Quilts of the Week 4 January

Hi All.  Welcome to the first Quilts of the Week post for 2013!!!
11 quilts and 31 laundry bags for 2013 and 
957 quilts and 1410 laundry bags overall!

Please note - I cannot take any more requests for personnel leaving Afganistan in March - it is getting too close to get quilts off to them as mail is too unreliable.

Now, on with the Quilts of the Week. Bearing in mind that this is still only the 4th of January and lots of people are still on holidays, and I shared some quilts on Monday night to finish off 2012, I think we have done pretty well this week.

 Lesley

Liz

Robyn and Sue and quilted by Chris

Belinda - I just had to show you a close up of the quilting!  This is Belinda's first Aussie Hero Quilt.

Julie Ann

 Julie Ann

Kaye

Kylie

 Kylie

 Kylie

 Nancy

Great job everyone!

The thank you messages are rolling in as all the quilts we sent for Christmas have arrived.   Please do not be disheartened if you do not receive a thank you message - lots of the guys have been extremely busy, long hours, little time off and often limited internet and email access - particularly the more junior guys and girls.   Just take it from me that all our quilts and laundry bags are being appreciated.  One of the reasons for sharing the thank you messages on the blog is to show how much our things are treasured, even if not everyone who receives one can send a message or a photo.

 For Fran and Rick from JN

My quilt and bag arrived on Christmas eve. Let me say WOW. They are absolutely fantastic. I was blown away by the effort put into it especially seeing my beloved dogs on it. I waited till Christmas day to open it. I have it hanging pride of place on my wall next to my Aussie flag as its too nice to use on my bed. I can't thank you enough for arranging it for me. What you and your quilters do is just fantastic, it is really nice to know that there are people out there that care for us enough to donate their time and money and brighten our time away from our loved ones.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and new year.

Thanks again from an proud Australian Airman.

Hi Rita (C) and Yang Family,

I'd just like to say thanks for the quilt and I appreciate the time and effort you put into it, I never knew a quilt could have such a story, I'm very impressed. I'd also like to thank you for your well wishes and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a happy New Years.

All of us serving here in Afghanistan appreciate the support you give us, especially during this time of the year when we'd like to be home with our family and friends.

Once again thank you very much and we all appreciate your support.

Good Afternoon Rita (C)

I just wanted to send you a quick email to say thank you very much for the beautiful quilt, photo frame and all the other lovely goodies I have received from you. 

They were a wonderful surprise and I have put the photo frame to good use with a nice photo of my younger brother and sisters. The quilt is keeping me warm of a night and the colours have definitely brightened up my room. I really appreciate the time and effort that was put into these gifts.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I wish a safe and happy New Year.

Regards,

Hello John and Rita (C),

Thank you very much for your kind gift, the hand made quilt. You will be happy to know that I have already made good use of it by adding it to my bedding on one of the particularly cold nights we have here.

Whilst the Camp I am in does have some constructed accommodation it does still get a bit cold. On this particular night we were at minus 3, but I think there is more to come as we head into Winter. I am in XXXXXXX which is a bit warmer than the other bases :)

Well, thanks again for the kind gift and lovely sentiments, we all feel very proud of the work we are doing and are heartened by the support and generosity of people such as yourselves. The quilt was a great gift and the quality is superb, I'm sure I will have it for many years to come and it will be one of the great reminders I have of my time in Afghanistan.

Keep up the great work and have a fantastic X-mas and New Year.

All the best 

The following are for Liz B

Hi Liz 

I would like to thank you so very much (and Jan-Maree of Aussie Hero Quilts) for my single bed quilt and matching laundry bag.  These items are very popular and well prized among us over here in Afghanistan (particularly since its now winter and I have to say its pretty cold during the day and most evenings)

Might I just add that I think my quilt is far far nicer than the others !!!!  I really appreciate your kind words and sentiments.

