Friend of the Day 4 November

As we had the launch of the November Block of the Month last Thursday we couldn't also fit in the Friend of the Day so here she is, a few days late.
Enjoy!

Hi, 

I am Leonie from the very beautiful Townsville Northern QLD.   

I’m originally from NSW & have lived up here for a few years now. 

 I’m a busy mum to four darling children, 17, 6, 4 & 1, oh our 9 week old boxer puppy 

(he’s just so cute & devine, yes bit smitten).

(Look at those cherubs! Apparently Mr 17 would not be in the photo!)

I’m a full-time worker

& I work as a Customer Care Representative in a call centre for a major electricity company.

I’ve been sewing for Aussie Hero Quilts & Laundry bags for a few months now, I honestly love it & enjoy it.  I’ve came into contact with some amazing people – thank you Jan-Maree. 

Sewing & supporting AHQ for me is such a small thing to do & it’s so great to be able to take part & support the wonderful people who do so much for us & for others here & abroad. Words will never express the Thanks...

Every thing I create becomes family affair, my husband & kids all get involved.  They help pick

colours, do the matching, some setting out & some design.   I get fabrics whenever & where ever I can, both at local shops & online.

I’ve always sewn since very young and my first memories of sewing are sitting watching my grandmother and mother sew. Sewing for me is a joy, not to mention a bit of me time.  The reward of supporting so many fabulous people is FANTASTIC & means so much!!!

I machine sew & am very new to the quilting side of things.   I look forward to participating in some quilting classes very soon so I can gain more skills to one day to be able to not just make quilt tops, laundry bags but fully assemble a quilt from start to finish.

My Miss 6 sits up beside me; often watching me & tries to help.  She’s got a real lead foot on that pedal when I’m not ready & I’ll pass on these skills to her & my other children.  Oh that’s not the lead foot skills either... Even my Mr 17 has even said he’d try &  make a laundry bag, I’m looking forward to that.

(Okay - YAY for Mr 17 - that makes up for no photo!)

I first heard about Aussie Hero Quilts & Laundry Bags when a sewing group on face

book TSL – (The Sewing Library) participated in doing a sew along to support AHQ.   After reading posts on the AHQ blog & facebook page I was moved & knew that supporting was

something that I could do & am able to do.  I look forward to making & supporting AHQ for long time yet, possibly getting to meet some AHQ friends & hopefully one day, or maybe right now a person who has received one of my items will get to also see this post.   

I also sew a lot of different items, clothing, tag blankets, cloth tool sets, dolls, teddy’s the list is endless but what I’m also very passionate about is sewing for hospitals particularly NICUs (Neonnatal Intenstive Care Units) and Special Care units.  

By supporting them I’m helping to support premmie bubs and bubs born sleeping and their families.   Items I sew for them include, but are not limited to, MCN (Modern Cloth Nappies), rugs/wraps hospital gowns, bereavement outfits & many other much needed

items for such special babies and their families.  I send and deliver these items directly to hospitals Australia wide & organisations that support them as well.  

Thanks for that Leonie. It is great to know a little more about you and to be able to put a face to the name.

Leonie has even taken the time to join some of the BOM blocks into a quilt top.  

Great Post Leonie - thank you for sharing!

Time for some thank you messages!

I have told you before of  Queensland Jill's daughter and her BFF -  Siobhan and Sally Kate.  You can read a little about these two here   Well yesterday whilst driving along Sally started to scream and Siobhan, thinking something terrible must have happened, pulled over quick smart!

Guess what had happened!  Sally had received a thank you email from a Sailor!

SCREAM!!!

Sally Kate,
I am writing in appreciation for the laundry bag which I received from you whilst deployed to the Middle Eastern area of operations (MEAO) on board HMAS Anzac. It was a real buzz to receive such a quality made bag and being a fellow Queenslander (I am from a town in FNQ), it made it even more special to be getting something from close to home. I loved the embossed initials and race cars too!
I currently serve as an XXXXX on Anzac and we are tasked to conduct various counter terrorism and piracy patrols within the area as part of Operation Slipper. Our tasking will see us deployed in the area until early 2013 and we will operate as far west as the Red Sea and within the Straits of Hormuz to the east.

