Catch up on Egypt and some thank yous (MK2)

We interrupt this transmission (well the Aussie Heroes 101 Series anyway) to pass on some of the thank you messages we have received and to tell you about my special guest today.


I hinted on Facebook that I would have some great posts coming up after the Series finishes and it seems that some of you just can't stand the suspense.  Don't feel bad - some secrets are just too good to keep!

--A little update on Egypt--

First up Nadene received a heartfelt thanks for the quilt she recently sent.....

Thank you very much for the quilt. it got here the other day and it is beautiful.


Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved.


It is a great pleasure to receive such a thoughtful gift from home. This was the first care package that I have received that was addressed to me personally by name after 3 deployments. Different from the ones that I have received from the RSL addressed to "a member that is serving" and now holds alot of sentimental value.


Again thank you so much and I don't think I can put into words how appreciative I am of yours and your teams efforts. I will treasure this item for the rest of this deployment and well into the future when I return to Australia.

Then I received this happy message from our point of contact in Egypt.  She has been absolutely great about letting me know when boxes arrive.

Good-morning Jan-Maree, Just a quick note to let you know 4 more quilts arrived today, along with what looks like hundreds of care packages.  The quilts we rec’d were from Erika (she sent 2) ,Stephanie from WA and Gail of NSW.  Our 2IC received one of Erika’s and was so impressed she has already sent Erika an email thanking her.

This is the message the 2IC sent to Erika.

Dear Erika,

How delighted I was to receive your quilt this morning – it is beautiful and I love it. I definitely think it is a piece of Art!!

It’s always so nice to receive presents from Australia and I thank you very much for thinking of us here in Egypt. 
As you may have been told here in the Sinai, Australia is a small contingent. The current strength of Australian soldiers is 25 in a large multinational force of approximately 2400 personnel. All the Australians are located at the main camp in the North of the Sinai Peninsula. This particular operation is considered a minor one but we do play an important role in supporting the MFO in monitoring the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel.

I have been deployed here for nine months and will be returning home to Canberra in August 2012. 
I have been very fortunate to have had this opportunity and as you have probably noticed in the news, Egypt is experiencing a very tumultuous time since the Revolution in Jan 2011. The MFO is supported by a number of other nations including the United States, Republic of Fiji, Canada, Colombia, New Zealand, France, Uruguay, Hungary and Italy. Being able to work alongside such a multicultural force has been an exceptional experience.

Living in the Sinai makes me also appreciate how wonderful Australia is and as the mother of 2 beautiful sons I also realise how lucky we are to have freedom of choice. This part of Egypt is very poor and the quality of life is very different to what we have at home.

Anyway I must get back to work – thank you once again for your thoughts and the quilt – all very much appreciated.

Best wishes

As we stand at the moment we have got enough quilts in the mail or under construction for everyone in Egypt.  Well done everyone!  My plan is to start sending more quilts for the new team in Egypt around the end of July.  That way some of the quilts will be there waiting for them on arrival.

And now to my special visitor!  

You may or may not remember that I made these two quilts - 

one to hang in the Headquarters Building

 and one for him personally

And sent them off with loads of Chuppa Chups.  

At some point during our few  back and forth email he asked me if there was anything he could get me from over there.  My initial response was I would love a keyring - (more on that on my Cherry Red Quilter blog tomorrow night) but then I decided that what I really needed was some photos that I could show you all.  I know sometimes it is hard for the guys to email photos home  so I said I could wait till he came home.   Not only did he say he would get me some pictures he said he would bring them to me when he came home - yes, I did a happy dance!

Imagine my delight yesterday when, during our Aussie Hero sewing day, he called to see if I would be home  this morning - would I ever!  So at ten am this morning my door bell rang and there was this lovely man with.......you are going to love this.......his super cute little daughter - all of four months old!  I can't show yo a photo of him (that pesky protected identity issue) but I can show you a picture of the little darling!

How cute is she!

Once I knew he had a little girl and that he was going to bring her with him .......well what could I do?  I had to make her a baby quilt!  