Trust this email finds you well and rested after the Christmas and New Year celebrations. 

Kind regards and best wishes.

Hello Liz and Rob,

Thank you so much for your quilt, it is fantastic. It came today in the mail run. Just in time for New Years. I can see the time it must have taken to create. Its really cold where I am at the moment and an extra quilt in my swag is a fantastic addition. Its been getting down to around -5 to -10 overnight.

I love the personalised laundry bag. It means now I don't have to play the game of trying to pick my white laundry bag out amoung the hundreds in the laundry. Thank you as i was never that good at that game.

It really means allot to me that there are people out there willing to put in this amount of effort for someone they do not know. Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in getting me this package. It really has made my day. I will hold onto this quilt long after this deployment is over and one day hopefully pass it onto one of my own children.

Happy New Year and God bless you

G'day Leonie and AHQ,

        Thanks for the laundry bag. It's come in handy as I have been using plastic bags to put my washing in, which tend to split quite regularly! The Dinosaur pattern is quite apt, as I am a bit of an old dinosaur myself.  Thanks again,

One for Lesley who made the quilt and Karen B who made the Laundry Bag

Thank you so much for my quilt and personalised laundry bag. It really means a lot to myself and all of the men and women serving over here that receive them.

Its great to see that good old fashioned morals and support from home are not dead in certain parts of the community.

Thank you once again!

Kind regards, 

For Jill

Thank you to your friend (that would be Jill)  that made me the quilt.  it made my day I love it :) thank you so much :)

Another great week and a good start to the year.  I have a load of new requests on my list so if you want to make a quilt for someone specific please just let me know.  If you are new to Aussie Heroes and would like to be on my Volunteer List please let me know.  You can email me your contact details at friendsofAHQ@gmail.com

And a final reminder - if you would like to take part in the Aussie Hero 2012 Challenge Block please email Caroline for her details - she needs a stamped self addressed envelope.  The blocks that are coming in are fabulous - and this is going to be one special quilt!

Caroline's email address is carolinejgunn@gmail.com

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

Boxing Day

Hi Everyone.  I hope you all survived the battles of the wrapping paper and the rigors of the turkey, ham and seafood followed by the pudding or, in our case, homemade pavlova.

I received a couple more photos to start the post off - first a quilt that Caroline and I made together.

And then a quilt made from donated fabrcis and stitched by Chris's group.  The cute laundry bag was stitched by Cheryl.

A thank you or two for Nancy - first from a wife ...

Yes his quilt has recently arrived. Just in time for Christmas!

It was very fitting that it came from WA too as it is his home state.

He was very touched that there are all you lovely ladies out there sewing quilts for our men and women overseas.

I have attached a photo of the quilt that my husband sent me this morning.

Thank you to all the busy sewers and yourself and of course the lovely lady from Kalgoorlie who made his quilt. 

My husband, myself and our four children are grateful to have so many people out there thinking kind thoughts towards our soldiers.

Many thanks 

Thankyou so much for the quilt, it's so very much appreciated. I'm very grateful for the time and effort you have put into it and the laundry bag. I hope you have a safe and happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year

And a few more happy messages...

Hi Pam (that is Pam from VIC)

I received your package in the mail yesterday, which was a great surprise, thank you very much. 

I would like to report that after 24 hours there is still some Tim Tams left, but that's just not the case. Luckily they all weren't consumed by me though, my roommates also say thanks. Tim Tams never last long around here.

Loved the gifts, the quilt especially, it’s pretty awesome and there’s a few jealous individuals within the detachment. You’ve done an excellent job, can’t imagine how much effort and time goes into something like that, it’s definitely made a otherwise very boring / dull room a lot more homely and colourful. Best gift ever and it is ever much appreciated. At first I thought the laundry bag (hope it is) was a Santa’s stocking, given the Xmas colours, so I have tried to sell that to the girls here in the hope that they will attempt to fill it with gifts and lollies……I will keep you posted on how that turns out.

