Quilts For Orphans

Our July get together at the Hall .... and we had an unexpected visitor ..... ;)

Just popping this image here which should resonate with the ladies who joined us in the Hall on Saturday :)

But firstly I'll do the 'Roll Call' of those who came by to sew with us and enjoy the friendship and good company that was to be found on the day in Hoddles Creek.

We welcomed Annette, Pauline, Christine, Yvonne, Carmen, Kathy, Jennifer, and not one ... but two ... Margarets'.plus yours truly. A small but industrious team who soon set to work putting the finishing touches on the 'Pink variation' of the QAYG quilt that was started by our Tuesday stitchers. And for those interested in the Blue one that was put together LAST month by our Saturday stitchers ... here it is ... to to 'set the scene' as it were. Just needed the binding attached and it's done and dusted.

And the pink blocks ....

.... are coming together like THIS  .... exact 'placement' still in the works.

 

The finished quilt effect will be a different look to the Blue version ... variety being the spice of life as they say.

Margaret busy with precut joining strips for the pink blocks ... and the BIGGEST coffee cup to help keep her fuelled ;)

Meanwhile Yvonne was showing Carmen more of the 'ropes' involved with keeping the Gammill humming along nicely.

A short break for a morning cuppa ... and it looks like our blue QAYG has actually been finished ... doesn't it look good?

Meanwhile ... as she was searching for a specific piece of fabric ... Carmen discovered a 'visitor' who hadn't exactly signed in to join us on the day. Hence the opening picture at the top of this Blog. A little microbat had found its way in and Annette was soon able to return it outdoors. The jury was 'out' as to whether it was like the Monty Python parrot and merely 'pining for the fjords' or had 'ceased to be'. I prefer to think of it as just napping ;)

Later on the day a companion bat made its way inside and flew about for a bit ... fortunately well above head height and was eventually ushered out. Oh the joys of being out in the countryside eh?

Kathy, in the interim, was having a heart to heart with a slightly recalcitrant machine that was giving no joy. Fortunately we do have spare machines .. and so this one will be booked in for a looksee before returning to duty.

And here we have Margaret #2 busy at work ... with a smile as always.

An overview of our little hive (or as it seemed for a while .. a 'batcave' of activity) on Saturday ;)

I think I tried to catch Bat #2 in action ... but gosh he/she moved quickly. Perhaps its the wee black dot silhouetted against the wall near the right overhead light?

And just to keep us busy toward the end of the day ... this is what happens when a tub of fabric strips gets knocked over :)

And that pretty much winds up this short but sweet Blogpost. Libby has created a Newsletter which I think should be available to read on our Website detailing our quilt 'giftings' as well as news of our upcoming AGM in September and our Event at Mont De Lancey in November. 

Now to get back down to my sewing room to start creating some bits 'n' bobs for November.

Till next Blog .. many blessings and may your bobbins always be full and your needles sharp ... and your scissors ONLY ever used for fabric ;)

Susan

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

And .... in the blink of an eye ... it was ... June :) and a 'marathon' effort at the Hall. Plus ... a new way to fundraise for QFO.

No sooner had I despatched our May Blog into cyberspace ... than it was time to buckle down and choof the June Blog into production. Time flies when the weather outside is inclement and going for a walk is off the agenda. So here I am again ... with more 'content' .... enjoy. 

Our June Gathering Day at the Hoddles Creek hall got off to a good start. Present and correct on Saturday the 8th were: Annette, Libby, Christine, Yvonne, Pauline, Margaret (times 2) Lauretta, Elaine and yours truly ...

We were entrusted with the 'Challenge' of creating a QAYG quilt as a mini Makers Marathon team effort. And soon the machines were humming .... after Libby had given us a quick run-down on the process.

Libby had 'prepped' a swag of squares with wadding affixed to the back ... and it was going to be our job to cover the batting 'front' with striped pieces of various widths (to keep it interesting) on the other side. And at the end of the day ... join these quilted b locks together to make a whole quilt.

We also had a special 'gizmo thingummy' with which to create border 'joiny' strips to finish it all off. Don't you love how I manage to segue into tech talk like the quilting whizz that I am? No? Well it gets better ... just you wait and see ;)

And ... it's Australian Made ... what's not to love about that eh?

