Grati-Tuesday 31 Jan 17

Hi All,

Well tomorrrow I am off to Adelaide for two nights so will be on the "road" for three days effectively.  I am looking forward to catching up with quilters and recipients at dinner on Wednesday night and Thursday night.  I am also looking forward to visiting 7RAR on Thursday.  It might mean I am a bit slower answering emails.  Please bear with me. 

For tonight, enjoy the great messages we have received this week. 

.....

Good Afternoon Joy

It is with great pleasure that I am writing to inform you that I received your wonderful quilt and laundry bag. It gave me such joy to receive such an amazing package. The quilt is amazing and I absolutely love it! Thank you so much.

Your children and grandkids are very lucky to have someone who makes them such wonderful garments. I have shown the blanket to all my work colleagues who have been very impressed by the quality and detail of your work.

The quilt has not only brought me some much needed joy, but a slice of home which will keep me going for the rest of the deployment. I will cherish this blanket and continue to use it on my upcoming rotations. The work you have done is outstanding and we all look forward to seeing more of your magnificent quilts.

Thank you so much for all your efforts and contributions.

Kind regards,

Ps. I took the blanket for a trip on one of our flights (the crew loved it!). 

.....

Dear Janis,

Thank you for your kind support to Aussie Heros and making a laundry bag of the highest quality. I have many members here in the headquarters where your laundry bag has been a talking point - They all want one now.

I think it wonderful that your family is growing as there is nothing more important in life than family and health.

I hope you had a very merry Christmas, happy New Year and that you have a fantastic Australia Day.

From all of us here in the Middle East Area of Operations, thank you for your kind support.

Ps. Apologies that a return email took so long, there has been a delay in the mail getting to members in the Middle East.

Kind Regards, 

.....

Hi Bev & Geoff,

I hope you have had a great Australia Day with plenty of good food, drink and entertainment.

Thank you both so much for the fantastic quilt you made for me; the day it arrived was the coldest day of winter so far, and I have slept under it for the last 3 days since it arrived.

Our Australia Day has been a fairly quiet day so far. Later on this afternoon we will be having a  work barbecue and sporty, with maybe a beer or two to celebrate the day.

Our work here is very busy but rewarding, and we are all still of the opinion that we are helping to make a difference, having said that, I am looking forward to getting home.  This is my third deployment to the Middle East with the Australian Air Force, having previously served 20 years with the UK RAF.

Thank you so much again for the quilt, and I know my crew and work mates really appreciate the support from people back in Australia.

Regards

.....

Hi Jan-Maree,

I am very excited to report that my beautiful Aussie  Hero Quilt and Laundry bag arrived yesterday, on Australia Day.

The quilter, Susan P has done an amazing job!!! The Australian desert scene is absolutely stunning!!!

I also received a lovely letter from Susan which I will reply to (via snail mail) in the very near future. 

Thanks again for the incredibly generous work you and your team do to keep us going over here. It really makes a big difference.

Kind regards,

.....

Good Afternoon Julie-Ann

Today I received the laundry bag you kindly made for me. I would like to say thank-you for the kind words and treats you sent along with it, the kind gesture is greatly appreciated from all of us here.

Thanks,

.....

Hi Clarissa

Just wanted to say thanks for my laundry bag. We received them coming home from deployment. It is good to have some colour in my cabin apart from the blue and grey of navy gear.

When not at sea I live near Rockingham WA and my wife and dog live in our house in Tasmania which is where I spend my leave (which is like gold to me). I am into cycling as well and like doing triathlons where I can. Being on a submarine makes this difficult but I know it is something I will get back to in the future.

I wish you and your family health and happiness. All the best with your sewing.

Kind regards

.....

Dear Lyn,

You made a beautiful quilt for my husband who is currently deployed overseas.  

