Quilts For Orphans

Hellooooo July 2025 .... and here we are again ..... stitch, stitch, stitchin' away .... grab a coffee and read on :)

Another productive and enjoyable day in Hoddles Creek as we diligent QFOers gathered for a spot of stitching, fuelled by lovely homemade soup courtesy of Annette and Libby. Pea and Ham .. together with spicy pumpkin soup were on the menu ... and were most delicious. Bringing back memories of the shared lunches we enjoyed in the very early days of QFO at the Barn in Macclesfield :) Thanks ever so much Libby and Annette for your thoughtful and delicious contribution ... SO tasty!!

We were pleased to have the company of Annette, Libby, Sandi, Sheryl, Sheilagh, Carmen, Kathy, Elaine and yours truly to get the Hall a-buzzing with industrious hands and willing hearts.

And speaking of hearts ... an early 'heads up' for an upcoming QFO 'Event' in October at the Hall that folk are most welcome to join us in ... for a very worthy cause .... it forms part of the Yarra Ranges Council Over 50s Festival ... which we are most pleased to be involved with.

Tasty Lemon Teacake 'slice' .... why don't mind if I do ;) Went down nicely with a coffee and may well be my new 'go to' contribution to the tasty comestibles on offer at our Saturday Gathering Days :)

We then moved on to a little 'Show and Tell' ... and hands and hearts have been very productive for us since we last met ...

Our member Kathy had been busy making Christmas themed Microwave bowl cosies for our upcoming fundraising efforts ... 

As well as a swag of table runners and pot holders ... with heat repellent lining. 

And ..... a couple of stunning quilt tops .... thank you so very much Kathy ..

Meanwhile ... from Wendy in Drouin .... this incredibly cheerful and sunny Sunflower quilt ... how joyful is this eh?

And Sue ... who came, saw and stocked up at one of our recent 'destash days' ... returned and dropped of a plethora of small bags and tissue holders and lanyards for us.. made with the fabric she'd picked up .... how wonderful.

Our Sandi .... busily attaching bindings to a gifting quilt ...

While Sheryl was stitching up a storm at a nearby machine ..

And Carmen was abuzz on the Gammill with Kathy looking on ..... how incredibly bright and cheerful is this quilt top? An absolute stunner!!

Sheilagh, Libby and Elaine sorting stock behind the scenes ...

Whilst Annette was busying herself with paperwork ....

And now for some offsite pics of a recent 'gifting' we made ... together with the write-up on a most worthy organisation ...

Connect Community Care – Frankston Outreach Program 

Connect Community Care’s Outreach programs exist to support vulnerable members of our local community, walking alongside them during times of hardship and life in general. Each week, our dedicated team of volunteers distributes nutritious meals and checks in on approximately 200 residents across 2–3 different locations. These locations are rotated fortnightly and include five key areas, such as transient housing, cabin parks, boarding houses and homes of the elderly and socially isolated.

Our mission is to build genuine relationships with residents and demonstrate God’s love through meaningful action. Rain, hail, or shine, our volunteers faithfully head out each week to serve.

In addition to meals and companionship, the Outreach program often partners with organisations like Quilts for Orphans and others to provide clean towels, bedding, blankets, quality toiletries and small treats. These partnerships help us extend care in practical and impactful ways.

We are deeply grateful for the support of your Quilts for Orphans, especially during this cold season. Your contribution has made a real difference in the lives of those we visit. So thank you!

Download IMG_7108

What an absolutely amazing and heartwarming outreach program ... so blessed to be able to contribute to their Mission.

Some cheerful lap quilts for gifting ...

And a recent top pattern .. which Libby tells me is called the 'Potato Chip' block ... and most effective when assembled as below ...

WE have also donated a quantity of quilts to Southern Cross Kids for their program .... I will add details of our Giftings in this financial year below .. here is the bootload of warm quilts and tote bags we recently handed over to the SCK program :)

Project FLOWER gifting:

• 78 lap quilts – Kirkbrae and Walmsley Aged Care settings, Frankston Connect Community Care, Palliative Care via Monbulk Open Door Community
• 30 singles – Southern Cross Kids Camp and tote bags
• 30 singles – Billanook College trip to Thailand (we have cots for students to choose from as well. Whatever are left over will go to Frankston CCC or RCH – PICU).
• Billanook students will be visiting the hall on July 29 to select quilts.
• We have several extra on the shelf too – 4 laps and 3 singles which will go towards future gifting to aged care settings, Frankston Connect Community Care and RCH – PICU!!

Amazing effort ladies!!!

Our total gifting of quilts for 2024/2025 is 440 quilts:

73 singles, 173 cots, 152 laps have been gifted to the following:

Palliative care, Queen Elizabeth Centre, Ukraine, Kirkbrae Aged Care, Walmsley Aged Care, Estia Yarra Junction Aged Care, Advent Aged Care, Maroondah Rotary – Refuge Victoria Project, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Project, Monbulk Community Care, displaced Ukrainians in Melbourne, Cottage By The Sea, Southern Cross Kids Camp – Mount Evelyn, Change The One – Philippines and Frankston Connect Community Care.

42 100 day quilts have been gifted to Life’s Little Treasures.

Pretty jolly awesome and heartwarming effort I think our readers will agree .... right?

And finally .... I need to tell you to tune in to Yarra Valley FM 99.1 on your dial ...  at 2pm on Wednesday July 23rd when we have been given time on the Community Connections program to chat about our group .... don't miss it!! 

