Tuesday 31 May 2022

Grati Tuesday 31st May 2022

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Hope you are having a great week so far! 
I love this time of the week. The gratitude letters show us all how what we do makes so much difference. 

Grab a cuppa, sit back, relax and enjoy the gratitude letters below. 

....

Good Morning Sheena.B

 

To start off I want to thank you for the awesome quilt you made for me because that quilt looks great! I will differently use this all the time in the winter.

When I was at the Invictus game I was lucky enough to receive a Bronze medal from Prince Harry which was fantastic, I even got to speak to him and I got a hand shake and a HUG.

The time over there was an eye opener due to all the competitors and there medical conditions and the City was massive and hard to get around haha. 

 

It’s good to hear that your family is going good in these times and striving to, you have a big family and you’re lucky you could have a family Christmas. I haven’t had a Christmas with my family since 2019 due to Covid and military restrictions but I will maybe this year.

 

Thank you again for making me a quilt I have shown heaps of people and they all love it. 

Thank you thank you.

....

Good Evening Shirley.D


Let me start by introducing myself and the events leading up to me acquiring the laundry bag.
I am a Corporal in the RAAMC ( Medical Corp ) of the Australian Army. I have been in the Defence force now for approximately 8 years, beginning my life as an Artillery Gunner before getting further education and becoming a Medic.
When I acquired this bag, the Padre ( Chaplain ) had a whole heap for me to choose but I saw the old fashioned pictures of Melbourne and it reminded me of family and home so I had to pick it.
I was born in Victoria. I went to school there also. I worked a few side jobs before deciding what to do with my life and then Army seemed like the correct idea.

I would like to personally thank you for what you created for me. Because not only did you remind me of home, you bought back a little spark to me after being in and out of hospitals for the last few months with a range of different patients. What you do is  fantastic and I cant wait to have this bag many moons from now to show my children.
Thank you again.

....

Dear Janet, Bridget and Jan-Maree,

 

Firstly, I thought I’d write to you all as a group, because it seemed that each of you had a key role in putting together the beautiful quilt that I received. I trust that is ok.

 

So, I recently received the quilt you sent, and what a wonderful surprise it was, thank you very much indeed. The Invictus Games – The Hague 2023 was a great experience, and I was deeply honoured to coach the team of serving and former serving Australian Defence Force members. I’m currently a Senior coach with Judo Australia, so I was fortunate to be able to continue coaching with the Defence Force for the Invictus Games.

 

I was fascinated to read the short biographies in your letters, so I thought I’d give you a bit of background on myself. I joined the Army as an Army Apprentice in 1977, and left full-time service as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2019, so quite a long time in uniform! During that time I undertook six deployments to three Areas of Operations (Bougainville, East Timor and Solomon Islands). Each of those deployments was a fantastic experience, and I was pleased and proud to have been a part of Australia’s efforts in our region.

 

The quilt was lovely, and very much appreciated in chilly Canberra! The work involved in putting it together must have taken a great deal of time…the detail is superb, and I’m very thankful that you took the time to make this wonderful item for me.

 

Thank you so much again, and very best wishes to you all and your families.

 

Kindest regards.

....

Hi Toni.F,

 

Thank you for making the special laundry bag for me.

I love the design, especially the Mandalorain on the bag!

I showed this to my friends onboard the ship and everyone said that it’s a beautifully made laundry bag.

 

Appreciate your effort making it and I feel so special today!

....

Dear Barbara.D,

Thank you so much for the quilt, I absolutely love it! Some nights on the ship it gets so cold even with my flannel pj's & wooly socks, so it will be getting lots of use.
I absolutely love crocodiles because one, STEVE IRWIN (heart drawn here) I just think everything about him is amazing. And two, they are basically dinosaurs. Just beautiful and misunderstood.
Thank you so much once again, I really appreciate all your time & effort.

Love and respect

....