Almost 30% through my deployment this time around, the XXXXX being my return to Australia date. It’s going well, helped by a great group on the detachment (35 people), we all get along really well and add a lot of fun to what can only be described as ground hog day. We get one day off a fortnight to chill, do washing, cleans rooms etc, but every other day is normally 12-14 working day.  

Its starting to cool down especially at night (0-5) but the days are still in the high teens. Sometimes it snows during winter in XXXXX, so there’s that too look forward to. Snow but nowhere to go skiing, how frustrating is that, this place is nothing like Denver.

Thank you again for the care package and thoughts.

Good Day Angela,

                                     I received your amazing laundry bag a month ago. Your bag has been incredibly useful and avoided messy piles of clothes in overcrowded living spaces. Your support means a lot to the boys and myself. Keep up the good work!
Many thanks,


 I have received my quilt. I absolutely love it and have taken a photo. I will send the photo very soon, we are extremely busy at this moment... but it will come... I love mine so much and I feel a connection to Fran and Bev as they enclosed a photo of them with the quilt. XXXXX also got a quilt and he did not even order one... He is in country at the moment and says he is very grateful as it is freezing there.  From all of the soldiers over here, we are eternally grateful of the effort and work that you and your fellow quilters do for us, it is comforting to know that so many people care and are selfless in giving to provide us with the quilts. I for one know the hours, cost and care that goes into making just one quilt, let alone thousands. 
 MERRY XMAS to you all 

Dear Lorraine, 
I am writing this email to thank you for the quilt I have just received. I greatly appreciate the quilt and all the work and time you put into making it for me. It was a great gift just before Xmas and at a perfect time seeing it's dropping temps over here and getting cold at night. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and great New Year enjoy the holiday's back at home.
Thank You

Hi Stephanie,

 Thanks heaps for the quilt and laundry bag! Getting parcels over here

 is a highly anticipated event. Love the colours, looking forward to a

 better season next year - after such a good start this year.

 The weather here has turned sub-zero over night so an extra quilt is

 spot on. And the laundry bag is being put to good use as well. We all

 appreciate knowing that there are people at home willing to support us

 in a foreign hostile land. Especially over Christmas where we really

 miss home the most.

 I would tell you my location and bit about my job but my security

 officer might have a heart attack...

Kind regards, please keep up the good work!

The quilt and LB's arrived today... the quilt is Amazing.  I got all excited when I seen all the boxes for me, I feel bad for everyone else in the mail slot, it was packed full of things for me from family and quilters.

 Siobhan has done a wicked job.  Makes me miss the end of winter diving off Sydney though,  thats when all the interesting baby fish/sharks start heading out to deeper waters. At least I'll catch the end of the summer diving season, still plenty going on then.

 The laundry bags have slowly been distributed. Everyone is so happy with all the laundry bags. There is going to be a scissors/paper/rock off for the para bag and the aussie animals one.  The shark/ fish bags were a hit.  We're currently writing up some thank you's for Pauline, Sue and yourself for sending them (and trying to get a photo, but keep our faces hidden at the same time so you could possibly use it for the webpage).

 Thank you so much.

A small amount of Happy Mail for today - and it is a good number of block of the month blocks from Dorothy.  I really do love the wonky lines in these blocks.  It works so well where there is a good contrast between the lights and darks.

Not bad for a week when everyone has been busy with Christmas.  See you on Friday with Quilts of the Week - and Yes,  I already know of some that have made it into the mail and more to go.

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

Friend of the Day 15 November Kylie

This week's Friend of the Day is Kylie but she is introducing something a little different to AHQ before she answers our standard questions.

Hi All

For those of you that don’t know me….I used to teach patchwork and quilting full time for some nine years. I like to ‘keep my hand in’ by doing some teaching locally and online…and in particular Mystery Quilts.

So…have I got a treat for you! Are you excited now?