And awaaaay we go ..... with the 'phantom hand' selecting strips in the chosen yellow/blue colourway of the planned project.

A perfect use for all those smaller pieces of fabric and looks SO effective when all put together. Waste not want not :)

Annette ironing the 'joiny' bits ....

Lauretta and Christine trimming blocks ...

And Libby doing likewise ...

Margaret doing some slicing and dicing ...

Pauline ... busy as can be ...

Aaaand .... another Margaret ... am I confusing anyone yet?

Ta-daaaah Pauline ...

Yvonne meanwhile ... slaving over a hot Gammill ...

Lauretta ... grabbing more supplies ....

A break for some tasty comestibles .... aka lunch and snacky bits.

Elaine dropped in to collect some more fabric .... 

Libby snatched the camera whilst I was distracted ... probably unpicking <lol>

All coming together very nicely ...

 And then all of a sudden the umpire called 'stumps' or the QFO equivalent and it was time to down tools and poodle off home. All in all a day well spent, with laughter and a lot achieved. I believe the word on the streets was that the Tuesday ladies were going to be doing a QAYG in shades of pink ... I look forward to seeing how it turns out. 

And that Folks ... is a wrap .... except for one more thing (if I can transfer it from email to Blog) a new fundraising initiative that you can all participate in for minimum effort ... 

                                                  Container Deposit Scheme 

Quilts for Orphans is now registered to receive donations through the Container Deposit Scheme!
CDS Vic provides a 10-cent refund for every eligible drink container returned at refund points across Victoria. We are registered in the East Victoria Zone at Return IT refund collections and in the North Victoria Zone at Visy refund collections.

Every bottle, can and carton you return, you can choose to donate to Quilts for Orphans.
Keep the lids on and don’t crush the containers!
Click here to find a location near you to drop off: https://cdsvic.org.au/locations
Our QFO Zone ID Barcode is

You can save the image of the barcode to your phone and then at the donation point, you scan the barcode. Quilts for Orphans will come up on the screen, then you just add the bottles and cans in one by one and the donation will go direct to us!

And that dear Reader .. is a wrap for the Blog in this edition ... I look forward to sharing with you again after our July get together .. and I'm sure that there will be lots to show you. Till then...

Many blessings,

Susan.

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

And a warm QFO welcome to 2024 .... as we look forward to another wonderful year of stitching and gifting.

Well here we are again ... a fresh year unfolding before us and a myriad of opportunities to stitch and bless others under the 'banner' of our QFO Mission Statement .. wrapping those in need of a hug in one of our 'handmade with love' quilts.

A quick 'review' of the pre festive season 'activity' undertaken by QFO happened in mid-November .. details and Link below for your listening enjoyment.

On November 15, Deb and Libby were interviewed about Quilts for Orphans by Alan Collier on the Community Connections program at Yarra Valley FM Community Radio. Here’s a link to the podcast - https://podcasts.yarravalleyfm.org.au/ep/693

And Libby will be back at Yarra Valley FM for a Choice Tunes interview on Wednesday February 14 from 2 – 3pm. Please do tune in :)

.And ..  before I go further I am happy to share with you a little of what our busy, busy, busy Libby has had under her needle over the holiday break. She has certainly been more than a little well occupied on the quilting machine as you can see. Well done Libby ... big round of applause.

I'm in receipt of our latest QFO Newsletter and I'll do a 'cheeky' cut and paste of a little of where some of our quilts have gone recently ... with a Link to the wonderful organisation we were able to bless with our handiwork. Fresh Blog content will hit cyberspace after our February Gathering Day.

24 cot quilts were delivered to Beijing in January – they are now on their way to Maria’s Big House of Hope in Henan province, a paediatric palliative care facility providing love and medical care for orphans with special needs.

Maria’s Big House of Hope was named in honour of Maria Sue, the youngest daughter of Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman who passed away in a tragic accident in 2008. Steven is a singer and songwriter and Mary Beth is a speaker and author. Here are some links to find out more about the Chapmans and Maria’s Big House of Hope.

 https://newhope.foundation/our-work/luoyang/
https://story.showhope.org/marias-big-house-of-hope
https://stevencurtischapman.com/about/
https://www.marybethchapman.com/

                                      ......... Our next Fundraising Event ..... 

