The Mail's Arrived!

Wow what a lovely lot of donations have arrived this week. You ladies must make some beautiful quilts if the fabric you've used in the blocks is any example. They are really lovely and will make some stunning quilts to be donated.
Firstly Wendy Watson (Vic) sent 35 QAYG blocks for a whole quilt and they are in pretty feminine colours. Then I received parcels from Rini vanNimwegen and Wilma Bruins from Holland, who both sent heart blocks (8 and 12 respectively) which are really pretty and will look lovely with the others I've received. Julie Howard (Vic) has sent 32 QAYG blocks and binding. Some are in pretty florals and the others are in bright boys prints.
Joy Tedjosiswoyd (Vic) sent 19 lovely QAYG blocks in bright colours and they look really lovely. Eight more QAYG blocks have arrived from Holland sent by Shere Hecht and she also sent me a lovely pin cushion. Kelly Hamlyn-Harris (Vic) was kind enough to send enough binding for a QAYG quilt and she had also joined the strips and pressed them so that is a huge gift of time for me and I'll be using it tomorrow, Kelly.
Chandra Sambell (WA) sent 6 lovely QAG blocks and Wendy Churchill (Vic) also sent 12 QAYG blocks and they will all be used as soon as possible. Then I received another parcel from Finland, sent by Carina Nordberg who sent 12 QAYG blocks and it always amazes me that not only do I get Australian quilters donating but also quilters from the other side of the world who are supporting this quilt drive.
Judy Millington (Tas) also sent 12 QAYG blocks and Kerry Shelberg (NSW) also sent two boxes of fabric, one contains FQs and the other has strips of fabric already cut and I have started to use them already.
I hope that it's OK to use your names on my blogs, or if you'd prefer I can use first names and just an initial for the surname. I also hope that I haven't mispelled anyone's name as sometime the post mark is across the name and it's a bit hard to read.
Please include your emails if you want me to email you when the parcels arrive but please excuse me if I get a bit behind with my responses as I'm trying to finish as many quilts as possible for the next month while I still have a way of getting them to Qld via a donated truck.
Your very generous donations are very heartwarming and your lovely notes are very kind. I couldn't finish and donate as many quilts without all your help so I thank you all.
More tomorrow and I plan to start earlier before the heat becomes too intense here.
Take care, Jan Mac

Comings and Goings

We had a 21st birthday party for one of my lovely nieces who was born on Australia Day and that was the theme for her party. We had a lovely picnic lunch and it was great to catch up with our family members again as well as to see how these young people have grown into such lovely adults. We always got together every Sunday night for a meal with my siblings and their families at my parent's home and we have many happy memories of these times. We took this opportunity to deliver 34 quilts as well as 1 crocheted blanket for the Homeless Connect Day coming up in Melbourne. Last week's quilt all went to Emerald in Qld, where 1,274 homes were inundated by flood waters and I believe that the water was 18 to 19 metres deep so many homes and businesses were destroyed. You can see some more of the quilts on my other blog and read a little about their distribution. Apparently the quilts are the first things that people choose and it will be lovely to have more of them to be given out this week.
I also received more parcels on Friday but haven't had time to take photos of all of them yet and sadly I have paid work for a couple of days so I will fit things in as I can manage.
Shown here are 6 more lovely bright QAYG blocks in bright colours sent by Terry P (NSW) and she also sent binding strips to join squares into a quilt.
Inge Bakker-Simon from Holland sent 21 beautiful quilt blocks with appliqued hearts and they will join the others donated from Holland and will make a beautiful quilt to donate. Inge also spread the word amongst her quilting friends and I have already received some heart blocks from other quilters so I'll get them together very soon.
Helen S. (Vic) also sent a quilt top and some fabric and they are in lovely colours which will make a lovely quilt.
More to follow as I get time and I plan to make more quilts in between work commitments so keep an eye on the other blog too.
It's always good to hear that the quilts are bringing some comfort and I hope it helps for you to know that your efforts are really appreciated.
Better get back to the machine, Hugs Jan Mac