And that .. gentle reader ... is a 'wrap' as far as this Blogpost is concerned. Hope that you enjoyed the news and I look forward to sharing with you again soon. 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 here we are in chilly winter at the Hall .... but still managing to join together to happily stitch away the day :)

 

Well Folks ... my laptop has finally been to the 'puterfixer and is once again behaving .. apologies for the delay in getting this 'edition' of the Blog out to you all. Technology eh? 

We gathered in Hoddles Creek at the Hall on Saturday June 14th on a cold, cold, bitterly bitter cold day ... the sort where you keep your hood on indoors and just wait for the heating to kick in. Which it eventually did thank goodness :)

We had a merry little band of enthusiastic stitchers turn up ... we welcomed Annette, Sheilagh, Margaret (1) and Margaret (2) Cheryl, Claudia, Lauretta, Sue, Sharon, Gabby, Lillian and yours truly. Quite a lovely turnout indeed and we were soon humming away with much gusto ... fuelled by the urn and some rather delicious scones (goodbye diet and hello comfort food!!)

We still had our 'destash' tables set up in the centre of the Hall and welcomed a few folk willing to transfer some of our 'stash' to their own. Proceeds of these sales will be directed into the purchase of more wadding for the middle of our quilts.

Dang!! just realised I STILL haven't done that 'date thingummy' update on my camera. .... *facepalm* Oh well ...

Here we have Cheryl, busily freemotion quilting for us on her awesome machine ... always wonderful to watch her in action.

Laurettas hands are a blur as she pieces away on on of our Project quilt tops, watched by Sheilagh and Gabby ....

All systems go, as our busy members sort and cut fabric for us. To be integrated into more quilts for our 'FLOWER' Project for the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Margaret .. hard at work .. stitching up a storm for us.

Meanwhile yours truly had been busy offsite since last months meetup and had created a swag of bowl cosies for our future fundraising efforts ... 83 in all .... and if I never see another batch of food themed fabric it'll be too soon <lol>

We were also gifted three beautiful quilts from supporter Cathy Goudswaard who has been a long time follower of QFO ... these will be 'gifting quilts' and will surely bring much joy to those who will be comforted by them. Thanks a bunch Cathy :)

And that pretty much wraps up this rather short and sweet Blog .... we are gathering together items created by our members for the fundraising coming up later in the year ...  Fairs Fair at the Truth and Liberation Church will be one such Event in Bayswater on October 18th where we will have a Stall. See https://www.tlcchurch.org.au for details. 

And that Folks .. as they say .. is a 'wrap' for this months Blog. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for further updates between now and next Gathering Day... and many thanks for your support and following.

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.

Mothers Day weekend May 2025 ... and we still managed to muster up a goodly swag of stitchers.

 

Well didn't that last month go by incredibly fast? And here we are again with another Blog from my trusty (and sometimes cooperative) laptop for your entertainment. 

We met at the Hall in Hoddles Creek on Saturday ... with rather a good turnout considering it was the day before Mothers Day and there was a lot going on around the place. We welcomed Lauretta, Sandi, Carmen, Margaret, Sheryl, Annette, Claudia (and her friend Sharon), Christine, Sheilagh, Deborah and (briefly) Elaine who popped in with some completed quilt tops. A goodly number of enthusiastic and willing stitchers to continue our 'sewing for the Yarra Ranges cause'.

We had quilts to bind as part of Project FLOWER (Fabric hugs to Love Others with Warmth, Empathy and Reassurance) Project, (proudly supported by the Yarra Ranges Council Monthly Grant for Connected and Vibrant Communities). We also had some quilt tops that need some quilt borders.  We were invited (via Libbys Newsletter)  to bring along any QFO project or craft items that we might be making for our fundraising events later in the year. And, as the day progressed we saw some of these donated items that have already been delivered by our 'offsite' creative hands.

The above three quilt tops were created and gifted to us by Trudi ... many thanks .... they are absolutely stunning.

And above is one of our SYR Project 'FLOWER' pieces in shades of mauve and purple.

Our Project goal for the lap quilts has worked out a little differently from what we first planned – Libby delivered 15 to Kirkbrae Aged Care and 34 to Walmsley Aged Care last week.  We have some more in production, so they will be distributed to another local aged care setting in June.

And congratulations to Sheilagh who has 'graduated' with her Certificate of Proficiency on our Gammill quilting machine.

And now for the 'words and pictures' from Saturdays get together ...

Sandi and Lauretta getting straight into the binding of quilts ...

Annette cut, cut, cutting away ....

Carmen ... clearly having the very best of times :)

Christine ... with Sheryl 'deep in thought' ... and I'm sure to pay dearly for this pic ... right?

Sheilagh and Christine at the measuring and cutting table ...

Our newest 'recruit' Sharon .... friend of Claudia.

Claudia ... radiating happiness :)

Lauretta binding with flair ...

And ditto for our Sandi ....

This completed kit came to us with five others .... dropped off by Jackie ... and many thanks for all your hard work.

Jackies completed kits all stitched up and delivered for finishing :)

Annette about to show us some of the creations handed to us by Julianne ... a veritable swag of pouches & purses & bags.

Some cute little 'pyramid' shape purses ... so very cleverly made.

And lots of little zippered purses too.