Once again Sally Kate, many thanks for your efforts in producing items such as the laundry bag which you sent me and the enjoyment that deployed personnel such as myself get from receiving such a gift is fantastic. You obviously have a great talent there with your quilting and I hope that you continue to kick on with it in the future.
I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy and it is great to know that we are supported back home by members of the Australian public such as yourself whilst we are here making a contribution on behalf of the nation. Gestures such as yours certainly make home seem less far away and I am truly grateful for your generosity.
Thanks again and I wish you all the best for the future.  

The following email was greeted with a little less screaming but no less enthusiasm by myself!

Good Morning, 

I'd like to thank you and the 'Aussieheroquilts' team for the wonderful laundry bag that I received a short time ago. Unfortunately my plain old cotton laundry bag went walkabout aver a month ago and your gift came in very handy - I can now walk to the laundry with my head held high instead of trying to carry a whole lot of laundry in my arms that insists on dropping to the ground on the way.

By way of introduction, my name is XXXXXXXXX and I am currently deployed to Kandahar Airfield in Southern Afghanistan (just south of Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan Province which is where the main concentration of Australians are based). I have been here for 11 months now and will head home back to my Family in mid December. I have attached a photo to show you that I exist  and that I indeed appreciate your gift and efforts. Kandahar is starting to get cool as the Winter approaches. Last year we had a little bit of snow but normally it just gets very cold around late December and into January.

Thank you again for the work that you're doing to recognise those who serve overseas. It is great to know that people do care enough to take the time to do this for us - I know how much effort goes into these bags and the quilt covers you make as my wife has quilted a number of beautiful things over the years.

One of Nancy's quilts and laundry bags made it safe and sound to its new owner and he left us a lovely message on facebook.

Yesterday I received a nice surprise in the mail. A beautiful quilt and laundry bag. I don't think you understand what an uplifting feeling it is to receive such a thoughtful gift when you are so far from home. To all that are involved with this organisation and on behalf of all of us over here...Many Thanks and God Bless.

Amy also received a lovely thank you message.

Amy, 
 It was a real buzz to receive such a practical, quality made bag and being a fellow Queenslander, it made it even more special to be getting something from close to home. 
Once again Amy, many thanks for your efforts in producing items such as the laundry bag which you sent me and the enjoyment that deployed personnel such as myself get from receiving such a gift is fantastic. You obviously have a great talent there with your quilting and I hope that you continue on in your "chatting chick" role! 
I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy and it is great to know that we are supported back home by members of the Australian public such as yourself whilst we are here making a contribution on behalf of the nation. Gestures such as yours certainly make home seem less far away and I am truly grateful for your generosity. 
Thanks again and I wish you all the best for the future. 
Say hi to Barney for me! 

Recently Naomi sent some quilts, made by the lovely ladies of the Berri Uniting Church, to the guys in Egypt as part of our Sinai Peacekeeping Force.  Today I received a lovely message of gratitude from one of them.

 Dear Jan-Maree
I am writing a quick note to thank you and your group for the wonderful work you do.  

From a soldier that has served for 14 years in over seven countries,
it is a welcome gesture and very much appreciated.   It is not often today that we meet impartial Australians who realise that we are not the politicians/ policy makers, so to experience a group such as Aussie Hero Quilts is a very welcome change.
Once again, thank you very much for your kind gesture. Please pass my appreciation on to the other ladies.
Kind Regards

:-)

And finally, courtesy of the Chaplain on HMAS ANZAC, this photo!  Look who dropped in to visit whilst she was in the area!

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

Gorgeous BOMs

Now I don't normally cover things on the blog that are not fairly well AHQ related.  This is an exception as we have lots of people in the States who read the blog.   I just wanted to wish all those on the East Coast all the best as you batten down the hatches and hold on whilst Hurricane Sandy heads your way.  Stay safe guys.

