Quilts For Orphans

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.

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

May we share with you ... our May 2023 Gathering Day and quilt giftings.

Well here we are again ... with our May Gathering Day update as well as some lovely pictures of quilts recently gifted to Lifes Little Treasures and Kirkbrae Aged Care. 

We came together at the Hall on May 13th ... a very small Gathering but we kept busy nonetheless. 'Present and correct' and ready to stitch we had Christine, Yvonne, Sheryl, Impi, Michelle, Cheryl and yours truly. 

Firstly we had a generous gifting from longtime friend Kayleen West ... who destashed some rather swish fabric which I think will be suitable to back some fine quilts. As well as a large roll of fabric that can, I imagine, do some wonderful tote bags as part of our fundraising. Many thanks Kayleen for your kind and generous heart.

Yvonne was soon hard at work ... quilting for us .... such a willing and cheerful part of our team.

Cheryl and Christine .... Cheryl had brought in some delightfully pieced quilts for Lifes Little Treasures. She does wonderful work for the very tiniest of our quilt recipients. Below is Cheryls handiwork ... the '100' appliqued on each quilt is to recognise the first 100 days of the Little Treasure who will soon snuggle into their very own quilt. Cheryl delights in creating these fabric 'hugs' .. each one a labour of love, using personally selected pretty pieces of QFO fabrics ... all put together with care.

See https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au for information on this wonderful organisation. Such a blessing to be connected with them. 

And here we have Sheryl ... busily setting up our 'Trading Table' ... where our gifted 'destash' bits and bobs are put out for those wishing to make a small donation. Many different crafts represented, knitting needles, crochet hooks, zips (LOTS of zips) buttons and papercraft, pattern books. 

Sheryl has also been busy ... putting together some beautiful 'hexies' gifted to us a while back by the talented Jennifer Knol ... now part of a lovely top that will soon be a delightful quilt. 

More bowl cosies put together by 'moi' ... destined for our next QFO fundraising stall.

I believe we have a presence at the Waratina Lavender Farm in Wandin at the moment. See our website for details. And I have more cosies  'in the pipeline' here at home for when these have been snapped up. Best I thread my machine up now and get to work eh?

We certainly had plenty of room to move on Saturday :)

Now below we have more of Lifes Little Treasures quilts, mostly created by our Cheryl  .... and recently gifted to LLT .... such intricate putting together of small beautiful fabric pieces. Awesome work. Thank you Cheryl and other talented stitchers. These are future heirlooms for the little ones that will be snuggling into them.

Below is a delivery of 26 '100 day quilts' for Lifes Little Treasures delivered by our Christine.

And a delivery of 30 lap quilts for the residents of Kirkbrae by our Vice President Libby.

And below are the quilts gifted to 'Heavenly Trimmings' by our Libby .... I'll pop the details of this gifting underneath the picture.

Message below from Libby ... 

Hi everyone,

I dropped off 30 lap quilts today to Kirkbrae Aged Care for the female residents for Mothers Day. Photo of some of the quilts and thank you card attached.

Tomorrow, I am dropping off 25 quilts (10 cot quilts - they are a good size for wheelchair fabric hugs and 15 singles) to Heavenly Trimmings.

 

Heavenly Trimmings is a small organisation based in Melbourne - https://heavenlytrimmings.com/

It was started by parents of a child who attends the school where I was principal. They aim to bless courageous children who are battling chronic/life threatening illnesses and their siblings, (the unsung heroes!) Photo of the quilts attached.

I did nominate Noah and his siblings to choose a quilt each first - the family give and give to others, so I thought it would be wonderful for them to be blessed with a fabric hug!

Here's a thank you from Winsome - 

 

Noah, Miss A and  Isaiah are very blessed by your thoughtfulness and generosity not only for them but the courageous children who will receive these.

Thank you once again and please do let all those that have lovingly made these quits that we are so so grateful for them all.

Winsome.

 

I absolutely love getting feedback when our fabric 'hugs' have been delivered. I think it motivates us all at QFO to keep on keeping on with our efforts to provide tangible hugs to those we are blessed to serve. Thanks Libby, Christine and team for ferrying these quilts to their 'forever homes'. I know they'll be so much appreciated during the cool weather ahead.

 

And that just about winds up this months Blogpost ... it's now nearly 10.30 pm and I had better get this out into cyberspace so that I can be fresh and ready to start stitching tomorrow. Can't let the moss grow on my trusty Janome now can I?

So without further ado I shall bid you a farewell ... 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

April come what may .... a smallish gathering and it was a tad chilly but we persevered.

Well hello and welcome again ... here we are, post Easter ... with all the happenings from our April Gathering Day at the Hall in Hoddles Creek. It was a rather cold day but we soon got into the swing of things with the brave souls who braved the weather and came out to 'play' with fabric and bobbins on behalf of QFO.

Present were: Annette, Yvonne, Kathy, Rachel, Libby, Margaret, Carmel, Sheryl, Sandi, Deborah and yours truly. 