Dear Amy.K,

My beautiful laundry bag has found me well, thank you so much...I absolutely adore it!! It's so me. 

 I have read your letter and it bought a smile to my face reading about your sewing journey & 0 waste aspirations this year...I made a similar pact in that I have purchased no new clothes this year unless I was replacing something critical that had worn out, it's amazing what we can go without.

On Friday we found out that my boat was being 'crash sailed' (leaving earlier than expected) so I lost my weekend...always hard when that happens but then I was given your package & I guess it reminded me of what it's all about, so many awesome families such as yours around Australia are cheering us on. I've served on HMAS Ararat & HMAS Larrakia so far this year out of Darwin (while my family are in Adelaide/Sydney).

Anyway, thank you again & I wish you and your family (including all the fur babies) a lovely rest of 2022...hopefully the wifi at sea can send the photo I attached! 


....


Thats it for another week. 
Hope you have a good week

🌟 🌟 🌟

Monday 30 May 2022

Request List 30 May 2022

Good morning all,

As per last week we still have a few of our Special Requests on the list this week… quilts this time as all the Laundry Bags were snapped up. They need to be with me in Sydney no later than 13 July and we send you a satchel for postage.  Please note, you must have sewn for us in the last 12 months at least, to be accepted for one of these very special requests.

Priority Requests

Requests numbered 1A-1E are all a priority because these members are off on a six month deployment overseas where they can expect to NOT have any mail.. and that includes Christmas!  I am hoping that we can get their quilts and bags completed so that we can get them to them BEFORE they deploy so that they can take them with them. Their quilts and bags need to be in the mail no later than 9 July.

And why am I writing in this funny Orange colour?  Because the members of the MFO, or Multinational Force & Observers wear a kind of rusty red cap whilst on deployment.

 



10th Anniversary Dinner.

Have you bought your tickets for the events on the weekend? This is such a good opportunity to meet up with recipients who have received our quilts and bags and hear their stories. I will be working hard to get al many of them as I can along to the dinner and to the other events over the weekend.

Tickets available here from Trybooking. https://www.trybooking.com/events/798247/sessions

Here are the requests for this week.


Once you’ve made your selection of what you’d like to try, do please EMAIL
friendsofAHQ@gmail.com and Catherine or I will be pleased to assist you with your selection. Hope to hear from you soon. 

Thank you!  

POST BY DATE

The post by date for all Requests on this list is 5 July 2022  please, or earlier if you can manage this.  If you cannot make that date, please let me know. Do reach out if you have any timing issues and we’ll resolve one way or the other. 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, thank you.    

The Rest of our Requests.

When selecting a request, remember, you do not have to include everything they have asked for. Footy quilts do not need to have the logo or even the team’s name. Using the team colours is all that is required. Simple is perfectly acceptable.  A number of these requests have given you favourite colours as well as footy teams or other hobbies and interests. It is fine to make a quilt using their favourite colours and include only one of their interests.  It is fine to keep it simple. 

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….i.e. 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. 

Any queries you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact via the AHQ email as per usual with any queries and we will assist you from there.  We may not know the answer, but it will be our pleasure to research and get back to you.   

A reminder, when you are ready to post the quilt or laundry bag you’ve created, please use the PMKEYS number given you in any correspondence with the admin team.  This helps the volunteer admin team keep a track of what’s been sent etc.  The PMKEYS number is included in the address details we supply for your recipient e.g.  the 7-digit number in bold below. 

CPL Wanda Quilt 8765432 

TG 3456 

AFPO XX 

ADF 

Sydney NSW 2890

Also, please use the Aussie Heroes PO Box address on your parcel in the event the parcel is Returned to Sender -  the PO Box is a safe place in the event of  any mishaps with postage. 

Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags) 

PO Box 248,

Cherrybrook, NSW 2126 

Don’t forget to take a photo of your completed quilt or laundry bag to email to AHQ with the name and PMKEYS of the recipient and we can include in the Weekly Dispatches blog and add to the tally of quilts and laundry bags sent off to the troops.  I personally love viewing the photos of those projects dispatched – so inspiring. 