 CUTE - CUTE - CUTE 

So I guess I really had TWO special visitors today didn't I?

Now there are two more Aussie Hero 101 posts to go and we are back to them tomorrow night and Sunday.  I just might take Saturday night off as Saturday might be quite busy.  More lovely posts next week, I promise!

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

Aussie Hero Quilts 101 Pt 4

Welcome to Aussie Heroes 101 Part 4.  There are a few topics tonight - Special Requests, The Volunteer List, Quilts in Waiting and  WWQs.


Special Requests.  

This is what we call it when a serving member or their family find us and request a quilt or a laundry bag.  We love these requests as it means that we usually have some sort of personal contact with the recipient and/or their family.  That is something that usually doesn't happen when we send our quilts off with the care packages that go through the April and Christmas mailing.

The Volunteer List

In order to meet the demands of the Special Requests I have a list of volunteers who are happy to put a quilt together at short notice.   There are currently 14 ladies on this list.  When I receive a request I forward the info, minus identifying details, to the 14 ladies on the Volunteer List.  Whoever feels they can fit the request in with their own commitments gets back to me with an offer to complete the requested quilt.  


I work on a six week plan.  I allow two, maximum three weeks to get the quilt completed and in the mail and then another two or three weeks for the quilt to actually travel to its destination via snail mail.  


Generally, when I put out a call for a volunteer I get more takers than I need and I usually operate on a first "in best dressed rule".  Having said that though, if I know someone is really keen and has missed out on a couple of opportunities then they might get first option the third time.  Also, if I know of a quilt that is well under way which I think might be suitable for the request I might email the quilter and ask if they are interested in completing it in time to fill the request.

I can always use more volunteers so if this idea appeals to you please leave me a comment or send me an email.  You don't need to put your hand up each time a request comes through - only whenever it fits in with your commitments.

Quilts in Waiting
Maybe I need a better name for this one but as yet I haven't come up with one.  If you have completed a quilt, or even have it at flimsy or quilt top stage, it would be great if you could email me a picture so that I can file it away in the Quilts in Waiting File.


Here is a quilt top that Kylie is working on and has let me know about.  

And here is the gorgeous May BOM quilt that Pip made and which I mentioned last night.

These are both in my Quilts in Waiting File and may go off in response to a special request or they may wait until the Christmas mailing.

If you have a top or a completed quilt how about letting me know.  

And finally we come to some very special quilts, ones that we hope we will never need to use but which will serve a very important purpose if needed.

Wounded Warrior Quilts (WWQs)

We have been asked to provide three quilts that can be held in the hospital in Kandahar to be given to any wounded soldiers who transit through there on their way to hospital in Germany.  Unfortunately our first three quilts arrived in Kandahar one hour after our last three soldiers were flown to Germany.  At least we know that three quilts are in situ now should they be needed.


These are the three quilts that are currently on standby in Kandahar.  

This one by Liz

This one by Wendy 

Finally this one a quilt top by Claire - this photo was sent to us by one of the chaplains. 

Preferably they should be Australian in flavour as they will accompany the soldier to Germany and a bit of familiar Aussie-ness would hopefully be comforting to them.  


They need to be sent in plastic bags that can be vacuum sealed as the Chaplain said the dust gets into everything and we don't want the quilts dusty and dirty before they are even handed to their recipient.  


I also try to keep three quilts ready in Australia so that they can replace any that are used as soon as we get word of their need.  The quilts will be sent direct to the Chaplain who passes them on to the hospital for storage.  


These two, the first by Liz

 and the second by Linda, are currently in my WWQ in Waiting File.

If you want to go ahead and make one please let me know.  I know of a couple of WWQs that are either completed (please send photos) or are under construction and once I get photos of them I file them in the WWQ in Waiting file until needed. I have had a number of people offer to make WWQs but have not had word that many of them have been completed.  If you have one underway, can you please let me know.  We will not be restricted to posting these quilts only during the April and November mailing dates obviously.


