The Postman Has Been Busy

 While we were away for the week the postman was very busy delivering parcels of QAYG blocks so many quilters have been very busy using up their fabric strips. Delys Rogers (WA) sent some lovely QAYG blocks using kid fabrics as well as enough binding strips to join a set of blocks together which is a huge time saver for me.
  Cherrie Rees (NSW) sent some beautiful QAYG blocks in lovely bright colours and Cat Magraith (SA) sent a beautiful set of QAYG blocks in pastel colours. I also received a huge box from Michelle Bardwell (Vic), which contained a lovely crocheted baby blanket, some embroidered and appliqued blocks as well as lots of QAYG blocks which Michelle's quilting group made. The group has been very busy and the blocks are lovely and will make more beautiful quilts.
  Luckily I've been busy making more quilts and I completed 2 quilts yesterday using QAYG blocks so I plan to get more dine very soon. The photos of the finished quilts will be on my other blog and check back soon as I have more to show soon.
 Thank you all so much for your generous donations for quilts for the needy.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Back Into Production

 We came home late last night to avoid the continual rain and threatened floods and when we heard about the flood waters which  would have been on our way home, we were very grateful that we had decided to leave. Unfortunately it's now 41.5 degrees (107F)  back here at home so the change in temperature has been quite dramatic. The good news is that it's great weather for drying the washing outside.
   We enjoyed our short break away despite the rain and took the opportunity to see some of the sights around Armidale. The sunset on our drive home last night was lovely and it was of course lovely to be home again.
Thank you all so much for your kind words and well wishes on my milestone birthday. Now we are back I have more night shifts to work and I want to get some more quilts finished to donate. I was going to have a break from crocheting squares for blankets for the needy, while we were away, but I caved and bought more yarn and a crochet hook as I found I kept dozing off in the car without something to do. I can crochet without looking at what I am doing for most of the time so I don't get car-sick which is a bonus way to make use of the time spent in the car. I only need 4 more squares to complete a blanket so now that all the washing is hanging on the line I plan to spend some time in the air conditioned comfort and finish off another blanket.
  I hope you all have a restful weekend doing what you love too.
Hugs, Jan Mac

It's Finally Here

After a long time in research and planning to get the right vehicle we have finally had our new camper fitted. They are only made by one company based near Coffs Harbour and it's great to finally have it all come together. We have done a lot of extreme four wheel driving and camping but this means we will have more comfort and it will be great for touring trips. It's a light-weight camper attached to our vehicle and with the king sized bed it means that it will be a lot easier and quicker for us to set up and break camp. The bed stays made-up which is an absolute bonus, as dealing with all the bedding setups every night was harder than putting up the tent.
  Anyway the sun has finally come out and we hope that it continues for a day or two so we can have a look at the surrounding countryside before coming home again. I'll be back into making the donation quilts as soon as we get back.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Road Trip

We are currently in NSW at Woolgoolga after a two day road trip. Unfortunately there was heavy rain all afternoon but it has now cleared although showers are predicted for the rest of the week. I'm hoping to have a few sunny days so we can enjoy the beach. The reason for our trip? Finally after 2 or 3 years of planning we have a new vehicle and we are picking up our new camper so we can enjoy more extreme trips while 4 wheel driving. The camper will be attached to the tray of our vehicle so we won't have to tow a trailer but will still have a very comfortable queen sized bed instead of using the tent.
   We had to wait nearly 6 months for our car and our camper has been ready for us since Oct last year so we are really looking forward to being able to start traveling to places we've been wanting to visit for some time. Tasmania will be our first trip in mid March so we hope the weather will be kind to us as it can become quite cold down there.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

My 60th Birthday Party

 It was my 60th birthday on the 7th of Feb and after pressure from the family I agreed to have a low-key lunch yesterday with family to celebrate. My lovely sister  and Stephanie, our youngest DD made all the arrangements and it was lovely to see everyone again. We have two new babies in the family since Christmas and I was so touched that they all made the effort to come to the party as I know everyone leads busy lives and new babies make for busy family schedules.
    We had a lot of fun and the new Mum's loved the quilts for their babies so it was very worthwhile getting them done in time to give them in person. My much loved Mum, ( who passed away 6 years ago) would have loved it as their were lots of laughs and plenty of talking. We are all getting together again in 3 weeks time to celebrate another engagement and then a wedding in April so there's lots more good times to come.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

Frenzied Quilting

 It's been a busy week with working as well as family commitments but I was determined to finish the two baby quilts in time to give the new parents their gift. We have a family celebration today and it will be a good time to catch up as well as meet the new babies. It's been a bit of frenzied sewing to get them done and I was grateful that the baby's names are short so it was quicker to machine applique them.
  I hope they like them as I like to make them specific for each baby and wait until I know what gender quilt is needed. I may have to make some in advance though as they seem to be coming fairly quickly now that my nieces and nephews are reaching that stage of their lives.
 Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

A Big Week of Parcels

 I've been busy working nights so no time for blogging but very generous quilters have sent some parcels with various bits and pieces for the quilt drive for the needy. Sharyn Caspar (Vic) has been very busy and sent 3 beautiful tops as well as backing fabric. The tops are all beautifully made and will make lovely donation quilts.

I also received 30 beautiful QAYG blocks from Kay Pauling all the way from the US. Thank you so much for your generous gift of the blocks which will make a lovely quilt. I also received a very large parcel of fabric donated by Mardi Alderson of Vic.
 I'm having a busy time with work and family commitments so I'll get the donations made into quilts as soon as possible.
 Many thanks, Jan Mac