If you are using a AHQ supplied prepaid satchel please kindly use the AHQ address for the return address– also for your own packaging – if a parcel is Returned to Sender it is likely we can expedite its journey to the recipient from Sydney.

  

Please also please hold on to the Tracking number (the pink sticker that you should remove before posting – we’ve experienced mail delays lately (haven’t we all?) and having the Tracking number is very reassuring to keep an eye on the parcel’s progress in arriving at its destination. 

Don’t forget, if you look at today’s Request List and need help choosing, please feel free to get in touch to discuss, we will be ready to reply and offer guidance by email. Our goal is to help you find a request that you will be comfortable with doing. If you need a crest etc we may be able to post embroideries / printed fabric images or email some of these to you. 

Helpful info may be gleaned here  http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com/2019/07/information-post-for-those-that-sew-for.html    I look forward to seeing the photos of completed quilts and LBs when they are ready to post off. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE copy the ENTIRE line if you wish to nominate for a quilt or laundry bag.  

For example…. 

Marvel Theme. Ironman     M       LB      1 

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.  If you find it hard to copy and paste, please copy the line out as above.  

Decoding The Columns 

The first column is the theme or preferences requested. 

The second column indicates the gender of the recipient. 

 The third column is as follows. 

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 

F= female 

M= male 

Please let the Admin crew know if you have any other questions....Just email friendsofahq@gmail.com  

Looking forward to seeing what you want to make this week. Happy stitching! 

Cheers, 

Jan-Maree

P.P.S.  Don't forget to check out AHQ on the Blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 

Please note- Requests 1A – 1E are priority requests!!!!

And 2A, B and C are the last of our Special Requests…  

 

Must be in the mail no later than 9 July - Camo colours, army theme, Rising Sun, RAAOC badge (We can provide the badges) 

M

B

1A

Must be posted no later than 9 Jul 22
AFL – Essendon Fan
Favourite colours Black and Red
Air Force Crest with personal details and OP Mazurka patch please. Please include family names (We can supply a patch with the family names on it as well as the Air Force Crest and Op Mazurka patch)

M

B

1B

Must be posted by 9 Jul 22
Brisbane Broncos, Elvis Presley, Golf
Gold/Yellow Rising Sun preferably on a red background
Op Mazurka Logo
RAAOC Corps Badge.
(We can send you the crest embroideries)

M

LB

1C

Must be posted by 9 Jul 22
Flags – Australia, Egypt, Israel
Map of the Sinai
Rising Sun badge
MFO logo
Skippy badge
6 RAR logo (Blue Dog VI)
Camo background – 
Text  “Operation Mazurka, Jul 2022 – Jan 2023, Rotation 55B, ” ( we can provide embroideries of crests and badges and the text and various camo fabrics and a print out of the 6RAR logo. )

M

Q

1D

Must be posted by 9 Jul 22, Rising Sun badge, MFO logo, Skippy badge, Camo colours, 6RAR logo    ( we can provide embroideries of crests and badges and the text and various camo fabrics and a print out of the 6RAR logo. )

M

LB

1E

SPECIAL PROJECT - Rising Sun with personal details, Commemorative patch.  Poppies/ANZAC themed with a touch of Aussie flavour and if you can manage it, a nod to France.
Need to be posted to AHQ. You will be sent a satchel for postage.  and all the patches you need.Quilt needs to arrive with me no later than 16 July 

F

Q

2A

SPECIAL PROJECT - Rising Sun with personal details, Commemorative patch.  Poppies/ANZAC themed with a touch of Aussie flavour and if you can manage it, a nod to France/Belgium.
Need to be posted to AHQ. You will be sent a satchel for postage.  and all the patches you need.Quilt needs to arrive with me no later than 16 July 