I wanted to email you to say thank you.  The quilt and laundry bag are absolutely beautiful.  I know that he has been enjoying having the quilt on his bed. It was such a surprise when he sent me the photos and a copy of your letter.  The time that you have spend creating something so wonderful for someone you don't know is amazing.  It meant the world to both J and myself.  I happened to be with my grandparents at my Mum's when he sent the photos through and we all ended up in tears.  It touched us all so much.   Christmas is definitely a little bit harder when a member of the family is deployed but knowing that there are people out there thinking about and appreciating our Defence members makes it all a little easier.

Again, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your thoughtfulness.  It truly means so much and the world is a better place for having people like you in it.

I hope that 2017 brings you and your family love, joy, peace and happiness.

Kind regards

.....

Hi Su,

I am currently serving in the Middle East with the RAAF and received a laundry bag that you made. I found your note and wanted to email to say Thank you very much, I have already put it to good use. The Kuranda Tropical North Queensland print on it is fantastic, and a daily reminder of home.

Many thanks again and best wishes to you and your family,

Very respectfully,

.....

Good morning Sandy

I am an Able Seaman in the royal Australian Navy, and I want you to know how sorry I am for how long it took me to thank you and your son Trevor for the amazing laundry bag I received during my deployment the first half of this year. 

The deployment was a long and hard 7 months and the support and generosity that people like yourselves show us means so much. It is comforting to know that people, other than our immediate family, care for and appreciate what we were doing. I've spent most of my life in Newcastle NSW and joined the Navy when I was 19. Since then I’ve seen a lot of the world but nothing compares to this amazing country we live in. I hope that you and your son continue making laundry bags and quilts for Aussies deployed overseas as I know from experience the joy and pride they bring us for serving our country. I wish you and your son all the best and again thank you for the amazing laundry bag I received it is something I will hold onto and cherish forever. 

.....

Hey Bev F,

I recently received the quilt and laundry bag you made me. I would like to say the biggest thank-you for both. They are absolutely amazing and exactly what I wanted ! It bought the biggest smile to my face when I received the package! Thanks for all you hard efforts I can tell you it's greatly appreciated !

Many thanks, 

.....

Dear Jo,

I received your AHQ Quilt this week and wanted to write you and say a very warm thank you for taking the time to make it for me. The colours look really sharp and together with the laundry bag I have also received, really add some character to my room! It's a great support initiative for troops serving overseas and has been one of the most pleasant surprises to my time spent on deployment thus far. Thank you as well for the letter, what a small world!

Thank you once again for making such a lovely quilt.

Kind regards,

.....

Dear Lisa N 

I have just received the quilt that you made for me.  It is one of the most thoughtful and fabulous gifts that I have ever received. You are such a talented woman Lisa. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I am now nearing the end of my six month deployment here. I am so fortunate to have been given this wonderful opportunity to represent our wonderful country and I am longing to see an Aussie blue sky again.

Once again, I want to sincerely thank you for the gorgeous, amazing, fantastic quilt. 

I can not thank you enough Lisa. You will be forever in my heart. All my love to you and your family. Forever your friend,

.....

Good afternoon Susan,

I am the lucky recipient of the incredible Aussie Hero Quilt and Laundry Bag you lovingly created for me.

I will send you a thank you card, but just couldn't stand the thought of you having to wait up to 6 weeks for my card to arrive without receiving any gratitude from me.

The Quilt you created is absolutely beautiful. The Australian flora and fauna scene is a wonderful depiction of the country I know and love. 

Take care and God Bless. 

Kind regards, 

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

Jan-Maree 

xx

Requests 30 Jan 17

Hi all

NOTE – if you receive this via email DO NOT try to reply to me via email. You need to use friendsofAHQ@gmail.com

Urgent ones…  The urgent ones are in BOLD and all need to be in the mail by the end of February please.  It would be great if you have time to take on one of those.  Post by date 28 February

Orange and black blocks….. 

Quite a few people have offered to make orange and black blocks and I don’t want to get more than I need so if you have already contacted me about them or have started to make some that is great but if not you might like to do something different… this week I am thinking Blue Blocks or Blue and White blocks as both work well with lots of the requests we are getting.

