More Finishes and Donations.

I quilted 3 more beautiful donated tops this week and the first one was by a long time supporter of Oz Comfort Quilts,  Margaret Humphrey of Vic. I added a border to make it a little larger and frame the squares and it's a beautiful quilt to donate.

Sandra Orszaczky from ACT donated this lovely kid's quilt and I added a border to this one as well to make it a bit larger. This will give a child a lovely warm hug and be much appreciated.

Margaret Williams (Vic) also donated several tops and I  love the graphic design of this one.

I also quilted another top for my quilting group, AQA, and this one will go to Peter Mac.

Jean Ramm from Vic sent this lovely quilt top and binding which will be a beautiful quilt too.

Delys Rogers from WA is a long term supporter of Oz Comfort Quilts and she has sent another 24 lovely QAYG blocks as well as 6 beanies.
   I'm also working on finishing some of the UFOs that I have acquired and hope to share some finishes soon. Our lockdown has extended and it looks like we won't be able to see family for another 5 weeks but we're well and keeping busy. I hope you're all safe and well and enjoying some time to stitch too.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

Finishes And Another UFO Found.

 I'm enjoying knitting at the night now that I have more time to sew and quilt during the day and these items will be going to the organization, St Kilda Mums, to be distributed to young mums and their children.  Knitting also means that I can pay more attention to watching TV programs than when I'm stitching and I  also enjoy it. I used to knit before I could quilt and also used to knit for a Wool shop as well as finishing off their customer's knitting UFOs and it's lovely to think of newborns being dressed in some special garments that I enjoy making.

Searching through more boxes of Jo B.'s donations, I found this lovely set of braid strips which will make another beautiful quilt. A few of the strips had been joined together but I have taken them apart and I will use sashing between each of them. I hope to have some finished quilts to share soon.
Hugs, Jan Mac
   

More UFOs To Finish.

 I've spent most of the last week still sorting,  pressing and cutting scraps into useable squares.  It becomes a bit of an obsession, trying to get things in order while we don't have the boys. I'm tired but this is my big chance to get things organized while our strict lockdown rules continue. I was gifted a very large amount of UFOs, fabric, scraps and some magazines from Jo B., who was one of my blog readers, as she knew that I would finish her treasures and donate them on her behalf.
    This first set of blocks was one of her UFOs and her workmanship was lovely so they need to be finished in her honour. Two of the blocks need the fused pieces to be machine appliqued and I will add some sashing, borders and probably more blocks to make a larger quilt.

 This lovely cross stitch piece was another if Jo B.'s UFOs and I will finish this, probably as a cushion cover or table runner, and donate it to Peter Mac's auxiliary shop to raise funds for patient services.

 This is one of my UFOs that I started a few years ago and have stalled on. I enjoyed stitching the stars as a nice hand piecing project. A quilting friend, Faye B., very kindly made the 4 patch blocks to help it get finished more quickly and ready to donate, so I am taking a break from scrap play to piece this one and get it finished.

This lovely little quilt was donated by one of the AQA night ladies for our bushfire quilt drive and it will delight a young girl.
     Thankfully Spring has arrived and our days are getting warmer and Jake face times us a couple of days ago so I could read him a story.  His giggles are infectious and Aidan's language skills are increasing rapidly. We love receiving little videos of them playing together,  singing or dancing and it helps us to feel connected. I'm grateful that we're all well and that I have plenty of projects to keep me occupied.
    Stay safe everyone.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

UFO Finishes No. 10 and 11.