Saturday 24^th Sunday 25^th February, we will be at the Draught Horse and Yesteryear Festival at Mont De Lancey Wellington Road Wandin North. Quilts and crafts for sale and volunteers are needed for manning the stall. Deb will be looking for your support so sign up for the roster soon. If you are available, please let Libby know at [email protected]

We look forward to restocking the almost empty shelves and craft items to stock the stall will also be welcome.  And in order to do that, of course we need to provide you with the dates of our Tuesday Work Set Up and Saturday Gathering Days ... and details .. so here 'tis.

As February is here we will first spring into action at the hall next Tuesday, (the 6^th) to ready stations for the Gathering Day which follows on Saturday 10^th Feb 9.30-3.00. A gold coin donation, BYO lunch, a smile and willing hands, to work with the team stitching, cutting, sewing. You’re invited to bring a plate to share for morning tea to celebrate the launching of a New Year.

Looking forward to a wonderful day of stitching and camaraderie and a catch up of what we've all been up to since we last Gathered in November. See you then,

Blessings

Susan

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

Get your Christmas shopping 'retail therapy' here ...... our upcoming Fundraiser at Mont De Lancey.

In order to continue funding our quilt gifting Ministry QFO holds several fundraising Events each year. And the following is our biggest ... it enables us to purchase batting/backing fabrics/threads and everything else necessary for the continued operation of QFO.

So please raid the pocket money and pop along to Wandin to see all that we have on offer for your Christmas gifting this year. Something for everyone with our handcrafted goodies on sale.

 

Rocking into October as we gather at the Hall for a day of QFO stitching and friendship.

We gathered at the Hall on Saturday October 14th .. a very small group ... comprising of our Vice President and Secretary Libby, Christine, Sheryl, Margaret and yours truly. We shared some of the items that will be available at our next fundraising Event ... at Mont De Lancey in November as well as stitching up a small storm of quilt bindings and other bits'n'bobs.

Kicking off this Blogpost with a personal 'diversification' into palm size hand painted 'quilted' rocks I had created and intend as a novelty offering on our next QFO fundraiser. Took all my concentration to 'stay inside the lines' I'd drawn ... but I managed it ;)And then, striking whilst the iron was hot .... I moved onto microwave bowl cosies and teabag wallets. Cannot believe I owned up to knowing how to use an iron :))) Shhhh ... don't tell anyone.

Later on in the day we enjoyed a wonderful array of 'Show and Tell' as we looked over the pieced and quilted fabric 'blessings' that had arrived at the Hall since our last get-together. 

Moving right along .... these table runners in festive themed fabric will also be available at our upcoming Event at Mont De Lancey.

The table runners above and the coasters below were created by Gayle Cunningham our Qld offsite stitcher. Beautiful.

And here's the poster with details of the November dates and days at Mont De Lancey.

And now for 'Show and Tell' ....... grab a cuppa ... we've lots to share with you.

Donated blocks beautifully put together by Sheryl above ..... and below ...  just the start of a magnificent number of quilt tops from long time supporter Gayle Cunningham in Queensland. Gayle has been incredibly busy indeed.

So very striking .. love the combination of red, black and white. And the lovely floral piece on the table behind is also Gayles handiwork. Doesn't the black sashing make the blocks 'pop'?

Gayle has been incredibly busy ...

Love the butterfly fabric in these two ..... above and below.

No details on the creative hands that gifted us the following two tops ... but please know that your handiwork is very much appreciated .. and thank you so very much.

This glorious fully completed quilt below... again no details on the donor but bless your creative and generous heart.

And more anonymous giftings .... so many kind and talented folk out there, beavering away on our behalf. Sew blessed.

This 'quarter log cabin' piecing above is very effective don't you think?

Love the 'honeyed' tonings in this top ....

And this nicely completed Tulip table centrepiece.

Intricate 'cubes' so very well done ... and the triangles below are stunning.

The next ones came with a name .... QFO member Elaine ... first some race cars she pieced from donated blocks.

Then some sleepy teddies ... just right for a childs bed.

... and then onto dinosaur themed fabric ... thank you Elaine.

From Lauretta ... we have this lovely top below...in floral pink shades teamed with green.

The next offerings are from the CWA at Wandin Yallock ... delightful and thank you ladies.

