Quilts For Orphans

Mayday Mayday …. and Libby’s coverage of our May Day … aka ‘Debs Day’.

I had taken a ‘Sabbatical on our Gathering Day in May due to the arrival of our second grandchild (and no, I won’t bore you with baby spam … I save that to inflict on my personal FB audience 😉 … so the editorial ‘reins’ were handed over to the very capable Libby … who emailed me the following .. please enjoy:

                                Gathering Day – Saturday May 11

For our May Gathering Day blog – it’s been a case of better late than never!!
It’s Libby here writing this one and a burst pipe in an upstairs bathroom causing water damage in the bathroom and laundry below has taken up my time over the past few weeks!! The curve balls in life – hey!! Never mind, it could have been a great deal worse 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️!!

                                 Back to QFO and Saturday May 11!!

Deb, Deb’s sister Felicity, Yvonne, Carmen, Marg, Jennifer, Pauline, Sandi, Annette, Lauretta, Libby and hubby David had a busy day in the hall! We enjoyed a lovely lunch – soups and bread – (thank you to Annette and her grand-daughter) to thank Deb for all her work she has done to promote QFO in the local and extended community. She has maintained a market presence – which is a huge effort! With her skills and experience, Deb set the foundations for us to become incorporated, as well as all the behind the scenes work to secure the lease of the Hoddles Creek Hall. Deb is taking a slight change of direction stepping down from doing markets to now mastering ‘Gertie’ – our Gammill longarm quilting machine to quilt the quilt tops! She is continuing to do the maintenance and security liaison!
Thank you, Deb, we would not be where we are today, in continuing the journey of Gaynors QFO Ministry, without all your efforts, expertise and skills!

And to finish off this blogpost …. Libby has sent me the following image ..

                   Quilting with Gertie (our longarm quilting machine)

Yvonne has a new Gammill graduate – Sharon, one of the Tuesday ladies!
Congratulations Sharon!

Blessings to all ….. Libby. 

And now I’ll poodle off to start creating our June Blogpost … watch this space 😉 Susan. 

April ... come what may :)

 

Well, here we are again .. after a weather induced 'hiatus' in March due to a fire danger warning. And I'll begin with a 'cheeky/sneaky' cut and paste of a recent wonderfully newsy email update I received from our Libby last week .. before moving on to the news from our April 'Gathering Day' at the Hall on Saturday the 13th.

                      Giftings this month

93 fabric hugs have been gifted to Life’s Little Treasure’s, Maroondah Rotary – Refuge Victoria, Royal Children’s Hospital – PICU and Rose Lodge Aged Care, Wonthaggi.

                 Rose Lodge, Wonthaggi:
Many Thanks for the donation of these beautiful quilts. Our residents and families have loved choosing a blanket for their loved ones. Please thank all your volunteers who have worked on these quilts.

                   Thank you also received from:

Maroondah Rotary wanted to take this moment to thank you for your generous gift of the many beautiful quilts. We fully appreciate the time and resources (and love) that go into these amazing works of art and we know they will be loved by the recipients. We have passed these quilts on to Refuge Victoria for families in need.

                   Life’s Little Treasures;
Thank you so much for your donation of handmade items to Lifes Little Treasures
Foundation. We know that they have been made with love and care, for which we are very grateful. Your donations have been unpacked and will now support a little treasure and their family through many of the support programs that we offer.

                    Oir Free motion quilting session.
Thank you so very much to our Cheryl for sharing your free motion quilting skills and tips during a Tuesday in March.

                    Talking about QFO .. our latest 'outreaches'.
Annette, Christine and Libby have had a busy few weeks sharing our QFO story to
VicQuilters - Sewing with a Cause, Yarra Valley View Club, the Fab 50’s at Ringwood North Community House and Ladies Time Out at Narre Warren North Baptist Church. We were invited to set up a trading table at 3 of the groups and have raised $650 from craft and quilt sales. How wonderful.

At the Vic Quilters Summer Gathering, Annette, Christine, Deb and Libby joined 85 quilters for a wonderful day hosted by Seabreeze Quilters in Altona North. We busied ourselves appliqueing hearts to blocks for Care Quilts that Seabreeze Quilters make. It was great to hear about other groups and their sewing for a cause - Quilts of Valour Victoria, Seabreeze Quilters and Waverly Patchworkers Gift Quilts.

