Well ... here I am again .. midway through self isolating and with pictures to share with you of quilt tops gifted to us during our QFO hibernation period. Many thanks to Deborah for getting the pictures to me and I will now attempt to integrate them into this Blogpost and hopefully accurately transfer the relevant details as emailed to me by Jenny. So without further ado ... here goes :)
Before I start I will copy the report (below) from Deborah who kindly filled in as reporter at our Gathering Day last Saturday as well as a few photos taken at the Hall ... and has also included an update of the safety requirements for those wishing to attend our sewing sessions at the Hall 'going forward'.
Gathering Day Report 13/6/20
Attendance: Annette, Deb, Isobel, Christine, Pauline, Jenny, Yvonne, Win, Sandi, Cheryl, Nina and Lynne.
The day was a little cloudy but were happy to be together again after the COVID-19 restrictions forced us to close 30/3/20. We managed to squeezed in one last day 28/3/20, which some members took the opportunity to collect fabrics etc to keep themselves busy during the ISO period. I took home what remained in the bins for binding and hand sewing. That lot certainly kept me busy each evening and I was delighted to return 20 finished quilts ready to stack in inventory. My little effort was nothing compared with the squillion quilt tops that turned up in the post or on the previous 2 Tuesdays. As you can see from the photos many of the regulars have put their ISO time to excellent use. Well done everyone.
In the meantime, Jenny, Christine Yvonne and Cheryl have been busily training on the Gammill and will soon be veritable experts ready to share their new skill with the rest of us. To that end, commencing 24/6/20, the Hall will be open every Wednesday from 9.30am to 3.00pm. You can either call in to drop off or collect work or stay for the day, train on the Gammill or assist in quilt production tasks.
Remember, until restrictions are eased do not come to the Hall if you are unwell and you must abide by the 1.5m social distancing and handwashing requirements. The Hall is large enough for all of us to feel comfortable and safe. There are hand sanitiser and cleaning sprays strategically placed around the Hall. Please bring your own food. We will also record your name and phone number for contact tracing
The 4th Monday Work Days are also back! Next one is 22/6/20 9.30am to 3.00pm. Everyone is welcome to come along and assist with quilt production tasks.
If you can’t get to the Hall midweek don’t worry because there is always the next Gathering Day held the second Saturday of every month! See you next time, 11th July, to enjoy a day of sewing and friendship.
Deb Woodward
QFO Vice President
And now without further ado ..the photos to share ... firstly we have Dawn from Jewels of Hope in Lesotho with the girls wrapped in our quilts. You may recall that Dawn visited us in the Hall earlier in the year and collected a swag of quilts from us. Thankfully she just managed to get to Lesotho and then back to Australia before the borders were closed.
Next we have Chaplain Matt and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator Janine with two quilts we have gifted to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Aged Care in Kilsyth. We are also planning to give Kirkbrae some lap quilts.
When Jenny was chatting with Janine she was asked if it would be possible to also give them a quilt to provide dignity when their residents pass away. When a resident dies, there is a ‘guard of honour’, of staff and residents, to celebrate their life, as the person is removed from the home. The quilt will be used as a covering for the gurney as it transports the deceased from the facility. We decided that the pink and purple butterfly quilt, which had just been completed by Jenny, was a perfect fit, with butterflies a Christian symbol of new life. We also gave them a brightly coloured quilt which would be a better option for male residents. Matt and Janine were delighted with the gift, and we look forward to meeting some of the residents soon and giving them lap quilts.
From Julie Cooper we received a large red quilt top and a swathe of extra fabric. Thank you so very much Julie for your generosity.
And from J Howard nine quilt tops ... how wonderful and thank you for thinking of us.
Next .... created by our Jenny from fabric left over from a quilt she made for her grand daughter ... this pretty quilt which those with keen eyes will recognise as one of the quilts gifted to Kirkbrae .
Next ... from Nellie and her group in Endeavour Hills (long time supporters of QFO, bless them) a total of 47 quilts and quilt tops including 20 made by two new members Sandra and Janice who made 20 between them!! What an amazing effort :)
Apparently a 'rogue' quilt ... the orange and black one .. was actually made by our Yvonne and somehow got included in the photo above ;) But the rest are from Nellies group ... :)
We also received 6 cot quilts from Jennie Pickering and these were featured on our Facebook page in the section where we showcased what you had been stitching during lockdown, so thank you very much Jennie for your wonderful work :)
Joy Harvey and Julianne McPherson also visited the Hall on June 9th to deliver quilt tops they had made and to return quilts they had taken home to bind. Below are Juliannes two single quilt tops beautifully pieced..
And Joys strip squares on point with a blue border ... very effective indeed. Love it.
Isobel had not been idle during our hiatus .. creating six single bed and four cot size quilt tops ... and here they are. Well done!!
Cheryl Wilson had also kept out of mischief during lockdown ... whipping up 8 single quilt tops for us ... woohoo!!
I’m sure there will be many more over the next couple of months as everyone returns to ‘normal’. Thank you to everyone who has made quilts and quilt tops. We will be very busy getting all the backs organised and Yvonne will continue to be busy quilting them all!
And ... further from Jenny ... this update on a project we will be getting into now that we are slowly getting back up to speed.
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation is a support network for premature babies and their families in Australia, based in Melbourne. See more at https://
When a baby reaches 100 days after birth, they are given a special package, including a quilt that has ‘100’ appliqued (or embroidered) on it.
The quilts are 32 inches by 48 inches.
This is a little different to our regular cot quilt size… so I’ve designed several quilts that measure 32 inches by 48 inches.
Before the Hall was closed, I took home some lovely pastel fabrics from the bolts of fabric donated to us by Lilian, and I’ve been cutting fabric and making up kits.
We plan to have a SEWING DAY to make up quilts for Life’s Little Treasures now that we can return to the Hall.
In the meantime, we have TWO PATTERNS for you to use…
The centres of the quilts are 24 inches by 40 inches – with the blocks being 4 inches and 8 inches square. You could use the same patterns and put whatever you would like in the blocks!
Then there are two borders to complete the quilt (1 inch and 3 inches).
The patterns are now on our QFO website -
QFO LLT Half-square triangles Diamond quilt.
QFO LLT Squares and Frames quilt.
Check them out on our website at https://www.
There will be some more patterns up soon.
Please note due to Covid-19 restrictions you will need to bring your own snacks, as well as your lunch-as we are unable to share food when we gather at the Hall.
If you can't make it or would like a kit for a Life's Little Treasures quilt, please let me know!
Happy sewing!
Jenny Stokes
Any queries about these LLT quilts, please contact me by email on secretary@quiltsfororphans.
Contact us via our Website : www.quiltsfororphans.org
Blogger: Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825
email: [email protected]
Our postal address (for donations) is P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793
And .... we are www.quiltsfororphans.org
On 'social media' aka Facebook find us at https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsForOrphans/
Check out the following Links:
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 have also stitched 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
www.jewelsofhope.org ... the project we stitch for in Lesotho Southern Africa
http://www.thebabesproject.com.au/
http://elishacare.blogspot.com.au/
http://rangescc.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/elisha-care/
The Matombo Village Project vimeo.com/217129149
www.ujamaachildren.com
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