Meanwhile .. I'd recently picked up a whizzbang acrylic 'template' from Spotlight which is making the creation of bowl cosies an absolute streamlined 'walk in the park'. I'll get back to stitching them after I put this blogpost out into cyberspace :)

 

And finally ..... our 'Destash Sale' is not far away. This will comprise fabric either unsuitable to our needs or surplus to requirements. The proceeds from these sales (and in fact all our fundraising) is directed back into the purchase of  'ingredients' for our quilts that are rarely donated .... such as the essential (and costly) batting that goes into the middle of our quilts. And backing fabric that coordinates with the fronts of our quilts.

 And that folks ... as they say in Hollywood .. is a 'wrap'. I look forward to sharing with you again after our next Saturday monthly meet-up in June ... which by my calculations will fall on June 14th. '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.

 

As we enjoy Autumn and yet it still feels 'summery' .... April 2025 ...what's that all about eh?

Well another day at the Hall done and dusted ... and here is the Blog as written proof that we achieved great things on a sunny Saturday ... right?

We assembled a very happy gathering, comprising Yvonne, Sheilagh, Claudia, Christine, Lauretta, Annette, Libby, Carmen, Margaret and myself .. and soon the machines were humming and the rotary cutters were being applied to the quilt we were all contributing to under Libbys watchful eye :)

Libby, Annette and Lauretta in a huddle .... as they discuss placement of the strips already pieced.

We will continue with our FLOWER (Fabric hugs to Love Others with Warmth, Empathy and Reassurance) Project, which is proudly supported by the Yarra Ranges Council Monthly Grant for Connected and Vibrant Communities. We will be making some Skinny 16 Patch blocks using batik fabric to create a single size quilt top. Stacey Lee has created a video demonstrating how to make the block: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KEYF7GzwJY  
This is based on a free pattern called Stretched 16 Patch from Leila Gardunia: https://www.leilagardunia.com/free-library 

Longtime quilting pals Margaret and Carmen selecting fabric for another quilt to be finished.

Yvonne and Sheilagh .. loading the Gammill for another session of quilting.

A spot of 'ooohing and aaaahing' over the wonderful donated pieces that have arrived at the Hall since I last blogged. 

We've received so many generous giftings in recent weeks ... and take this opportunity to thank the Lorne Quilters as well as Gail Cunningham, Anna, Janet Hill ....  and the kind person who sent us three wonderful boxes of quilt 'kits' that arrived with no name attached ... from Campbelltown ... truly so very generous. Please know that we are SO very appreciative of your kindness, and in awe of the talented stitchers who so very willingly remember us when they are creating. Bless you all.

The 'mystery' boxes .... we were SO thrilled to open this kind donation.

Some stunningly accurate piecing here .... beautifully put together.

This one put us in mind of a stained glass window. 

Love all the mini printed florals in this top.

Stunningly 'abstract' ... and so very effective.

Isn't this just lovely? So many sea creatures in these blocks.

This was from Janet Hill .... the piecing is stunning.

Sheilagh industriously focused on the quilting here .... the fabric is just so very pretty .... a panel of hydrangeas.

And the finished piece ... just needs binding and its done and dusted. Beautifully done Sheilagh !!

Margaret back on deck after a spell away ... lovely to see her return :)

Newest 'recruit' Claudia .... a ray of sunshine .... and very talented too.

Lauretta ... above ^ busily putting our strips together ... we've decided that this quilt top will be a 'Skinny 16 Patch' piecing.

Trialling new eyewear ... apparently they terrify my husband .... <lol> heavy duty serious look ;)

One of our 'originals' from the very start ... Christine is an expert at cutting and trimming, among other talents.

And it all starts to take shape.

Not too shabby eh? Final placement yet to be sorted, but it's looking pretty sweet I think. So pretty.

                                                            Recent Quilt Giftings

We have donated 48 cot quilts to the DPV Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies program which is based in the Northern Suburbs and 5 quilts to a displaced family from Ukraine who arrived in Melbourne recently.

And from the Nannas Home Basics Facebook group ... who co-ordinated the handover to Asha and Gina from the DPV Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies support group ... a very appreciative Thank You to QFO for facilitating this kind gifting of quilts.

https://www.dpvhealth.org.au/all-services/community-support/healthy-mothers-healthy-babies/

 

Busy morning today, we welcomed Asha and Gina from DPV who collected the first donation of items donated by our Nannas craft ladies and quilts donated by Quilts for Orphans in Hoddles Creek and Ferntree Gully Quilters.

 

Its always SO good to be able to share our fabric 'hugs' to those who will so very much appreciate a kindness at any time, and particularly as winter approaches. 

 

And now we give thanks for the life and the kindness of one of our offsite stitchers who sadly passed away very recently. For many years QFO was truly blessed to receive regular packages from Julia Ozolins who stitched beautifully and from the heart. Libby attended the service for her passing and kindly shared these tributes to Julia with us on Saturday.

Vale dear Julia and thank you for blessing us over many years with your handiwork and kindness. 

 

 

                                                    

                                                                     A Tapestry Of Julia

 

In the field of green where daffodils play, She spun her bright yarns and brightened the day.

With quilts made of sunshine, her laughter would soar, She stitched up our hearts, then she’d craft even more.

Her pets thought they ruled, with their curious eyes, ‘Just one more quilt, dear’, she’d say with a sigh.

In yellow, she shimmered, a beacon of cheer, Now she’s off to the great fabric shop up here!

She’d dye all her wool in shades bold and bright, Creating new colours, a joyful delight.

With each gentle spin, here creativity flowed, Like daffodils blooming wherever she strode.

Her sewing machine hummed a whimsical tune, As she crafted her magic morning, night and noon.