Just so happens that my own husband is in Baltimore, Washington, at the moment but thankfully he tells me that he is safe and sound in the hotel and not going anywhere - of course his track record is not good as in the past he has flown from Hong Kong to Taiwan in the middle of a Hurricane, telling me it will be no problem, only to get within 150ft of the runway and find that the wind was too strong so that had to divert - that is not fine!

Look what turned up in my mail box - these four quilt tops have arrived from Janet who pieced them out out of the BOM blocks I sent her.  I just love them.  I am always saying how much I love scrap quilts but as one recipient said recently "to call it a scrap quilt does not do it justice"!

LOVE that stripey border!  

And I would never have though of putting the light blocks together in the middle like this but I love it. 

And this quilt has a different feel altogether!  

Thanks for helping out Janet and for doing such a great job.  These are just four of the quilts that are heading off to the quilter this afternoon.  I managed to get all the backings pieced last night and today we have five more battings to piece -we ran out of batting tape - and I am hoping to get the binding made for at least some of the quilts before Terry gets here to help me.

Stephanie, Jenny and Susan and Aileen received two very appreciative thank you messages from HMAS ANZAC overnight. Enjoy! 

Stephanie,

Today I received a very special gift from yourself. I am lost for words apart from saying Thank You for the time and effort you have taken to make the quilt and laundry bag for a complete stranger. It means so much to know that apart from our family and friends back at home, other people will take the time out of their lives to do something special for a serviceman or woman deployed overseas. It also just so happens that it was my birthday recently so receiving this gift in the mail 6 days after makes my birthday away from my family even more special and again I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment to making quilts for Aussie Hero Quilts. Attached is a photo of the quilt and laundry bag on my rack taking pride and place with the pics of my wife and daughter. 

Kind Regards

To Joanne, XXXXXX, and XXXXXX and everybody else at Aussie hero quilts

I would just like to say a big thank you for the time and effort you have spent making this wonderful quilt and laundry bag for me. It is so good knowing that there are groups like this supporting us back home. It makes me appreciate that we are not getting forgotten about and the work we are doing is getting recognized  When I found out that I had been chosen as one of the lucky people on board to receive a quilt I felt very honored  And when I was informed it was in the post I could not wait to receive it. Today was that day. We had a lot of mail delivered today and I believe there were a fair few people that received their quilts. 

It is difficult to explain to a lot of people how hard it is being away. I have my fiancé and 8 month old baby boy waiting for me at home and receiving things like this and hearing about your group makes it just that bit easier being away. So once again I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I will try to get a photo in the next day or two

I would just like to start and say thank you for making me this very great quilt and laundry bag i can see alot of time and effort has been put into its creation, it is making a great cover for my little bunk that I have on the ship. It is a great that people at home appreciate the work we do overseas for our country and understand the sacrifices of family and love ones that we make.
 

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

A sad day for us all

No words feel adequate to describe the news that five more Australian soldiers have been killed and two seriously injured in two separate incidents.  I am sure I can speak for all those involved with Aussie Hero Quilts when I say that our thoughts are with all those touched by this horrible day.  

I had another post prepared for tonight but it does not seem appropriate so instead I thought we would have an abbreviated version of what would have been the Quilts of the Week for this week.  Lets send all our love to those that are hurting and then lets focus on what we can do to make things better for those we can.

Firstly a parade of HMAS ANZAC goodies.

Julie Ann made these five laundry bags for HMAS ANZAC

 A sneak peak at Marg's quilt for HMAS ANZAC

You might remember this gorgeous quilt that Liz made.  I have been waiting to find the perfect recipient for it and finally found one among Club 25 - there is no point in showing a sneak peak of this one as it has already been seen and is eagerly awaited.  

There is a laundry bag too but no peaks at that!  

And now for some Doggie Treats.

Angela had outdone herself with her ensemble for the Dog and his best mate, his handler.  First up for the handler..

Then for the dog...

and finally the laundry bag.  

Julie from SA was organised and got this WWQ in the mail to replace the one that has been used recently.

Liz is back again with a laundry bag and a quilt 
that prove that quick and easy doesn't have to be boring.

This laundry bag and quilt ensemble is from the Singleton Quilters the end of  their mammoth effort of 60 quilts.

I love this gorgeous bright quilt from Carol.