And here is another option - if you don't have time to sew a while WWQ or quilt top but still want to be part of making such a special quilt - here is an easier option.
 Send me an 8 inch block (7 1/2" with seam allowance makes it ") in Aussie fabric or red white and blue and I will combine them into WWQs.
Here are six completed by Teresa from America which I received just yesterday.   Does anyone else feel like making some?  Just let me know!

I think that is enough to digest for now - class dismissed!

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

Aussie Hero Quilts 101 Part 3

This is the reason that I changed this from a five part series to a six part series.  How could I forget the BOMs?

What is that you newbies are saying?  What on earth is a BOM?  Well it is not something to be scared of that is for sure.

For the uninitiated a BOM is a block of the month.

There are a number of Aussie Hero Friends who are novice quilters.  There are also a bunch of quilters who for whatever reason can't complete a whole quilt for Aussie Heroes but they still want to contribute.  I want AHQ to be as inclusive as possible so that anyone who wants to join in can in one way or another.  This is just another way people can contribute!  

Each month I introduce a simple block, complete with a tutorial, then anyone who is interested can make up one or more blocks and send them in - getting them into the mail by the end of the month.  l make them up into a simple quilt or quilts and will post the results.  You could also make a few extra blocks for yourselves.  If you are a beginner the completed Aussie hero Quilts will them give them an idea how to turn them into a quilt.

For the experienced quilters please don't be frustrated by the simplicity of the blocks - that is whole point and after all, sometimes  the simplest of blocks yield the most stunning quilts.

We started off in February with a simple nine patch block.   

We were sent a wonderfully diverse collection of blocks.

We received enough blocks to make five wonderful quilts.  This lot were sent up to Christine and she turned them into this cozy looking quilt.

This isn't a great photo but Sue made all these nine patches and they have gone to Darwin to Larissa who is working on completing the quilt around her study schedules.

The next three were completed here and quilted by Carol from Turramurra Quilters.  

 I sent these two (the red border and this yellow border) off to one of the chaplains to find a home for.  He is home now and I never heard if they arrived or not so I am hoping he was able to give them out before he left.  I am sure there is someone enjoying them on their bed now though. 

 This is the first BOM quilt that was completed.  It has blocks from lots of people, including some from two lovely girls in the States who regularly contribute!  Because so many people had contributed I figured it was the perfect choice to send when I was asked to send a quilt to the Major General.  

I didn't tell you about it before as I was hoping that we would get a repy but given that it was posted at the beginning of April and I still haven't heard anything about it I am just going to assume that it is there and that he is flat out- afterall, General's are busy people!  I thought you would like to know that we had been asked to send one to him and that the one that I sent was a joint effort.

The March block was the pinwheel.  

Again we received loads of blocks from all over.

This resulted in another of my favourite quilts and this was also sent to the Chaplain to find a home for.

Caroline has taken the leftover pinwheels and put them together with some of hers and this quilt is currently under construction!  Doesn't the green and gold just shout 

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!

The BOM for April was the wonky cross - I think I took a few people out of their comfort zone with this one  (evil giggle!) but it is a fun block and I needed something really simple for April as everyone was busy finishing quilts to get them in the mail.  I think the result is a fun bright quilt.  I haven't been able to put this one together yet as I was waiting for the last few blocks to arrive in the mail.  

And now we come to the BOM for May.  This was Naomi's suggestion and I think it is going to lead to a gorgeous quilt or two.

  I think we will end up with one cozy country style quilt full of plaids and another brighter version.   I love it when you end up with two completely different looks from the same pattern. 

 I am not game to start putting one together till I get all the blocks and I know Pauline and Larissa are planning to send some.

You will see another gorgeous quilt made from the May BOM blocks in tomorrow night's post as it is already been completed by Pip but it is already a Quilt in Waiting - one of tomorrow night's topics!

  This is probably a good time to warn you that this months BOM will be published a couple of days late in order to complete the Aussie Heroes 101 Series.  I don't want to break your concentration by distracting you with thoughts of all the BOMs you are going to sew!

 Okay, now you can go and get your glass of wine and relax.  Class dismissed for the night but see you back here again, same time, same place tomorrow night!