She’d host crafty gatherings, laughter and fun, With tea and some biscuits, her warmth was second to none.

So let’s raise up our needles and toast to her flair, For every bright stitch and the love she would share. Though we’ll miss her bright smile and her crafty delight, We know she’s in heaven, sewing stars every night!

In fields of laughter, she’s stitching up glee, Creating new quilts for the world that we’ll see.

With threads made of sunshine and love stitched so tight We’ll cherish her spirit, our dear shining light.

 

Created by Markus Ozolins

 

 

Thank you ... and your family Markus ... for sharing your dear Mum with us ... she has truly blessed so many with her handiwork over the years and QFO appreciated her generosity and heart so very much. Such a kind lady who will be dearly missed.

 

 

Blessings 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

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.

As we march into March on a long weekend .... and a seemingly endless summer.

We gathered together at the Hall on a rather warm Autumn Saturday .. March 8th .. when it actually felt like high summer. Thank goodness for the air con that kept us cool. Phew!!

We welcomed Libby, Annette, Christine, Yvonne, Carmen, Claudia, Cheryl and yours truly ... for a day of happy stitching. A small group (long weekend tempted many away I imagine) but much was achieved during the day nonetheless.

Libby and Carmen at the Gammill .... 

Libby and new member Claudia were also kept busy with QAYG blocks for the Yarra Ranges supported  project. Details are below of the projected number of quilts we plan to complete with the funding assistance.

March sees the launch of Project FLOWER (Fabric hugs to Love Others with Warmth, Empathy and Reassurance), which is proudly supported by the Yarra Ranges Council Monthly Grant for Connected and Vibrant Communities.

We have almost finished the navy scrappy block quilt top we started last Gathering Day and have 2 more projects to work on - a cream and blue scrappy block quilt top and a quilt as you go lap quilt in purple tones. 

Our goal is to complete 35 single bed size quilts for Billanook College’s Service Project to Thailand, 35 single bed size quilts for Southern Cross Kids Camp – Mount Evelyn and 55 lap quilts for Kirkbrae Aged Care over the 4 months.

We have also been blessed with some wonderful donated quilt tops from offsite supporters ... the generosity of others is so very heartwarming and we thank you one and all.

This magnificent needleturn appliqued quilt top came to us via a destashing and is absolutely awesome. Words simply fail to do it justice. So much work .. and to be blessed by having it find its way to us ... goodness me!!

We also received some donations which came 'un-named' .. but if you were the folk who gifted them to us ... a warm and sincere thank you for your kindness. I believe long time stitcher Sandra Brazier was among those who shared with us ... but I hadn't had a coffee when I was note taking, so apologies Sandra for not itemising your gifting by name. I promise I'll 'do better' next time'

First a pair of whales .. which I envisage will make a wonderful centre panel on a nautical themed quilt top. 

This lovely Christmas piece, complete with all the 'bells and whistles' was also recently gifted to us. I envisage it being a rather wonderful wall hanging. Really something special.

And from Nola Matthews ... another of our off-site supporters ..

Just before lunch Libby shared with us a video of the famous 'Rajah' quilt .. created onboard the convict ships from the 1840s.

Details of this historic treasure (almost 200 years old!!) may be found by following the Link below in your browser.

https://www.nationalquiltregister.org.au/quilts/the-rajah-quilt/

A short break for lunch .. and a spot of 'Show and Tell'.

Claudia busily affixing the border to the navy QAYG top.

Cheryl putting the finishing touches to some small quilts for Lifes Little Treasures .

Claudia holding up the fantastic blue QAYG with its border attached. Pretty stunning eh?

And finally Libby at the end of the day :)

                        ......... STOP PRESS .......

Victorian Quilters Summer Gathering is on Saturday March 15 at the Mulgrave Community Centre. Rivka Waxman, a member of Waverley Quilters, will be the guest speaker – see flyer below for further details.

And on that note .... I'll wind up this months Blogpost and get it off into cyberspace whilst I still have enough energy to hit the 'send' button.

Have I mentioned I don't do well in hot weather? <lol>

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

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.

New Year ... new Blogpost ... and all of a sudden its 2025 for QFO.

Well Folks ... we decided to start off the New Year with a party of sorts ... 2025 being the 18th (can you believe it?) Birthday of Quilts for Orphans. 

From its beginnings as a vision in the hearts of Gaynor and her daughter Rachel back in October of 2007 ... leading to our gathering in Gaynors then Macclesfield home, where we began to stitch quilts for the COM Homes in India. We later moved a few short metres from her loungeroom to a purpose built Barn on her property, then after Gaynor and Reg relocated to their 'seachange' home another move saw QFO relocate to temporary accommodation in 'The Shed' of Joanne and husband Kym a little further afield and then to our Hall here in Hoddles Creek. So many memories, so many stitchers joining us in our journey to create fabric 'hugs' for those both locally and globally in need of comfort. What a journey in every sense of the word it has been and continues to be :)

 

Our very first Blog photo taken in Gaynors loungeroom back in 2007. We've certainly grown a tad since then :) 

We decorated the entrance at the Hoddles Creek Hall on Saturday and assembled for our first Gathering Day for 2025 :) Please ignore the dates on the following photos .. what can I say? New camera and it seems to have pre-set itself ... time travelling back to February 2024. 'Go figure' as they say :) If i could face palm rest assured I would :)

I missed the balloon blowing .. but was appreciative of the efforts of those who went the extra mile with the required huffing and puffing to create the balloon display... all most colourful and welcoming.