Brilliant mix of monochrome fabrics in the top above ... 

A lovely array of floral fabrics ...

Light and dark shades of green put together most effectively.

And ditto with the purples and mauves ... gorgeous.

Jelly roll stripes coming together nicely ...

More pretty florals ... with blues interspersed.

Beautifully put together small squares in a vast array of colours and prints.

And again with different coloured border. Thank you to each and every pair of willing (and talented) hands that have blessed us with all these wonderful tops and quilts. We truly appreciate all that you do to keep our fabric 'hugs' ministry thriving and continuing to wrap all who need it with love. Bless you all.

And now a few snaps showing an overview of our little team who gathered on Saturday ...

 

Sheryl ... caught unawares ... sorry Ma-am ... I'll do better next time ;)

Sheryls reciprocating photo skills were far better when the 'boot was on the other foot' so to speak. Thank you :)

Libby and Margaret 'footling with fabric'.

Christine ... always smiling ... and one of QFOs longest serving stitchers.

And that pretty much wraps up the second Saturday in October. A small but most effective day spent together at the Hall and we look forward now to November, We meet again on the second Saturday in November at the Hall in Hoddles Creek and I’ll be sharing another Blogpost after that. Till then,

Many blessings, 

Susan. 

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

 

And ... without further ado .... we 'spring' into Spring again. And a bevy of quilt pics to share.

Received a day or so ago a veritable avalanche of quilt pictures to share with you ... taken at the Hall in Hoddles Creek at the most recent QFO 'Gathering Day' on September 9th.

Please enjoy. No details on the actual stitchers of each quilt (I was AWOL on the day) ... but I'm advised that the talented contributors to this feast of piecings were:

Judith Howard

Sandra Brazier

Nola Matthews

Margret Garlick

Joy Black 

Christine Sellar.

Well done ladies and thank you so very much for your efforts for Quilts for Orphans.

All the cats .... on chairs and mats ... this will delight a child I'm sure.

Tried to 'flip' this image but technology wouldn't allow so you'll just have to tilt to see the '100' on this special quilt.

All the bubbles here ... and how cheerful they all look.

Something for the dog lover ... these cute pooches pieced into a doggy themed quilt.

A pair of moody abstract themed tops ... 

Multiple bunny rabbits as well as 'lions and tigers and bears' ... and a fox or two for good measure.

Hearts and flowers beautifully appliqued on this top ..

And a myriad of 'heffalumps' in every colour of the rainbow.

Feeling 'sheepish'? well here's a lovely selection of themed fabric artfully appliqued and pieced.

Stunning flamingo panel ...

More adorable moggies ... what's not to love about this sweet top eh?

And we see that 'lions and tigers and rabbits' fabric reappear ... in this cheerful top,

Pretty in blush pink ... something sweet for a little girl perhaps?

Another nice pairing of complementary colours ....

A slightly nautical offering with what appear to be pirate ships ...

And SO much to see in this quilt top ... dinosaurs, dogs, trains, milk and cookies ... finding something for all tastes.

Gorgeous piecing here in this striking top ....

Another 'eye spy' of dinosaurs and multi themed fabrics ... so colourful.

And this one adds donuts and watermelon to the mix ... lovely.

I think I saw a few Aussie delicacies in the form of the iconic chocolate crackles in this top. Is it tea time yet?

Aren't these tops just scrumptious? And so much to see ....

A breathtaking beautifully finished piece .... stunning fabric and such gorgeous quilting.

Looks to be several tops in this pic ... all stunning ....

Another '100 day' cot quilt for a special babe. so beautiful.

And the penultimate pic ... this gorgeous offering being held up by one of our lovely quilters . ... gorgeous.

And for those with a sweet tooth ... this array of panels pieced together to tempt ... isn't it delightful?

And that wraps up this post folks ... as well as showcasing the wonderful efforts of those who stitch so willingly and from the heart for us. We truly appreciate your support and giftings.

Till next blogpost

Many blessings,

Susan

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

Our August 2023 get-together and we honour a very special member of our QFO family.

 

Well folks ... another Gathering Day has 'been and went' and here I am to fill you in on our doings on August 12th as we came together at Hoddles Creek for a day of stitching and fellowship with our QFO crafters. Plenty of activity as we set to work slicing and dicing fabric, trimming quilts and admiring some of the giftings that have come our way since we gathered last in June.