My next mystery quilt will be running between Christmas and New Year – over Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 December. It is the perfect time as for a lot of people it is ‘downtime’ with holidays from work….it is also over a weekend so those that are still working can join in!

For this mystery, you can either make a quilt that is 68” square OR you can make two quilts that are 34” x 68” – the perfect size for AHQ quilts once you have added a small border or two!

Yes! You will get two AHQ quilts from the instructions, it could not be easier. I have even added special ‘AHQ Comments’ to the instructions especially for you. If twenty of you join in to the mystery – that would be 40 extra quilts for AHQ. It is also a great quilt for using a ‘feature’ fabric – any Aussie print would be awesome! This is what I am using for one of them….

For those of you that have not done a mystery before…this is how it works. You will get a requirements list for you to buy fabric or raid your stash. The ‘mystery’ part is that you don’t know what the quilt will look like until you get to the end. The first clue will be released (email, facebook and the blog) on Friday 28 December at 6pm Australian time. Additional clues will then be released morning, noon and evening over the coming day and a half, with the last clue at lunch time on Sunday.

This quilt is definitely suitable for beginners – it is a very simple but effective pattern and the steps are easily achievable in the timeframes. Those of you more experienced could possibly get 2 quilts (or four AHQ quilts) done in the timeframe.

Everyone taking parts posts photos of their chosen fabric...and their progress as they go along. I will be online to answer questions – and basically everyone has a ton of fun at a ‘virtual quilt retreat’. Crank up the crock pot/slow cooker (or use up Chrissy leftovers), clue up the family that you are ‘off duty’, make sure the coffee flows and spend some quality time with your sewing machine!

If you would like to join in, please email me at kjkenny25@gmail.com and I will add you to the email list. Alternatively you can just download the instructions from facebook or the blog.

Now….onto the questions Jan-Maree has provided…..

Who are you and where do you live – if not in a house in suburbia please share some more info – farm etc.

My name is Kylie and I live in sunny Brisbane…or ‘Brisvegas’ to the locals. Our unit is about 20minutes south of the city centre – I love how central we are as so close to the major freeway in every direction. My beautiful boy – Wilfred, a kind generous and very charismatic 10 year old, is here every second weekend and for holidays.

What is your occupation?

I have just been made redundant from a ‘secure government job for life’ so am currently enjoying a couple of months off and working on building a business in custom made quilts and cushions and other items.

How far to the local shops and how far to the nearest quilt shop.

I am very spoiled with the shops being only 2 blocks away…more shops then you will ever need! The nearest quilt shop is about 15 minutes – in fact there is one about 15 minutes in every direction….sorry everyone that has to drive for ages. There is also Spotlight, Lincraft and East Coast Fabrics within about 20 minutes or so.

How long have you been sewing for AHQ?

I have been sewing for AHQ since about May – I have sent off 4 quilts and laundry bags so far, another one to go soon and have another dozen on the go.

How did you find out about us?

Honestly..not sure! Maybe from a link a friend posted on facebook?

Do you have any connection to the services

Not currently, however my Grandfather served in the war in Borneo and PNG.

What are some of the things you have sewn for AHQ

The first quilt I sent off was a UFO I had for about 15 years unfinished….once I read about AHQ I knew it would be perfect and it would finally have a good home. It was very special to me and Wilfred even got in on the act…he wrote a letter and exchanged emails with the recipient who was kind enough to reply to him.

You can read about it here:

http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/special-request-received.html

I have sent off another two quilts..this one which is a basic Trip Around the World. A tutorial will be coming soon for this one!

 

My third quilt was sent to a lady…who be coincidence I saw on Channel 9 News on Fathers Day sending a message to home – it was awesome and so special!

She got this one…

I am also one half of the BOM team, with Naomi (AKA Tech Guru) which is lots of fun! Coming up with blocks and layouts for you all!

Why do you sew for AHQ?