Annette had created an Easter 'tableau' to welcome us all as we arrived at the entrance to the Hall..

And once inside we had our 'Trading table' to peruse ... brimful of 'notions' and bits and bobs to tempt us to repurpose/create with donated items that we have been gifted. Many thanks to Sheryl for the effort put into the set-up.

Our Members had been quite busy since we last met in March ... Sandi is an absolute whizz at putting together donated blocks and turning them into rather stunning table runners. These will be part of our fundraising at Market stalls during the year. I think you will agree she has an absolute gift for matching fabrics to best show off the donated blocks.

Can you guess who gifted us the QAYG blocks that form the central theme of this an d the earlier runner? The most generous Jennifer Knol who has been such a blessing to QFO over the years with her 'destashing' donations. Many, many thanks Jennifer.

We next had an assortment of beautifully pieced quilt tops .... absolutely lovely and we thank most kindly the offsite stitchers who gifted them to us.

Love the piecing on this one ^ .... so very clever. Zoom in to see the 'offset' in each block.

Pink, grey, black and white is such a good combination ... right?

Love this 'house' themed top .... very clever use of small pieces artfully combined.

A pretty pastel slightly smaller top ... 

And 'now for something completely different' as the saying goes .... a quartet of bears knitted by member Judy Smith.

And ... a 'tower' of fabric bowl cosies created by yours truly .... who has another dozen plus awaiting assembly at home .. as soon as I've finished blogging ;)

And ... to diversify even further ... three cute toddler size dresses made for us by long time supporter Nelly. Sweet eh?

Next Annette presented us with a trio of tops created by her CWA friend Heather.

A    break for sustenance and general chit chat ... Annette telling us that we have recently gifted 50 small quilts to Monash Childrens Hospital ... I look forward to sharing photos when we get them. The quilts were extremely well received I believe.

Then it was back to work ... here we have Sandi, Kathy and Annette figuring out fabric ..

Yvonne and Carmen playing on the Gammill ....

Rachel staying cosy whilst hand sewing quilt bindings. Or reading ... or both ;) Multi-tasking at its finest.

Our President and Vice President .... Annette and Libby.

Deborah creating more Fat Quarters.

An overview of our Saturday gathering ... 

Still room for more to join us ... don't be a stranger folks :) 

Our awesome Horn sewing 'pod' of gifted work stations perfectly set up. Use our machines or bring your own ... :)

And finally ... a reminder of an upcoming Event where we will be showcasing QFO ... save the date and poodle along to the beautiful Warratina Lavender Farm .in Wandin .. we'd love to see you.

And that pretty much wraps it up ... I look forward to sharing more soon, in the interim .. happy stitching and blessings to all,

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

 

 

 

Wrapping Ukraine in a fabric 'hug' ....

 Just received word via Annette from Roedie and Jeanette Rap who recently gifted a number of our QFO quilts via Evolve Church to Ukrainian recipients. I will update with further details when available.

*Edit:   Have just been told that these quilts were gifted to newly arrived refugee families from the Ukraine who are being settled in Melbourne.

Below are the pictures forwarded to me .. with the accompanying 'BIG BIG THANK YOU'S' from Roedie Rap..

I think the pictures convey just how well received our quilts were. 

Blessings to all involved with wrapping these folk in our comforting quilts.

Susan

 

 

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

Aaaaand again I say .... here's the news from September and October 2022. I'm the Queen of Cut and Paste.;)

Well folks ..... here is my THIRD attempt (yes, you read that right) to get this Blogpost up and running and out into cyberspace. Begone 'default account' which swallowed my two previous attempts and glued them into something that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and which few people were able to find. Called itself a 'test blog' ... ugh ... I've banished it to a corner to have a jolly good hard look at itself. 

So here I am finally speaking to you from the original and best QFO Blog ... with news of what we have been up to since I last posted. A bit of creative cut and pasting .. and a mad scramble to find the photos I have to post ... and we'll be 'good to go' in a manner of speaking. 

 

Well hello, hello, hello … and here, fresh from the keyboard and with a little Newsletter ‘cut and pasting’ toward the end … is all the latest from QFO. 

I’ll start with the most recent news and work my way backward for a change. I’ll probably need to do a little cutting and pasting and refer to previous updates so that it all comes together with some semblance of ‘coherence’.  

I was MIA in New Zealand last month and so wasn’t at the actual September Gathering Day to capture all that happened at the AGM. I'm sure that news from then will be attached somewhere on our website or in a Newsletter. However … I just got pics from Deborah of the preparations that were being done for the Monbulk Quilt Show on the day…  so can share them here. As well as updated photos just in from Annette who was at Monbulk on Saturday overseeing our fundraising stall at Mrs Martins Quilt Show.

A little bit of cheer from the Hall at the September Gathering Day ...