Present on Saturday we had Pauline, Christine, Win, Cheryl, Libby, Sheryl, Jennifer, Annette, Kathy, Sandi, Deborah, Carmen, Joy, Elaine, Yvonne (and her family) .. and yours truly.

Further down in the Blog ... just after lunch actually .. we had a time for a special honouring of a long time member. So grab a coffee and settle in for this months read. 

First stitching 'cab off the rank' so to speak was this delightful array of crafting and fabric gifted to us for our fundraising and quilting by Jackie from Somerville.

Firstly some delightful rabbits ... followed by an array of sweet birds, both made and also some pre-cut ready to go.

And a more than generous amount of fabric as she de-stashed for us. Many many thanks Jackie ... your kindness is much appreciated and will be indeed put to good use in our quilting projects.

From Chris Burns ... a delightful 'family' of wise owls ... how cute are these little fellows? Many thanks Chris, so sweet.

And from our Sandi, some Christmas stars & some beautifully pieced table runners. Her'fabric matching' skills are 10/10

And here we have Cheryl hard at work on her magnificent quilting machine. she spends countless hours at home quilting our cot quilts on this machine and her freehand work is just superb.

Below is a batch of 27 cot quilts destined for our outreach to small babes both in the hospital system at Monash and thru Lifes Little Treasures. Cheryl has quilted these at home and returned them to the Hall last week for bindings before despatch. Legend!!

And below ... we have the lovely 'finishing off' of a set of what we call 'orphan blocks' ... gifted to us from the talented and generous Jennifer Knol. Our resident member Sheryl gathered these pieces together and created a table topper. Excellent collaboration methinks.

Here we have our Libby ... performing a bit of maintenance on our Gammill machine ...

Sandi and Carmen choosing fabrics from our wall 'stash' to add to their projects.

The ever smiling Christine working on what look to be bindings for cot quilts. 

Sheryl, Annette and Deborah working out the 'why and wherefore' of a gifted mystery piece for our fundraising ..not quite sure what the answer turned out to be ... but it kept them busy with the figuring out.

Our hand sewing 'corner' with Kathy and Jennifer finishing off some bindings. And our Pauline popping past ... to iron?

 We are blessed with some wonderful fabrics and this particular cot quilt is an example. Beautifully 'retro' and gorgeous.

Joy busily trimming quilts for us at the cutting table.

Long time QFO member Win, hard at work at our stitching 'corral', otherwise known as the area with our donated Horn cabinets all set up.

Sheryl discovered a 'wannabe' colour coordinating flutterby outside the Hall .. how pretty. It was a tad windy but he held onto that leaf with grim determination. 

 

And the colourful bunting was probably what attracted him to our little hillside spot.

An overview of our very busy space on Saturday. 

And ... all of a sudden it was time for lunch. And this month was a return, if you like, to the pre pandemic QFO days of old. With shared food once again on the menu ... woohoo!! We had soups, savoury slices, home baked bread and muffins. As well as 'dessert' for those who finished their first course (and ate their crusts)

A nice gathering around the lunch table for our stitchers ...

Dessert :)

And now to the part where we pay tribute to one of our founding members ... our very own Yvonne. Seen here with daughter Clare and grand daughter Amber.  Some of our long time members might recall Amber stitched for us waaay back in the early pre-Barn days .. when we all gathered in Gaynors lounge room to sew our fabric hugs.

 I'll now add Gaynor and Rachels tribute to Yvonnes magnificent contribution to QFO as related to us by Libby ... and fear not, we are not losing Yvonne and her talents.  Word has it that she's just downsized her amazingly big quilting machine ... and after a short period of thinking ... has bought a smaller 'domestic' machine with which to keep busy. Proof that you absolutely cannot keep a quilter idle for very long at all.

I'll now transcribe Libbys talk for the benefit of our readers. And pop in a few images of the slideshow that was set up to honour Yvonne.

Words passed on to Libby by Gaynor, our Founder, together with her daughter Rachel.

