Three Will Do.

Working nights has taken most of my time for several days and nights, but I did get three more tops quilted as I had already pinned a couple ready for quilting. The first and third tops were donated by some of my lovely blog readers and it's lovely to finally have them finished and ready to donate to victims of domestic violence.

The second top was made by a member of my Melbourne quilt group for our Gift Quilt Program and will be donated to either a cancer patient or a child in foster care. Our weather is so cold at the moment, that it's comforting to know that some needy people will soon be enjoying the warmth of these quilts.

Many thanks for your help with these quilt programs. I'll be back to finishing more QAYG quilts next.

Hugs, Jan Mac

Thursday's Three.

 It's been a busy week with lots of bookshelves being cleared, trailer loads of old tyres and mattresses to the tip, as well as lots of quilting. While I've been sorting fabric for backings and packing up some donated tops I thought it was also a good chance to get some more quilts finished.
     The first top was made by a member of my Melbourne quilting group for our Gift Quilt Program and the second quilt was a donated top which will go to Impact. The last quilt was made from donated 12 inch QAYG blocks, with two extra made to make it large enough. This one will go to the group helping homeless teens.
    I'm back working nights again so there won't be as many finishes for a few days.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Four Finishes To Share.

 De cluttering is happening slowly but the pile of finished quilts is growing as, rather than pack tops and QAYG blocks away, I've been finishing them and reducing the piles of tops, blocks and backing fabric. Or at least that is the plan at the moment. At least I 'm getting  a head start on my next shipment of quilts for Impact.
   The first top was made by Marijke of Holland, using string pieced fabric sewn onto a foundation. The next quilt was made from some of the lovely donated QAYG blocks and the last two were donated tops which only needed to be quilted and bound.
      Our current cold and wet weather is ideal for getting more quilts finished so I'm hoping to get some more finished before I work nights again this week.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

Busy Times.

 We celebrated my Dad's 91st birthday yesterday and it was a busy time with family coming home for the celebrations. I'd also had a lovely couple of days in Melbourne at the end of the week, spending time with my DD and going to see The Sound of Music stage production. There hasn't been much time for quilting but two more donated tops have been finished for domestic violence survivors and I hope to finish a few more soon.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Three To Warm Someone.

 The first two lovely tops had been donated some time ago by very generous  quilters. In fact I still have a few more waiting to be quilted so I plan on getting them finished and donated while I'm downsizing. The first two quilts will be donated to domestic violence survivors. The third top was made by a quilter from my Melbourne quilting group. I've finished it for our Gift a Quilt Program and I have a few more just needing binding so there will soon be some people enjoying warm quilts and the weather is perfect for it.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Request For Aussie Hero Quilts.

 One of my blog readers has asked me to send out a request for help for another quilter who does a lot of work for charity. Jan- Maree Ball is the founder of Aussie Hero Quilts and laundry bags for Australian service men and sadly her home burned down a few nights ago. This has meant that she has lost her records for Aussie Hero Quilts as well as many quilts and laundry bags allocated for service men and women.
  Jo has asked me to link my blog to her post and any help you are able to offer will be gratefully received. The blog post is for Sun 12th of June. It must be very hard to lose everything in a house fire but to also lose so much which was going to help others must be doubly as hard.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

http://jobutterfield.blogspot.com.au

A Productive Day.

 The sun was out today and it was cool but lovely to have a break from the rain, although everything us very green  thanks to the rain. Even our kangaroos are enjoying having more green grass to graze on. The first quilt was a top I quilted for my Melbourne group's Gift Quilt Program and the second was put together from the donated QAYG blocks I've received. This quilt will be donated to the group helping homeless teens. Hopefully tomorrow will be as productive too.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Appliqué Fun On A Cold Day.

Although it was a cold day we had a warm reception at our Appliqué Group's regular meeting day. A special treat was a look at Di Ford Hall's new fabric range by Andover, called Giggleswick Mill. The colours and designs are fabulous and Di's new quilt show the fabric to their best advantage. I love how Di uses fabric printed with a design like florals in a long strip in her sashing or borders. It makes a more simple block look more complicated and of course her use of colour is just lovely.

 We also had a lively talk on Indian textiles by a Fran Bratouny, from Melbourne, and she shared some of her beautiful hand dyed and embroidered purchases.

Other members also shared some of their finished appliqué quilts and there were lots of lovely projects being worked on by our members. Thankfully the wood fire was going when I arrived home and I'll be off to bed early tonight.

Hugs, Jan Mac

 

Change Is Coming.