Our theme for the day was Let’s Party – sewing quilt blocks for a Community Quilt. You'll remember that last year we created for the Shire of Yarra Ranges. An update from Libby is below, as well as details of our next community Project.

Fabric Hugs for the Yarra Ranges Project Update:

Our goal for this project last year was to make 50 quilts to gift to those in need in our local area. As a vibrant and connected group, we actually completed over 100 quilts which was a phenomenal effort!  We have been able to gift 5 quilts to Lifestyle Yarra Junction Aged Care for ladies who had celebrated their 98th birthdays, 19 quilts to  Open Door Community Relief, 15 quilts to Advent Aged Care – Warburton, 19 quilts to Maroondah Rotary for Refuge Victoria and 24 quilts to Walmsley Aged Care – Kilsyth. We still have some quilts from this project available for distribution for emergency relief and Billanook College’s Service Project to Thailand.

From March to June, our focus will be a project named FLOWER (Fabric hugs to Love Others with Warmth, Empathy and Reassurance). Our goal will be to complete 35 single bed size quilts for Billanook College’s Service Project to Thailand, 35 single bed size quilts for Southern Cross Kids Camp – Mount Evelyn and 55 lap quilts for Kirkbrae Aged Care.

It's certainly a busy start to our QFO year I'm sure you'll agree. 

Stitching with us on February 8th we welcomed Annette and Libby of course, as well as Deborah, Claudia (a new face and most welcome too) Yvonne, Carmen, Sheryl, Christine, Sandi, Sheilagh, Jes (another welcome new face) and Libbys aunt-in-law Rachel who was visiting on holiday.

Of course in order to work we need fuel in the form of sugar .. right? And Annette and Libby did us proud :)

Sandi was eagerly wielding the iron as we continued creating blocks for more quilts to gift. 

Claudia happily cutting  for us ...

Carmen and Yvonne 'driving' the Gammill.

Sheilagh and Christine, busily applying themselves with slicing and dicing fabric for our project.

A break before lunch for a video presention by Libby .. of a recent delivery of some QFO quilts to the Ukraine by Roedie Rap who has been connected to us thru giftings of quilts to be taken on his Mission trips abroad over the years. I have also included a posting by Libby about this, which she included in her most recent QFO Newsletter.

Delivery of quilts to Ukraine

A friend of QFO, Roedie, was able to take 2 quilts to Ukraine when he went over in October last year. The following is from the team in Ukraine who distributed these to two special grandmothers who live in the Chernobyl Zone -

A Gift That Warmed the Soul:
‘We delivered an incredible gift from our friends in Australia – a magnificent quilt handmade by some wonderful women. Every stitch is filled with love and care, a heartfelt gesture of support for Ukrainians fighting for survival in this unjust war. Honestly, it’s impossible to take your eyes off its beauty – such vibrant colours, such exquisite craftsmanship! It’s one of the most unique and beautiful things I have ever seen. 
Why did we choose this particular grandmother to receive this gift?
She is a widow, and it’s hard to describe just how much good she haas done for others. She has an amazing sense of humour, a deep love for God and people, and her life’s motto is to do good. We chose her because we believe that goodness always has a way of coming back.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”
A huge thank you Roedie and your friends for this heartfelt gift. The quilt not only warmed the grandmother physically but also filled her heart with love and warmth brought all the way from Australia. May the Lord bless you abundantly!’

    

‘A Christmas gift has found it’s way to the home of our dear widow, Grandma Valentina. This wonderful and beautiful quilt was lovingly handcrafted by kind-hearted women from Australia. There were only two such quilts. One had already been gifted to another grandmother, while the second waited for the moment when God would show us who it was meant for. One day, the story of Grandma Valentina came to my heart – a story of woman who did something extraordinary. She shared her love with a child who was not her own, taking an orphan into her family and dedicating her life to her. Grandma Valentina had lost her husband, but even with the pain in her heart, she found the strength to love and raise a little girl who had no future and was destined for an orphanage. She surrounded her with warmth, care and love, protecting her from life’s hardships, much like this quilt provides warmth and shelter. Today, we wrap this beautiful quilt around Grandma Valentina herself  as a symbol of our respect and gratitude for the selfless love she gave to that little girl. 
Thank you, Roedie, and your friends in Australia for your kindness and generosity. This gift is a reminder of how love can warm not just the body, but the soul as well. 

Matthew 25:34-36: ‘Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; I needed clothes, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you looked after me; I was in prison, and you came to visit me’.

On behalf of the QFO ladies .. thanks SO very much Roedie, for the work that you do and the transporting of our handiwork to those in need on the other side of the globe. It truly is heart warming.

And now .. a little Show and Tell ... some of the quilts created by our members stitching offsite for us. Firstly from Margaret. Absolutely loving the green shade in this, highlighting the blocks. Just gorgeous.

And from Julia Ozolins, who has been stitching for us for quite some years .. these two lovely tops. Stunning! How lovely to see your handiwork again Julia .... :)

And Julias second quilt top.

A break for lunch ... and cake :)

What's better than ONE cake .... why TWO of course :) All the more to share around ...

And of course .... party poppers :)

Much jollity around the party table :)

A 'reflective moment' before stitching resumes.

Back to work .... with Deborah 'moonboot scooting' around. 

Sandi on stitching duty ... 