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

Aussie Hero Quilts 101 Pt 2

OOPS!

First up - if you are following Aussie Heroes by email you will note that I have had a couple of technical hitches the last couple of days - purely operator error!  Sorry!

Handy Hint for the day!

Just before we get started on the topic for tonight, Liz made a suggestion re batting.  She said she buys 3 metres of wadding at a time when and where she can get it discounted. Cut the first quilt across ways, then the next 2 length ways, you end up with a small piece to use for babies.

Laundry Bags and why me make them.

Tonight we are going to revisit the laundry bags.  Maybe you are wondering why we started making laundry bags.  The full story can be found in the Brief History Page but the short story is this.  The guys and gals are issued with white, blue or green laundry bags and the only way to tell one from another is by hand written initials usually in black marker pen.  According to my sources (the lovely Warrant Officer) bags go missing all the time as people collect the wring bag in error.

The lovely Warrant Officer's wife made him his own laundry bag that was distinctive in colour and voila! he found his laundry easily there after!

In this picture you can see the NM laundry bag stands out!

The following are some of the thank you messages we have received from those that received some of the first bags.

Thank you so much for all the quilts, personalised laundry bags and goodies. We’re all very grateful for the time and effort put into them. The snow is starting to appear in the distance and as it increases two things become extremely important; warm beds and clean and dry laundry, so you’ve hit the nail on the head there. Thanks again.

Many thanks for the fantastic laundry bag. I’ve been clothe-less two separate times due to laundry mix ups, but I have a feeling that’s a thing of the past thanks to you. Keep up the good work.

Cheers for laundry bag it couldn’t have come at a better time as my current one had sprung a leak.

 Thanks heaps for the laundry bag and quilt. I had been using a pillowcase for laundry resulting in an inordinate amount of loose feathers in my bed from a slightly worse for wear pillow. Must admit, I’m tempted to use the laundry bag to cover it. Thanks again, have a great Christmas and New Year.

I just have to add that the fellow who made the last comment later received a brand new pillow and a "special" pillowcase - it was the least I could do - check it out.

 Hee Hee - a bit of an insight to my sense of humour!

I am not going to duplicate effort by completely re-writing the Laundry Bag Tutorial but it is there if you need it.  I will just go over some of the main points.  

Fabric

Try to use a heavier weight fabric for the outer and calico or homespun weight for the lining.  Something like light weight curtaining fabric - not the rubber backed fabric - is excellent. If you don't have a heavier fabric for the outer then use normal quilting fabric.  The sturdier the fabric and the stitching the longer these bags will last.  Also, and most important - all fabrics - particularly those pesky reds need to be pre-washed.  Soldiers tend not to like wearing PINKuniforms!

As the military issue bags are white, plain blue and plain green I tend to stay away from plain versions of these colours.  If any of you are military wives and can give me some guidance as to what sort of blue and green we are talking about that would be great!

The most important feature of our bags is that they be DISTINCTIVE so they can be easily picked out from a pile of hundreds!  The fabrics don't have to be pretty - just serviceable.  Bright colours, checks, strips dots, anything - just bear in mind you are making laundry bags mostly for men.

Patches or Initials.

When we have them we applique large initials on bags but that is not necessary.   It is nice to do it if you know the recipient but I want to be able to send extra bags over to be handed to those who need them and I don't have a never ending supply of initials.  

Here are your two options.  Either applique simple letters on the front or make up a patch similar to the one on the blue bag - make it any shape you want - just jazz it up so that it adds to the distinctive quality of the bag.  Raid your scrap bag for the border fabrics and use a contrasting thread for the stitching!  Have some fun with it.

Our patches are fused on and then stitched down.  I use satin stitch  - you can stitch however you like but stitch well so that it stands up to wear and tear.  Make sure you attach your patch before you sew up your bag - so much easier!

The part of the bag that gets the most wear and tear is the draw string channel.  You might like to experiment using a sturdier fabric.  I think denim might be too thick but twill works well. This is also a good place to top stitch and reinforce.

