Quilts For Orphans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/

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

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

Emily .....

Christine.....

Gaynor ......

Amber .... (and friend)

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

Full of beans ... and energy:)

 Carol and Maxine ....

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

Our wedding dresses ....

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

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

Cushions .... $25 each ...

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

 Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... [email protected]

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email: [email protected]

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

www.chinakidz.org .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/ .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

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

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

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

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

http://english.chinaconcern.org/

... and our newest recipients of quilts .... in Ethiopia

http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/

And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed.

http://opshop.org/review/810

Till my next Blogpost ... happy stitching

Blessings...

 

Susan

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This was the letter we received from Karen Thompson :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

While Yvonne and Amber collaborated over a quilt ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Our contact details are as follow:

Gaynor Peterson ... phone (03)9756 7950

And Gaynor NOW also has email ... [email protected]

Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

or email:  [email protected]

Our postal address (for donations) is now P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

 And don't forget to support the Blogs and organisations that we both support and publicize for their connection to us ... 

www.chinakidz.org  .... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.com.org.au/   .... our very own Christian Outreach Ministry in Mount Evelyn

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

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

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

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

 and of course ... our latest project

   http://english.chinaconcern.org/

 And finally .......

Our Link to Treasure Corner Opshop in Wray Crescent Mount Evelyn .... the brainchild of Helen Greenwood so many years ago, the start of the support for COM Homes in India is listed below. Well worth a visit for the many bargains available, proceeds from the sales go toward the Childrens Homes in India ... 26 so far have been built through funds raised by this shop, an amazing achievement indeed. 

 http://opshop.org/review/810

 

Till next Blog ... blessings to all,

 

Susan