Happy Mail 16 Jan

Would you believe that sometimes I get texts asking where the post is for that night, usually on a Saturday night which is the one night a week that I don't post.  I don't mind that at all as it means that people are enjoying the posts and want to read them.  Lately I have been having trouble with the posts not automatically linking through to Facebook.  I don't know if it is a Blogger problem, a Networked Blogs problem or a Facebook problem.  I just know it is unreliable and intermittent.  On Monday night I launched the post at 630pm, my normal time and by 930pm it hadn't gone up on Facebook!  I didn't realise that so I was very late doing it manually.  So on Tuesday night I launched the post at 430pm so that I would be able to check to see if it made it to Facebook by 630pm and this time it was up immediately!  Go figure!  Hopefully whatever glitch is causing this unpredicable problem will be sorted out soon but in the mean time if the post is not on facebook by 7pm please feel free to let me know.

i just have to share a funny story though.  Jill normally reads the blog every night religiously unless she has something on.  Yesterday she was off in her own little blissful world sewing for AHQ when she checked Facebook on her phone and saw the post was up.  This is the message I got - 

Thanks for sending me into panic

I thought I had been sewing away in my own world for hours as I did a quick Facebook check and saw the post was up, then bolted out of craft room to arrange dinner only to find out it was only 3.30pm.....phew!

Note - Jill lives in Queensland and they are hour behind up there!

Now on with the Happy Mail.

Karen B sent up these great BOM blocks.  These will look great in the Nautical BOM quilt I am planning.  Love those turtles and killer whales!!

Karen also sent up these great 80's blocks.  If anyone is planning to do some can you please let me know?  If there are no more coming I will start looking at putting the quilt together.  I think it is going to look awesome!

And Karen's final contribution to the Happy Mail this week is this quilt top which resulted from Kylie's Mystery Quilt over Christmas/New Year.

Here is a close up so you can see the cute feature fabric.

 Kylie sent a last few September BOM blocks

and I am particularly loving these red, white and black blocks - one of my favourite colour combinations.

And finally for Kylie, her selection of Wonky Nine Patches.

 Melissa T sent two great quilts

and two laundry bags.

More super 80's Julie Ann - look closely - every block but one has a scrap of Aussie fabric in it.  So cool!

Julie Ann also sent these great tool themed BOM blocks which will go into the Tool themed quilt I want to put together.  I am looking forward to combining these ones with the ones that I have made and seeing what they look like.

And finally Leonie sent these two quilt tops which should have been included in last weeks post except that I didn't get the photos taken in time.
Thanks Leonie -- they look great.

This thank you is for a quilt top that Lynn made which Paul and Paula quilted and which I embellished with a black kangaroo.  The laundry bag is one that I made from super cute robot fabric.

I received it yesterday.  Thank you so much.  I was going around showing everyone.  The quality is amazing and the laundry bag with my name on it.  I was like a school kid showing everyone my new toys.  I know it sounds like I got too excited over a quilt and a laundry bag but it reminds me of the great people back home supporting us and makes me want to do my best to make you guys proud.  The work you guys do is a key ingredient in helping the troops over here get through the days.  Thank you.

I have to say that message had me smiling all day!

Dear Liz,
Just a short note to thank you very much for the box of laundry bags I received from you in the post today. Anything we get here from Aussie Hero Quilts is very much appreciated and help add a bit of colour to our lives in what can otherwise be a fairly dreary place. We are always heartened to know that so many good people like you back in Australia take the time and effort to try to make our lives more comfortable here; gestures like yours make our long separation from families and loved ones more manageable. I saw that you wrote the card which accompanied the bags on the last day of 2012 - your gifts make the start of 2013 a little brighter.

Dear Marg, Just a very short note to thank you for the laundry bags we received from you today. You might be interested to know that I have passed them on to soldiers from XXXXX, all of whom I am sure will appreciate your kind gesture. They add a bit of colour to our lives, in what can be a fairly dreary place. When I drop my own laundry off, there are now quite often more Aussie Hero bags than there are issue ones.

Thank you also for the postcard you included in the box and the thoughts it contained. You can be assured that we are relatively safe here in XXXXXX, doing the best job we can and looking forward to reuniting with our families in a few months time. Until that time arrives, we all very much appreciate the efforts of people such as yourself who provide such kind and welcome support.

All the very best for the remainder of 2013,


Hi Cat,
Thank you so much for the beautiful quilt! It arrived in the mail today, just in time for Christmas. We are heading into Winter now so the quilt will definitely be going straight onto my bed when I take it back to my room tonight.
We will be having a traditional Aussie BBQ on Christmas day, and we will have a secret Santa so that everyone can open gifts together. I hope you have a great Christmas with all of your family and friends!
I am in the Navy and this is my first deployment to a war zone, I am working in the Australian Headquarters in XXXXX.  Mail day is definitely everyone's favourite day of the week. Receiving parcels from home is a great morale booster.  Thank you for your hard work making my quilt, it surely is an item I will treasure as a reminder of my time here.  We really do appreciate all the quilts and care packages that come from you and your team.
Afghanistan truly is a beautiful country, here are a couple of photos for you to enjoy :)  

Don't forget to get in your photos for this week's Quilts of the Week.  I need the photos by tomorrow night or I might not be able to add them in.

