What's Happening?

The last two weeks have gone very quickly with lots of boxes being packed with quilts and warm clothing for the people affected by floods in Pakistan. The last news report said that 6 million people have been affected and what I'm sending is a drop in the ocean compared to the need but if just a few have been helped then that's better than doing nothing.
I also received more utility quilts from Gladys and her lovely team of quilters from Dimboola (Vic) and these have all been packed and are ready to be shipped off.
I also managed to make a pair of blue cord pants for a 7 yr old boy and with family commitments and finishing off several quilts my time has disappeared with no blogging updates.
I have more bindings to finish off and then more quilt photos to share on my other blog at http://ozcomfortquilts.blogspot.com
More later. Jan Mac

Back To Work

It's been good to be busy getting more tops finished and as well as the QAYG quilt I put together I also quilted 10 quilts this week. I still need to bind the rest but here are the first 3 which are finished.
As there are over 2 million people who have been displaced by devastating floods in Pakistan, these will be donated to help provide some warmth for the people there. I'm working on getting some of the utility tops of simple squares quilted too and it's good to use up some of the backings I pieced ages ago.
All in all it's been a productive week and I've enjoyed getting back into the quilting routine again. The only problem I'm having is the continued spamming of my blog by several people who leave nonsensical comments and question marks. That's why I've had to set my comments page to be moderated. If anyone has any ideas how to stop these nuisances please let me know.
Stay warm.
Jan Mac

It's Good To Be Home

We had a great trip but decided to come home after being on the road for almost 8 weeks. We are still planning to spend 2 weeks in Sth Australia in Sept but thought we'd enjoy it more if we come home first. It's been lovely to be home again and living in a house with heating instead of in our camping trailer.
We awoke to heavy rain last night and then this evening we had a hail storm so we're getting some extremes of weather.
I finished off another QAYG quilt yesterday and today I found some donated blocks and bits and pieces to make a top. I spent some time putting them together to make a top and now I'm looking for some fabric in my stash which will be suitable for borders and a binding. I also managed to quilt 4 tops which I'll bind and photograph tomorrow. I'll show the photos on my other blog at Oz Comfort quilts.
I've missed my quilting and it's lovely to be making progress again, especially as there will be a demand for quilts to be donated to the survivors of the floods in Pakistan. The news reports have indicated that millions will be affected and are homeless in a very severe climate.
I'll write more about the quilts I'm finishing and how many I will be sending there.
Until later.
Hugs Jan Mac

Still On The Road

We've been on the road now for over 6 weeks and have finally reached a town where we could get a caravan site with power as well as the internet. So far we've camped on the beach at Kalumburu at the top of WA, visited Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, seen the dolphins at Monkey Mia, and visited the memorial to HMAS Sydney in Geraldton.
Due to the large number of people traveling we've been unable to get powered sites or access to the internet so it was lovely to finally be able to catch up on phone calls and the internet.
Tomorrow we're off inland again and we're going to Kalgoorlie and Gwalia to see gold mining towns. I think we'll be heading home from there and will leave seeing Perth and the southern areas of Perth until next time.
As we've been 4 wheel driving we've been on many corrugated and rough roads and have camped in the bush for most of our trip, so we're starting to look forward to the comforts of home again. We're having a great time but I am looking forward to getting back to my quilting again. As we've been camping all the time I haven't been able to do any sewing without running the risk of getting it soiled with red dust so I've been crocheting blankets and knitting beanies for the homeless. I'll add a tally when we reach home.
Take care everyone and I will write more frequently when we return home as we probably won;t have much access to the internet again while we go inland across Western Australia.
Hugs Jan Mac

The Beanie Festival

We were lucky enough to time our visit to Alice Springs with the Beanie Festival. They hold it every year and this year it attracted approximately 5,000 entries. Those entered in the competition are displayed in the local art gallery and the creations were incredible. There were many and varied uses of threads and textiles with many being knitted, crocheted or felted and the embellishments ranged from animals, flowers to a beanie which depicted a chess board with knitted chess pieces. My favourite was called "A Bowl of Cherries" and the beanie was blue and white striped with very detailed cherries made from stuffed and felted red wool. It was hard to believe that many of the creations were beanies and there was also an amazing creation of an owl with feathered wings and head and it was made by a 16 year old girl and won a prize. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos but if you check out their web site you may be able to see them there.
In an adjoining room they had a display of beanies hanging from fish netting and they were all for sale. I saw one girl wearing a striking creation of a red and white chicken beanie. Ray was very interested in the wool spinning display.
Today we also visited a gold town which is a ghost town east of Alice Springs. It was fun to see the mud ovens and the old bush beds made from bush wire.
We're off across the Tanami Desert tomorrow and won;t have internet access until we reach Broome in another couple of weeks.
Until then, take care.
Jan Mac

So Far...

We've been away for over a week and it seems like it's been much longer. We have been camping out in the desert for most of the time and are presently in Alice Springs. We weren't able to get a camp site with power so using the internet has been a bit of a struggle as the lap top only lasts for 2 hours of battery. However we're having a great trip and the weather has been lovely with sunny days and cold nights. We love camping out in the desert on our own and just enjoying the quiet.
I'll try to upload some photos but may not get many done as our connection is slow. We plan to visit a few of the gorges here tomorrow and will then take the Tanami Track across to Western Australia probably on Monday.
The first photo is of a rock formation called Chambers Pillar which is near Alice Springs and the second photo with the flagpole is the geographical centre of Australia. The next photo is of the river at Mildura where we camped for the first night and the following photo is of the sunset in the desert near the Northern Territory border.
I'll try to post again before we head out into the desert again.
Hugs Jan Mac

We're Off..

Last week I donated another 8 quilts and 2 crocheted blankets to a support group for Burmese refugees who have been relocated in Bendigo as well as another 4 quilts to the women's refuge here. I've also been busy making moire QAYG blocks and putting together another QAYG quilt which sent to the local refuge.
I'm still making and distributing quilts to the bush fire affected areas but we are off traveling for 3 months so I ask that if you have any parcels to send, that you please wait until I return. I am keeping the quilts for bush fire areas until they request more as their storage space is limited and we will be going down the Kinglake again when we return.
I've also received 3 quilts donated by AQA for Kinglake, and Warracknabeal quilters sent over a huge box of rice bags as well as quilts for Timor. I really appreciate all the support and donations that you have given and I will continue with distributions again when I return home.
We leave tomorrow and will be traveling across to Alice Springs, where I hope to visit the Beanie Festival and see a display of quilts which will be held there at the end of the month. Then we are going across the Tanami Track to the top of WA and then making our way down the coast and across SA to get back home.
I'm going to be having withdrawals from the sewing machine but I will be taking hand sewing with me and I did manage to sneak a large bag of wool in the camper so I can knit hats and crochet blankets while we travel.
Stay safe and say hi if you see us on the track.
Hugs Jan Mac