Please continue to use the tutorial shown here…. If you are doing blue and white then please make the points white otherwise any shades of pale blue, royal blue or navy but just not aqua or teal please.

Please post them to PO Box 248, Cherrybrook,  NSW  2126

If you could let me know if you wish to make blocks that would be great.

Laundry bags…

Again I have isolated some laundry bag requests at the top of the list but as always, if one of the other requests needs a laundry bag and you would like to make it and not the quilt, feel free.

Post By Date

The post by date for the rest of the requests in this week’s list is 6 March.    PLEASE note the date and let me know if you have any problems getting your quilt/LB away on time. In fact, if you are going to be late posting it please let me know BEFORE you post it.  Also, if this time frame is too tight for you, there are options, just email me to discuss.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE copy the ENTIRE line if you wish to nominate for a quilt or laundry bag.  This is really important to make sure that neither you nor I copy the wrong number which could lead to me giving you the wrong details for specific request.

B=both quilt and laundry bag (feel free to nominate to JUST do the laundry bag if you wish)

Q= just a quilt

LB = just a laundry bag

Requests in pink are for girls.

NOTE

Australian National Flag - you can buy panels at Spotlight – ask for them if you can’t find them.

Rising Sun and other badges – ask me about them, I can often send you some to include if your request needs them

If they want some text and it is too much for you to applique I can get it embroidered and sent to you if you like to be sewn on the quilt or sewn into it.

I can help you with football colours and logos of teams etc. Just ask me. Most of the logos are simple or you can just add team names if you want to … team colours are enough also.

Please think about what the request involves before you take it on. Google, ask questions, email me, make sure you can complete it to your satisfaction before you commit to it if possible please.

If there is more than one request on this list that you would be happy to do I suggest that you send me a list of requests and tell me how many you want to be allocated…. ie one of the following please….  There are always a few requests that everyone wants to do (and I can never pick them) so if the first one you ask for is taken then I can allocate another from your list if I have a list.

A quick note… even if you check the request list every week, please take the time to skim over this preamble.  I edit it to make it relevant every week and I know that many of you are not reading it by the questions I am being asked. It takes you just a minute or two to scan it but takes me considerably longer to read and answer the emails I receive ….. please give me a hand in this. Your assistance is appreciated.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers and happy stitching!