A gifting of beautiful hand knitted blankets from Maggie in St Kilda. I've been told that one of these beauties will be used as a Raffle prize at our Mont DeLancey event later this month. The remainder will be gifted to where they will be most needed. Am in total awe of your skills Maggie  .. I struggle with casting on and have only attempted (many years ago) handknitted jumpers in stripes (because I get bored easily) for my firstborn child. They were two large squares with rectangular sleeves attached and buttons on the shoulder. Super basic. :)

And here we have a selection of quilt tops made by our very own Cheryl .. beautifully pieced as usual and gratefully received.

And now onto the preparation for our table at Mrs Martins Monbulk Quilt Show ... remember all the cutting, folding and ironing of Fat Quarters at our last few Gathering Days ... well here is the end result. Tubs, MANY tubs, of Fat Quarters destined for sale at our fundraising table.

And here is Christine .. our 'tote bag lady' ... with some of the lovely bags she has created utilising colourful scraps artfully pieced together to make one of a kind useful bags. Well done. I'm sure these went down a treat at Monbulk.

And from Sandi .. some great table runners assembled using donated piecings from our long time (and most generous) supporter Jennifer Knol. Many thanks to both ladies.

And now to Mrs Martins Annual Quilt Show in Monbulk ... where we plied our wares as part of our fundraising. Above we see one of our members, setting up with our easily seen signage. And thank you so much to Karen (Mrs Martin) for allowing us to once again participate in your wonderful annual event. Always a pleasure.

You want Fat Quarters ... look no further. We had quite a few. 

And some of our finest Quilts for sale too. As well as other hand crafted offerings made by our stitchers. All funds raised going right back into purchasing backing fabrics and batting for our gifting quilts.

Now a bit more cyber-clagging of upcoming Events and Markets where we ply our goodies ....

Actually … insert ‘face palm’ 🤦🏻‍♀️ here … just realised I don’t have to ‘cut and paste’ our upcoming Event attendances as you will be able to find them on our website under the ‘Newsletter’ tab at https://www.quiltsfororphans.org … how easy is that eh?

 There are Newsletter ‘tabs’ on our website for the upcoming months and you just have to click on the ‘read more’ button to see where we will have a presence between now and the years end. I will however remind you that .. on our website it says with reference to our usual monthly Saturday Gathering Days:

 “Please remember the events in October and November replace the normal Gathering days. There will be NO Gathering Days in October and November.

Tuesdays open days at the Hall will continue as normal.

So other than our upcoming Tuesday get together/training days and our Christmas lunch at Rose Cottage in December … as far as our normal monthly Saturday ‘Gathering Days’ at the Hall are concerned … we will next meet up in the New Year which I'm sure we will all be looking forward to eagerly. 

And that, folks, winds up this Blogpost. I will be regularly updating our Facebook page with reference to our Market fundraising attendances and look forward to sharing with you via FB and this Blog as news comes to hand. 

Till then, many blessings, and lets get this out into publication before any gremlins mess it up again (fingers crossed)

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

Our wintry June day at the Hall …. Brrrr ☔️

Well here I am again after a brief holiday break spent in the Blue Mountains … where I might add it was even colder and certainly more windy than Hoddles Creek. Is that even possible? I can assure you it was …. I froze. Absolutely chilled to the bone.   Brrrrr 💨❄️🌬 But I digress …..

We only had a very small gathering braving the weather on the 11th … Annette, Christine, Yvonne, Cheryl, Impi, Joanne and yours truly. But we managed to keep busy nonetheless … with quilt binding etc to ward off the chills. 

Our Hall is presently unheated as we await the arrival of the necessary folk to update our gas connection, so warm hats and mittens were the order of the day as we warded off the chill. 



Cheryl, together with her husband, dropped by to collect a swag of quilts to take to the Market Stall where she will spread the QFO message and indulge in some fundraising on our behalf. Thanks Cheryl … we hope the weather was kind to you and we appreciate your efforts on our behalf. 

Meanwhile Annette and Yvonne were thrilled to be able to announce that the Monbulk branch of the Bendigo Bank had awarded us a cheque to the value of $480 from their community ‘Token of Appreciation’ scheme. Many grateful thanks to them for their kindness … this is a welcome boost to our finances and will be well used to help create more of our fabric ‘hugs’.

Here we have Annette … showing a quilt that she commenced in the 1980s … and finally recently completed. All ready to be quilted. So folks, don’t despair over your UFOs … there is always time to finish them (as long as you can remember where they were stashed awaiting completion 😂)

And speaking of quilting … here is Yvonne, hard at work, quilting away whilst chatting to Cheryl. 



 Joanne dropped in to catch up with us … longtime followers might recall that Joanne and husband Kim kindly allowed us use of their space to operate from before this Hall became available. She is also a valuable member of our QFO stitchers. 

And final picture … we have a dedicated little group of hand stitchers gathered for a short coffee break … nothing more welcome on a cold day than a warm mug of coffee ☕️ to wrap your frozen hands around 👍😉

And that wraps up this Blogpost and I now fully intend to get back to finishing off the hand stitching on the ‘homework’ quilts I have sitting awaiting the final touches before we next gather. 

So stay warm, stay well and I look forward to sharing with you again after our next get together on July 9th at the Hall.

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

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.com5