M

Q

2B

SPECIAL PROJECT - Rising Sun with personal details, Commemorative patch.  Poppies/ANZAC themed with a touch of Aussie flavour and if you can manage it, a nod to France.
Need to be posted to AHQ. You will be sent a satchel for postage.  and all the patches you need.Quilt needs to arrive with me no later than 16 July 

M

Q

2C

Green, black and gold, Regiment Badge

M

Q

3

Black & Blue, Regt Badge, Rising Sun Badge

M

Q

4

Any colours but if burnt orange is available that would be great. Poppies, nothing too army please

F

B

5

any colours, Nature and cliffs theme, Rising Sun, Skippy badge, Regt badge, Surname on bottom  (We can provide the Rising Sun, Skippy badge and Regt Badge)

M

B

6

green theme for laundry bag, Regt Badge and RAE badge and EOD Bomb as the main themes (we can provide the Regt and RAE badges and EOD bomb)

M

LB

7

RAE badge, Blue and red theme (RAE colours) for quilt, green theme for laundry bag, Regt Badge and RAE EOD Bomb as the main themes (we can provide the Regt and RAE badges and EOD bomb)

M

Q

8

Black, Army, Corps crest, poppies  (We can post you the Corps badge)

M

B

9

Jeep and Camping/Mountains type theme

M

Q

10

Ninja/Samurai Theme

M

Q

11

Australian flag, Coat of Arms, Rising Sun, Anyting army themed.(we can supply the Rising Sun and Coat of Arms)

M

B

12

Light blue. motorbikes, snowboarding, camping and/or fishing would be tops. I also follow Red Bull racing

M

Q

13

Melbourne storm themed (White, Navy, Purple and Gold) with name embroidered on the bottom. (We can supply the embroidery)

F

Q

14

Plants or Music (Punk/Heavy Metal)

M

B

15

Heavy Metal

M

B

16

The Mandalorian (TV Series)

M

Q

17

Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

M

Q

18

Donkey Kong or King Kong (gorilla in general)

M

Q

19

Star Wars / Lord of the Rings / Harry Potter / Penguins

M

Q

20

Fortnite (Game)

M

Q

21

40 Series landcruiser, Surfing, Travel

M

Q

22

Star wars

M

Q

23

Blues, gold and creams, Dancing, Swimming, bush walking and Cycling
Reading, world travel and going to the beach, concerts"

F

Q

24

Blue, PC Gaming, movies, geeky projects; Scottish Terrier (Hugo)

M

Q

25

blue or maybe a middle eastern pattern for the material to remind me of the area of operations.(tip from JM, sometimes you can buy fabric with a tile pattern on it) a blonde ballerina (to remind him of his fiance) Carlton in the AFL, UN flag  (we can supply UN Flag)

M

Q

26

Rising Sun with personal details, RASigs

M

Q

27

Would love a RAAF crest in the center with a black border with Cam (any pattern) (We can supply the Crest

M

Q

28

Purple (he’s an engineer so loves “Engineering purple”), RAN Crest with personal details, Navy Ensign, Engineering Navy Propeller, loves running and working out at the gym  (We can supply badges and embroidery and also the Navy White Ensign and a silhouette of a propellor to use for applique)

M

Q

29

Rising Sun Badge
Royal Australian Engineer(RAE) Badge
Aussie Flag
Red Kangaroo (We can supply Rising Sun badge and  RAE badges)

M

Q

30

Engineer Colours which are red and royal blue, with Rising Sun Badge, Australian Army Apprentice Badge and RAE Engineer Badge.  (We can supply badges) Date of enlistment and dischage

M

Q

31

Australian Flag, some poppies, rising sun badge for Army service and maybe the scales of justice (Lawyer) (We can supply Rising Sun Badge)

M

Q

32

RAAF Crest, RAAF 2 SQN, wedgetail aircraft,  sailing, farm life (goats, chickens, chopping wood) (we can send you both crests and a silhouette of the wedgetail for applique)