Jan-Maree

Laundry Bags and Minties	LB	1
Adelaide Crows	LB	1
Dogs, cats and her daughters.	LB	1
nautical	LB	1
Black and Blue	LB	1
Australian Army Theme	LB	1
LATE REQUEST  butterflies and dragonflies - would like daughters' names please	B
GEELONG CATS (AFL) Navy and white Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	2
GWS Giants AFL Club,(team colours orange and grey) Australian/RAAF Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	3
Australian Flag, RAAF theme Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	4
Penrith Panthers - colours are black with a red, yellow and green stripe  Archery Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	5
Brisbane Broncos and or Queensland Maroons  - maroon and gold Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	6
AUS FLAG, North QLD Cowboys (Navy, yellow and white), Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	7
blue. motorcycling (sports bike);and Powerlifting Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	8
NQ Cowboys Nrl Team - Navy white and yellow Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	9
ENGINEER, AUSTRALIANA, "ubique" can send you the Engineer's badge to include, red and blue are the engineer's colours to include.  We could send you BOMs to include Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	10
RAE LAZY E, KANGAROO, Engineer specific - "Ubique" can send you the Engineer's badge to include, Red and blue are the engineer's colours—I can send some BOMs to include Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	11
AUST ARMY THEME, RISING SUN, pay corps motto, Integrity, colours Blue and gold  Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	Q	12
Medical corps or blue cattle dogs or wallabies, I have a blue cattle dog embroidery that can be used. Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	B	13
ADF or RAAF theme Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	B	14
Red, I love rugby league, fishing and gym! Post by 28 February please – any delays please let me know before you post.	B	15
His favourite colours are pale sky blue, black, white.  loves dolphins. Or anything Army and/ or SIG relatedAnd could the name please be on the quilt	Q	16
Blue, Fast Jets / F/A-18 Hornet, Eagle	Q	17
Gold Coast Suns / RAAF Theme	Q	18
Aussie Flag, Gym/Fitness, Hippos, Puppies" Black, White, Teale, Pink	B	19
Australian fauna and flora	B	20
red on black	Q	21
Ninja Turtles	Q	22
would like My Neighbour Totoro	Q	23
would like Blue background with a Gold rising sun in the middle with my pmkeys name rank and Iraq 2016 on it	Q	24
dinosaur theme with his PMKEYS name rank and Iraq 2016	Q	25
Mine Hunter - has served on the following Minehunters: HUON - M82 (Preferred) GASCOYNE - M85 DIAMANTINA - M86 YARRA - M87	Q	26
nautical theme/Diver/ divers helmet / sharks/ mine hunter  HMAS GASCOYNE - M85 Apr	Q	27
Grey, White & Black. Snow boarding, Mountains, Dogs & Family. All blacks, Silver Fern	B	28
Blue & White. AFL Football favourite team is geelong, Cars, Fishing, Hunting, Drinking VB	Q	29
Blue & Green, Stafforshire Terriors/dogs, Surfing, 4 wheel driving, camping, Jeeps, Lego, Starwars	B	30
North Queensland Cowboys with name: 'Jess'  Navy blue, yellow and white	B	31
Formula 1 Race Cars	B	32
Hawthorn Football Club  Gold and brown	B	33
West Coast Eagles Royal blue, yellow and a bit of orange	B	34
Fremantle Dockers with name: 'Francis'  Purple and white	Q	35
Thomas the Tank Engine - I have a panel I can have sent to you	B	36
Navy Blue Tye Dye With  "HMAS Arunta Op Manitou Rotation 64" in gold	Q	37
Skeletor	B	38
1964 EH Holden wagon's	B	39
Orange and black colour, silouette of ship, Arunta patch or similar, navy crest  "Op Manitou Rotation 64 16/17"  I can words and Navy crest embroidered and sent to you.	Q	40
Perrente Lizard and Ship's Motto- "Conquer or Die" with children's names in Gold please	Q	41
Blue and white, RAN crest,  Arunta ship silhouette. along bottom "HMAS Arunta - OP MANITOU R64 - 2016/17" Nautical themes please	Q	42
Dath Vader and Luke Skywalker dueling in Bespin, except they are Minions.  Perrente lizard and Motto (Conquer or Die) in bottom right corner, Op MANITOU ROT 64 along the bottom. (Thank You)	B
The Simpsons theme - Wording 'HMAS Arunta OP  MANITOU ROT 64'  I can have words embroidered and sent to you	B	43
Perrente Lizard and ship's motto "Conquer or Die"	B	44
Blue background with Pennywise logo in red and writing "Pennywise" in red.  Google the logo… not too hard.	B	45
Cats	Q	46