This is a hard one…I just love to be able to help other people, and in some ways it makes me feel closer to my Grandad who passed away when I was 5. He had some long lasting ‘issues’ upon returning from the war and I am so grateful to those people that put their lives on the line to keep our country the beautiful peaceful place it is. If I can make their time away from families a little easier in anyway – then I have succeeded.

Thanks Kylie!
Info on Kylie's Mystery Quilt will be coming up soon.


Duntroon Community Center - Capital Crafters 

Look what these wonderful ladies, lead by Anne, have made.  You might remember that I visited Canberra in August and one of the things I did was attend a sewing day at the Duntroon Community Centre. As I said that the time, what a lovely bunch of ladies.  Well here they are with their eight completed quilts.  Three are heading off to fellows "local" to them  and the remaining five will be going to some who have made special requests through us.

All the quilts are Aussie themed and all have a flag on them.  They are going to LOVE THEM!! 

You have done yourselves proud ladies!  Well done!

The Weekly Reminder

PLEASE send me an email if you have sent your quilt off in the mail this week and if you haven't sent a photo and would like to see it on the blog please send it ASAP.
The honour role for this week includes 

Aileen 
Angela
Cheryl
Chris
Janine
Julie Ann
Karen B
Maggie
Nancy
PaulineShirley
Terry
Tess
If you have sent off a quilt or laundry bag and are not on the list please let me know.  Any photos or emails received after midday will be included in next week's QOTW.

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

Quilts of The Week 2 November

707 Quilts 885 Laundry Bags to date!

Amy heads up our parade tonight with two laundry bags - check out the purple one!  

LOVE that fabric

 Anne created this fun laundry bag.

Check this out!  Marg is back in fine form!  If you can't read the writing on the little pieces the words on the left say "5 Gallons ENEMA Hot and Soapy" and the patch on the right says "Trust me I am a Nurse!"

And she got in the Christmas Spirit with a stocking!

 Chris sent off the next two quilts.

Liz B created these two dramatically different quilts and sent them off this week.

 Deborah sent off a bunch of laundry bags this week.

These,

 these,

and these!

Gayle sent off her first AHQ - love those colours!

 Naomi sent off this quilt, made by the lovely ladies from the Berri Uniting Church,

and also created the next two laundry bags

and this striking quilt.

 Julie Ann has made some cute laundry bags this week. 

Someone is going to have fun with the soccer one.

Certainly one of a kind!  No lost laundry with this one!

 Karen B sent another batch off this week as well.

 Nancy was able to find a purple lover a quilt.

 Robyn created this cool blue and brown quilt.

Deb sent off this awesome Aussie LB - the other side is blue with the initials on it.

Judi is another new Aussie Hero Friend.  She has been quilting AH quilts for Deb (above) and has decided to make some of her own.  She sent one of these lovely laundry bags off this week and there is now a gorgeous feminine quilt in the Quilts in Waiting File to go with the other laundry bag when the time comes.

Paula and Paul are new to AHQ as well and they has jumped in with both feet.  Paula has made a bunch of quilts and the two of them have also volunteered to quilt for us as well.

You will read more about them next week - too many things to post about with BOMS and the like this week.

 Pauline made this great quilt and she has called it 

"Six White Boomers"

Love it!

Terry not only came to help me on Tuesday but also made this laundry bags - 

love the BMX ones!

Heather H sent in this great quilt top which Carol quilted and it has gone to a Magpies fan!

Wendy and Nan are back again this week with three more laundry bags.

 This is Ruby's first quilt and she has since made one more.

Kitty made these two gorgeous quilts - and I love the photo settings too!

Stephanie sent off this ensemble.  

I thought these letters must have been embroidered which, I might add is exactly what Stephanie wanted me to think, (LOL) but they are printed!  Very pretty either way.

And to round off a good post nothing beats a photo of one of our heroes with their new quilt 

and this one is from HMAS ANZAC!

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