M

Q

33

RAN crest, anything naval, poppies, etc (we can provide the RAN crest)

M

LB

34

colours of the ocean lovely calm blue to raging grey green

M

B

35

Army Rising Sun, RAAOC badge, Army Combat Badge, Poppies, ACT Brumbies, Canberra Raiders (we can supply military badges)

M

Q

36

Rising Sun, RAAOC badge, Poppies, Flowers, V8 Supercars, Mighty Car Mods logo (we can supply military badges and car mods logo)

F

Q

37

Rising Sun, Australian Army Catering Corps badge, RAAOC badge, Regt badge, the Anzac soldier resting on arms silhouette, Interfet badge, MFO badge (we can supply badges and a silhouette of the soldier to applique)

M

B

38

Note the years this recipient served.
WRAAC F3/481 April 1955- April 1958
NZWRAC 1972-1976     (we can provide an embroidered patch with these details on it)
Playing the piano in various bands
Excellent sports woman including
 the following sports:
Tennis
Running/ Athletics
Sailing
Softball
Basketball

F

Q

39

BLUE  MUSIC  STAR WARS  MOTO GP

M

B

40

POP CULTURE  BLACK  BLUE  GREEN

M

Q

41

SCI-FI  FANTASY  STARWARS, LORD OF THE RINGS GARDENING  ICE SKATING  BLUE  GREEN

F

B

42

RED  BLUE  MOUNTAIN BIKES  SURFING  HOME DIY RENOS

M

Q

43

BLUE  BEACH SURFING  ROWING  CARLTON FC SKIING  GOLF

M

B

44

DARKER COLOURS  4WD   SCUBA DIVING  GWS GIANTS

M

B

45

Can I please have a disco themed quilt and a dog themed LB

M

Q

46

RED  BLUE  CARS & MOTORBIKES

M

Q

47

BLACK SILVER  MUSIC IRON MAIDEN  METALLICA

M

B

48

BLACK  BLUE  NAVY  ANGELS AND DEMONS with the letter V on it please

M

B

49

RAN crest, Submariner's dolphins badge with  "CHIEF OF THE BOAT" underneath it.  Submarines. BLACK YELLOW We can provide the RAN crest and Submariner's dolphins)

M

Q

50

DIRT BIKES (KTM)  Submariner's Dolphins with badge with "CHIEF OF THE BOAT" underneath it.   ORANGE  BLACK (we can provide the submariners dolphin)

M

B

51

RAN Crest,  beach, flowers, jasmine, HMAS ANZAC, HMAS MANORA,  HMAS SYDNEY crests, green Aqua and bright colours (we can provide the RAN crest and ships crests) Recipient is NZ MAORI,

F

Q

52

CRICKET, RUGBY, COLLINGWOOD, ST GEORGE, Submariners Dolphins (We can provide the submariners dolphins)

M

B

53

Canberra Raiders and Carlton Blues

M

Q

54

RAN crest, Blue and White, Nautical Theme, HMAS Choules crest (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

55

RAN crest, HMAS Choules crest, Blue and White, Nautical/Nature Theme (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

56

RAN crest, HMAS Choules crest, Blue and White, Nautical Theme (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

57

RAN crest, HMAS Choules crest, White ensign, Nautical Theme (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

58

RAN crest, HMAS Choules crest, Blue, nautical theme (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

59

Red and Black, Team: Essendon

M

Q

60

RAN crest, HMAS Choules crest, any colour Nautical/Tattoo/Sailor Jerry style (we will provide you the crests)

F

B

61

Retro

M

Q

62

Ocean marlin fishing

M

Q

63

QLD Maroons

M

B

64

Star Wars

M

Q

65

marvel , star wars, jets, anchor , red or blue . Thank you

M

Q

66

Bright Colours, Dogs

M

Q

67

star wars

M

Q

68

son's name, Safari animal theme.  A design a little boy can grow into

M

Q

69

Regt Badge and Rising Sun, Flowers poppies and Roses, Helicopters
AFL Football, Horses, Maltese/Shitzu Dog (white), Australian Bush (We can provide the Rising Sun and Regt Badges)

