Hello again Folks .... tis I ... with all the news that is fit to print from our Saturday August 2016 get together at the Barn.
We met up on August 13th and were soon very busy ... handstitching quilt bindings and making tote bags. Present 'and accounted for' were Isobel, Val, Pauline, Yvonne, Alison, Alice, Christine, Gaynor, Emily and yours truly .... the Blogger. A smaller than usual group, but plenty enough to achieve wonderful things by the days end. We have been busily making tote bags for Tannar Island near Vanuatu ... hit by Cyclone Pam back in 2015. We were asked if we could provide 200 bags for use by the schoolchildren to carry their school supplies and so far our 'tally' by the time we left the Barn on Saturday afternoon was ... wait for it ... 180 lined bags with exterior pockets!!! Pretty good indeed, and helped of course by some of our off-site stitchers who are such an invaluable assistance to us, bless them.
Meanwhile ... in the Post since we last gathered ... we were also blessed with an abundance of quilt tops from the Coonooer Quilters who had been INCREDIBLY busy. Two large bags absolutely filled to capacity with an eye-popping amount of tops. Thank you so very much folks :)
Rolls and rolls of quilt tops, all with the size noted on attached labels. Incredibly thoughtful touch.
And a close up of the great applique work ...
We were also gifted the proverbial 'Three bags full' of masses of fabric from local lady Chelsea Aldridge .. aka 'Chelsea Onesock' . maker of individual items for toddlers. Many thanks Chelsea .. your fabric donation will be put to incredibly good use, and we particularly appreciated the larger pieces .... which will be awesome for quilt backings.
Sylvia and Edith .. our regular contributors ... gifted us another of their incredible completed quilts ... these two are absolute dynamos.
Another stunning quilt top arrived by mail from Cobram .. but with no identifying name attached. Many thanks to our anonymous stitcher .. your quilt top gift was amaaaazing!!!
And ... not quilts .. but destined for the babies in China ... courtesy of Judith Kirkby from the Montrose Church of Christ .. 10 little beautifully knitted baby jackets. Just gorgeous Judith and thank you so very much.
Now I didn't get to take a photo (remiss of me) but I have been reminded that big thanks also must go to Maureen and her mother for the 50+ rolls of curtain fabric which they kindly donated to us after retiring from their professional curtain making business. Much appreciated and definitely will be put to extremely good use in one of our many projects. I shall try to remember to grab a snapshot soon ... Oooooh .... just realised ... its in the background of the photo I took of Gaynor :)
Lunch this Saturday was Chinese 'themed' ... but before we stopped to eat I snapped our happy stitchers hard at work .. for posterity .. and to fill the Blog :)
Alison, Christine and Yvonne ....
... and Alison 'solo' and sans glasses :)
Alice ... in the sunniest corner of the Barn ....
Gaynor ... our illustrious leader ....
Emily .......
Val .......
'Moi' ..... the Blogger ....
Lunch ..... extremely tasty Chinese themed 'comestibles' .. and very yummy it was too!! Followed by the now obligatory Cream Apple Slice.
Following lunch Gaynor updated us on what projects we will be participating in as the year progresses. October will see us again hosting the students and accompanying teachers from Billanook College. A group of senior students each year participate in the 'Round Square' program ... which sees them doing awesome community work on the Thai Burma border. They take some of our quilts with them to distribute to the local community project that they will be involved with. Extremely worthwhile .. and always a pleasure to be able to 'partner' with them in their good works.
We will also be involved with a new (for us) initiative that sees new and useful goods being sent to Romania. Twice a year a 40' container, filled to capacity and welded shut for security reasons ... travels to Romania with an accompanying overseer to make sure it gets to its eventual destination intact. We will be providing some quilts for this project, extremely useful as winter approaches and it is bitterly cold over there. I will look forward to updating you with news of our quilts arrival. How exciting to be involved in this :) So far we have already sent 41 quilts ... with a further 160 due to be sent in September.
I will be chatting locally to a craft group this coming week ... telling them all about QFO ... wish me luck and no laryngitis if you can ;) Gaynor has 'prepped' me with all the info needed and I will actually use a part of her input to remind you of the many and varied places that we have provided with quilts since we started this amazing ministry back around 2007. Its pretty awesome I can tell you ... and an absolute privilege to be allowed to contribute my little bit to QFO. To be allowed to 'play' with proper stitchers ... whilst barely being able to thread my machine at the beginning of my involvement ... has been a source of immense joy to me and I thank Gaynor and all the QFO ladies for their patience and readiness to help me along the way. Now onto the list of quilt recipients we have been gifting our fabric 'hugs' with over the years ... and I'm glad I had the foresight to hit the 'save' button on the Blog just now ... as our cat just walked across the keyboard as I was getting Gaynors notes ;) Eeeeeek!!!
OK .... since 2007 we have sent quilts (and other items) to:
India .... 27 childrens Homes/orphanages administered by COM with 50 children per home
FreeToBeKids in Calcutta ... quilts for children rescued from slavery.
Africa ... Ethiopia, Uganda, Lesotho ..... Jewels of Hope Ministry.
Capetown .. the Fikelala AIDS Project
The Zoe Hope Project ... which ministers to young rape victims and their babies.
China ... Butterfly Homes .. a pallliative care Hospice
ChinaKidz
International China Concern ... handicapped childrens Home
New Hope Foundation ... a foster Home
Shining Star Orphanage for vision impaired children
North Thailand ... the Round Square project worked on with the students from Billanook College
Indonesia .... Quilts, tablecloths and serviettes for the COM Ministry there.
Russia and Ukraine ... sent with Roedie and Jeanette Rap .. Quilts, beanies and scarves
Israel ... quilts for Holocaust survivors.
New Guinea .... 15 sewing kits ... to enable and empower local communities to achieve self sufficiency thru sewing
Tannar Island Vanuatu .... bags for kindergartens
Melbournes western suburbs .... 60 quilts and 12 knitted blankets
Prison Ministries Melbourne ... Fabric for craft
Kids in Cars ... Quilts for children and families presently homeless
Elisha Care Melbourne ... Quilts.
The Babes Project ... Quilts for young Mums and their babies.
And how incredibly heartwarming it is to be involved in this ... and naturally a huge thankyou goes out to our off-site stitchers, who participate equally in all that we do. You all make our job so very much easier with your donations of quilt tops, fabrics, thread and encouragement.
And that just about wraps up the August Blogpost folks. We meet up again in September .... the 10th to be precise. Lunch 'Theme' will be 'International' .. so that should be an interesting meal :) I look forward to filling you in once more on all that has been achieved. And also take this opportunity to remind you that we are now going to start counting down to our November Quilt Fair and fundraising weekend. If you haven't already done so, ink it into your calendars. Second weekend in November ... be there or be square as the saying goes. At the Barn of course. In the interim and until next Blog ... blessings to all,
Susan
Gaynor Peterson ...phone (03)9756 7950
email: [email protected]
Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825
email: [email protected]
Our postal address (for donations) is P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793
Check out the following Links:
http://www.facebook.com/Chelseaonesock .... for delightful retro fabric childrens clothing
http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit
http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children
http://mrsmartinsquiltshop.typepad.com/ ...whose customer blessed us with awesome fabric
We also stitch for the following Childrens Homes ....
http://www.butterflych.org/.... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China
And their very own Blog ... which is beautifully written and contains inspirational stories on the children in their care. See the Link below:
http://butterflyhospice.blogspot.com.au/
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1
www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation
www.hopefosterhome.com ... the babies we are creating crib quilts for in China ...
www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com .... giving hope to children in Zambia.
http://english.chinaconcern.org/ ... more children in China that we have stitched for ...
http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/ .... in Ethiopia
http://www.fikelela.org.za/orphan.asp .... the Fikelala AIDS Project in Capetown
http://mifanmama.com/Shining_Star_2.html the Home for vision impaired children in Shanghai
http://www.austchamshanghai.com/about-us/csr/mifan-mama.aspx
http://www.thebabesproject.com.au/
http://elishacare.blogspot.com.au/
http://rangescc.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/elisha-care/
https://jewelsofhope.wordpress.com/partners/
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