Grati-Tuesday 4 Feb 2020

We have some lovely messages this week but up first a special one.  This comes from someone who received their quilt in 2012.  The quilt was made by Janie P from the Blackboy Hill Quilters. Now unfortunately, because of my house fire in 2016 I have lost all my records from the early days and I can't find Janie's email address. If anyone knows her and can pass this on please do. 
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Good morning Hero Quilters, 

In 2012 you crafted a beautiful green and gold floral applique quilt for me whilst I was deployed to the Middle East. In 2020, I am deployed to South Sudan as part of the Australian contribution to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Thank you for your generosity of spirit and the time taken to produce this quilt - its maker is Janie P from Blackboy Hill Quilters. I would appreciate if you could pass on my thanks to Janie please. 

This quilt is the first thing I packed, the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see every morning. It is a wonderful reminder of home. 

Kind regards, 

Sharing this one here for our Non-Facebooking readers.....

I've been meaning to send a heartfelt thankyou to you wonderful ladies who make these. I was gifted a personalised quilt organised for me as part of my gift on separating (medically) from the RAAF after 11yrs, last November. Having deployed in 2011 and not getting to deploy again...this is a particularly special gift that I will cherish for many many years. It's so 'me' & such a perfect gift.

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Good afternoon Clarissa

I am replying to your letter which accompanied by wonderful laundry bag!

Thank you so much for your effort and kind words. I really enjoyed reading your letter and finding out a bit about the person who is so thoughtful and giving.

This is my second deployment with the Australian Army in the role of a Communications Officer.

Last time, Egypt, I didn’t get a laundry bag or a quilt and was very envious when all my peers and co-workers received theirs.

This time, when the opportunity arose, I wrote my name down.

I love the picture of the kettlebell and the girl doing box jumps. That’s me at the gym most mornings! I tend to get up around 5am and get a workout in before we start the day.

So thank you very much again, from the bottom of my heart, for thinking of us here overseas.

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Hello Toni,

I received my laundry bag that you so kindly made for me through Aussie Hero Quilts and I absolutely love it! What an amazing talent you have! Thank you so much, it’s a great memento from my deployment.

You sound like a lovely woman and you have one of the most hardest and selfless careers I can think of and it seems like you love it too.

How great that your son introduced you to Jan Maree so you could put your talent and all that fabric to good use!!

I am near the end of my deployment, coming home to Canberra in March then moving to Sydney. So terrible to be watching all the devastation at home from the fires, hope all is safe for you and your family.

Thank you so very much again for the bag, I will treasure it and will certainly put it to great use!!

Have a great weekend. 
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Dear Georgina,

Thank you so much for your lovely quilt.  It made it to me in time for Christmas.  In fact, I had it with me during the final of the FIFA Club World Cup which took place on December 22^nd; which thankfully Liverpool went on to win.  I was ecstatic after that as it is a fairly prestigious knockout competition featuring the best teams from each continent.  I can only assume that it acted as something of a lucky charm.  I’m hoping it brings us luck in the rest of the season so we can win the league.  We’ve come close but are yet to win in my lifetime.

That’s enough about football though.  As a bit of background, I am an Aeronautical Engineer in the Royal Australian Air Force and am currently in the Middle East Region with a detachment supporting the E-7A Wedgetail, as you may well have guessed.  I working with a team of aircraft mechanics to maintain the aircraft. 

The quilt itself is a thing of beauty, and may well be the best gift I received this year.  I’ve got it on my bed over here now and it brings me great joy waking up to it every morning.  The abundance of care that has gone into creating it is evident in the craftsmanship and the quality.  You and your sons should all be commended for your efforts.  The pattern is striking and vibrant, plus I love the inclusion of the Wedgetail into the design.  No doubt, many years in the future this will remind me of what I was doing to earn such a beautiful quilt, and with any luck will act as a talisman to bring back some fond memories.

For me and my colleagues here on deployment the quilts we receive from individuals such as yourself are reminders that people back home are thinking of, and care deeply about, us.  They can bring comfort in what can occasionally be difficult times and anchor us to happier places such as home.  They are treasured items that will accompany us as we continue our journey through life.  The effort that you, and everyone else from Aussie Hero Quilts, put in are greatly appreciated.

As an aside, I showed it off to my mum when I video-called her for Christmas and she was extremely impressed.  She is also a die-hard Liverpool fan so I’ll have to make sure she doesn’t steal it out of my bag once I get home.  

Thanks for the Minties as well.  I made sure to share those with the rest of the team so I don’t eat too many lollies on my own.

I hope you and your family had a lovely Christmas and that you all have a happy New Year.

Warm Regards

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Hello Toni,

I received my laundry bag that you so kindly made for me through Aussie Hero Quilts and I absolutely love it! What an amazing talent you have! Thank you so much, it’s a great memento from my deployment.

You sound like a lovely woman and you have one of the most hardest and selfless careers I can think of and it seems like you love it too.

How great that your son introduced you to Jan Maree so you could put your talent and all that fabric to good use!!

I am near the end of my deployment, coming home to Canberra in March then moving to Sydney. So terrible to be watching all the devastation at home from the fires, hope all is safe for you and your family.

Thank you so very much again for the bag, I will treasure it and will certainly put it to great use!!

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Till next time... keep spreading the word and happy stitching! 

Jan-Maree xx