Not Just Quilts

Happy Australia Day everyone!
I managed to finish off more quilts and they are shown on my other blog at Oz Comfort Quilts. Now that I've received some more QAYG blocks as well as bindings it's made it a lot easier to get more finished. The quilt shown here is made for a boy using some I Spy QAYG blocks. A young lad will have fun looking for all the different animals and fish on the strips if fabric. It's bright and colourful and it even has some spiders on the strips!
As well as getting the quilts made this week I also knitted 4 beanies and finished off a crocheted blanket. The blanket measures 50"x70" and it's a good project to have when I need a break from sewing. I've started another one too as there is a Homeless Connect day in Melbourne in March and they are wanting warm garments like hats, scarves and gloves as well as blankets. This is a lovely way for me to use up small bits and pieces of wool or acrylic yarn and will help to keep someone warm this winter. I can just about make these squares in my sleep so I can also watch the cricket on TV while I create more squares.
Tomorrow I plan to make some more QAYG quilts as I want to make a big delivery when I go to Melbourne on Friday as there will be a truck taking donations to Qld and it will save me a lot in postage costs.
I hope you all had a good day with family and friends. We had family visit during the day and I can't sew while visitors are here but I can knit and crochet LOL!
Take care, Jan Mac

Lots of Parcels Arrived

Yesterday the mailman brought 11 parcels as well as a letter from the USA. The letter was from Carol Lee with a generous donation towards the cost of making and donating quilts and will be put toward batting. The lovely pink QAYG blocks came from Debbie V. from Qld and she sent 19 as well as some more pink fabric to make more blocks to match. Merilyn F. (NSW) sent a set of 12 QAYG blocks.
Linda S. from WA sent 12 QAYG blocks and Beth M. from ACT sent 16 QAYG blocks in purple shades.

Joy from New Zealand sent 14 orphan blocks and Fran Remden also from NZ sent 2 QAYG blocks.

Jill McCoy from New Zealand sent a set of 36 QAYG blocks and Kerry S.(NSW) and Andrea (Vic) both sent a large box of fabric strips. Margie W. (NSW) sent 4 lovely quilts shown on the other blog at Oz Comfort Quilts.
And last but certainly not least, the Coleambally Quilters (NSW) held an extra sewing day specially to make some QAYG blocks and they sent 2 sets of 35 blocks as well as two large carry bags to hold the finished quilts and the binding strips to join the blocks.






As you can see all the blocks look fantastic and will make some beautiful quilts. I'd better get busy with putting them together now. I just want to say a very sincere thank you to everyone for their support with this appeal by sending so many wonderful donations. Keep an eye on the other blog for finished quilts.
Many thanks, Jan Mac

A Purple Patch...

I know it's corny but it had to be said when I'm showing a very purple quilt. This is a lovely QAYG quilt which was made and donated by Doreen from ACT. Actually she made all the blocks some years ago and then lost interest in finishing it. Luckily she decided to donate it to the Oz Comfort Quilt flood relief appeal.
It's a really pretty quilt and it took less than an hour to finish it off. I think we all win in this situation. Doreen because she doesn't have to feel guilty about not finishing it, me because I get to play with the lovely fabric, and the lucky recipient who will have a lovely hand-made hug to bring them some comfort after losing all their household belongings.
So have a think about some of the UFOs you have stashed away. Do you regret the time and effort that went into the project, that you never finished? Or perhaps you regret the money you spent on something that is now residing in the back of the cupboard, or perhaps stashed away in a bag somewhere.
As far as the money you spent on your UFOs you won't be able to recover the cost but you could donate them and they will be finished and donated to someone who would love to cherish it and give it a good home. It may be the only hand-made items they will own after losing all their possessions.
This lovely quilt will be on it's way to Queensland this coming week and if you have any UFOs you want to donate, just send them on and I'll finish them off and donate them on your behalf. It's just something I love to do and today was very productive with finishing off this QAYG quilt, quilting and binding another top, binding three of yesterday's quilts (finished quilts shown at
Oz Comfort Quilts blog)and making more QAYG blocks.
Hugs Jan Mac

More Arrivals and Donations

The postman was very busy again today and 7 parcels arrived with 6 of them for the Quilt Flood Relief Appeal and the other was for East Timor. The first parcel came all the way from Finland and Ulla Rantakari again supported Oz Comfort Quilts by sending 16 lovely QAYG blocks, binding strips and 4 cloth bags. They are really lovely and will be treasured. One of the bags looks like Ulla has cleverly used a shirt as the basis for the bag and it looks great and an idea I must try out sometime.






Julianne P. from Vic sent 12 lovely FQs of fabric for the flood appeal blocks and they will be used up very quickly so thank you for your ongoing support too Julianne.

Jacky W. from Vic also sent 8 lovely QAYG blocks and the colours are bright and cheerful so will make a quilt really " sing" with happy vibes.