I have the following people on my list - 
Angela
Annette S
Carole S (NSW)
Cath
Caz
Di K
Janine
Julie Ann
Kerryn
Kiwi Karen
Liz
Maddy
Peggy
Fran T
Tess J

Have I left anyone off?

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

Quilts of the Week 11 Jan 13

33 quilts and 90 laundry bags for 2013 and 
979 quilts and 1469 laundry bags overall!

Well it looks like we have hit the ground running this week - holidays are just about over and lots of Aussie Hero Friends are back on deck, and just as well as I have a healthy supply of requests for us all to sew for!

Funny note - today is the anniversary of the first time that Caroline, A.K.A. Deputy Nut, left a comment on the blog!  How far we have come.  Actually at the end of this month we will be starting a new regular post - "This Time Last Year" - looking back at what we were doing a year ago.  So, that is bound to bring back some memories, for all of us, as I won't be writing it.  Janine has "volunteered"  to do it!  Thanks Janine!

Friday's are usually a busy day for me so just as an explanation I am not going to write something about every quilt and laundry bag I show you unless there is something special to tell you about it.  Also, to be guarentee being included in the Quilts of the Week post please get your photos in by Thursday night, or as early in the week as you can manage as it is too hard for me to try and add in loads of photos on Friday during the day.  And I will try and remember to remind you a couple of days before as well.

Now on with the show!

Gail

Me!

You can't see it in this photo but the fabrics in this are a mix of Aussie wildflower prints and American prints - thanks to Terry and Lisa for the American prints.  Note I used stars and stripes for the letters in America

and I had hoped the picture would turn out better but written on the Aussie letters are all sorts of Aussie words and place names.

A 7RAR pig in case you are wondering

I can send you this template if anyone wants it - you can use any pig but this is one that was sent to me.

Can you tell I have been enjoying sewing during the quieter period over the Christmas break.

You can probably also tell that I had a hand in this one as well but whilst I did the applique and handed over some leftover blocks Caroline did everything else with this quilt which needed to be created in a hurry for someone special - story to come once it has been received.

More of Caroline's work 

Dasha

Gidget is an AHQ Newbie - welcome to the club Gidget!

Jacqui

Evelyn W is also a Newbie and she completed a partially finished quilt top that was donated to a group called Stitching Hearts and then the quilt was delivered to me to send it off.  

Rita M 

Julie Ann
(name on the other side)

Karen B

Kaye

This is one of the quilts made as a result of Kylie's Mystery Quilt run over the Christmas break.  you will be seeing more of these

Sue Niven

Beth

Judy D

Kylie

Janine

These letters and Roos were done with fabric paint pens!

Liz

Liz and Roberta

Melissa

Nancy

Stephanie

Marie

And to finish off some thank you messages - 

Dear Pauline
I would just like to say thank you so much for the quilt, laundry bag and the goodies. It is so nice for someone like your self to go out of their way to make gifts for us it really puts a smile on our dials to know that there are people at home thinking of us during our deployment.   I would like to say to your son Nicholas that I hope the surgery went well and that the recovery be quick and as free of problems as possible.  i hope this letter finds you all safe and well.
Cheers    

Dear Pauline and all the other wonderful ladies part of Aussie Hero Quilts,

Sorry for the late email to let you know I have received my quilt and laundry bag.

I would like to thank you all so much for all your generosity it is really appreciated and a great morale boost for myself and all the other guys and girls that received them! 

I received a card from one of you girls but am unsure of who it was from as it wasn't signed with a name at the bottom so I am unsure who to thank.

Pauline thankyou for your letter and I hope your son is on his way to full recovery after his operation let him know I wish him all the best.

 Thank you to hellokitty for the wonderful quilt and I think the laundry bag! They are amazing I cannot thank you enough. 

 If you could reply to me and let me know who made what I would be grateful and able to thank   you personally.

 Thanks again so much,

 Kind regards,

Dear Keryn, 

I am the proud owner of a beautiful quilt that was handmade by you. 

What gives me a great sense of pride is people like yourself and your family who take time out of their lives to do thoughtful, generous acts of kinds to help aid others. Your gift was very humbling and i am deeply grateful to forever be able to have this quilt and remember the happiness and kindness it was given to me in. 

I am very lucky over here to have a small extended family which made Christmas easier and memorable. I was fortunate to be able to stay up late on Christmas eve and Skype with my family and watch the kids open their presents. 

I hope your Christmas with your family was as enjoyable and memorable as mine. 

The work you and all the other ladies do as part of Quilts for Heroes is magical. These acts of kindness are the foundation of the Australian way and they make me proud to be doing what I do for Australians like yourself. 

I am very humbled by your gift and proud of you guys back home. 

Kindest Regards, 

Hi Keryn 
I am writing this email to thank you for taking the time to make and send me a quilt. It has already come in handy a few times with the temperature dropping and a can't thank you enough for this. Thank you again for quilt and I wish you all the best in the New Year. It is good to know that there are people back home thinking of us. Regards,

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