'Through a connection with Rachel (who modelled wedding dresses), Yvonnes involvement with QFO began around 14 years ago. Yvonne had been the owner/manager of Tatters Wedding store in Monbulk for many years. When she finished up her business and 'retired' Rachel recalls meeting Yvonne emerging from the Bendigo Bank and after a conversation about QFO ,,, Yvonne was 'in' as the saying goes. This was around 2008/2009. At this time young Amber, Yvonnes grand daughter became involved too. Gaynor relates that Yvonne would willingly raise her hand for any project to be undertaken by QFO and she was (and still is) an absolute blessing. Rachel remembers Yvonnes wicked sense of humour and that no matter the task set before them .. Yvonne had a way of getting it done. Yvonne surprised us all when she purchased a magnificent Gammill and it didn't take very long at all before she was producing the most amazing quilting on our creations ... taking them to a whole new level. I think we've all seen how she 'matched' the computerised quilt pattern to the individual fabrics in the quilt.

(I'll leap in here and make mention of an example .. cowboy fabric being matched with a quilting pattern of boots, stetsons and lassoos. Beyond amazing!) 

Back to Gaynor and Rachel ...'Special orders like the aprons we made for the Prison Network Ministry, or a project for Chinakids or Hohidiai ..like bean bags and others  .. all accomplished with Yvonnes expertise. In 2020 Yvonne kindly lent her expertise to teaching others how to 'drive' our own hand guided Gammill quilting machine in the Hall. Passing on her own skills and passion and now ... at the same time ... tackling and learning the new skill of free motion quilting on her new domestic machine at her home.

Since 2008 QFO has created around 5000 quilts (our fabric 'hugs') and such a goodly portion of these have been personally quilted by Yvonne ... what a magnificent achievement and a true blessing to our little Ministry.

Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts Yvonne. 

How it all started for QFO ... Quilts for the children in the COM Homes in India.

Yvonne and grand daughter Amber .... stitching in Gaynors home in Macclesfield ... pre Barn days.

So. Many. Quilts ... all destined to wrap the recipient in love. And many quilted by Yvonne. 

Gaynor, Rachel, Yvonne and Amber in our former home 'The Barn' in Macclesfield.

A swag of quilts gifted to Billanook students for carrying to their Thai/Burma outreach collaboration.

In our new home at the Hall in Hoddles Creek.

And Yvonne happily 'driving' the Gammill for us in the Hall. What a treasure she continues to be.

It's an absolute blessing to have you as part of QFO Yvonne and I think I speak for us all when I say we appreciate each and every thing that you have contributed to our little Ministry from the very first day that you joined us. Bless your heart.

And I think that just about winds up this Blog ... I'll choof off and find the Links to some of our latest partnerings for your perusal ... and I'll add them below. 

Heavenly Trimmings ... http://heavenlytrimmings.com We have been asked to create Blessing Bags which are stitched pillowcases in which to package parcels for Courageous Kids battling chronic and life threatening illnesses.

Also Change the One http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

And that's pretty much a wrap folks ... I'll footle off now and stretch my shoulders in preparation for a session of bowl cosy stitching for our next fundraising effort. Watch our website for news of upcoming Events and follow our Facebook Page also. 

Till next time,

Blessings,

Susan

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

http://www.changetheone.org which provides ongoing relief, care and assistance to people and communities in remote areas of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

And here we are .. in July 2023 ... with some quilt gifting updates to warm your heart.

Starting off this Blogpost with a message that I received on our QFO Facebook page from a nurse at Monash who gives the 'backstory' to what follows ... I'll add the rest of Jaquis message at the end of this update.

 

Hi there , my name is Jaqui Frigo , the nurse from Monash Children’s Hospital NICU . Deb and Annette helped me with an amazing donation of 50 of your beautifully crafted quilts for our Nursery. We will use these quilts to cover the isolettes for our premature babies for extra protection to keep the warmth in and help reduce noise and light. We can have up to 64 babies at a time in our Nursery.
I asked an embroidery company to label the quilts with the nursery’s name so we wouldn’t lose them through the hospital laundry service.
I wanted to forward the post I put in my work group chat and some pictures to you. I’ll send to Deb as well.
We cannot Thank you all enough for these beautiful quilts, they are amazing and my work colleagues love them also.
With warm regards
Jaqui Frigo

 

Jaqui also added ..and this will be noted by our excellent quilt 'finishers' who take pains to match the quilting pattern to the fabric used whenever possible. Our Yvonne is renowned for the little touches like this that she blesses her work with and its wonderful that these added extras didn't go unnoticed..