Robyn O. from Brisbane (Qld) sent down 22 rice bags that she'd made fro East Timor. Considering all the troubles that they have been experiencing with the floods in her city she did a wonderful job to even think of them. As well as the flood quilt appeal I will still be making and sending donated rice bags, and school supplies for East Timor and quilts again when we have fulfilled our pledge for quilts to the flooded areas.

Carol Bennett from New Zealand sent 15 QAYG blocks and they are so soft and cuddly as she backed them with a soft polar fleece. They will make a lovely snuggly quilt for a young child.

Mary Anne Richardson sent 4 lovely QAYG blocks all the way from Canada and they are in purple tones and will make some great quilts too.


As you can see donating so many quilts are possible because so many of you have taken the time to make and donate some QAYG blocks, fabric and so on. I'll keep you updated about our progress so you can see your blocks made up into quilts and then donated.
The news about the floods is still not good for the northern part of my State of Victoria and I'm praying that the estimated damages will be less than anticipated.
More later, Hugs Jan Mac

Blocks From All Over

Today's post was stuffed into our mail box and I received blocks from around the world for the Flood Quilt Appeal. I also contacted the local Member of Parliament to see if I could get some assistance with postage of the quilts to Qld and heard that areas of my own State, Victoria, are actually in pretty desperate conditions as well. Most of the flooded areas in Vic are in farming districts and they have lost stock, crops, and fences, as well as having their homes inundated by water. I guess if I stop to think about how many people need help it would be so daunting that you would just decide that you can't help everyone so why start. However, although I know I can't help everyone, for everyone who does receive a quilt made specially for them they will know that they have our support and hopefully this will give some comfort. So I've just decided to do the best I can, make as many quilts as possible and donate to as many of the affected areas as possible.
I'm on a deadline for one means of getting quilts transported to Qld as there is a truck with a crew who will be driving up to Qld every week for the next 5 weeks. So if I get the quilts to the lady who is loading the truck then that means that the cleaning crew will hand out quilts as they help people to clean their homes. They are working in the Toowoomba area at the moment, which had a large number of people who drowned in an inland tsunami.
I'm very grateful for the support of my readers and for you helping to spread the word that QAYG blocks are needed. Today I received a set of 35 QAYG blocks from Kaite and Coralie of Bathurst (NSW) and they are in very pretty pinks and pastel colours and they have included a matching bag for the quilt to be stored in. It's hard to believe that Kaite and Coralie had never made any blocks until they got involved with my bush fire quilt appeal in 2009. It's Coralie's 86th birthday tomorrow and she is an absolute star with her work making so many blocks for the quilt appeal this time as well.
The next heart blocks arrived from Anna Lemsma in Holland and she sent 5 beautiful blocks for me to make into a quilt.

I also received 4 lovely heart blocks as well as a set of 15 other blocks from Jannie Vlastuin who is also from Holland. A lovely reader from Holland, Inge Bakker-Simon, found that I was making quilts for the appeal and she offered to spread the word among her local quilting friends as well as readers of her blog. As the cost of postage can be high when sending from overseas Inge is asking for people to send me heart blocks measuring 10.5" sq and I will make them into a top and quilt it.

I also received a set of 4 QAYG blocks and some lovely fabric from a reader in New Zealand, Josie Carrad, who happened to find my blog and decided to help the appeal by making some QAYG blocks.

I finished off 3 quilts today and have started putting together another QAYG quilts so it was a productive day. I hope to do as well tomorrow.
Cheers, Jan Mac

More QAYG Blocks Arrived

Today I picked up a large box from the post office and Margaret H, from Springwood (NSW) had sent a finished quilt (shown on Oz Comfort Quilts), 3 quilt tops, 3 sets of binding, and 66 QAYG blocks.
What a wonderful donation Margaret. She wrote that she'd been working on the blocks all year and will also be sending some finished quilts.
I've been putting a crocheted blanket together for a donation to a homeless person and also making more QAYG blocks and binding.
I've also added a link to the tutorial for joining the QAYG blocks, found at the top and on the right hand side of my blog. The link takes you to Feb 2009 blog posts and you need to scroll down to Feb 13th with the title: "Finally the Tutorial Part 2" and I guess as several readers have requested it the title is apt.
Time to get off the computer and back to the sewing machine.
Hugs Jan Mac

