Bless The Orphans.

Having a supply of orphan blocks has made it so much easier to get more quilt tops made and quilts finished. Peter Mac Cancer Centre had requested "superhero" quilts for children who are undergoing treatment,  so it has been wonderful to have blocks to add to the superhero fabric and get some finished easily.
   I had bought the fabric but didn't get time to make the quilts so I  really  appreciated the lovely superhero quilts made and donated by Maria W.  of Western Australia.  Now I have finally made another 2 and should have another 20 quilts to drop off to Peter Mac very soon.
Many thanks to my lovely supporters who donated orphan blocks, QAYG blocks, tops and quilts so that more people in need will get a warm hug of comfort.
Hugs, Jan Mac

5th UFO Finish For The Year.

 I'm really happy to have finished another long term UFO, which makes it my 5th finish of my UFOs for the year. I didn't really expect to get this one finished so quickly but I do work quickly and once I finished the hand applique,  I only gad to nake 1r blocks to suit it.

 This centre block was started about 15 years ago in a class and I didn't really like the rest of the design for the pattern, so I  never got around to finishing it. I had lost the pattern so I used a light box to trace the design onto the opposite fabric and then used back basting to stitch the applique pieces in place. It only took me a couple of evenings to finish stitching the applique, so it shouldn't have been a UFO for this long.

 I back basted the pieces to hand applique and finding similar tones of fabric took as long as stitching them.

 Once the applique was finished,  I made 14 blocks in shades of cream and pink and framed up the applique block to fit.

The wind was blowing a gale but I grabbed a quick photo and this one will be donated to Petef Mac as well. It's so lovely to have another UFO out of the cupboard,  and even better to be able to donate it to a worthy cause.
   I have another long term UFO almost ready for quilting too so I am very pleased with my progress. Even better, I am making more room in my cupboards.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

Arrival of Treasure Troves.

 My stash has received a lovely infusion of new UFOs with the arrival of 2 large boxes of goodies to finish and donate. Sue Mc from Vic sent a fabulous large parcel of lots of bits and pieces to be finished and donated. The first photo shows these lovely embroidered blocks which are ready to be made into a quilt and will be cherished by a little girl.

 This lovely cat top just needs to be quilted and will make a lovely cot quilt for Anglicare.

 These beautiful cross stitched blocks have been beautifully stitched and the theme is cars, planes, tractors, etc so it will be lovely for a little boy.

 There are 3 lovely crazy blocks to add to some of mine for donation.

 Some lovely QAYG blocks which will join the current blocks I have on hand and make more lovely quilts.

 A lovely Christmas panel of the nativity scene which I will probably cut up and combine with light coloured fabric, so it will be appropriate for all the year.

 Some fabric and lovely heart embroidered blocks were also included as well as some QAYG hexagons which will also be used in quilts for kids. Such a lot was stuffed into the parcel Sue, and I plan to get some finishes from them very soon. Thank you so much for your generous donations.

 I also received a large box of donated signature squares from an onljne quilting group's retreats. I belong to the group and have been to some of the retreats so I knew that I can use them for donation quilts, as I have done in the past. There is a different theme for each retreat and those who wish to swap pair a 6.5 inch square of fabric in a colour to match the theme, as well as a 6.5 inch square of cream fabric that they decorate with their name, State etc. There are blocks from 7 retreats which means lots of fabric to use. Firstly, I separate all the signature squares and take off any buttons or decorative items which have been attached. As these squares show people's names, I usually use the back of the block so you can't read the name, as well as cutting them up.

 The photo below shows blocks from one retreat which had an autumn theme and we sewed two 4 inch blocks, folded diagonally, across the 6 inch signature block. You can see one in the photo above. As none of the cream or 4 inch blocks were cut, it's been easy to unpick the stitching and I will have a large pile of 6.5 inch cream squares and 4 inch fabric squares so I will select a quilt block and remake them.

 You can see I will have lots of fabric to use so I am sorting them into colours and themes as I take them apart. Ann B. from Vic. very kindly passed on the unwanted swap blocks and I plan to select a block, like Sawtooth Stars, and make lots of blocks from them, adding from my own stash as well.

In the meantime, I am taking some time to work on these while I put my feet up and recover from my head cold. I have several quilt UFOs I want to finish but they are so old that another week or two won't matter.
Thanks gor stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Almost Finishes.

 I've been focusing on finishing up some of my long term UFOs and I am getting close to having more finishes to share. The star quilt top is hand pieced from 2.5 inch squares I swapped with international quilters as a Millennium swap so that is 18 years old. I used fabrics which didn't read as a particular colour, and just concentrated on light and dark values for placement. I have finished all the stars and part stars this week so it's ready to applique to borders.

 This top was started about 15 years ago in an applique class and I completed half of the centre block and then put it away. I only took a couple ofevenings to finish the applique and spent last weekend making 14 star blocks to surround the centre. I just need to finish joining the blocks now so it is almost done.

The last top is one of 2 that I have made from Superhero fabric and some orphan blocks which were donated. I hope to get it quilted soon. There hasn't been much stitching here lately as Jake is not wanting to sleep as much and I have had a head cold this week,  so I am hoping for more time on the weekend.
I hope you are all finding a little time for working on what you enjoy.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

Very Happy Day.

 There's been a flurry of quilting over the last few days and I am very happy to report that I dropped off another 20 quilts to Anglicare today. They were thrilled with them and they will go to comfort and warm, kids in foster care. I was only able to get so many finished thanks to the many tops which have been donated by my blog readers.