I made the laundry bag to go with it 
and I can only show it because the fellow has know idea it is coming.

Judy C whipped these next six laundry bags  - love the horse one!

Check out the dragons one too!

And we finish off tonight with this striking quilt from Kaye.  
Simple blocks but very striking because of the colours!  

This quilt is the combined effort of Maria who pieced the top and Caroline who quilted it. 

Till next time..................LEST WE FORGET!

Club 25 is launched!

Well it is not exactly Club Med but there is a new club out on the seven seas that is proving very popular!  Sixty three sailors on board HMAS ANZAC put their names up for quilts and somehow the Commanding Officer and the Chaplain selected 25 hence the launch of....

Club 25!

That is right - that is the nickname that the Chaplain (or someone else - not sure who) coined for the 25 sailors who were successful in being selected to receive one of the 25 quilts we are sending to HMAS ANZAC.  Now I haven't heard from all of the 25 yet but a lot of them have emailed me and from their comments they are pretty excited about their quilts and laundry bags.

Thank you Jan Maree and your quilters for this wonderful and generous gift to our hard-working and long-suffering sailors so far from their love-ones.

Padre

I am thankful that I have been one of the people selected to receive one of the handmade quilts, and would be very grateful to also get a laundry bag.

Thank you very much for the effort you are putting in to this, it is greatly appreciated and a wonderful idea for morale.

I am one of the lucky 25 people aboard HMAS Anzac selected for a quilt from your organisation.  I would also like a laundry bag for the quilt.

I am the medical officer aboard the ship and the quilt will be a much appreciated addition to the sickbay for the comfort of those who are ill, and myself and my staff would like to thank you and your fellow quilters for your thoughtfulness and kindness to the men and women of the Armed Forces of Australia.

I have the honour of being selected from HMAS ANZAC to be one of the recipients of the Aussie Hero Quilts that are very generously being crafted and donated by volunteers.   I consider myself exceptionally fortunate to receive such a personal item for which an incredible amount of time, effort and cost has been sacrificed. 

I would appreciate a laundry bag if available and don't have any preferences regarding the style of bag provided. 

Please pass on my sincere thanks in advance to all those involved in this very special endeavour. The quilt will have pride of place and be an enduring reminder for my family and I of ANZAC’s operational deployment and all those who have sacrificed and provided service for our great country.

Thankyou very much for your generosity and your quilt will be much appreciated and if possible would love a laundry bag.

I am very grateful to be emailing you this morning. 

As you are more than likely aware, your Quits have provoked a great deal of interest within our Crew.  I was lucky enough to be drawn out of the hat for the Petty Officer's Mess along with one of the other boys. 

I know that quite a bit of work goes into making a Quilt and would like to thank you all for your efforts. There is an overwhelming sense of pride that is bought about by people as yourself using your creativity and putting so much effort into making a gift for a perfect stranger. I can say that we are all very appreciative and very humbled to know you are thinking of us. 

I hope this finds you well and the days spent Quilting are a lot of fun.

I have been lucky enough to be selected to receive one of your fantastic Aussie Hero Quilts. 

In the email it also asked if we would like a Laundry bag. If it possible to receive one of these also that would be fantastic! 

I would like to thank you in advance for the wonderful job you are doing, and offering your time to support our serving men and women.

I have also been told that there is an option to request a laundry bag as well, so if this is possible may I request to have one of those too. 

Thank you very much for the chance to acquire one of these quilts. It will be very much appreciated.

I am one of the lucky 25 members to receive an Aussie Hero Quilt. 

I would like to thank you in advance for this outstanding generosity.

I was a lucky candidate of many, selected to receive a quilt from 'Aussie Hero Quilts'. 

Thank you so much for your generous offer and I appreciate the opportunity to enjoy something from home. I was also asked to notify you if I wished to receive a laundry bag. This would be fantastic if you could please. 

Again thank you so much for your generosity. If there is anything else you need from me please don't hesitate to contact me. Also, if there is anything I could do for you to show my appreciation I'm more than happy. I can send a ships plaque if you haven't already received one provided this is a suitable gesture. Please let me know.