I can see Claudia (and her cheeky 'rabbit ears')  fitting in brilliantly with the QFO team :):):)

Libby tells me that as well as creating quilts and other items to gift where needed, we have also been able to 'share the love' by meeting a request by Yarra Junction Primary school who were in need of needles/pins/fabric/threads for their own crafting endeavours. As we have often been blessed by the 'destashing' donations we receive ... its been equally wonderful to be able to 'pay it forward' thus and share a little of the love that has been shown to us.

Apologies for the delay in blogging .. combination of heat and a couple of Doctors appointments served to distract the 'scribe' in me momentarily. Thankfully cooler weather is just around the corner .. as is our upcoming presence at the Mont De Lancey Draughthorse Festival. QFO will have a selection of handcrafted goodies ... we cant wait to show you our creative efforts. This will be the first of our fundraising efforts for the year .. and the venue is just delightful. There is a cafe on site, so make a day of it. You'll not be disappointed. 

Pop the details into your calendar: Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd, 10 am – 4 pm. Immerse yourself in the lost trades and life in the 1880s at the beautiful Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead in Wandin. 

And that pretty much winds up this months Blog .... once again apologies for the lateness. I'll be putting 'room for improvement' on my noticeboard and 'do more betterer' next time ;)

Meanwhile, many blessings till next time and I'll get this into cyberspace. Watch our Facebook page for updates and further details on what we are up to .. and of course our all singing/all dancing website.

Blessings 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

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 now we are in October .. and can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner?

Well .. here we are with another Blog update, following our Gathering Day' on October 12th ... where we had a small but enthusiastic group of stitchers intent on creating another quilt for the Shire of Yarra Ranges 'Fabric Hugs for the Yarra Ranges project' organised by Libby earlier this year.

On Saturday we had Lauretta, Carmen, Yvonne, Margaret, Christine, Sheilagh, Gabby and yours truly kept quite busy and very soon all the machines and the Gammill were humming away ... interspersed with laughter and much busyness as we created our proverbial 'socks off'.

This months Project quilt was a Friendship Star pattern and by the days end it was coming along quite nicely. We also now have a Tuesday secondary 'QFO Gathering Day' at the Hall which is apparently quite well attended and I believe that they will be busy working on completing the quilt. Thank you ladies :)

Libby gave a talk on the origins of the Friendship Star 'block' as well as an informative presentation of some other early quilt patterns. Great talk Libby and we all enjoyed the history behind these fabric creations. Apologies for any 'fuzziness' in the images ... you'll be pleased to know I have now updated my decade old camera with a new one ... so hopefully quality control will kick in for future Blogs ;) I can only hape ;)

And behind the colour choice for this months quilt project?

And 'linking in' to QFO and the very start of our little Ministry ... which is now in its 17th year since Gaynor and Reg opened their hearts and their home to the idea of creating fabric 'hugs'.

And now here we are .. carrying on Gaynors vision .. in our Hall at Hoddles Creek. where Libby tells me that in recent months we have so far this financial year, gifted 169 quilts  .... to the following organisations ... Life's Little Treasures, Queen Elizabeth Centre, Kirkbrae Aged Care, quilts to palliative care, also to Cottage By The Sea and Change the One – Philippines, as well as two quilts recently taken to the Ukraine by Roedie Rap.

Feeling SO blessed to be part of this wonderful group :)

And now a few 'happy snaps' of Saturdays cheerful stitchers .... Christine, one of our earliest members.

Gabby, Sheilagh and Margaret.

Lauretta ....

Gabby ....

Carmen ... who was a HUGE help in wielding the measuring ruler when my limited spatial skills 'left the building'.

Christine again ... in full 'happy place' mode .... sorry for the slight fuzziness. Lets call it an 'aura' eh?

Gabby again .. :) Before a break for lunch and a welcome cuppa :)

Sheilagh, Libby and Gabby ...

Libby with some progress pieces from our 'Blooming Florals' SYR Project quilt.

Still deciding the best colour option for the sashing that will go between these blocks ....

Some rather scrumptious fabrics which will be used to create some craft items for our upcoming presence at the last two fundraising QFO efforts for the year.

Thanks ever so much Carmen for your help in cutting these out for me.

And at days end ... here is our Friendship Star quilt  ... ready for its finishing touches. Look out for this (and others) created for the SYR Project at our upcoming presence next month at Mont De Lancey.

And in anticipation of Christmas QFO will have a small stall/table at the upcoming Ethical Community Market 'Fairs Fair''at the TLC Church in Bayswater North this coming Saturday October 19th .... so save the date ... drop by and say Hi :)

And a BIG Thank you to our creative crafters Kay, Sheilagh, Julianne, Christine, Elaine and (dare I say) myself .. for the contributions gifted to QFO for these fundraisers. So very much ch appreciated. Take a bow 👏👏👏

Aaaaand thats pretty much a 'wrap' for this Blogpost .... other than a look at the sweetest handcrafted adornments on our little Christmas Tree at our entry this morning. Libby tells me that they were handstitched .. and are just gorgeous.

And so .... this Blog will now wend its merry way to your computer/ipad or phone and i will now take a restorative coffee break. 

Look forward to sharing with you again ...  Libby advises that we will not be having Gathering Day at the hall on Saturday November 9 - however we will have some sewing machines set up at Mont de Lancey to sew some pillow cases for Heavenly Trimmings.

Tuesdays at the Hall will continue up until Tuesday December 10, then we will be in recess over Christmas and January.

We will resume our activities at the hall on Tuesday February 4 and Gathering Day on Saturday February 8 2025.

Till next update ... 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.

