A Slower Weekend.

 I've been having some pain in my lower arms, probably due to too much man-handling heavy quilts through the sewing machine so I had a quieter weekend to give them a rest. I finished these cute little toys- a puppy and a rabbit, which will be going to Peter Mac to be sold in their auxillary shop to raise funds and hopefully someone will want to buy them.

 I also finished another little baby jacket for our expected grandson but I think I'll have to change the ribbon for white as it is too green. The colour is a soft mint green and will look nice with his growsuits.

 We also had a visit from a couple of our resident kangaroos. These aren't our largest ones and the male was very curious and despite seeing me watching him from indoors, he came closer to the verandah so I had a good view. I had seen some signs of them in my garden beds but was surprised that they came so close to the house.

His female had a joey in her pouch and hopefully you'll be able to see it if you blow the photo up. She's just to the right of the bush in the middle of the photo but a bit shy because she had her baby with her.
   Marijke, any size baby quilts would be fine. I usually make them 43"-45" square but they will also take them if theya are 32" x 45". We had some heavy rain over the weekend so everything is starting to get green here now.
Back to work. Hugs, Jan Mac

A Finish and Donations

 Actually all of these are donations from my lovely blogger friends who continue to support my quilt projects. The first quilt was donated as a top and it is such a pretty feminine quilt and will warm a young girl or lady at Peter Mac.

 This quilt was an anonymous donation and it is beautifully embroidered with butterflies and bugs and will be a treasure for a little girl.

Last, but not least, I received this lovely parcel of QAYG blocks from Delys R. of W.A. Delys has sent blocks regularly and as always they are very much appreciated and will help to make some more quilts to donate.
   The pile of quilts for donation is growing and I couldn't do it without you so your help is very gratefully received.
Hugs, Jan Mac

UFOs.

 I have discovered some older UFOs and donated blocks while looking for fabric for backings for some of the tops I want to finish. I found these cat blocks and also a cat panel so I have added fabric borders to make them a uniform size and will make some filler squares to join the blocks so this one should be ready for quilting soon.

 I also found this little top that someone had donated. It was kept out of the sunlight but it had a couple of the places where the fabric had faded so I made the little cars to cover those areas. The hardest part was button hole stitching through the thick layers. This one will go to Life's Little Treasures which is a group which supports families who have premmie babies. They have asked for quilts to be given to the babies to celebrate those who reach their 100 day milestone and they can't keep up the number needed. they send them out all over Australia so i said I would make some smaller ones for them.

 This quilt was a collection of donated house blocks I found. They look like they were from a block swap but there were only 11 of them in the pile so I found a house block I had made for another project and used that to finish the top.

This house block was one I had on hand and I only had to add the windows and door before it could be used in the House quilt. It's great to get some more UFOs finished as well as clearing out more large pieces of fabric to be used for backings.
 I still need to work on more quilts for males, both men and boys so I hope to find some more in the UFO pile which will work for those. I've been putting in so many hours quilting that I am sleeping very well at night, so that's a bonus.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Old Faithfuls.

 You can't beat the QAYG blocks for putting together quilts quickly. I still had a pile of QAYG blocks and have been making some more with my batting scraps and scraps of fabric. I love how a different colour used to join the blocks can alter the look of the quilt.

 This pink one will be lovely for a young girl and it's a very vibrant quilt.

 This quilt and the one to follow were made for a boy and man and they are the quilts I have the most trouble with as many of the blocks I have on hand have florals or lots of feminine colours and Peter Mac told me that they don't get many quilts and what they do get are mainly for women so I am trying to focus on getting blocks made for males too.

 I make the larger size of 5 x 7 blocks for men and the smaller size of 4 x 6 for women and kids as well as different sizes for the tops I'm quilting. When I did the bushfire quilt drive in 2009 I used to make 3 quilts of 5 x 7 size each day. I can't believe I was able to keep that up for months but I must be aging now because I could make 3 of the 4 x 6 size but not 5 x 7.

Never mind Every finished quilt will bring comfort to someone who has had their world turned upside down by cancer. I'm very grateful that our experiences with cancer didn't require chemo and extensive treatments but I can remember the stress and anxiety we felt and hope that a lovely quilt will give comfort that someone is thinking of them.
 I couldn't do so much without all of your help though.
Hugs, Jan Mac

The Midnight Oil.

 It's surprising how a deadline can help you focus and I know that 100 quilts to Peter Mac by the end of the year is ambitious, especially as we are almost half way through the year. However with some very long days of sewing I have finished some more quilts including one for my family - another baby quilt for a great niece as well as quilting a few tops. The first one will go to Peter Mac and the pile has about 15 in it now. I also found a smaller top which was in adult colours but too small for an adult so I thought I would add some additional fabric to make it more appropriate for a child. I found an ideal border fabric and had just enough to make it more kid friendly. I also button hole appliqued a teddy bear in the centre and this one will also go to Peter Mac for a young child.

