Super Sunday Catch Up!

It has been a busy Aussie heroes weekend.  Yesterday Pam, Judith and I met at Penrith Patchwork to spend the day sewing.  Jeff, the owner, was kind enough to donate a bolt of Aussie fabric a few weeks ago that Pam and I partially used to make two quilt tops.  Yesterday we layered them and quilted them.  Pam managed to get the binding on the one she was working on but I didn't have the binding for mine with me so I continued work on another quilt I am working on which is a special request.  

Judith did a great job - she put another quilt together using some of the May BOM blocks.  Love the colours in this one.

Judith also brought with her two strip quilt tops she had put together at home.  Love this Aussie flag fabric.  She bought it at Spotlight and it is a twill.  I haven't seen it there but I think I need to look for it!  It is a twill so would be a great choice for a laundry bag too.

I love the cute truck fabric too and it looks great combined with the plaid.

Jeff has been tremendously supportive of Aussie heroes and is encouraging us to have monthly sewing days in his store on Sundays.  The next one is scheduled for 8 July.  We can fit in 6 more stitchers as well as Pam and I so please let me know if you think you can make it.  

Jeff even donated another two MORE bolts of Aussie  fabrics!

Thanks Jeff!

There were two groups working away at the shop yesterday.  The other group was painting on fabric.  One of the ladies, with the delightfully Aussie name of Adelaide, was hand painting the most exquisite Aussie motifs on fabric!  Take a look for yourself. 

 I was blown away by them and cheekily suggested she might like to do one for an Aussie hero quilt!  Guess what!  She is going to!  Adelaide has promised to do a Warratah for us!  I think that will have to go into a special wall hanging - might have to speak to the head chaplain about that one.

While three of us were stitching away in Penrith there were 18 ladies stitching away in berri, SA.  Berri is a small town about 240 km from Adelaide and according to the 2006 census they have a population of around 4000.  Boy did they put sydney to shame, although they did have more notice of the sewing day than we did.  Still Helen from the Berri uniting church arranged a sewing day and 18 lovely ladies turned out!  Through the church Helen provided all the fabrics and by the end of of the day 18 quilt tops had been made and according to naomi, also from Berri, more have been taken home to be sewn. WOW!

Naomi texted me a couple of photos but she has more and is going to send them through to me tomorrow once my (teenager inflicted) Internet data drought is over!  From what I have seen so far there are going to be a good bunch of cozy plaid quilts heading overseas soon.  Two of the lovely ladies have long arm quilters and they will be quilting all of e quilts! 

Super effort Berri!

Talking about super efforts, a lovely lady called Nancy has been beavering away quietly in the goldfields of WA.  Last week she wasn't able to keep things as quiet as she would have liked!  The local paper came to visit and do an article about her efforts for Aussie Heroes.  

They even brought in a local Army guy to sit in for the photos!  Nancy currently has in excess of 25 quilts quilted and ready to go.  Five are heading off later this week.  She had promised me photos to show you soon.  Nancy has been aided and abetted by Cheryl who runs Chez's Crafty Affair and a number of other local ladies.   She has a sewing group that meets on Mondays and other ladies that sew for her make quilts for charities. Nancy seems to have organised the whole town to contribute one way or another.  

Way to go Nancy!

And while we are still talking about great efforts I received a big parcel this week from Bernice. In it was a healthy cut of batting, several lengths of fabric,  

 some new tea towels 

 and even ten string blocks like these ones!

Thanks so much Bernice.

And just before I go - does anyone know where I can get one of these.   The lovely ladies at Penrith Patchwork lent us this one yesterday to help us do up the pins on the quilts we were layering.  WOW!  Did it work a charm!  So much easier on the fingers but the shop doesn't have any more to sell.  The fellow who was making them - turning the wood and then attaching the rivet at the end - is not doing them any more.  I figure someone must know where you can buy them so I am all ears ladies - please leave me a comment if you know where I can get one!

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