Sunny Monday

We've been very fortunate to avoid our property being flooded again. We live on the Broken River in Victoria and the river rises and falls very quickly normally, and it fills when we get rainfall in the hills to the east of us. This time the floods have come from the west of our State and 43 towns have been flooded but not us this time. If we do have a flood we have our whole farm flooded but we haven't had the water through our home and we are very grateful for that.
We have a creek which runs across our farm and it rose overnight but it has started to go down again now and the sun has been out which has helped to dry out our paddocks.
I've been busy making more QAYG blocks and I also received a lovely parcel today from Lorraine G (NSW). Lorraine sent 4 beautiful QAYG blocks, some FQs and some money to help pay for postage. They will all be put to good use and now that Victoria has also had severe flooding in some areas I know that I'll have an even bigger challenge to get more quilts made and donated. We have 5 of our States with flood damage and the need for help and support will be great. Some of these people were already homeless and have lost what few possessions they did have. Hopefully donations of some warm winter hats and scarves and some blankets or quilts will help to keep them warm.
Back to the machine again and please pass on the blog address so we can get more help with the QAYG block donations to make more quilts.
Cheers, Jan Mac

Some Hints About Making the QAYG Blocks

I've been making these blocks again today so I can get enough to make another quilt. I've been working on some which are all in various shades of blue as well as another set of prints which would be suitable for a boy. The reason for focusing on these blocks is to match some which have been donated. I don't usually make a quilt in just one or two colours but I have some blue blocks and I want to match them.
I've made hundreds of blocks as well as hundreds of quilts from these blocks and these were a major part of my quilts donated for the Victorian bush fire quilt appeal in 2009.

Things I've learned: * I try to make the blocks either "pretty" in colours for girls or with "boys" fabrics. The people who received them didn't really care they just wanted something which was sturdy, bright and cheerful. They appreciated the fact that they were handmade especially to comfort them.
* I cut the background fabric to 11" square and then trim them down to 10.5" after sewing down all the strips of fabric over the batting- as it is quilting the fabric as we sew down the fabric it can sometimes makes the background fabric creep a bit and it may measure smaller than what you start with. It also means that you will completely cover the background and batting with the fabric strips and not have any seams not covered by the binding strips.
* It doesn't matter what batting you use- it doesn't have to be lightweight and it doesn't matter if it doesn't match the other blocks. The batting will be completely enclosed by the fabric and as it is stitched to the backing as a foundation, it will not move when the quilt is assembled.
* You can also use polar fleece or tracksuit fleece for the blocks as they will work in the same way that the batting does.
* If using thicker batting I trim a triangle off each corner of the block so there is less bulk at this area where I'm joining the blocks.
I usually work with strips of fabric from 1" wide up to 2.5" wide as if I'm using batting strips for the block it makes sure that they are securely anchored and I think they look better to have more variety of colours in each block.
* I often use triangles of fabric in the corners to lessen bulk.
*The only rule I have for fabric selection is that I don't use the same fabric more than once in each block.
*I often join smaller pieces of fabric and cut them into strings which adds interest to the blocks.
* I try to make them a variety of bright and dark so they don't have murky colours but the binding strips allows the eye to focus and makes all the different fabrics work together.
* If cutting binding strips I cut them to 2.5" wide and across the width of fabric.
* Plain or tone on tone fabric works best to tame down the rest of the scrappy colours but it's not vital to use plain colours.
* It takes 21 strips of width of fabric to join the QAYG blocks set 5x7 as well as to complete the binding of the quilt.
* Have fun with the process as I find it's like eating peanuts and it's hard to stop at just one.

I'm sure there is something else that I can add but I don't want to make too many rules. Whatever you donate will be used. Sometimes I've received blocks that are a different size or theme and I work with them and often make more to match before putting them together. I'm going to avoid having quilts that are too brown and which will remind them of floodwaters, as with the bushfire quilts I avoided using predominantly red and black for the quilts, but apart from that have fun and use up your scraps. The quilts will be warm and sturdy and will convey the thoughts and good wishes of you all to wrap them in a warm hug from all of us. I write " A hug from Oz Comfort Quilts" on the label.
Any questions please ask and bear with me if I'm a little late in replying as I'm spending more time at the sewing machine than the computer.
Thank you all for your interest and I'll keep you updated with the progress on both blogs- here as well as at Oz Comfort Quilts
Stay safe and dry,
Jan Mac