Cord

Another good thing to remember is that the laundry, at least in Afghanistan, is sent of to Afghani-run laundromats where the bag and its contents are thrown into industrial washing machines and dryers as is.  The soldiers wrap the cord around the top of the bag and tie it off and then have to untie the bag when the laundry returns.  Can you imagine the state of the laundry when it is pulled out of the bag?  So glad I don't have to iron any of it!  That is why the cord has to be a good strong thick one - this photo will give you the idea.

There are many more guys over there than girls so if you can make the bags either gender neutral or masculine that would be great.  I would love to be able to send lots of these over there to be passed around.

Laundry bags can be posted over in a batch with other bags, on their own or with a quilt.  I will publish the address just prior to the two mailing periods, one in time for ANZAC DAY and one in time for Christmas Day.

If you have any questions with regard to Laundry Bags just leave a comment.   

If you are a wife and would like hubby to receive a bag just leave a comment or 

if you are serving member currently overseas and would like one - guess what......just leave a comment!

Oh and by the way, if you can't leave a comment coz you do not have a Google ID or whatever go to the left hand side of the blog page where you will see my pic (one of the only ones you will see if I can help it!) and click on the email link below it.

Contact me

Email

Alternatively click on our Facebook page, become a follower and leave me a message that way.

Just before I dismiss you from class for tonight here is a thank you my sister in law just received by snail mail!

We received your care pack today and I wanted to pass on my thanks for your support and the effort you went to.   I've already grabbed the washing bag, so it'll be in use straight away. 

The treats you put in are greatly appreciated as well. 

Means alot for us to receive the support of people like yourself, strangers who take the time to say hello and thanks, even though we never need to be told thank you. 

Thank you again. 

See, they love our laundry bags!

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

Sweet Dreams Kylie (sorry private joke!  Hee Hee)

Aussie Hero Quilts 101 Pt 1

It has been almost five months since we got up and running officially - can you believe it - only five months!!!  At the end of our first mailing period which ended on the 15th of April we had sent at least 125 quilts.    In the following months we have send more than 50 but it is probably more than that as heard from Singleton quilters recently and they have finally, as of this weekend finished sending all of their intended 60 quilts so we must be pretty close to having sent around 200 quilts by now.  More are promised in the coming weeks.

In recent weeks new Friends have joined the ranks of ladies who sew (still waiting for a guy to sew) and there are loads of new Followers on Facebook.

So, in order that we all be in the same page, welcome to Aussie Heroes 101.  Part 1.

What do we do?   The Friends of Aussie Heroes are spread all over the country and we make quilts and laundry bags to send to serving members currently serving overseas.  We send twice a year with the welfare mail but if we get a request from a spouse or a member and are supplied with the address we can send a quilt any time of the year.  All we need is two or three weeks to get a quilt made and two or three weeks for the post to cover the distance.  So far we have coped well with any requests that have come our way and in fact I think we could cope with a few more.  We would certainly do our best.  We started sending to guys and gals in Afghanistan and are now sending to Egypt as well.  We are happy to send anywhere and if requests came in for members in any of the other regions I would be delighted!

If you are not a quilter and don't wish to read all about the quilts you can now jump down to the next lot of orange text!

If you can sew and want to make a quilt or part of a quilt you can find all the specifics with regard to how to make a quilt here.   If you look at the top of the blog page, between the heading and the photo collage, you will see a list of pages.  Tonight I will be covering a lot of information from the Quilt Specifics Page.  All these pages contain a wealth of information.

Quilt Specifics

Quilt Size  - the size has been determined to fit into a Bx2 sized Aussie Post Box so that you can post them free of charge - as long as you keep the weight under 2kg.  Currently I reccommend making your quilts around 42-44" wide which is around the width of quilting fabric.  The length should be no shorter than 66" and no longer than 72"

Quilt Design - You can choose any design you like for your quilt.  The original quilts were very simple strip quilts made with 6 1/2" wide strips.  We made 28 quilts in very little time in order to meet a deadline.  I still think those quilts are great for beginners and because I think it is important for as many people as possible to be able to get involved we need something beginners can handle.  As more quilters have come on board the designs have become wonderfully diverse so just go with what works for you.  We need quilts for guys and girls but just bear in mind that in Afghanistan for example there only about 20% female to 80% male!  We need four more boy quilts than girl quilts.

