What Next?

It's been a trying week with Ray having major surgery and then my brother's home burning down. We under-estimated the degree to which he was affected too as he still had most of his household contents in his home for the tenants to use. We went to see him yesterday and it was a sad day as we've had many happy family gatherings there and have all been involved in the building process at different stages. There's not much he can do now until the insurance process begins.
Ray wasn't well after going over to see the devastation and moving around so much wasn't good for him so he's having a quiet day today and hope that things settle down again. I was intending to make him a red and black QAYG quilt before his surgery as he's a keen Essendon supporter. I'm planning on making him one of blocks set 6 x8 and need to get busy making more blocks. I've been working on bushfire quilts instead. My brother is also a keen Essendon supporter so it looks like I'll have to make another one for him.
I know that we need to learn from life's challenges but the lesson from all of this is yet to come to me. I guess we already knew to value our health and we're hoping that Ray will be able to return to good health again. As for the fire, at the moment I think I need to remember to forgive when people make stupid mistakes. I'm not there yet but I'll try.
Back to putting another QAYG set together to keep me focused on others.
Hugs Jan mac

Fire Again

Last night my brother's family home was burned down. This is the second time we've been touched by fire as my sister's business, a supermarket in Murchison, was also burned down on May 8th 2003. Both times the fire had not been caused by my family members and yet the devastation still has affected the family.
My brother had tenants in as he had bought a cottage on the coast and they were living there for twelve months and renting their home out to help meet their costs. Most of their possessions had been removed but the result is still horrible as my parents had given him a lot of help to build his mud brick home, and we'd also had some family working bees to construct the first part of the building. The tenant apparently used a fuel container to start the internal wood fire heater. No one was injured but the home is completely destroyed. In a strange act of fate my other brother and his son were returning from umpiring a local football match and they were first on the scene.
No photos to show and we haven't seen the damage yet as Ray wasn't well enough to leave the home yesterday. Like all families we'll give support to my brother and his family and pray that no more fires touch our lives. In the meantime I'm still putting quilts together for Kinglake families.
Hugs Jan Mac

Home Again

We are home from Melbourne after Ray's surgery and slowly picking up the pieces again. The surgery went well but post-op was a bit harder than we thought it would be and he had to stay in hospital longer than expected. He's very weak and tired but will gradually get better and is sleeping a lot. We really appreciate all your prayers, heart hugs and good wishes and feel very blessed to have had so much support.
Some of you have written to my blog with questions and I have been unable to reply as the email address hasn't worked. If you want to ask me a question please email me at janmac@mcmedia.com.au so I can respond.
Carol from Kinglake, can you please email me too so I can get in touch about the scarves and quilts for you. I have been getting some lovely donated hats, gloves and scarves and will be taking them down to Kinglake very soon. I did get some hand sewing done while waiting at the hospital and also have managed to knit 3 scarves. Now I'm putting togther a QAYG quilt using blocks for males. I've started making them 6 x 8 or 60"x 80" to cater for the men and older boys.
The photo is of the ferns which have regenerated on our friend's block in Kinglake and remind me that life may have some major hurdles but we can get over them.
Take care
Hugs Jan Mac

Suitcase Packed

Yes I've packed my case ready for our trip to Melbourne early in the morning. No this isn't for my clothes, like all quilters I have packed my hand sewing first. I bought this little case when I was at the Southern Cross Quilters retreat in Adelaide last month. I couldn't resist it and it's an ideal size for hand sewing and scissors. The hexagons are a new project I've started to use up all the 2.5" squares I swapped for the millennium quilt I was going to make. I enjoy hand piecing so much that it's been a lovely project to work on and I plan to get lots done while I wait for Ray to get out of surgery.
We're off to the Epworth hospital early tomorrow as Ray's surgery will be at 1pm and we'd just like to ask if you could all keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a good outcome. I'll still be working on the quilts for the bush fire appeal and we'll only be away for 1 or 2 nights and then I'll be doing some home nursing.
Just a note for those who are knitting hats and scarves for Kinglake people, their football team wears green and gold so hats in that colour would probably be popular too, as well as using the colours of the AFL teams.
Take care. Jan Mac