If it is possible, may I also have a laundry bag, that would be much appreciated..... Thank you for the time and efforts of yourself and the other ladies helping you out, I have done a couple of deployments now and this is by far the greatest treat :-) thank you again

I have been luckily enough to get the opportunity to receive a quilt out of 25 of my shipmates. If possibile I would also like a laundry bag.  Thanks again for all your hard work, for our sailors and their families.

I would like to express my many thanks for the effort you guys have put in for these quilts, not only myself but my shipmates as well.   I really look forward to receiving it and it will be in use for many years to come.   If there is any spare laundry bags as well, i will really appreciate it.

Have a great day.

I am one of the very lucky people to receive one of your quilts and i would love to get a laundry bag if it isnt to much work on you lovely people..
Thank you for all you support .. Things like this will put a smile on my face everyday till i get to see my loved one  

I would like to thank you all for going to all the effort of making these quilts for our ship. 


I was one of the extremely lucky 25 personnel selected to receive a quilt and am a member of HMAS Anzac. Thank you very much it has really made my day hearing of the news

I don't think there is any doubt, once again, that what we are doing is appreciated.


I thought you might like to know that HMAS ANZAC's motto is "United We Stand"
They are the third Australian Ship to be named "HMAS ANZAC"
Their official home port is Albany Western Australia, as that is where WWI Australian soldiers stopped for a few days on the way to the Middle East / Egypt 1914-1918 

And finally a couple of lovely thank you messages arrived over the weekend.

G’day Naomi and all the folks from AHQ,

A batch of your wonderful quilts recently arrived here in the Sinai, Egypt. They are a great initiative and have been well received by all the Aussie Service personnel. It is nice to get something so personal in the post. I thank you all for taking the time to support our deployment and I want you all to know that we appreciate your efforts. You generosity reminds us all of just how lucky we are to be Australians.

Warmest regards,

The icing on our cake for tonight is this lovely picture that appeared on facebook yesterday morning along with a lovely thank you message.

A special thank you to Larissa and her daughter from sunny Darwin, who made this Aussie Hero Quilt.  I received it recently while serving in the Middle East and I will cherish it :-)  We all appreciate what you do for us also.

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

Aussie Heroes All Sorts

Tonight's post is only a quickie as I have had a busy day sewing in Penrith.   You would not believe the number of laundry bags we turned out.  There were five of us sewing, Pam, Judith, the regulars and two new ladies, Karen and Carolyn.  We even had a brief visit from Carolynne who dropped in just to say hello which was great.  I do love meeting those that I have only been able to email so far.  The final count was 20+ completed laundry bags.  Happy with that!  Photos in a post to come when I have had time to take all the pictures - and that won't be tonight!

First an advert 
 Lyn from Busy Quilting (email - lyn@busyquilting.com.au) is happy to quilt for us.  She said - I am over an hour west, almost Toowoomba, but head into Brisbane twice a month for Queensland Quilters meetings.  Could catch up with a piecer on those days. 1^st and 2^nd Tuesday of each month. 

Email her if you are interested.

HMAS ANZAC
I still don't have the list of names for HMAS AMZAC recipients.  Understandably it might take a little time for the Chaplain and the Captain to decide who among those who request a quilt will get one.  That is assuming they get more than 25 requests.  
I suggest that you concentrate on a fairly gender neutral design as there will definitely be way more guys than girls.

Now, I thought you would like to see some of how I spent my time this week - answering these emails for starters.

This fellow is a man of few words

- once again muchly appreciated and very well made

but I love the fact that he sent a photo straight away!  Thank you!

This next thank you turned up unexpectedly so I assume this fellow received one of our care package quilts - they seem to be turning up in dribs and drabs - either that or these guys are taking a while to get back to base to have time to say thank you.

Dear Quilters,

Thanks a lot for efforts to make and send a quilt over. It has helped me sleep as the commercially made doona are too bloody hot and I like to sleep cooler which the quilt allows. A better night's sleep means a lot over here; keeps me and my mates safer when we're out and about.

Thanks again,

This fellow didn't ask for anything - he just took the time to write and say thank you!

On behalf of the men and women of Task Unit 633.2.4, thank you for offering your time and support to Australia's deployed troops. I can assure you that your offer to make Aussie Hero quilts is both humbling and well received by our men and women in theatre.

I hope this e-mail finds you in good health and happiness.

I received a number of requests from Al Minhad Air Base on Friday night and one of the first was from the Commanding Officer.

As the current Australian Base Commander at Al Minhad and Commanding Officer of the Combat Support Unit, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your associates for the support you offer to our troops. It is certainly a morale booster.

Now I normally receive the requests and don't publish them mostly because there is enough to write on the blog anyway but I thought it would be good for you all to see just how they are written and understand just how much what we do is appreciated so read on...

Would it be possible for me to get a quilt? One of the girls in the office today received one and they are amazing!

First up I wanted to say a big thank you for your support to us over in the MEAO (Middle East Arena Organisation), it is greatly appreciated and puts a smile on our face.  I have been advised that we are able to received laundry bags through the service that you offer?  It would be greatly appreciated.   I have been over here now for about four and a half months, and have a couple more to go before I'm home. 

The quilt arrived with a backlog of mail this week.   A special thank you to you and Fran for your generosity and kind spirit.   I'll take a picture of the quilt and send it through soon. 

Thank you for the work that your group is doing to make our life over here a bit more comfortable. We are a long way from home and it is really nice to know that people are thinking of us.   If you have the capacity, I would love it if you were able to send a laundry bag. All of the bags over here are the same colour and it is impossible to tell which is which. It would be great to have a personalised laundry bag.   I am over here until 20 Dec. I completely understand if you already have requests that exceed your production ability, especially with the Chaplain showing off your work.

I am interested in finding out a little more about the Aussie Hero Quilts that have been appearing all over the place over here, and would very much like to find out about getting one myself. If you would please let me know what information you require, that would be very much appreciated. 

On a side note, many of the members I work with over here, that have received quilts and laundry bags, have been very overwhelmed by your support, and I want to say thank you for your efforts. It is very nice to see the Australian Spirit in action, and to know that we are not forgotten at home. 

And second last - this from a chaplain

Thanks for your good work and support. I have distributed a number of the quilts and laundry bags, and I trust the people will respond with thanks - I'm sure they will, as they were very appreciative,  

I just read about your quilt making for deployed members and think it is a brilliant idea. Thank you so much for putting all the time and effort into each quilt which no doubt is very much appreciated by every recipient. I was hoping I would be able to get a quilt if you have any spare? 

(I do like her - who knew I was brilliant?  Not my sons that's for sure LOL!)

I have some great posts coming up this week - photos of the laundry bags that the ladies and I made today, photos of the gorgeous soldier and his equally gorgeous family who came to visit yesterday - what an absolute delight and another bumper crop looks like being featured again on Friday's post so standby to receive.

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

All at sea!!! and Quilts of the Week 10 Aug

Before I really get started

you should go and read the comments on last night's post.

Special!  

All at sea!  

Yes, that is where some of our quilts will be come September.   If you are not on the Aussie Hero Friend Register of those who sew for us you will not be aware of this yet.  

HMAS ANZAC has headed off from Australia to the Middle East Arena to support our troops over there and whilst they are part of Operation Slipper we will be supporting them.  They are there to "provide maritime security in the Gulf region. This will include counter piracy and anti-terrorism operations in the Gulf of Aden and working to prevent the illegal trafficking of people and drugs.” (source)

I would love the be able to send them as many quilts as they ask for but that can't happen.  I have to make sure that, as much as I can, I share what we do with those in Dubai, and Afghanistan and the ship.  

With that in mind I have implemented a quota system for HMAS ANZAC.  

We will be sending five quilts per month to the ship and on Wednesday night I sent an email to all those who sew and asked for volunteers to fill the list from September till January when the ship returns to Australian waters.

So far I have enough volunteers to provide five quilts per month up to and include three for December.  I am pretty pleased with that.  Time will tell if that leaves us enough capacity to  cater for those in Dubai and Afghanistan as well but I think we will be right as not everyone wants to put their name down in advance.  Lots of you like to let me know when you get a quilt finished  and others have chosen to save your quilts for those on the ground.  

We can accommodate all of you and so far it has worked just fine.

Now, just to make sure that I have the list right - Wednesday night was a madness of emails going back and forth, you have no idea!  Here is the consolidated list as it stands at the moment.  Please feel free to email me if I have made a mistake.

September  - Jill, Marilyn, Karen D, Naomi, Bern

October - Kelly and Carol, Stephanie, Nadene, Naomi, Marg

November - Julie Ann, Carolynne, Sue S, Pauline, Jacqui

December - Fran T, Sue S, Liz B, Linda

For the quilters who have put their names into the hat, you have been allocated to a month.  I am yet to hear back from the ship with names but when I do I will pass the appropriate name on to you.  You then need to ensure that your quilt is in the mail in that month, as early in that month as you can comfortably achieve.  It might take a few days before we get the list as they have to call for requests and then decide which 25 have been successful.

PLEASE if LIFE gets in the way or has other plans for you and you are not going to be able to make the deadline let me know so I can make other arrangements.  That goes for all special requests.

Life happens but I can work around it if I know.

We still need two quilters for December and five for January but there is no need to jump in right  now unless you want to.  I will call for quilts again closer to the months required.

AND if you want to know more about HMAS ANZAC you can check her out here and here

Christmas Break

Additionally, I am planning not to take any requests over the Christmas break unless I have specific people that sign up to sew over that period or if I know there are quilts on hand.  No need to worry about this for the time being but I just thought I would mention it. For some people holidays mean more sewing time, for some it means less.  I will think about how and when to implement this and get back to you.

Dog Quilts 

 Finally got word about the preferred size for the dog quilts - 35" by 52" is the size of their dog bed but if that doesn't work for you because you have already started something just go ahead with what you are doing. 

Hope that works for everyone.

And now on with this week's quilts and laundry bags.

This one is made up of leftover BOMs and was constructed by the lovely TurramurraTwins.  It was then sent off to be quilted by one of our long arm quilters Kim and then bound by Judith.  A real group effort.  I sent this one off on Monday to a VIP - can't say too much but I am sure we will hear back from him in due course and I will tell you more then.

Kaye Sent this lovely one off - there is a female room that is going to be so much nicer soon.

And another female is going to love this pretty one by Fran.

Wendy's strippy quilt went off the the Special Ops Task Group this week

As did this one by Julie Ann.   I can tell you that as I am trickle feeding quilts and laundry bags to them on a regular basis and they hand them out to injured personnel or those that have done  a good job!  Love it!

Cherie made this great iconic quilt.  

Christine has sent off another pretty girly quilt.  Honestly these girls are getting lucky!

Chris from SA is sending this one off 

and also this one.  Love the border fabric on this one.

The last quilt for tonight is from Liz with her trademark kangaroos.

Carolynne sent off this cool quilt

and laundry bag.

Caroline and her wonderful sewing group, the Nine Patches, made these fabulous laundry bags which have headed off too.

Fifteen 

in all!

WOW!  Thanks ladies!

Karen made these great laundry bags and they headed off this week as well.

I heard from a lovely woman today whose military son told her about us and asked her to make some quilts for his mates serving "over there".  Love it!  
Hopefully I will be able to share photos soon.

And the sugar on top of all that we do is the thank you messages that we get
-and this one is from a mother whose son received a care package-

I would like to thank you from the bottom of me heart.  My son just returned home safe and sound from his deployment in Afghanistan.  He received one of your beautiful quilts with a few rather yummy treats.   He will cherish the quilt for the rest of his life.  Keep up the fantastic work, it made a world of difference to my son.xxxxxxxxx

Laundry Bags to go anyone?

I have had a number of people email me in the last week or so to tell me that they have laundry bags ready to go - now that the dust has settled and I am caught up (mostly) if you have laundry bags with patches ready to go please  send me another email and I will tell you where and when to send them.  I am sorry I don't have a list of you but now I am ready to get it all sorted.

448 quilts and 310 laundry bags!

Got to be happy with that!

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