 It's great to have another 2 long term UFOs finished and these were commenced in approximately 1998. Like lots of UFOs progress stalled as more urgent finishes took precedence.
   My daughter made the first top when she was 14 and she's now 36 so it's time to finally finish it. Hopefully she won't read my blog as this is supposed to be a surprise for her when we can finally meet again. I remember how much she enjoyed sorting thtough my boxes of scraps to select her fabrics and this is her first quilt, after piecing a patchwork cushion cover. She spent lots of time selecting fabrics and sewing them together while I cut the squares and pressed her seams for her. My job was to quilt it and I should have done it at the time but was busy with studies, work etc. It sat for a few years and when she found it again she'd fallen out of love with it and wanted to take it apart and add sashing between the blocks. She had added an aqua border to it too and I got as far as removing the border before it was put away again.
    While sorting boxes of dabric in the sewing room I found it again and decided to add new borders and quilt it for her so I hope she's happy with it. As her piecing was very accurate and it's her first quilt I thought it should be kept as her 14 year old self planned it. Adding double borders helped to give it a lift and it can be useful for a picnic blanket,  a fort for the boys etc. It's  a shame she fell out of love with it as she's made quite a few baby quilts since then and now she prefers more modern fabric. Lots of these fabrics were from my dressmaking scraps, baby clothes etc and I am going to write a little letter to be put behind the label so she remembers the fun she had with the whole process.

It looks much better now than tossed into a box and unloved so hopefully she will fall in love with it again, or at least appreciate her workmanship.

When I found the first top I also found this one which was started about the same time. I thought I may as well finish this one too as a donation quilt and I used the aqua borders which had been made for the first quilt.  They weren't quite big enough so I used the trick of adding squares of different fabric in the corners.
    Not as many UFOs finished as last year but any finishes are better than none. How about your UFOs? Is Covid isolation inspiring you to get some finished? I'm trying to use what I have on hand and it does mean that I have to be more creative which is a good thing too.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

Thank You Emails- Part 2.

More thank yous have arrived for the beautiful quilts we've donated and it's lovely to hear how much they are appreciated.
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Dear Jan,

I have just chosen your quilt that you made earlier in the year and I would like to say thank you for it. It is so beautifully made . Having tried quilting and deciding the dog would prefer it as a pillow I know what work went into it. Thank you again for thinking of this community and I will enjoy the quilt for many years to come. Helen

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Hello Jan,
I received your beautiful quilt last week from Kaye Nankervis, who came to see me re bushfire assistance. 
Your quilt has pride of place on our bed, knowing that you have taken the time and pride in making something that will give my husband and myself comfort.
We lost all our farm, all fences, hay, pasture 90 head of stock( amazingly some survived), our hut, tractor, 4 wheel motor bike, cattle & sheep yards& most of our farm equipment.
Our home is nearby, but on separate site and although we had fire coming from 3 directions, my husband & son saved our house & shearing shed. 
My husband had 5 coronary bypasses 3 years ago, so all I prayed for is that my husband would be safe and he was.
I lost my Mum in November after my two sisters had just completed chemo for breast cancer & and now we all are learning to live with the threat of the corona virus. 
So from all of this, I have learnt humility and not only do I still have my darling husband, but I have witnessed such kindness. 
Thank you Jan, for all your time, effort and expense and care in making my quilt. You are so kind and I think of you every night I snuggle down safe & warm in my own home And under your quilt. I am so blessed.
Thank you,
Gayle L.

Gayle's quilt was donated by Patchwork and Quilters of Vic (P's and Q's).

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I would like to say a very big heartfelt Thankyou to Dorothy Ramage(Vic) for the beautiful Quilt I have received. We are dairy farmers in the Corryong area. We lost 200acres, haysheds but no animals in the January fires. Many of our neighbouring farms at Tintaldra lost many stock. There are 50 of our neighbours cattle buried on our farm . It was a horrific time. I’m so proud of our son Brad at 19y, he helped save houses and drove bulldozers all around our district during the fires. And my husband also helped friends in Cudgewa save their homes. We had no power at our dairy farm in Biggara for 24 days.
I chose this quilt. As a seamstress and try hard quilter I really appreciate and acknowledge the hours in making a quilt. 
Thankyou so very much, it’s the most generous precious gift I have ever received. 
 Thankyou 
Maree C.
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Dear Dorothy Ramage,

Yesterday the staff at Corryong College were surprised by the most generous act I have every experienced. We were invited into one of the classrooms to pick a quilt. I am a fan of quilts and spent a long time admiring them all. It is my ultimate candy store.

I chose a quilt made by you and wanted to thank you for you generosity and kindness you have shown by participating in the quilts for bush fires project. It is a quilt with blue, white and grey stars. I'm a Math and Science teacher and love visual patterns, the play of light and dark that you have created.