Knitted Hat Pattern

As there have been a few requests for a beanie pattern I thought I'd post it here. This is one I made up.
Adult Hat:
50gm 8 ply wool.
Cast on 120 stitches and work in rib (knit 1, purl1) for 12 rows using size 10 needles.
Change to size 8 needles and knit 28 rows of stocking stitch. (I work the stripes in with the stripes about 4 rows for each colour)
To shape the crown, knit 10 stitches, knit 2 together, and continue to end of row. Purl next row. Next row knit 9 stitches, knit 2 together and cont to end of row. Repeat rows while decreasing in alternate rows by one stitch between knitting 2 together. ie. 1st row, knit 10, knit 2 together, 2nd row knit 9, knit 2 toget, 3rd row knit 8 knit 2 together and so on. Continue until last row where you knit 2 together across the row. Then put remaining stitches on sewing needle and draw up before sewing down the seams of the hat.
I also make a slightly smaller size for young adults or teens, using 110 stitches and rib for 10 rows, then knitting for 26 rows before decreasing for the crown.
There's many pattterns you can google for so have fun if you want to make some hats for the bush fire survivors. I also make these and send them to East Timor.
My post raised quite a few questions about whether or not the donated money has been distributed to those affected by the fires and questions were raised about whether or not they could afford to buy a hat and scarf. I don't know how many have not received money and I'm certainly not questioning whether or not the funds are being administered properly. I do know that the task is huge and that many are still experiencing a great deal of stress after their terrifying experience. Normally many people in those communities would most likely have been able to knit for their own families. However, as many have lost their homes, the effort of replacing their knitting supplies, sewing supplies or whatever is needed is something they are just not able to face yet. Some have said that when they went to the relief centres for assistance, because they escaped with only the clothes on their back and in many cases didn't even have shoes, they were unable to even make decisions about what they needed. This is a common reaction to stress and many are still in this situation. The clothing given to recovery centres were summer clothes as it was during a period of intensely hot weather conditions and now warmer clothing will be needed. I'm sure that there are many groups such as the Salvos helping in these communities as they recover and rebuild their lives, but many people will not necessarily ask for more help. Often their response has been that there are others worse off than them and they are reluctant to accept too many donated goods. That is why we chose to start giving the quilts out through the schools and then the adults have been willing to accept them when they saw their children's happy reactions to them.
As there are so many people affected and many rules and regulations regarding donations of money, it has been much easier for us, along with many church and community groups to offer assistance in a tangible form. I don't expect that thousands of hats and scarves are needed but I'm sure that they will be appreciated, especially as they will have trouble drying wet clothes and staying warm if they are living on their home site in a caravan or whatever.
I'll leave it up to you whether or not you want to make and send a hat or scarf and I'll be distributing them when we hand out more quilts via the locals in each area.
Thanks for all your support.
Jan Mac

Time To Knit

After our visit to Kinglake yesterday I can tell you that winter is on the way! The sun was out which was a lovely surprise as it usually rains when we're there, but by 4pm it was very, very chilly. I was happy to get back into the warm car for our trip home.
Of course we had a lovely time chatting with new friends there and enjoying a cuppa in their caravan. They had built their own home 10 years ago and now they face the huge task of rebuilding. They have only taken a day off since the fires on Feb 7th and must be exhausted. They are spending every waking hour to set up a liveable area for them on their fire ravaged land. They have worked non-stop and have yet to start on their new home. They were connecting a toilet to a septic tank while we were there and it must be a wonderful luxury to have a functioning toilet instead of retreating to the bush when nature calls! It must have been a very unpleasant experience when it rains as well. They are just one of many many families who face the task of rebuilding their lives. They spoke openly about their experience and told that even those who had homes in well-cleared areas, or had fire bunkers did not all survive. The fire plans that had served them in the past were insufficient as the conditions were unlike any experienced before.
Where they are living there was no smoke but just flames reaching 300 metres in the air. The sight was so terrifying many can't recall it now but have blocked it from their minds. Like many others they haven't been able to take part in the feel good days that have been held with massages etc. They have been trying to get bearable living conditions established before winter really sets in. They say that it gets so cold at night that their heads ache. Common sights are people standing around open fires trying to warm themselves before they go to bed in their caravans or shipping containers.
They are very grateful for the quilts not just for the warmth of body but they also warm their heart with their tangible message of support from around Australia and the world. I came home and started knitting a warm hat and ask for anyone else who is enjoying their warm home, to do the same. I suggest hats in football colours for men and boys as well as hats in softer colours, and scarves for women and girls. I am happy to pass them on when I give out more quilts and I know they will be appreciated by those who receive them. I gave out 86 quilts yesterday as well as some household goods, sewing kits and knitted hats. I hope to see more warm people when next we visit. The hat I'm working on is red and blue which are Melbourne Football colours.
Hugs and thanks, Jan Mac

More Quilts Finished

Here's two more of the quilts I've finished this week and they will be going to Kinglake when we visit again this Friday. The Dresden Plates were donated as plates and I hand stitched them to background fabric and added some border fabric. The other lovely quilts was donated with backing and batting and I only had to quilt and bind this one. The colours are lovely and will makea beautiful gift of love for someone who has lost their home. As for Kaite's question about using a walking foot- I used to have one but it shook apart after about the first 1,000 quilts I used it on. I haven't found a need for one now really as I usually use a fairly flat batting and don't have a problem with the batting shifting. I'm working on quilting some of the lovely tops that have been donated as well as piecing backings for them. I measure all the donated tops and then look for fabric in my stash which I can use to piece a suitable back of the right size. It takes time but it's a good way to use up some of the fabric I'm no longer in love with.
Back to stitching. Hugs Jan Mac