 The quilts are all different and will be loved by the kids. I'm starting on the next lot for them and hope to have another 20 to donate to the kids for Christmas. I also have 17 ready for Peter Mac and plan to get another 3 done soon so I can deliver another 20 to them. So far, we have donated 97 there so we will pass our pledged 100 quilts and will keep making and donating to Peter Mac.
 I also heard today that the beanies, blankets and quilts have reached their destination in New Guinea. A family member delivered as many as they could fit in their luggage and the rest will go in September. Thanks to your help we made and sent 47 beanies for various ages, 6 blankets and 4 quilts. The boxes weighed 8.5kgs so not all went this time.
     They were very happy with everything we sent and have asked for more beanies and baby blankets, which will be taken up in September.  If you have time to knit beanies or crochet blanket squares, I  can join the squares into blankets.
   The last photo shows the latest UFO I am finishing now. I have finished hand stitching the appliqued pieces and have now started cutting fabric to make 12 blocks to surround the central block. This one will be donated to Peter Mac too and more importantly it will get another of my UFOs finished and into use.
   It's been a happy day to hear how much the quilts are appreciated so I will keep quilting as much as time allows.
Many thanks for your help and support.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

A Little Me Time.

 Taking a break from baby sitting has meant that I have had more time for quilting tops that I am finding in boxes with my UFOs. Although I haven't found those I was looking for at least I am making progress and emptying boxes.
  These were 4 donated tops I found and quilted last week. They will be going to Peter Mac or Anglicare  and are certainly needed now we are in the throws of winter.

 I also took a little "me time" with my seeing and made a loose top, using some William Morris fabric I had bought. I haven't sewn for myself for years and enjoyed it
again. I should make another top, using the same pattern, as I altered the pattern to have the neckline lower and making it again would be a lot easier the second time. Next time, I would make it more fitted too.
       This week will also be devoted to emptying more boxes and getting more tops quilted for donation. I have also been making good progress on my 5th UFO finish and have almost finished the hand applique, then I need to make enough blocks to make it into a quilt.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

4th UFO Finish For 2018.

 I'm feeling really happy about getting more of my UFOs finished, especially the very old ones I'm finding as I go through packing boxes. This one was madd from fabric I bought at a quilt shop sale and I chose an easy pattern to get it made quickly. However, the pattern mustn't have been too easy as it took me 25 years to make it. While looking for more recent UFOs to finish,  I found 3 blocks made and the rest of the fabric. At least I didn't have to search for the rest of the fabric, or something suitable, and it only took me a couple of days to finish it. I think the reason it sat for so long was that I had others which were being made for gifts etc. I guess it's another example of my quilter's distraction by newer more exciting projects.
   More importantly it's finished now and will be donated to Peter Mac for a male patient. Thanks to my lovely blogging supporters I have almost 20 more quilts to donate there.
       While searching boxes for a couple of tops I was hoping to quilt for our exhibition in September, I found this UFO too. I started it in a Robyn Falloon class at Dookie, I think at least 13 years ago. I took the class because it was needleturn applique but I didn't really like the design.  The first photo shows where it was after 2 days of stitching and the second shows how much I stitched in 3 hours last night. Since I started this class I have learned back basting so I used this technique ehich madd it go together quickly. I don't know where the pattern is so I found my light box and folded the fabric in half, tracing the design onto the back of the fabric. It was fortunate that  had used a variety of fabrics, especially greens, so I could use other fabric rather than wasting time looking for matching fabric.

I plan to finish the applique today and then make pieced blocks in pinks and mauves  to suit the applique. I will use the applique block as the central block and surround it by pieced blocks to finish it before donating it.
  So, although I haven't found the projects I was looking for, I have uncovered old UFOs and having fun getting them finished and donated. A bonus is that my skills have developed a lot since I started these old UFOs so I am getting them finished quickly. I  hope to have a 5th UFO finish to share soon.
Hugs, Jan Mac

More Progress.

 This week I have been unpacking more boxes and searching for more of my WIPs and UFOs. I still haven't found the 2 tops I want to quilt and enter in my quilting group's exhibition but I did find some more UFOs I had forgotten about. I also more donated tops so got 2 more quilted this week.
      It's very satisfying to finally get them finished and donated where they will be appreciated. The first one is a cheater panel and will go to Anglicare while the 2nd will be ideal for a boy at the Peter Mac Cancer Centre.

 My stash is also constantly being raided for borders and bindings and it's great to be able to find what I want without wasting time at the shops. It's school holidays here for 2 weeks so we are not babysitting full time and trying to catch up on getting the boxes etc more organized, but we are missing seeing Jake every day.
  I'd better get back to quilting while I have time.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Quilt Finishes.

 We had our quilt group meeting on Monday and I took along 14 quilts that I had fonated for our Gift Quilt program. These 5 were some I finished last week. It's lovely to know that people who receive them will be warmer now that our winter is here. Our members are busy using their stashes of fabric and have donated many lovely tops so I can see that I will be busy getting more finished in the future.

We have enough to donate 20 more each to Anglicare, who help kids in foster cacre, as well as patients in the Peter Mac Cancer Centre.  It's always great to be able to use some of the fabrics that have been waiting for quilt projects and I am grateful that I can usually find fabrics for bindings etc from my own stash. The fabric stash doesn't seem to be diminishing in size but I have been donating so many of my quilts for Oz Comfort Quilts that I must be making a difference to the storage boxes of fabric.
     We are child free this week as it's school holidays so although I am getting more done, we are missing little Jake.
Hugs, Jan Mac