This year has been an emotional roller coaster and the toughest in my career of 20 years. When the fires first hit I thought myself lucky our house and friends we safe. I didn't think of myself as victim and went about supporting the farmers and their children who were hard hit. As a teacher, I was told what to expect from students and how to support them. Six months on, I have found it very stressful . I'm shocked by the total destruction of the environment and waterways. I'm a water watch volunteer and the reason I live here is to enjoy this unique environment. The rivers have dead fish and the forests are gone. I  spent the first three months after the fires testing water weekly to help  understand how  the rivers were coping after the fires. My students are struggling and often confide in their worries but can also be angry or spaced out. I try to be professional and offer them support. I attended a funeral of a past student who took his own life, as a teacher to support the students and as a friend of the family. Covid has added another level of worry as we try to support students through the internet.

When we were offered the quilts I didn't think I deserved one,  I wasn't a victim. Some of the other staff explained that we are. The role of the teacher puts us in the center of the communities problems and I realized all the stresses I was feeling is taking an emotional toll on the school. I was having a bad day yesterday. I felt like I was walking through mud and that this is never ending.

So I humbly thank you for your quilt and will always appreciate your kindness.  It has been very much admired by my children and we have all cuddled up in it last night. I think it is now the story book quilt. It offers a lot of comfort and I explained to my children why it was special.

With lots of love to you 

Vicki K.

Many thanks to all of you who have donated in so many ways. You've made a difference in people's lives as well as mine. XX
Hugs, Jan Mac

Thank You Emails.

Some lovely messages of thanks for the donations received from Oz Comfort Quilts have arrived and it's wonderful to hear how much your contributions are helping others in need.

I received a lovely thank you note and some photos from Peter Mac Patient Services showing their staff using the gowns, scrub hats and masks we made for their training purposes. They said they had the "best dressed COVID intubation team"! Many thanks to everyone who contributed.

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We also received a letter of thanks from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), for the masks we made and donated so they could continue their essential work for the communities of Arnhem Land in the NT. Many thanks to everyone who contributed.

More to follow as my blog wouldn't load all of them at once. 

Hugs, Jan Mac

Finishes, Donations and Puddling Along.

 I'm puddling along still trying to tidy my sewing room but it's "like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic". Perhaps I should throw all the bits and pieces in some boxes, put them in the garage and start again. Although I guess I already did that when we moved and I am still looking for things.  Lol.
     I put together a kit of orphan blue blocks and Kaye H.  from AQA's night group put them together as a top. Now I have quilted it and it's  ready for donation and a really pretty quilt.

I received a lovely long strip of pieced leftover jelly roll strips ( I think from Margaret Bryant from Vic) and it was great as an addition to make a backing large enough for this quilt.  If you have any fabrics you've tired of I can always use these long strips or 10.5 inch squares which I piece as tops. It's a great way to use up FQs that have stayed too long in the cupboard.

 Anne Marie Ward from WA donated this lovely set of crocheted squares and I have finished them into a blanket to donate.

 More knitting has been happening again this week and I have finushed a baby jacket and hat which will be donated to St Kilda Mums, an organization which supports disadvantaged young mums and their children.  They're also helping young families who have been affected by the recent bushfires.

 I've been machine appliqueing donated odd blocks and will put them together as a kit when I have enough.

 Leslie Schwartz from Vic donated this lovely top and $20 towards the cost of backing etc. Leslie commented that it was probably not appropriate for the bushfire quilt drive and I will finish this one for a patient at Peter Mac.

 Jill Ferguson from NSW donated 4 lovely quilts and her granddaughters had helped her with the smaller 2 quilts. It's lovely to hear that so many people are willing to help others in need.

 Today I received another parcel and it was from my local library. I usually access their online resources but there were a couple of books which weren't available on line. I was very surprised that they offered to post them and they asked if I wanted any others to fill the box so I asked for any books on quilting. What a great free service! We're half way through our Stage 4 lockdown and the number of people infected is finally coming down so it has been worth it. I neec to nake some more masks for family too as it looks like we will need them for some time.
    Today I've been making backings for donated tops so I can get some more quilted soon.
Stay safe everyone. Hugs, Jan Mac