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 ... [email protected]
Susan Hamilton .... 9737 1825 ... [email protected]
.... 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