 

Spring was in the air .... as we gathered at the Hall on September 14th 2024.

We had a lovely ... almost full ... Hall on Saturday the 14th as we settled in to create another of our 'Fabric Hugs for the Yarra Ranges' Project that Libby and Annette co-ordinated. The 'theme' this month being 'Bloomin' Wonderful'.

The quilts being created will be displayed at Mont De Lancey in November .. and then will be gifted to organisations in the Shire of Yarra Ranges ...  who will distribute them to those in need. 

Present to help us in our stitching efforts on Saturday were: Carmen, Sheryl, Sandi, Cheryl, Margaret, Libby, Christine, Yvonne, Annette, Deborah, Gabby, Joy, Ann, Pauline, Elaine and yours truly.

We also welcomed our AGM Guest Speaker Marion Stott from the Mooroolbark History Group who arrived with her husband Lloyd. 

Annette brought along some beautiful potted tulips as part of the 'theme' for the month .... and they got a thorough drenching on our outside ramp during the day as the skies gave us a jolly good deluge mid afternoon. Thankfully our roof held up against the onslaught ;)

The workspace started filling fast.

A hive of activity indeed.

Ann ... one  of our newest Members ... trimming blocks for the latest quilt.

Libby getting the laptop set up for the Zoom component of the AGM.

Stitching is hungry work, and we had a splendid array of shared 'tasty comestibles' to fuel our attendees at morning tea :)

Yvonne, Carmen, Elaine and Margaret refuelling :)

All intently listening as the AGM commences ... 

Zoom seemed to be working just nicely :)

With feedback from the organisations we have been able to 'bless' during the year with our quilts.

AGM in 'full swing' ... with the election process seeing Libby as our new President (and Secretary) whilst Annette did a nifty segue into the role of Vice President. So it is safe to say that QFO continues to be in good hands during the year ahead'.

Next we heard from our Guest Speaker Marion Stott ... who has an extensive background in volunteering within the community .... covering organisations such as the CWA (started by her ancestor) and how it influenced her life of service to others with Nursing Mothers Association, Montessori, Gymbaroo etc. She is also the recent recipient of an OAM which she kindly brought along to show us. We also heard of her family history and her interest in ancestry/genealogy. 

Lloyd Stott, Marion Stott with Annette and Libby.

Marions OAM :) Which, for her, was a highlight during our period of Lockdowns. 

Marion then read a couple of excerpts from a publication relating to the Mooroolbark War Memorials .. with reference to those who volunteered and gave their all in past conflicts. All most interesting.

Marion was then treated to a tour of the Hall ... with special attention being paid to our Gammill quilting machine.

Gabby demonstrating an 'oopsy' piecing faux pas :) Easily enough fixed ... right?

Sheryl, Libby and Gabby with three of the completed quilts for the SYR project ... and aren't they just so colourful? And a group effort by all the QFO stitchers. Can't wait to see what else we create for this gifting.

Some of the sweet smaller cot quilts we have been gifted by off-site stitchers for our 'Lifes Little Treasures' outreach. The '100' is a nod to the milestone 100 days these very premature babies have reached since their early birthing. 

A rather stunning tote bag created by our Sandi .. using some really neat sewing themed fabric ... for part of our upcoming fundraising efforts.

Sandi is also a dab hand at beautifully pieced table runners .... I think for a lot of our followers Christmas gifts should be well sorted by years end ... right? See you at our upcoming 'Events'.

A progress shot of our themed quilt top blocks so far ... looking good.

A rare moment in time. Yours truly wielding an iron. Screenshot it if you must for 'posterity'. its not likely to happen again.

How good is this idea folks? Forget the twiddly little plastic water containers that come with your iron. Dig out an unused teapot and use it for your iron refills. Simple and most effective. I believe this was an idea of Annettes ... neat eh?

A mid afternoon 'visitor' cruised by the Hall ... think he was waiting to be invited in to do some 'pinning' for us on our quilts.

And soon it was time to start packing up .... 

Placement yet to be fine-tuned ... but you get the idea.

Now before I finalise this months Blog ... I'll add some pics I received from Libby during the week ... of giftings and talks that she and Annette have attended in recent weeks.

Donna from Cottage by the Sea ... collecting some quilts, crochet/knitted blankets and Beanies. And another gifting for Lifes Little Treasures.

Libby and Annette recently visited Kirkbrae Community Group to share our QFO story. And as part of their talk Annette shared stories of that quintessential early Australian 'quilt' ... the Wagga.. Some of the ladies in the group could remember a family member creating a Wagga many years ago and they had some fascinating stories to tell also.

https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/nwm/collection/waggaproject/documents/item/8d997d870d9447b.aspx 

And now a big Thank You to some of our 'in house' .. and offsite .. quilters who have generously stitched and gifted for us .... BIG thanks to Trudi, The Lorne Quilters, Margaret, Sandi, Elaine, Christine, Lauretta and Susan for the wonderful items they have made for us.

A warm thank you to each and every stitcher who spent time and energy creating for us ... your selflessness is truly appreciated. You are all just wonderful and help keep the wheels of gifting our fabric 'hugs' turning throughout the year. Bless you all.

And on that note I will wind this up and get it out into cyberspace for your reading enjoyment. And get myself back into the sewing room here to churn out a few 'bits'n'bobs' myself for the cause ;)

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.

And before we knew it ... August was here .... and we were 'going bananas' at the Hall.

Well here we are again Folks ... and isn't the year just whizzing by?

