Grati-Tuesday

G'day all.  I hope where ever you are your day is treating you kindly.   I am sitting in my office/sewing room, enjoying being able to have the windows open at 1230 without being too hot.  The lovely cool weather we are having is very welcome.  The birds are singing their hearts out as well so it seems they are grateful of the reprieve.

Now so sure that those in Kabul would be complaining about the heat.  This photo was sent to me the other day from one of our would-be recipients.  As she said, it is not exactly bike riding weather!  It would certainly be the opposite of the HOT SEAT!

By the way, if you are "over there" and want to share some other pics of every day life, snow, whatever, we would love to see them.

Quick reminder.  There is a sewing day at my home this Friday - starts at ten, BYO lunch and I will provide all materials.  

If you can't make it this Friday then the next scheduled sewing day is Wednesday the 5th of Feb, also at my home and finally the next sewing day in Penrith is on Sunday the 16th of February.

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Time for some thank you messages...

Hello Debbie,

I am the Defence member that received the quilt you made.  I just wanted to say “THANKYOU”. Its is great. The quilt you made is for my 5 year little boy as he has missed me while I’m away.  I have shown him the quilt on Skype and he loves it. He has a real passion for cars. I think he will also be a race car driver like your husband.

He always gets his photo with nice cars he sees around town. We also have to keep our keys up high as he thinks he is adult and can drive like his dad does.   

I would like to thank you for the effort you put into my quilt for my son. It looks great. The gift’s we receive from people like yourself have an incredible impact on our moral here in the big sand pit and help us get by without our families and friends.

I hope you and you family have a great new year and the weather turns in your favor.

Thank you

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Hello Jan Maree.

I have just received my quilt cover and it is absolutely beautiful.  My heart goes out to all the people who do such a magnificent job and believe me it is very much appreciated by everyone here.  And lastly could you please thank Aniko for her excellent work.

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A thank you message from South Sudan for a laundry bag made by Bev and a quilt by Liz.

Good Morning,

 

Firstly I must apologies for my delay in responding. Things have been a bit hectic in Juba lately and this is my first chance to write. I received my laundry bag in mid December so thank you very much. I love the design and you can be assured that it is getting plenty of use. I received my quilt last week as there was a long delay in the mail due to the recent instability in the country. I love the quilt, and thank you for the chocolates and nibblies.  I am a bit of a chocoholic which isn't doing my waistline any favours.

 

I hope you had  a great Xmas and that 2014 is a fantastic year.

 

Many thanks - I am very appreciative of my quilt - it rocks!

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Hey Julie Ann,

Thanks so much for the quilt and laundry bag they are awesome. Definitely brightens up my room over here and coming mid way through makes a difference plus it's actually getting cold here so timing is great :))) I only just received them as I've been away for around 5 weeks on separate tasks and covering shifts in other areas so was a good surprise when I arrived back to base.

Thanks again for the quilt and bag it makes a difference :))))))) 

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Dear Julie Ann and AHQ

Thank you very much for your kind letter and wonderful laundry bag and Aussie treats. They arrived here at ISAF today.

I feel so blessed! It will go to very good use here.

I wish you all the best, and thanks for your thoughtful contribution to Australia's efforts and service. It couldn't be achieved without support from Australians such as yourself.

With warm wishes,

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Hi Jan-Maree,

Yes I did receive your quilt and lovely laundry bag.   It was such a delight. I do apologise for not being able to write back as you can imagine the lifestyle is quite demanding.  Thank you once again for going beyond your efforts and thoughts. Makes being over here a bit more comfortable.  Have a lovely day and thank you for your support. 

Kind Regards,

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For a quilt Millie sent me to send off

I had received my aussie hero quilt.  I received it prior to Xmas.

I wish to thank you and your team again for the extraordinary effort you go to.  My quilt has been a wonderful gift to receive (especially prior to Xmas) in a sometimes very challenging environment.

Thanks again.

