away by the enthusiasm I am encountering from people all over ... you are all just incredible and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts ... may you all be richly blessed in the year ahead!

Now to those dates ... and we hope that you can join us in as many as you can ... they will be days that are full of the pleasure of creating for others ... we are sure you will enjoy. All you need bring is a sewing machine, willing hands and hearts and an appetite for the tasty lunches that always make for a splendid midday break :) Oooops ... forgot to mention that whenever possible we ask that you bring a small plate to share  at these lunches .... they will be 'themed' so that you have an idea of what to bring. Nothing too elaborate ... we appreciate whatever you are willing and able to provide.

QUILTING FOR ORPHANS WORKING BEE DATES 2009

                                                               

February 7th                                                Cold meat and Salad

March 7th                                                    Sandwiches and Cake

April 4th                                                      Quiche and Salad

May 2nd                                                       'Take Out' ... bring $5

June 4th                                                       Sandwiches and Soup (soup providers notified)

August 1st                                                    Casserole and Cake

September 5th                                              'Take Out' ... bring $5

October 3rd                                                   Bakers Choice ... bring what you like :)

November 7th                                                BBQ and Salad ... BYO meat

December 6th                                                Christmas Breakup 6 p.m. Details TBA.

Contact details for our group are as follow .. and I am adding my email and phone too so that I may also be contacted should you not be able to get thru to Rachel or Gaynor. Remember that we are more than happy to receive offers of help, be it by fabric donations from overflowing 'stashes', threads, sewing help ... or cash/cheque donations which will enable us to purchase more supplies and batting in the year ahead. No offer of help rejected .... everything appreciated more than mere words can say!

Rachel Breukel 0430203485  P.O Box 170 Monbulk 3793 or [email protected]

Gaynor Peterson 97567950

Susan Hamilton 9737 1825 or [email protected]

Don't forget to keep an eye out for the two magazines which will be featuring stories on our project. Both 'Patchwork and Stitching' with their follow-up article to the story which gave us our initial wonderful publicity earlier this year, and 'Australian Patchwork and Quilting', which will be running a story on us as well ..... the queue for Rachel and Gaynors autographs may form to my left please (just kidding!!) These magazines are due out from December so my 'spies' tell me ... can't wait !!

So, until I do my final update for 2008 ... just after our Christmas break-up on December 13th at Rose Cottage restaurant in Monbulk, where I hope to add to our picture gallery of cheerful quilters (but MINUS the tape measures and sewing machines this time) ... keep well folks.... and may the lead up to the Christmas and the end of the year be both productive and blessed for you all.

Susan

Chuffed, Chuffed, Chuffed!!!

Well Folks ... just a small add-on to my last Post ... which demonstrates how loving hearts and willing hands can help our project. Today I got an email from Sandy Reddan who teaches at Yea High School. She tells me that the Year 7 girls she teaches in Textiles have begun a quilt for us ... how wonderful is that? I hope to soon have photographs to post on this Blog of their progress ... in the meantime a rousing cheer for them ... and for Sandy, who hopes to be able to enlist more schools with Textile teachers willing to oversee a quilt making project on our behalf.

Apparently the boys were a little less receptive to our project .... something linked with the recent India/Australia  cricket results I believe ... but we live in hope that they will change their minds :)

Cheers and blessings all ... and a BIG thank you to Yea High School!! Now have just scanned and cropped the pics from Sandy ... so here's to Yea High School and the wonderful kids from Year 7 .... you are AWESOME!!

The first quilt 'block' takes shape.

.... and gets added to .... the colours go together nicely, don't they?

Another variation ... and beautiful stitching ... well done Year 7!!

Another block in the making :)

Pressing the blocks so that they are easier to piece together ....

Beautiful work kids ... can see you are all going to make great quilters ... and the children in India will love these !! I look forward to seeing the progress of this quilt ... you should all be very proud of your efforts!

Cheers and blessings,

 

Susan

Our November 2008 'Show and Tell' afternoon

Well "Hello again"....'tis I, filling you in on yet another wonderful get-together at Gaynors on the afternoon of November 8th. As well as Jenni, Tracy, Inge, Lesley, Alice and Robyn.... Rachel and Gaynor  welcomed a couple of new faces to our group .... Janagi who came as a result of hearing about our project at the Sew Blessed Quilt fair last month, as well as Willie and Margaret who are both keen to get involved. We had another nearly full house as we showed the quilts and quilt tops that we had been putting together since our last working bee .....

  

Here is Robyn, displaying some of her handiwork .... she has been more than a little busy stitching for the orphans! And here below (pardon the blurriness ... she was a little too quick for the camera!) she is showing her excitement about it all .... way to go Robyn ... a Mexican/Indian wave!!!

 

Some more of Robyns handiwork .... where does she find the time to do all this??  What a woman!!

  

Alice has also completed some terrific quilts ... and believe it or not, these colourful creations were done with fabric that had the centre pictures already printed onto the fabric and sashing and borders were created to make the finished quilt ... simple and extremely effective, the children will LOVE these Alice!! Her eye for colour is brilliant and she never fails to impress us with her quilts.