Adventure time and star wars	Q	47
Pokemon, with children's names	B	48
Cats	Q	49
Pink Quilt with a large Pug dog picture	Q	50
Sonic the Hedgehog/ SEGA theme, Blue	B	51
Bayern Munich Football Club (red white and blue) German Bundesliga  simple logo, ask me.	Q	52
Bees/Hive Wording 'HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROTATION 64	B	53
Fearsome looking Perrente Lizard chasing Pirates and Smugglers, '151' on Perente forehead. Wording 'HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROTATION 64'	Q	54
Geelong Cats	B	55
New Jersey Devils, NHL Ice Hockey Club - red and white with a bit of black, simple logo, ask me	Q	56
Star Wars & Alpacas	B	57
Hawthorn Football Club Symbol, "Forever Hawthorn" Slogan (Threepeat 2013,2014,2015) I can have the words embroidered and sent to you	B	58
Penguins of Madagascar	B	59
Game of Thrones - House Baratheon -  embroidered blocks being made to include and can be sent to you	Q	60
A picture of the nintendo64 symbol at the top of the quilt with Mario underneath it jumping and a gold coin coming out the top of the N64 sign. Under Mario it reads "Going for the coin R64" With a black background.	B	61
Carlton football club - Navy blue and white "HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU 64" "Conquer or Die"	B	62
Nautical Theme,  HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROTATION 64	Q	63
ALL NBA BASKETBALL - simple logo	B	64
Dogs with writing: 'HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROT 64'	Q	65
Arunta Ship's silhouette, perrente lizard "OP MANITOU R64" surrounded by pictures of Nicolas Cage, Jeff Goldblum and Harambe the gorilla. (Thank you!)	B	66
Pink Yoshi riding on HMAS Arunta Ship - Wording "HMAS Arunta Op Manitou Rot 64" (Yoshi is a Nintendo character)	B
Fremantle Dockers - Wording "HMAS Arunta Op Manitou Rot 64.5"	B	67
(Top Half) Perrente Lizard and ship's motto "Conquer or Die". (Middle) Logos in order of Adelaide Crows, West Coast Eagles, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne Kangaroos. (Bottom Half) Wording "HMAS Arunta OP Manitou Rotation 64	B	68
Arunta Ship's silhouette and perrente lizard Ship's patch in the centre with OP MANITOU ROT 64 below	B	69
Perrente Lizard (Top half  ) and  Wording "HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROT 64 - Conquer or Die" (Bottom Half).	Q	70
Harley Davidson Logo or motorbikes - (Wording "HMAS Arunta - OP Manitou ROT 64 - Conquer or Die	Q	71
Navy Helicoper with a sling load of a large jar with a BEE in the Jar    OR helicopter panels and bee in Jar panels       Words "Care Flight HMAS Arunta - OP Manitou ROT 64"	Q	72
West Coast Eagles theme please	Q	73
Aviation, space or nautical theme. "HMAS Arunta OP MANITOU ROT 64"	B	74
Electronic Technician C rate Badge with wording - I have the badge I can send you "communications (Next Line) 60% of the time, it works everytime" underneath	B	75
Australian White Ensign top half, Perrente Lizard and ship's motto "Conquer or Die"bottom half wording - HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROT 64 - down side	Q	76
Fremantle Dockers - Wording "HMAS Arunta Op Manitou Rotation 64"	B	77
Doctor Who theme with Wording "HMAS Arunta - OP Manitou Rotation 64"	B	78
Astro Boy theme, "HMAS Arunta - OP MANITOU R64 - 2016/17" on top, Contributing quilters names and autographs embroidered on the bottom	B	79
Disney Frozen theme	B	80
1970's Holden Monaro's	B	81
Deadpool	B	82
Tweety Bird Theme - (OP MANITOU ROTATION 64)	B	83
Mazda RX7 (1st Gen Series 1-3) Theme. Wording "HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROTATION 64"	B	84
Game of Thrones - House Greyjoy	Q	85
Black with a Spartan Helmet with "HMAS ARUNTA OP MANITOU ROT64" underneath	B	86
Orange & Black. "HMAS ARUNTA OP MANITOU ROT64" & "WE CONQUER YOU DIE"	Q	87
Brumbies vs Reds Rugby Union or Wallabies vs Springboks Rugby Union	B	88
The big Lez show themed	Q	89
AFL SYDNEY SWANS	B	90
Detriot Red wings logo. Black background -  embroidered blocks being made to include	Q	91
David Bowie / Metallica	Q	92
buzz light year.  Words up the top "HMAS ARUNTA" down the bottom  "OP MANITOU ROT 64, 2016-2017"	Q	93
nintendo theme ( super mario brothers etc)  thanks.	Q	94
"I miss you Harambe" Gorilla theme	B	95
Marvel Theme. Iron MAN	Q	96
Basketball	B	97
Emu Export Beer Logo"HMAS Arunta OP MANITOU ROT 64 '16-'17" on bottom with small purple propeller underneath	B	98
art deco owl	Q	99
Perrente Lizard with 'HMAS ARUNTA - OP MANITOU ROTATION 64' and Australian White Ensign	B	100