 

 I used a cot quilt panel for the backing and just added some of the border fabric to make it larger. I have also been busy cutting up scraps and finishing off some more UFOs so I will have more to share very soon.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Gratitude.

 I feel very blessed to be able to do something I love and which benefits others as I love making quilts and also finishing off other people's UFOs. I also love to donate them where I know they will bring comfort and let's face it I don't have enough cupboards to store all the finished quilts I have made.
This week I was invited to a luncheon held by Peter Mac to thank their volunteers and it was inspiring to talk with other people who volunteer and donate to the patients of Peter Mac. I felt privileged to be in  their company and  I met some ladies who have been making chemo hats for 27 years. The co-ordinator for volunteers assured me that they could use as many quilts as I can supply so I have committed to making them my main area to donate and will try to donate 100 quilts by the end of this year. That's a big undertaking with all that we have happening here but I can but try.
    I really am blessed to have so many fellow bloggers who send me fabric, tops, quilts, orphan blocks or QAYG blocks because it has only been possible to donate so many quilts due to all the help I have had over the years. We can be very proud of the quilts we have donated as they are beautiful and much appreciated by the recipients.
    One of the blessings of blogging has been meeting and corresponding with other like-minded quilters around the world and I was lucky enough to meet Felicia and Marijke 3 years ago when we visited Holland. Marijke has sent another box of wonderful string pieced blocks as well as a lovely top and more QAYG blocks which will all be finished off and donated on her behalf. Thank you so much Marijke for all that you do for others less fortunate.

 Marijke also sent these 2 beautiful cups, one for DH, and it will remind us of such a happy time when we visited you and Chris in Delfzel.

 I am also grateful for all those lovely bloggers who stay in touch and support these quilt projects. It does help to keep focus on how we can connect around the world and help others in need.
  Peter Mac Cancer Centre is the only hospital which solely treats cancer patients in Australia and we are very lucky to have such world class facilities and I know that every quilt we can make and donate will cheer a patient and their family and that is really why I quilt.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Full Steam Ahead.

 I had a lovely Mother's Day visit with my youngest DD and her lovely husband and it also gave me the chance to give her her quilt. She was totally surprised and very emotional about it. Thankfully I made it how she had imagined it and used the correct Cat photo.
     Now that huge project is finished it's time to get some more gift quilts finished and ready for donation.

 I added borders to this purple one to make it larger and I think it looks more finished.

 These 4 tops were all made by members of my Melbourne quilting group and it's great to be clearing the cupboards of some of the tops that have been waiting for quilting.

It's been a busy week but it's great to have time for some quilting and I'm also cutting scraps up into different sized squares so I have a stack of them ready for another donation quilt.
Hugs, Jan Mac

It's Time For The Babies.

 The last few days have been busy with sewing for our expected new grandson. I've already made 6 muslin wraps and couldn't resist one more, as well as a bib and 6 burp cloths. I'll probably make more bibs when he's older and more burp cloths before he arrives.

 I also finished a small knitted helmet and a knitted jacket in newborn size. I have knitted others but forgot to take photos for they were packed away.

 Our DD is using a woodland theme and loves foxes so this was a cute stuffed animal I made to add to the nursery.

 Tonight I thought I'd better get busy with more baby quilts for the nephew and nieces having babies soon and I want to get them done soon so I can pack the fabric away again.

 I've finished with another QAYG quilt made from more donated blocks and I have more to put together but I am off to Melbourne tomorrow so more to share soon.
 Happy Mother's Day everyone. I hope you're having a lovely weekend too.
Love, Jan Mac

Finshes To Share.

 I'm feeling a real sense of achievement and relief in having the Cat quilt finished and it has made me feel like getting some more of my UFOs finished. That is if I can find them as they have all been packed away. I can't wait to see my DD's reaction when I give it to her on Sunday.

 I also quilted 2 more tops made by members of my Melbourne quilt group and these will be donated to various groups such as Foster Carers, Anglicare and Peter Mac. It's always rewarding to donate quilts to comfort others and we are donating more at our Biggest Morning Tea this coming Monday in Melbourne. Email me for directions if you would like to come as we are always happy to welcome guests and it's for a good cause.

Hugs, Jan Mac

A Long Time UFO Finished.

 The "cat" quilt has been on my list to make for about 9 years and it is finally finished. It takes a long time to make a quilt you're not actually working on!! My quilt hanger wasn't well today so I hope to show photos of the finish tomorrow. I';m very happy with the photo transfer which was done by my local printing shop, using a technique similar to printing on t shirts and they assure me it will be washable.

 We spent a few days in Melbourne last week, taking more boxes down and also tidying up the garden, trimming trees etc at our new home, and it is feeling more like home each time we stay. Today I pinned and quilted 2 more tops and will finish the binding tomorrow.

I've also put together crocheted squares to make a blanket to donate to a group of needy kids. Crocheting sqaures is a nice relief when I need a break from stitching but I did hand stitch the binding down on the Cat quilt last night and just need to write on the label so it's good to finally have a finish off my own list of UFOs as I'm usually busy finishing off other people's UFOs to donate.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac