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:
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
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