  

And here is Jenni with another of her beautiful offerings ... some little girl on the other side of the world will surely treasure this one Jenni :) She is also extremely generous with sharing her knowledge and expertise with 'newbies' such as myself ... thank you Jenni, I wouldn't have attempted my quilt with the triangle corners without your tips :)

As I mentioned just a moment ago, I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried something with triangular bits ... a first for a 'Newbie' who only started this 'quiltythingummy' stuff late last year ... and am not afraid to confess to now being hooked on the whole idea!! It truly is addictive ... and our group is incredibly supportive and encouraging ... how could I not get lovingly prodded to go outside my perceived zone of ability? Even my husband, who normally reserves his comments to a '"That's nice dear" (as men will say when asked about girly craft things) was moved to compliment me on this one, so that's a first for yours truly!! Woohoo to encouraging other halves!!

 

  

After a break for the customary delicious afternoon tea that we always enjoy at our get togethers ...

 

 

 .... we got back to the business in hand ... gathering more supplies and ideas for the quilts that we will be creating over the Christmas break ....

 

We still found time though, to get a little handfinishing done .... always some of THAT to keep us out of mischief!! Here is Lesley busily stitching some binding, whilst Willie and Margaret search thru a 'stash' tub and Gaynor does some cutting for Janagi in the background ... it was go, go, go the whole time!!

 

Now some further exciting news about our project and some of the publicity that will be happening for us in the very near future .. I have just sent off a stack of pictures to 'Australian Patchwork and Quilting' magazine which will be doing an article on us in an edition scheduled for early in the new year ... how incredilble will that be eh? And ... (yes there's more!!) ... 'Patchwork and Stitching' magazine which ran the first article on us in their February 2008 Yearbook (Volume 8 Number 3) will be running a follow-up article in the December 2008 issue which will hit the stands in a few short weeks ... make sure you get your copy!! This is the very same magazine which resulted in us getting our splendiferous donation of 'Big Beastie' .. the quilting machine from Sue in Lang Lang. How amazing was that .. we still cannot believe the incredible generosity that one article prompted ... it kickstarted our mission and generated offers of help from all over the country .. .we were truly blessed!

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Who knows ... perhaps these upcoming articles may prompt another benefactor to donate that spare shed that we are sure they have just laying around somewhere looking for a new home ... the need is becoming critical as Gaynors home is almost bursting at the seams with quilters, quilting supplies and almost finished quilts ... she will need very little insulation this coming winter .. there is barely a wall that doesn't have a stack of quilts leaning against it!! So we have all our fingers (those that don't have a needle and thread attached almost permanently) and some of our toes, crossed in the fervent hope that a phone call with a shed at the other end will happen REAL soon and then we will have a proper workshop in which to create our quilts for India.. and Gaynor and Reg will have their house back at long last ... here's hoping .... and do look out for those magazines at a newsagent near you in the very near future! I know I can't wait to get my copy!!

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And finally ... I was approached last week by a Mum at my schools working bee who happens to be a teacher at a school just out of the area. She is hopeful of encouraging her Year 9 class to create a quilt for us as part of their textile studies ... how wonderful is that?? I can hardly wait to see what they create and will look forward to featuring it in this Blogsite ... and I will be approaching my own childs school in the hope that they will be stirred to do a similar project. What a magnificent way to share from one child to another ... cannot believe how much our project brings out the very best in all who hear about it. Have had a fabric donation from a lady who noted my Blog signature on a Website that I visit from time to time .. a brilliant box of gorgeous fabric pieces ... thank you Jan!! Kristeen from Yellingbo found time in her incredibly busy schedule to very kindly quilt two of our quilts. And others often approach me when they hear of what we do and ask "would you like some material, I have some just sitting around at home ... or have a friend who is downsizing?" ... it truly is heartwarming to have the kindness and generosity just shower down upon us ... thank you, thank you, thank you everyone ... each and every donation of fabric, time and positive encouragement just makes us want to do more and more for the children in India. Bless you all!!

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We will have our final gathering for 2008 on December 13th. However this time you will not have to bring your quilting gear, as we will be having a non-sewing pre-Christmas Dinner at Rose Cottage restaurant, 251 Olinda-Monbulk Road in Monbulk. This will take place at 6pm, cost $28 per head for a delicious 3 course meal of Hot bread, Main Meal and Dessert, flat coffee and tea, iced water and all the pleasant company you can handle with your fellow stitchers. Please let Rachel know by the end of this week if you will be coming. Her number is 0430203485 or you can email her on:

[email protected]

I will hopefully be able to give you the meeting dates for 2009 in my next Blog update. In the meantime, if you have anything to offer us in the way of donations .... fabric, cash (yes, we will accept that too!!), threads or willing hands and hearts, just give Rachel a call or alternatively Gaynor who can be contacted on 9756 7950.

Blessings till next update ... and again many thanks to all who support us .. we appreciate you so much!

Susan