The Quilt Specifics Page contains general instructions on how to make a simple 6 1/2" strip quilt if you are interested.

Batting - we only use cotton batting as these quilts are used year round.  In winter it can get down to -25C in Afghanistan and in summer up to 40C (maybe more?)    A cotton lined quilt is useful if the aircon is a little chilly whereas a polyester one is not so good.

Someone asked me what sort of batting do I buy?  I don't know the name.  I just go the my local quilt store and ask for the thinnest, cheapest 100% cotton batting - that is all I ever use these days, whether for Aussie Heroes or other projects  and it has never let me down.  The rolls are usually 2.4m wide which means that I can get two quilt side by side if they cut me a little over the length of the quilt or one quilt cross ways if I buy a little over the width of the quilt.

Quilting - is a matter of personal choice and ability.  I have annoying arthritis in the base of my thumbs so free motion fancy quilting is not an option for me on quilts of this size so I do straight line quilting.  if you can do stipple of fancier - fill yer boots as they say!

Binding - is sewn on by machine or hand - again your preference!  Again there is a tutorial page on binding your quilt here if you need it.  

Label - it is essential that all the quilts have a standard label in as far as they have similar content.  After much consideration I have created a standard label as follows.

This is an

AUSSIE HERO QUILT

made for an 

Aussie Hero

serving overseas

with gratitude for your service.

2012

aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com.au
friendsofAHQ@gmailcom

Please include the blog name and my email address so that they always know how to get in touch with Aussie Heroes.

If you wish you can add who the quilt was made by and where you come from etc.

I print my labels on Printable Fabric available from printable fabric.com.au.  They have been very supportive in the past donating some sheets and giving a 30% discount when I have purchased them.  As we currently have no funds at our disposal this is the sort of expense that I  hope future fundraising will cover.  (more on that in future posts)

Okay enough class time for tonight.

The subject line on this first message from Egypt was 

"Greetings from the Sunny fly infested Sinai"

Doesn't sound so appealing does it!

Morning Jan-Maree, I received three more quilts in the mail this morning all from E. H. in Kalamunda. You are spread far and wide.

...................................................................................................................................................

I look forward to them opening there packages, as much as the members do to see what work of art has been sent.

The dotted lines represent a couple of sentences that I had to remove as it is a surprise and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag too soon - hee hee you will just have to wait and see!!!

I received another message regarding Belvedere's turtle quilt today as well and thought you would like to read it - some details removed to protect the sender's privacy as always...

I first heard about your quilts when my colleague showed us the one you guys made for our turtle Belvedere.  As a mascot he means so much to us and I think it is lovely how proud the boys and girls are of him.  They have even made him a little set of body armour and make sure he is on all of our unit photos.  All our troops were so impressed with the quilt (blush) and the laundry bag was so cute (thanks for the idea Denise!)  It is so nice the things that people do the the troops overseas.  We are forever grateful.  I think I would really appreciate a quilt.  I see it as something you would cherish for the rest of your life, far beyond the deployment.  And also add a bit of colour to my room and white linen.  I feel quite lucky to be able to work over here and get the experience to deploy.  I look forward to hearing back from you and thanks for the quilt you made for Belvedere.

I guess Belvedere is one lucky turtle!  I mean really, how many turtles get their own body armour!  Wouldn't you love to see a picture of that!  Wonder if he has a helmet and a side arm too....

No need to email me and ask if you can do a quilt for this one- there is already one almost completed that I will be putting in the mail on Thursday after I get my hands on it on Wednesday. (but thanks anyway!)

And just for good measure one more pic- all the pics in this post have been of some of the early quilts actually on beds in Afghanistan. 

So see you back again tomorrow night for the next post - Aussie Heroes 101 Part 2

There may or may not be a test at the end of them so I hope you are paying attention!  LOL

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