VicQuilters very kindly gave us a donation of $100, so all of these funds will go towards the purchase of wadding and backing fabrics’

And now onto our notes from our Saturday 'Gathering Day at the Hall in Hoddles Creek. We had a small but industrious group in attendance  ... present were: Libby, myself, Yvonne, Cheryl, Christine, Margaret, Carmen, Deborah, Jennifer, Kathy and Loretta. 

Many bindings were attached to our 'Gifting quilts' ... Libby has been extremely busy sourcing recipients for our 'fabric hugs' and it's an absolute joy to see the shelving consequently having room for the quilts we continue to create.

'Quilts in -Quilts out' could almost be our new motto :)

Here we have Margaret busily finishing off a binding. 

Yvonne instructing Carmen on the Gammill quilting machine.

Christine measuring and matching for binding fabric to complete this beautiful Dresden Plate appliqued quilt.

Libby and Kathy sorting through some recently donated fabrics.

Deborah and Jennifer busy being busy.

Cheryl searching for the 'just right' needle from our supplies.

'Game on' as Cheryl proceeds with her free motion work ...

An overview of our little 'hive of activity'.

Morning tea/lunch goodies .... a teaser for those who were sadly disappointed in February when I didn't make it. This ones for you Joy ;)

Cheryl giving some free-motion 'pointers' to Loretta.

Busy busy busy .... Libby and Margaret.

More fabric sorting ...

This particular fabric panel will really 'pop' with the addition of some red and black sashing and binding. We envisage it delighting and aged care resident with its nod to fashions of the past. I look forward to seeing the finished quilt.

Part of a magnificent donation recently dropped off by Bron Krueger. Thank you So much for your kindness Bron .. so much gorgeous fabric. You blessed us beautifully with your kindness.

And that, folks, winds up this months Blogpost. I look forward to sharing with you again soon. 

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.

February 2024 ..... and we start a fresh new year of stitching and gifting from our Hall.

Welcome to the first Gathering Day Blog update ... and what a lovely day of stitching and sharing was had at the Hall in Hoddles Creek as we got together to refresh and enjoy the companionship of our QFO members.

Present on Saturday we had the company of Yvonne, Libby, Christine, Cheryl, Annette, Deborah, Carmen, Margaret, Sandi, Isobel, myself ... and a surprise and most welcome visit from one of our founding members Joy ... such a delight to see her again and make up for lost time with many heartfelt hugs. Apologies from our Sheryl who is presently recovering from a shoulder 'refurb' but will hopefully be well enough to rejoin us very soon. Heal well Sheryl.

A few items of interest to our readers .. grab your trusty calendars and make a note ... on Monday (tomorrow) our Libby will be hosting a gathering at the Hall of the 'Mates on Monday' group from Discovery Church in Mount Evelyn.  These visitors will be having their morning tea get together at QFO 'Headquarters' to see and hear firsthand what we do with our little Ministry and see our wonderful workspace as well as the fabric 'hugs' which are created here for the benefit of those we gift them to. Do hope they'll be inspired by our story and the lives we have been blessed to serve.

Then, this coming Wednesday Libby will once again put on her QFO 'hat' and chat with the presenter of 'Choice Tunes' between 2-3 pm at Yarra Valley FM (99.1 on your radio dial). Libby will be referencing 'songs that bring back memories' for herself and just why these tunes resonate with her. Promises to be a good listen indeed. 

And .... in two weeks time QFO will have a presence at the Draught Horse Festival at historic Mont De Lancey in Wandin. We will have a display of our quilts as well as craft items for sale ... and with Mothers Day not too far away (and we all know just how time flies) this will be a great opportunity for a little retail therapy for a good cause.

All funds that we raise go directly back into the purchase of supplies in order for us to be able to make more 'gifting quilts' for those in need. As we know, much fabric and supplies are gifted to us from welcome 'destashing' from our public followers .. but the batting which is the inner 'sandwich filling' of a quilt is a costly ingredient and we also find ourselves purchasing backing fabric in toning colours to 'set off' our quilts to their best advantage. Hence the need for our couple of fundraisers per year. We truly do appreciate the support from the wider community for our efforts and thank you all in advance. 