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This thank you is for a quilt top made by my sister-in-law Julie and quilted by Stephanie T and a laundry bag made by me. The message was written by the soldier's wife. 

Hellow Jan-Maree

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the Aussie Hero Quilt team for all that you have done to support Australian Soldiers on Operations.  Thank you for taking the time to create such a beautiful quilt and laundry bag for my husband.  XXXX got such a pleasant surprise when he returned home from Afghanistan last year and saw he had "gifts" to open.  The quilt reminds XXXX of his Operations to Afghanistan.   XXXX and I are both appreciative and very thankful that there are special people like yourself and the Aussie Hero Quilt team reminding troops that their services are appreciated and they are not forgotten.  Keep up the wonderful work

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This thank you was for a quilt top made by Lynn and quilted by Debbie.

Dear Jan-Maree,

Thankyou for the lovely surprise, I had not really expected to get one and the workmanship in the quilt was beautiful. I am a Sailor on HMAS Melbourne and it really made a big impression on me that there are still people out there that are so selfless and caring. It really made my Christmas. I was fortunate enough to get the Sports Cars Quilt, that I requested and it will now become a family heirloom.  

The work you do is so very important.  All the best to everybody and your families’. Have a very Happy New Year, I hope Santa brought you lots of goodies. 

Yours Aye 

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Julie Ann,

Firstly thank you so very much for the laundry bag I received the other day. Opening it up to “inspect” the craftsmanship was a group event as the international community that I work among were all waiting in awe that someone so nice would actually take the time out of their days to do such an honorable deed. You have single handedly raised the already high reputation of Australians among this predominantly European community. They are all sufficiently jealous and now have an increased desire to not only visit Australia but potentially migrate as well. The heat wave that has occurred recently has been reported on the news here so that has tempered it somewhat.

I’m greatly appreciative for the support you have shown us and the craftsmanship is faultless. The units insignia is recreated perfectly. I’m sure this bag will travel with me in the years to come as it is very well constructed and study enough to take the beatings I’m sure my clothes will send its way.

Again thank you very much, and I really do appreciate the support you have given me as well as everyone else over here through Aussie Hero Quilts

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Finally this is a special one.  Today on the facebook page I shared the following 

"When I started Aussie Heroes it soon became obvious that I needed to find a supportive supplier to purchase batting from. For those who do not know, batting is the cotton layer, a kind or padding, that goes between the back of the quilt and the top (the "pretty" side). It is probably my biggest expense, costing a few hundred dollars per roll. I receive quilt tops that need to be finished off andthey all require batting. One distributor has supported us almost from the beginning, the only proviso is that I do not make public where I get our batting from. That makes it hard for me to thank them publicly but I have an idea. If you or a loved one has received a quilt from us could you please leave a message of thanks on this page which I can copy and paste and add when I send my next cheque off to them. I really could not do what I do for Aussie Heroes without their support."

People have been leaving messages for me to share with our supplier and I really appreciate everyone that has come in.  This one was sent to me as a Private Message on facebook and I have permission to share it anonymously.  

"Hi Jan  :-)

Just saw your post and would like to send a thank you message to everyone behind the quilts. I was deployed last year for 8 months.  I can tell you it's not easy being over there and some days you just feel like giving up.  However coming back to my bunk at whatever time of the day I got back to sleep I saw my quilt and every time it would make me smile and feel that little bit better.  it was the one thing that made my day, every single day.  I couldn't explain how much it helps mentally to have something there each day to remind you that someone else is out there thinking about you and made this quilt for you.  Now I'm back home on Australian soil, I had a rough couple of weeks transitioning back into this lifestyle where yet again my quilt came in handy the same as it did overseas.  Now it's my couch quilt that I cuddle up with watching TV and it brings back so many memories.  Its hard to explain what it means to us soldiers, but if my how was to get robbed..I hope they take anything but my quilt!  Evelyn was my quilt maker and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

Now, can someone please pass me a tissue, the sand is bad today, and no, I am not being funny. I am humbled that we have been able to provide such comfort.  

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