We gathered at the Hall on Saturday August 10th for a day of stitching with a 'theme'. We were creating a QAYG quilt which will be part of a 'gifting' of 50 quilts from QFO to organisations in the Shire of Yarra Ranges. These will be given in turn to folk in need. As a 'back story' .. if you've seen our QFO Newsletter ... we  were recently blessed to be in receipt of a Grant from the Shire ... which was applied for by QFO/Libby and which will help meet some of the costs we incur as part of our Mission to provide fabric 'hugs' for those requiring comfort. So a very grateful Thank You to the SYR for their generosity. These quilts will be on display at Mont De Lancey in November ... before being gifted to the various organisations for delivery to those in need.

Thus with this project in mind ...  on Saturday we met with a 'theme' of 'Gone Bananas' .. and which saw us having a Makers Marathon creating a quilt with a cheery yellow colour theme. Helping us to create this quilt we welcomed our stitchers Annette, Sandi, Libby, Christine, Margaret, Sheryl, Yvonne, Cheryl, Lauretta, Kathy and Elaine.

As you can see ... Annette created an appropriate 'welcome' at the door for those attending ;)

Part of the colour palette of fabric strips we were using.

Lauretta busily stitching away ...

Christine and Margaret equally well occupied ... I think that Christine was busily finishing off last months QAYG project.

Sheryl also hard at work ... :) And in the background at the right .. you can start to see the QAYG in progress.

Annette at the ironing 'station' ... keeping us well supplied with fabric strips.

Yvonne having a breather ... it was approaching lunchtime I believe and she'd earnt some downtime :)

And ditto for Sandi ...

We were also able to share some recent donations ... this one came to us from the FernTree Gully Volunteer Quilters.who passed them onto us via Karen Martin at Mrs Martins Quilts. Thank you so very much for your kindness.

Not too sure of the 'history' of this one .. but the applique is magnificent I think you'll agree.

We also received some lovely stitched blessings from our own Members Elaine, Marg, Sandi and Christine. These items will be part of our fundraising sales when we have our upcoming presence at 'Fairs Fair' at the Truth and Liberation Church in Bayswater on October 19th  ... and we will also be at Mont De Lancey between November 2nd and 10th.

Isn't this fabric so much fun?

Another block begins :)

Taking shape almost as we watch it ..

And 'some I prepared earlier' ... for the Tuesday stitchers :) You're very welcome :)

A veritable hive of activity ..

Giftings getting ready to be despatched ... Its beyond wonderful to be able to report that we have recently gifted:

10 lap quilts to Palliative Care

90 cot quilts to the Queen Elizabeth Centre

26 lap quilts to Kirkbrae Aged Care

18 quilts to Cottage by the Sea

3 single and 12 Cot quilts to the Philippines 'Change the One'

The gifting we sent to Kirkbrae this week with Cheryl. Thanks muchly for doing delivery duty Cheryl :)

And our shelves are looking beautifully almost 'bare' ... a goodly sign that we have blessed more and more organisations with our fabric hugs :)

So good to know that as blessings have been received ... they have also been despatched. Oh what a feeling eh?

And ... Saturdays project has almost magically come together. Doesn't it look SO cheerful?

Libby and Annette tell me that quilts have recently been gifted to Palliative care and Oz Comfort Quilts. We are also making more pillowcases for Heavenly Trimmings .... an organisation established in 2015 which benefits children living with chronic illness. See their website at https://heavenlytrimmings.com 

Libby and Annette will be speaking soon at the Berwick Church of Christ Seniors Group .... letting them know all about QFO and what we have been doing since we began waaaay back in 2007. They will also soon be part of a Lilydale Rotary and the Order of Australia Association Outer Eastern Region broadcast which will be airing on Youtube in the not too distant future, speaking about our organisation and what we do. A queue for their autographs as media superstars can form behind me *wink*

And I think, dear Reader, that just about wraps up the Blog for August ... think I covered pretty much everything I was tasked with. And if I haven't ... well I can always add another Blogpost ... right? 

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.

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

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

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

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

And the pink blocks ....

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Susan

Contact us via our Website : www.quiltsfororphans.org 

Blogger: Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825

Email: [email protected]

Our postal address (for donations) is  P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793

And .... we are www.quiltsfororphans.org 

On 'social media'  aka Facebook find us at https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsForOrphans/

Check out the following Links:

http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit

https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au

http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children

 http://mrsmartinsquiltshop.typepad.com/  ...whose customer blessed us with awesome fabric

We have also stitched for the following Childrens Homes ....

http://www.butterflych.org/.... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China

And their very own Blog ... which is beautifully written and contains inspirational stories on the children in their care. See the Link below:

http://butterflyhospice.blogspot.com.au/

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1

www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation

www.hopefosterhome.com ... the babies we are creating crib quilts for in China ...

www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com  .... giving hope to children in Zambia.

http://english.chinaconcern.org/  ... more children in China that we have stitched for ...

http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/ .... in Ethiopia

http://www.fikelela.org.za/orphan.asp .... the Fikelala AIDS Project in Capetown

http://mifanmama.com/Shining_Star_2.html the Home for vision impaired children in Shanghai

http://www.austchamshanghai.com/about-us/csr/mifan-mama.aspx

www.jewelsofhope.org ... the project we stitch for in Lesotho Southern Africa

http://www.thebabesproject.com.au/

http://elishacare.blogspot.com.au/

http://rangescc.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/elisha-care/

The Matombo Village Project vimeo.com/217129149

http://heavenlytrimmings.com

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