M

Q

70

retro

M

Q

71

Army, Rising Sun badge Medical corps badge (RAAMC Badge), text "RSM", Sydney Swans, Softball, Basketball, Poppies (we can provide the badges)

F

Q

72

star wars

M

Q

73

RAN crest, St George football or NSW State or Origin (we will provide you the RAN crest)

F

B

74

RAN crest and Choules crest, Nautical, Blue, white, green (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

75

Rising Sun, Nursing Officer in RAANC and Midwife, Yoga teacher. I  love Kombi Vans (I have a blue and white 1976 Kombi) and the beach. Also distance running (We can provide RAANC and rising Sun badges)

F

B

76

Super Saiyan Goku (From Dragon Ball Z)

M

B

77

Colour dark blue or green, fave things - dogs, chickens, food, australiana

F

Q

78

Navy Blue and Sky blue  (RAAF Colours) RAAF crest (We can provide this)

M

B

79

Toy Story Theme

M

B

80

Army - Transport
Australiana.  Rising Sun, RACT badge (we will provide you the crests)

F

B

81

Nautical theme, RAN crest and Choules crest (we will provide you the crests)

M

B

82

Tie dyed patterns (Blue), Surfing vibes

M

Q

83

Orange and White with Nature mountains or rainforest theme

M

B

84

Akatsuki Clan (From Naruto)

M

B

85

Japanese Theme; Temples, Samurai, Mt Fuji, Koi fish, Cherry blossoms. 

M

B

86

Colourful, psychedelic, tie dyed patterns

M

B

87

Green and Pink, stand up paddleboard, roller skating, the beach 

F

B

88

Navy Blue, Ships, sports 

M

B

89

blue, cyling, the beach

F

B

90

Rising Sun, RACT, 176 AD badge (we will provide you the crests)

M

Q

91

RAAF crest with personal details below including dates of service 09 Jan 70 - 10 Jan 18, RAAF Roundel  (we will provide you the crest)

M

LB

92

Ship's crest / Motoring + Cars (we can provide ship's crest)

M

B

93

Ship's Crest - Wonder Women Cartoon Images (we can provide the ship's crest)

F

B

94

Liverpool Football Club

M

B

95

Black, Gold, Purple and Blue/Japanese Animation

M

B

96

Brisbane Bronco's

M

B

97

Everton Football Club, Blue

M

B

98

Deck of cards theme. two Kings etc colours red,blue white.

M

B

99

Black with dark grey  it, the letters S-H in the center

m

B

100

West Tigers

M

B

101

Camping, outdoors themed, Green / Blue

M

B

102

South Sydney Rabbitohs

M

B

103

RAN ensign, white and blue please (We can provide the RAN ensign)

M

B

104

Star Wars or Planet of the Apes please, Dark Blue, Black, Dark Green

M

B

105

Crests of the following - HMAS DECHAINEUX, HMAS COLLINS, HMAS RANKIN, HMAS RANKIN, HMAS WALLER, HMAS SHEEAN, HMAS FARNCOMB
RAN Crest with the following underneath plus personal details COMAUSSUB, 
Submariner's dolphins skull and crossbones

M

Q

106

RUGBY,  BLUE , YELLOW,  WHITE

F

B

107

RAN crest, Royal Australian Navy Amphibious Squadron Insignia (example found at: https://www.navy.gov.au/history/tradition/origin-ran-squadron-and-national-insignia)

M

B

108

Blue and White, Nautical Theme, would love name spelt out in Signal Flags, no crests

F

B

109

Tartan - green, red or navy

M

B

110

 

 

Till next time… happy stitching!

Jan-Maree xx