 We have decided to downsize and sell our farm while we are able to make the changes required and consequently I have also decided to sell my Design a Quilt short arm quilting machine. It sits on a custom made 12 foot table and I don't want to limit our house hunting to one which is large enough for the machine. It's an excellent machine for edge to edge quilting or meandering, which I mainly do on the donation quilts. I'm only asking $3,000, ONO, which includes the custom made table, bobbin winder and several pantographs.
     There is no way I will be stop making the donation quilts as I plan to continue with the QAYG quilts made from your donated blocks, and I use my industrial machine for those. It is an absolute work horse and a pleasure to use on these quilts. Having worn out two sewing machines on the few thousand quilts I've made, I won't be parting with this machine but it doesn't take up much more space than a machine set into a sewing cabinet. I also will still keep my other machine for my own sewing and quilting.
   It will be a big change to down size, and a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to the next chapter of our lives, with more time for doing the things we enjoy, so if you know anyone who would be interested in a quilting machine, please pass on my details to them.
Tonight, it was so easy to put this quilt together in three hours or so, using some of the many donated blocks you gave sent. I plan on getting more finished soon and put away to be given to groups supporting domestic violence victims and homeless teens.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Serendipity.

 I have been stuffing cushions with left over batting scraps which are too small for QAYG blocks, and decided to make the cushion covers so they can be donated. I wanted to deliver the two crocheted blankets as well to the group near us, which helps homeless teens. I used odd donated blocks and some colorful backs for the cushions, as well as 25 year old piece of fabric ( the green skull and cross bones) which I'd bought to make board shorts for DS.
    I delivered the blankets, cushions and a new visy jacket and they were thrilled to receive them as they gad thrown out the last of their ratty old cushions this morning. It was meant to be that I was able to replace them. The staff proudly showed me their rec room where the quilts I've donated take pride of place and bring some colour to their old couches. The blankets, quilts and cushions all help to make their surroundings more homely and they gave a young lad who has started some farm work, so the warm jacket will also be very welcome.
    I've promised another delivery of quilts soon so I'd better get busy again. Many thanks for your wonderful donations. They really are appreciated by both the clients and staff and make a difference in their lives, to know that someone they don't know, have taken the time to make some lovely hand made items for them.
Hugs, Jan Mac

You've Been Busy With QAYG Blocks.

 While we were traveling some of my blog readers have been very busy using up their scraps and making some fabulous QAYG blocks for donation quilts. The first lot of 4 blocks of 10.5 inches and 13 blocks of 12.5 inches, were made by Christine Singleton of New Zealand. The second pile of  25 beautiful blocks were sent by an anonymous member of SCQ. The last pile of blocks, including 3 sets of binding were sent by Vireya J. And will also make some beautiful donation quilts.
   Thank you all so much for your gift of time which means I can get more quilts finished and donated on your behalf.
I'd better get busy now reducing these piles of blocks into quilts.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Three More Finishes.

 This very cute quilt for a young boy was made by a member of my Melbouren quilting group and I quilted it for our Gift Quilt a Program. Marg loves to appliqué using hand stitched button hole stitches around each piece. She does a beautiful job and loves to stitch most nights, but she doesn't enjoy quilting so I finish them off for her to donate. A little boy is going to be very happy to receive his own dinosaur quilt.
       I had made a crocheted blanket while we were traveling as well as making enough squares for a second one, so I finished putting that together as well and it will be donated to a group which helps homeless teens. I'm enjoying our wet weather as it is ideal weather for basting and quilting tops and I also have a pile of QAYG blocks to put together and donate to Impact which helps domestic violence victims.
Stay warm and keep quilting.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Quilting Has Begun Again.

 Now we are back from our travels it's time to get caught up with things at home. While doing the housework yesterday I made time to machine quilt two tops for my Melbourne Quilt Group's Gift Quilt Program. Members made the tops and now we are busy getting them finished so they can bring some comfort to those in need, the second and third quilts were finished yesterday and I love the use of 2.5 inch squares and 2.5 inch blue strips which make up the blocks. It's a lovely bright scrappy quilt and the blue makes them play nicely together.

The first quilt was also made by a quilting friend and it will also go the the Gift Quilt Program so there will be lots of warm people now that winter is here. I wanted to get them finished before our meeting on Monday and then plan to finish some more of the donated QAYG blocks into quilts too. Hugs, Jan Mac

Stranded in Birdsville.

Our car problems continued and we found ourselves stranded for five days while we waited for parts to be flown in. There are only two flights a week with supplies from the nearest larger town but they didn't have the parts either so we had to wait for them to order them in and then fly them to Birdsville. It took five days to get the part and only fifteen minutes to fit it.
    We filled in the week with lots of reading. I've always liked Birdsville but have never spent more than a few days there and really there is nothing much to do as a tourist. I told DH it was a shame we weren't stranded at the beach instead. The car was repaired on Monday late afternoon and we are now home after three long days of driving. Today was spent unpacking, washing clothes etc and I now have lots of donation quilts to finish from all the lovely QAYG blocks my lovely blog readers have been sending. Stay tuned for some quilting updates very soon.
It was a great trip but it's lovely to be home again.
Hugs, Jan Mac