Today's Finish

Thank you all so much for helping me to get the word out about making quilts for the people in Queensland who lost their homes to the devastating floods. I'll show all the quilts I finish and donate on my other blog Oz Comfort Quilts and on this blog I show the donated blocks that arrive as well as my daily work on the quilts.
Yesterday I finished off the lovely quilt in pinks and greens with the blocks that Kaite and her mother, Coralie, made. It will be treasured by a lady and it's very feminine. I'll show that on the other blog.
Today I found a UFO that I had started almost 2 years ago. It was started at a class on piecing curved seams with Beth Miller. I was always intending to donate it but never got it finished. I found it yesterday while I was looking for more strings for the QAYG blocks. I'd only made 3 blocks and they measured about 16" square. I also had 4 QAYG blocks made to 12.25" donated and decided to adapt my UFO and make some more blocks to match these 4 blocks. I made 16 blocks to day and did get the quilt finished. It's in lovely bright colours and will warm a child's heart. I win too because it emptied another bag of strings and it allowed me to cross off a UFO too. Tonight I've been making more QAYG blocks at the 10.5" size and I'm working on some in "boy's" fabric to match the ones that Terry sent me this week.
It's lovely to see that so many volunteers have turned out to start cleaning up in Brisbane after the floods and I hope that they can last the distance as there were 12,000 houses submerged and another 15,000 with water through them. The mind boggles at comprehending those sort of figures and now we have had flood alerts and towns being evacuated in Victoria. Luckily our river hasn't risen too high yet and the sun was out today so it helped to dry some of our wet paddocks.
More later, Hugs Jan Mac

Little By Little

A poor photo but it's been overcast and raining all day so not very good light here for photos. I'll try it again if and when the sun comes out.
Today I've been making QAYG blocks and have added the condensed version of how to make the blocks on both this blog's side bar as well as my other blog Oz Comfort Quilts. I made 2 quilts yesterday and used up all the blocks I had stockpiled so today was a good day to get another pile of blocks started.
It also helps to have something positive to focus on after the heartbreaking news of the flood devastation of the past few days. It's hard to comprehend that 75% of Queensland is flood-affected and as the Premier stated they are going to be dealing with a post-war rebuilding phase which will take years.
I know that some people have said they won't want quilts in Qld and that the clean-up will be needed first but I think they are forgetting how long it takes to make enough quilts to make a difference. I learned from my experience with the bush fire quilt appeal that the quilts meant a lot to people not just for warmth but for the tangible evidence that someone cared enough about them to make a hand-made gift from their heart. This comfort and support were what kept them going through some very dark and difficult times. We needed to wait for them to be ready to accept quilts after the fires too and for me making and donating quilts is part of the recovery process- where people can start to look forward to the future and not dwell on all that they have lost.
I believe that over 10,000 homes have been affected and to date 15 people have been confirmed dead with still many missing, and the magnitude of it is still staggering.
I can't make quilts for everyone affected but we can make and distribute as many as possible, especially to the worse-hit areas. I will not be handing them over to an organization where they may be stockpiled with lots of donated "stuff". Instead I will be relying on local contacts in the areas who are willing to give them out to the people in need. We may never hear from whoever received a quilt but I will sleep a lot better knowing that we may a difference to someone's life.
So "little by little" we will get the quilts made and delivered. So far I have 20 finsihed quilts here ready to send and I received two lovely parcels of QAYG blocks from Kaite in Bathurst (NSW) and Terry P. in Quaker's Hill (NSW). Terry also sent me some beautiful baby wool as she knows that I'm also knitting as many of these people will have no winter clothing available when the weather becomes cooler. Also many of these areas which went under water had quite large numbers of homeless people living there so my crocheted blankets will also be needed so any surplus wool or yarn donations in any ply will also be welcome.
Thank you for reading this long letter tonight. I need to get back to making a few more blocks now and I thank you all for your support.
Hugs Jan Mac

Heartbreak as Floods Spread

Anna Bligh the Premier of Queensland has said "It might be breaking our hearts at the moment, but it will not break our will."

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/desperate-and-grim-situation-facing-qld-premier-anna-bligh-warns/story-fn7ik2te-1225985275828#ixzz1Ai2YaNdx