"They are amazing, the nurses were marvelling at the intricacies. The cat print with the cat stitching even. The detail is not lost on me or the others."

And so without further ado .... here I am with the rest of the post.

Back in April of this year you can see that we were asked to select some very special quilts to be gifted to the 'Sunbird Nest' at Monash Childrens Hospital.

A task that was an absolute privilege to undertake. And here we have QFO members Joy, Ida, Irene and Pam with the selection of quilts that would soon be covering the smallest of our recipients in a gifted fabric 'hug'.

I have just received pictures of the quilts in their new 'home' .. together with an appreciative message from Jaqui at MCH who initiated the request for our fabric 'hugs'. So very heartwarming to know that the handiwork of our stitchers will be bringing much comfort to the very smallest of our 'giftees'.

 

I'm guessing that the small images are a phone photo default and if I try to enlarge it will alter the clarity of the image ... believe me, I have tried.  So bear with me. I'd rather not tamper with technology at present ;) Onward and upward as the saying goes ...

  

And here we have the Isolettes ... complete with our gifted quilts ... which I think you'll agree add a touch of colour as well as extra warm and a degree of protection from noise and light. 

 

 

And below is the message that Jaqui shared with her fellow nursing staff ... thank you so much Jaqui for allowing us to share your words ... truly appreciated.

"Hi all, I brought in a donation of 50 absolutely beautiful cot cover quilts the other night in case anyone didn't know they were available for use now . In cupboards /Shelves both sides. (We were down to using towels and sheets to cover our little ones lsolettes lately.)

Their origin involves two donations with a bit of networking. They are so beautifully crafted and lovingly donated by the wonderful members who are the  'Stitchers' from the Quilts for Orphans organisation. All volunteers who craft both at home and also at times get together in their hall at Hoddles Creek. They craft from some donated fabrics  and some they self purchase with private money and by selling some quilts at markets to raise funds for more yarns and fabrics and raise awareness. I met Deb while volunteering myself at a market for something else. Deb volunteers for QFO to promote their work and their cause .Their quilts go overseas and to many places here also, like  '100 Day Quilts' for places too. She was certain she could help us and spoke to the QFO coordinator Annette and they asked if 50 would be ok. Fantastic was my reply.

Now considering much of our linen was  lost during laundering especially during more difficult covid times with staffing I 
approached some embroidery places and Arun, Director of Fully Promoted Mt Waverley Embroidery in Glen  Waverley was so very kind to donate all the embroidery work from his company.

Also kindly agreeing when asked if possible to make a special embroidery for a quilt gift for Baby 'Jatin' who is now in Forrest Ward. Aruns team Paul, Ash and Rukshan were so helpful to plan and complete this for us.

It is a bigger coordination than often realised.

So here they are  with the help of two groups of very kind people. Lucy in our office helped me and together we made certificates of appreciation for them and Letter emails of thanks which Alice kindly signed on behalf of The Nest.

Team work and I am so very grateful to all of them."

 

And ... as mentioned by Jaqui that we at QFO also gift quilts to other precious small folk ... this below from our Christine who delivered quilts on our behalf to 'Lifes Little Treasures''. Another organisation that covers our smallest precious babes in a fabric hug.

Hello ladies,
I have given six more quilts to LLT, picture attached.
Christine

And that, dear reader, wraps up this Blogpost. I look forward to sharing more as and when I get updates on our gifting of quilts and other QFO news. Please check our website at https://quiltsfororphans.org for updates on our Gathering Days and fundraising activities. And follow us on social media via our Facebook page and Instagram.

Till next blog,

Blessings

Susan

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

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

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

And here we are .. first Gathering Day for 2023 ... February 11th. And what a turnout!!

