Another 14 Quilts

I posted off another 14 quilts last week as well as more knitted beanies that had just arrived. I know the people will really appreciate them as they are still in a state of shock in some ways and are not always able to make decisions about what they need. You can still see the effects of post- traumatic stress and some are becoming worried about facing another summer of bush fires and they can even tell you how long before summer is here again.
I've been busy with extra shifts at work again thanks to the flu season and have been putting quilts together in any spare moments.
Just after our last trip to deliver quilts we heard about many more families who haven't received quilts yet so I am getting more ready for another delivery ASAP.
Many thanks for all your help and donations.
Hugs Jan Mac

220 Quilts Delivered

We visited Kinglake again last Friday and delivered 220 quilts. We had to pack them on the roof rack as well as taking a trailer to hold all the boxes. Luckily it was a beautiful sunny day and no sign of rain so the quilts stayed dry.
The photo shows one of the beautiful quilts made by the quilters of Alice Springs (NT) and they have all been delivered to their new homes now. We also took down sewing supplies as well as all the lovely knitted and crocheted garments and the people are very appreciative of all your generous donations.
When we got home I heard of more people who are returning to the areas, who haven't yet received quilts so I'm busy getting the next delivery ready. I've been busy with paid work as well so I plan to sit and rest tonight and start again tomorrow.
Hugs and thanks for all your help and donations. Jan Mac

An Explosion of Quilts

I had a knock on the door last night and found a man outside with a trailer- load of quilts. He'd driven down from Alice Springs and called in on his way to Melbourne so he could deliver the quilts that had been made by quilters in Alice Springs (NT). Tia put out a call on her blog campfollowerbags for wonky star blocks and had planned to make 3. The response was so great that she and the Alice Springs quilters made about 100 quilts as well as tops still needing quilting. Tia has flown back to the USA and arranged for this very nice man to deliver them to me.
I've been busy getting them photographed as we are taking more quilts and sewing supplies, as well as donated warm garments, down to Kinglake on Friday. This is the first time we've been able to go out for a quilt delivery since Ray's surgery and I have found homes for the next shipment of quilts we're taking and also a church who can help with storage for a short time while they contact people to select a quilt.
It takes time to find people who have lost their homes and some have moved away so I'm posting off quilts to them as I obtain their addresses. I also want to say a very big thank you to the lovely quilters who have made this possible and also to those who have donated money which has helped with postage costs.
As you can see there has been an explosion of quilts and I need to get them sorted and boxed up ready for delivery.
Thank you all for making this possible.
Hugs Jan Mac

Oh When The Saints

The red, black and white quilt was made for a St Kilda supporter from Kinglake and the team is known as "The Saints". This was a team effort by Kaite Matilda from Bathurst and my blocks. As Kaite said they looked like they were matched by us and yet we didn't see what the other person had made until they were put together. Great job Kaite as it looks even better when you see it up close.
The other QAYG quilt was made for a young man who lost his girlfriend in the fires. Anne Bennett from Melbourne had donated QAYG blocks suitable for a male. I needed some with an ocean theme and she had used the ocean fabric as the back of some of her QAYG blocks so I used them and made a reversible quilt. I think he'll love it and I've been making QAYG quilts larger with sets of 6 x 8 for the men.
Time for work again.
Hugs Jan Mac

Time to be Creative

I'm still jet lagged from night shift but wanted to get a few more QAYG quilts put together. Kaite M. from NSW had very kindly made half the blocks for a quilt in the St Kilda football team's colours of red, black and white. I made the remainder and finally got them all put together today.
I didn't have enough black strips for joining the blocks together but did find a large piece of gold fabric with celestial figures on it. Luckily the gold seemed to be painted on the black fabric and when I used the wrong side of the fabric it read as "black" so it was perfect to finish off the binding and you can't tell the difference from the black homespun I also used. I love the finished quilt as the colours are really striking and thanks to Kaite we got another one finished for a Kinglake family of St Kilda supporters.
Now to get another queen sized one finished. Hugs Jan Mac

Flu Season

It was a productive week with putting QAYG blocks into quilts but sadly the flu season has interrupted my sewing. No I don't have the flu but so many of my colleagues at work have succumbed to the flu that I've had to work extra shifts to help cover. I'm working night shifts this week as it's the hardest shift to cover.
Hopefully I'll stay flu-free as well and get back to my quilting when I catch up on sleep.
The photo is of the most used quilt we have. It's made in the style of an old-fashioned wagga, using flannel for the backing and I bought woolen shirts and a sweater from the op shop. I pieced them together in a simple pattern of strips and it's about 15 years old. It's the quilt I used for the kids when they were sick as it was fairly indestructible. It became their favourite and it's still nice and cuddly so I slept under it after my tooth extraction last week.
I'm working again tonight and probably tomorrow night so I'll have more photos to post after that.
Take care, Jan Mac

Disappointed?

I've been busy quilting some of the tops that have been donated for the bush fire appeal and thought I'd better explain what I do with them and hope that no one is disappointed with me. If you've donated a top then please know that I will finish them and they will be used for the bush fire survivors. However as I have had many tops donated without backings, I have had to use some of the simpler scrappy tops as backings. I've also added borders to some of the tops to make them larger. So if you have checked the blog to see if your top has been finished and donated please don't be disappointed if you haven't seen it yet. I've made some of the quilts reversible as shown here and that has made it easier for me to get more quilts made. By using the simpler scrappy tops as backs, it's meant that I haven't had to buy as many backings which has given me more money for batting. Some of the backings have been donated Christmas tops so by using these I'm making a reversible quilt which can be used all year.
Please don't be offended too if I've added borders or made the tops larger by adding more blocks as it isn't because anything was wrong with the top but just so I can get more large quilts made and donated as that is what we are needing at the moment. It's easier to make a top larger and I've been working on those as well as more queen sized quilts from the QAYG blocks.
I really appreciate all the very generous donations which has made it possible to distribute so many quilts to date and I'm working hard to get more finished and donated, especially as winter is really upon us here.
Stay warm and I hope to show all the tops as they are finished so you can see what happens to the donations.
Hugs Jan Mac