 

 

And now for a few candid snaps taken on Saturday at the Hall ... to show our dedicated team of stitchers in action ... 

Yvonne and Cheryl busy on the Gammill machine at the back of our workspace ..with Margaret and Sandi stitching away at our workstation set-up.

Annette busily driving the ironing board.

Our gorgeous Joy .... so very good to see her again ...

Christine .... always smiling ....

Libby doing Admin 'wotsits' on the computer ... 

Followed by a little pin 'sorting' ... separating the regular pins from the quilting pins.

I kept out of mischief by creating some tea bag 'wallets' for the Mont De Lancey QFO presence in a few weeks.

These bindings aren't going to attach themselves .... right? So Christine gets down to business ....

And Sandi .... another smiling face .... who does a mammoth drive from down on the Peninsula to join us ... :)

And that, dear reader, is a wrap .... till next update .... I look forward to more sharing with you as news comes to hand. Now its getting a tad warm at the laptop ... a blistering warm day as summer finally hits Melbourne with a bit of a vengeance. So I'll hit the 'save and send' but on my trusty laptop and get this out into cyberspace with alacrity before I melt.

Many blessings,

Susan

 

 

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.

 

QFO Giftings update and pictures September/October 2023

                                                                    QFO Gifting

At our recent AGM, our Cheryl gave a heartfelt description of her trip to Vietnam with CHANGE THE ONE. Many third-generation Vietnamese children suffer from disabilities caused from Agent Orange which was used during the Vietnam War over 50 years ago. The team spent time rebuilding and fitting out a simple dwelling for a woman and her disabled sons, and quilts were distributed to children at Hope Special School. It was a very moving experience for Cheryl and she hopes to deliver more fabric hugs in the future.

Thank you so very much Cheryl for your continued efforts for QFO and for your heart and time taken to distribute these fabric hugs on our behalf. 

We have also been making some pillowcases for Heavenly Trimmings for their Christmas Blessing Bags for children with a chronic illness and their siblings.

And ... as the 'blessings' went out from QFO ... we were wonderfully blessed by the 'sweetest' of Thank You messages from the lovely folk at Heavenly Blessings ... how kind of you xx

And some more fabric hugs are heading to Monash Children’s Hospital!

And below ... another 'Thank You' note from the facility in Warragul that our Cheryl delivered fabric 'hugs' to from QFO.

And from our Vice President Libby ... below are the 'stats' so far on what QFO has achieved since its inception. Pretty jolly impressive and so very heartwarming.

Since QFO began in 2007, there have been over 5,500 quilts gifted! That’s 5,500 fabric hugs! So far, this financial year, QFO has gifted 253 quilts, and below is a list of where our 'hugs' were gifted. 

Billanook College Senior Students – Thailand;

Kirkbrae Aged Care; Royal Children’s Hospital –   Ward;

Life’s Little Treasures;

Change The One –Vietnam;

Fairview Village ... Warragul Aged Care;

Ukrainians resettling to Australia;

Maroondah Rotary – Refuge

Victoria and Monash Children’s Hospital – Monash Newborns).

And as we say in our Mission Statement – ‘We welcome the opportunity to change lives, one fabric hug at a time.’

And with that I will now send this Blog into cyberspace and thru the medium of technology ... onto your laptop/iPad or whatever device you choose to view it with. 

Many Blessings till next Post,

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.

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.

Another batch of our QFO gifted 'hugs' on their way out ... as well as some upcoming 'Events'. Calendars ready?

Aaaand here we are again ... with more beautiful QFO fabric 'hugs' on their way to enfold teensy tiny folk in their comforting warmth. And to get them to their destination we welcome Kathy from the RWH-NICU Team to ferry them on their way. She collected them from our Vice President Libby .... who then provided me with the update to share with you. 

And of course to enable us to continue to 'sandwich' these quilts together with the necessary purchasing of batting and thread supplies .... we fundraise ... so pop these dates in your diary and raid your piggy banks for pocket money for early Christmas shopping.

And now I'll hit the 'publish' button on my trusty laptop and leave you to note the dates above and share the word foir these Events. Here's hoping for the very best weather on the days and a fine turnout of eager Christmas shoppers.

 

Many blessings,

Susan.

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.