I'm so sorry to be asking all of the blogging world for help again when you were all so generous with your donations for the bush fires which devastated parts of my State- Victoria, almost 2 years ago. Then I asked for donations of QAYG blocks so I could make and donate quilts to the people who lost their homes, family and friends in the fires.
Now unbelievably the devastating floods have also caused loss of life. To date 8 are confirmed dead and many others are still missing. I always thought that floods were less devastating than fire as there was less chance of losing lives but this has certainly proven me wrong. The sad part is that they are continuing to evacuate part of Qld and even New South Wales as the flood waters continue to spread and even the city of Brisbane has 6,500 homes under threat.
So dear readers I am asking again for your help to make and donate QAYG blocks so I can put more quilts together and bring comfort to those affected, to let them know we are thinking of them. This was what meant the most to the people devastated by the bush fires- that we were thinking of them and supporting them.
This will be an ongoing project as it is going to take some time before the water even recedes and the clean-up can begin. The Qld quilters were so generous with their help for our bush fire quilt appeal that I want to repay their kindness and generosity by offering our support now. Imagine having to clean metres of thick and smelly mud from your home- some of which have had water up to their ceilings, and some were even washed off their footings. Then while sorting through the debris you couldn't find any thing to salvage. Wouldn't you love to have a fresh and pretty quilt, pillowcase, toiletries and so on to give you a little hope that things will improve.
Thanks to Kaite from Bathurst whom posted a tutorial on how to make QAYG blocks on her blog http://kaiteyarngarden.blogspot.com
as well as a lovely quilter from Holland (who has a DD currently living in Qld) and who has requested quilters from Holland via her blog (http://://batiklady.web-log.nl/blog) to send either heart blocks or string pieced blocks, same as QAYG but without batting to cut down on postal costs. I have also posted a tute on my blog to show how to make the QAYG blocks. There is also a tutorial on my blog in the notes for Feb 2009 which shows how to put the blocks together. However dear readers I am not asking you to join them together but if you have a small amount of time, as well as some fabric and batting scraps then any you are able to donate will be put together and donated on your behalf. I also use 21 strips cut across the width of fabric and measuring 2.5' wide which are used to join all the blocks.
If you are able to donate any QAYG blocks, or even any blocks, they will all be used to make quilts for the flood survivors in Qld. My address is shown on both my blogs and I would also really appreciate if you could get the info out to as many quilters as possible so we can get the quilts ready while they are doing their recovery. I will be investigating help from a transport company to deliver the quilts to some local ladies who will give them out to the people affected and I prefer this to delivering to a general donation area where they could be "lost" among other donations.
I'm sorry to ask for your help again so soon after our last quilt appeal but the situation is much more serious than first thought and many more people will be needing help now.
Thanks for reading.
Love and hugs Jan Mac

Around the Block

I've spent the past 2 days making QAYG blocks and managed to get 30 made so far. I'm taking the opportunity to tidy up my scraps and I must be making progress but the room is still messy. LOL
I also received a beautiful package of baby yarn from the lovely Kaite in Bathurst so I can knit more premmie jackets and hats.
The postman was very busy as there is another parcel for me to pick up at the post office as well as a parcel of QAYG blocks from Shona H. from Coleambally.
Thanks so much to my "team of supporters" I plan to have more QAYG quilts finished tomorrow. I have decided to make myself stop sewing by 8.30pm and crochet or knit instead so I don't burn out. It's good for me to use different muscles too.
I am very grateful for all the help offered and the donations made so we can bring some comfort to the people who have been affected by the Qld floods. Unfortunately it doesn't look like the rain is going to stop soon and there seem to be more reports of flooding, even in areas that have already been inundated.
It's a tough country to live in so I hope you all stay dry and safe. There have been warnings of a flash flood for us at the end of the week so I plan to buy supplies and keep sewing.
Hugs Jan Mac

A Change of Pace?

I was thinking of making pillowcases yesterday and then saw the large pile of batting scraps and remembered that I was going to make some dolls with brown skin to be donated to aboriginal kids.
I found a pattern that looked easy enough and got it made in the afternoon. I've thought of a few changes to make it easier and will make some more. It used up lots of batting scraps which are too small for the QAYG blocks so that was a good thing. I also made 8 QAYG blocks at 13.5" to match the 4 that had been donated. Today I put that quilt together and will show a photo later.
I've also been busy making more QAYG blocks. I keep trying to tidy the sewing room by sewing my way through all the scraps but although I'm making plenty of blocks I don't seem to have made much progress with the tidy up.
I read on one of the lists that a quilter from the US tidies her sewing area by making crumb squares from all her scraps and gets everything tidy and ready to start new projects for the rest of the year. I try it every year and make lots of quilts but still don't seem to have a tidy work area. This will keep Kate happy as she thinks I have a secret group of elves who help with all the quilts. Actually most people think I work with a team of quilters to get the quilts done and I'm the only one on the team. I tried to recruit DH but he wouldn't be in it. LOL. So yes there is a team but if I'm not here to work them they don't produce anything.
It's not a problem as I'd rather be quilting than overseeing a team of workers. I do that at my paid job instead and that's enough. Back to the pile of strips.
Hugs Jan Mac