And a lovely welcome at our front door in Hoddles Creek as we rolled up for the start of another year of creating our fabric 'hugs'. The weather was rather warm, but that didn't deter us .. and during the course of the morning a large (mega large actually) fan on a stand materialised and soon sent a refreshing breeze thru the workspace for our comfort. Think we have Jim to thank for that ... so thanks ever so muchly. And here he is .. in front of his biggest fan ;)

Present on the day we welcomed some familiar faces as well as some new folk ... we had Annette, Cheryl, Yvonne, Deborah, Pauline, Win, Isobel (and Gemma) Joan, Christine, Jennifer, Sandi, Kathy, Janet, Sheryl, Joy, Impi and Naomi (who kindly popped in with a donation of quilt tops).

I confess to missing the taking of Show and Tell donations .. I was busy stitching and kind of got 'lost' in the moment. I have however taken a selection of random snaps of the day though and promise (cross my heart) to do better next month.

First random snap is of a rather spectacular appliqued quilt which Cheryl brought along to show us. It's her personal piece (sorry for anyone hoping to see it on our fundraising table) but an inspirational work to showcase what can be created with fabric of many sizes and patterns. It's for going travelling in her caravan .. and I think it's just a leetle bit incredible :)

Now I've been told by Annette that from destashing donations we have been able to enlist a few offsite folk with a creative 'bent' who have stitched for us a variety of rather wonderful items indeed. From the Lorne quilters ... who worked on a very large donation from a lady (Shirley) whose family blessed us with the contents of her sewing room. The Lorne quilters have created for us these beautiful tote bags, which will be available I believe at our upcoming fundraising stalls (details of which may be found on our website under 'Upcoming Events')

Other items have also been created and regifted back to us upon completion and we are so very appreciative .. :)

And wait .... there's more ..... not quite sure I caught the creator of these. Intense concentration was not my forte on the day I'm afraid .. so bear with me. I promise I'll have my act well and truly together in March ;)

Funds generated from the sale of these skillfully created pieces will of course be funnelled back into the purchase of batting used in the creation of our 'gifting' quilts. Which I have taken a random snap of our shelves to show just how very busy we have been. Behind our Sheryl are our already completed fabric 'hugs'.

And below ... we have tubs of quilts heading toward completion and just in need of our finishing touches.

Of course without the willing hands of our hand stitchers ... those tubs would be even fuller. And needless to say we had been busy during our break .. so those tubs will most definitely be fuller by next time I whip my camera out.

Our intrepid hand stitchers hard at work.

Annette and Pauline catching up ... 

A combination of quilting methods .. Yvonne who runs and teaches on the Gammill at the Hall ... and Cheryl who was busy on her domestic quilting machine. Great to have 'options' with which to finish off our fabric 'hugs'.

Fascinating to watch the smaller quilting machine at work ... 

A well earned break for lunch whilst Annette filled us in on what's been happening since we last met ...

We learnt that donated items that are not able to be utilised in the creating of our quilts are in turn re-gifted to other charity organisations for their fundraising purposes. These charities include Samaritans Purse, the Benwewrren Opshop and the Leprosy Mission among others. So nothing is wasted after we have taken the fabrics and threads etc suitable for making our quilts. Of course we must thank Deborah and Annette for facilitating the 'regifting' and collection/delivery of these destashings. Should any of our volunteers be available to help in these tasks .. please let Annette and Deborah know ... many hands make the collecting and sorting easier needless to say.

A few 'post lunch' shots of our suitably refreshed stitchers ... refuelled and ready to resume. Here we have Sandi and Sheryl.

And proving that it is indeed possible to almost be in two places at once .. the multi-talented Sandi wields a mean iron whilst Cheryl trims fabric in the background.

Our 'newbie' Janet soon came to grips with learning the Gammill under Yvonnes tutelage.

And lest folk decide that lugging their machine from home is a wearisome option ... we have a selection of freshly serviced machines here ... including the whizzbang workhorse 'Husqvarna' which was gifted to us a few years ago and apparently runs like the proverbial dream. So folks ... we are never short of options ;)

And leaving on a happy note from our Sheryl ... I will now wind this up and bid you farewell until next Blog entry. I look forward to sharing with you news of quilt giftings and plans for more activities. I believe Annette will be co-ordinating a 'Makers Marathon' up at the Hall in the not too distant future. So prime yourselves for a day of stitching camaraderie and creating.

Till next blog,

Blessings and thanks to all our supporters

Susan

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

I’m baaaaaack via iPad this time. It’s been ‘one of those times’ 🤦🏻‍♀️ for technology. Glomm.