Oh My Goodness.

 All of these fabulous knitted goodies were made and donated by Margaret H. from Melbourne, Victoria. Margaret must be a very prolific knitter as there are so many lovely jackets, booties and beanies in a variety of sizes. These have all been made by Margaret to be donated to the people in the New Guinea highlands and they will make life much more enjoyable for them.

A simple thank you seems inadequate, Margaret , but please know that your talented knitting and generous donation will bless many people in need of some comfort. Thank you for your continued support.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

The Missing Week.

 We're thrilled to welcome to Aidan Andrew Johnson, born on Friday May 31st, after a long day. He weighs 6lb 9oz and is incredibly cute. Last week went very quickly with daily doctor visits and we had Jake staying overnight since Thursday.
     Unfortunately Jake and his parents all had head colds and in the spirit of sharing, I seccumbed on Saturday. Thankfully they have recovered and I am almost over it.

 He is named Andrew as his second name as that is a family name for MacFadyens and my DH's first name, but he is known by his second name. Of course Ray is very honoured and chuffed.

 Aidan looks very like Jake but chubbier as Jake was only 5lb 10oz. We're looking forward to lots of cuddles with both boys and Jake can say Aidan's name already.

Jake's  very gentle with him so far and is unconcerned about the new arrival as he still gets lots of attention.

My list of things to sew for the baby's arrival was still quite lengthy but I made some yesterday and hope to resume normal blogging very soon.

I have just received parcels from Jenny B. in New Zealand, Delys R. from Western Australia and Margaret H. from Victoria and will take photos and share very soon. Many thanks to you all.

Hugs, Jan Mac 

UFO Monday - 10th and 11th Finishes.

 This lovely bag was donated by Sandra or Ramona from Vic a couple of years ago. It was almost finished but needed to have the sides stitched and bound. They had done all the hard work of making the internal pockets etc.

 I always intended to finish it but it wasn't high up the list.  However, it will make a lovely bag for the Peter Mac Cancer Centre to raise funds in their auxillary shop and now it's finished and can be donated.

This little cot quilt top was donated about 10 years ago as a block.  I added borders, quilted and bound it and it will also be donated to Peter Mac .
 So I have 2 more UFO's finished which makes 11 for the year so far. A lot of these UFOs weren't started by me but donated to me to finish, so it's  a great feeling to get them finished, off the shelves and donated where they can be loved.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

Weekly Catch Up.

 It's been another busy week with crocheting blanket squares and some baby knitting but I did get these 2 lap sized quilts finished for Peter Mac. They asked for some smaller quilts which would be suitable for patients in wheelchairs so I finished these and I have also been busy finishing off a couple of UFOs which I will share soon.

 This little baby's cardigan was another finish this week in time for the impending arrival of Jake's little brother, so not as much quilting but still pottering along with my many projects.
Hugs, Jan Mac

A Special Day.

 I was very honoured to be invited to Peter Mac's volunteer luncheon in the city yesterday and it was lovely to share it with 2 other quilters who are involved with AQA' s Gift Quilt Program.  The Peter Mac volunteers do a wonderful job of making life a little easier for the patients and family as they undergo the challenges of treatment.

 It was lovely to see 2 of our quilts shown on the Power point presentation and it was also a great opportunity to hear others talk about their contributions and hear about other ways we might contribute.

I spoke with volunteers who sell donated, handmade items through the hospital's auxiliary shop to hear what items are popular for sale and where the raised funds are used.

We all really enjoyed our day and I came home inspired to keep working to support their programs. Of course, all of you who have donated tops, blocks and quilts, have been instrumental in this quilt project and I  sincerely thank you all. Anne, the co-ordinator of their volunteer program spoke about the difference our quilts have made to their patients when they are going through hard times.

Many thanks again for all your help.

Hugs, Jan Mac 

Cross Stitch Tuesday.

 Well I didn't manage to finish the block this week as I've been busy knitting and sewing for the arrival of our expected second grandson. He should be here in a week or two and I am still making some last minute jackets for him as well as some items for the nursery.
     At least the cross stitching is finished and I only have the outline stitching and beading to add.

 Looking at last week's photo you can see that I have made progress, even though I didn't finish it.

Soon it will join these other finished blocks. We're having lovely sunny autumn days and Jake is having fun running in the back yard and picking flowers while I hang up washing. It's lovely to be able to enjoy some simple pleasures of being outside.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

UFO Monday - 9th UFO Finish.

Yesterday our quilting group held our Biggest Morning Tea event to raise money and support cancer research. We had a very interesting guest speaker, Dr Laura Forrest, who spoke about her research into the psychosocial impact of inherited cancer genes.  We were also thrilled to donate 76 quilts to Peter Mac from our Gift Quilt Program,  to be distributed to their clients in need. It was a lovely social event with some fun games and lots of chat and yummy food as well as raising money for a good cause.

I was a lucky winner of a lovely scissor keep/ pin cushion made by one of our members. 

As for the UFO finish, there was a group challenge of transforming a tea towel and I decided to finish a long term cross stitch project to decorate my apron made from tea towels. I made a pocket from the cross stitched piece and I now have a pretty apron and another UFO off my list. So many left to finish but each one off my long UFO list is a win for me.
Hugs , Jan Mac