Happy Mail 19 Dec on the 22nd

Oh my goodness - this was supposed to go out on Wednesday night but I was out till late and only just found out last night that it was still in draft form!  No idea what happened but it seems you were all too immersed in the eggnog and wrapping paper to notice so you can have a bonus post tonight instead!  LOL

Happy Mail and Happy Recipients. 

First up a quilt made by Nan and packaged up and sent by Wendy.

Adding in a quilt made by Michelle with her now trademark "My Country" in the middle.

A big grin from Michelle's recipient.

Pauline's "Six White Boomers" has found a very appreciative home!

A thank you came in for Melissa too.  This laundry bag never appeared on the blog as it was too distinctive and we didn't want to spoil the surprise.  You see it now and it was worth all the effort.

Melissa

I would like to say a huge thank you for everything, the laundry bag is excellent, my Dad was very jealous as he is also a Dragons fan so we have a bit of a competition on who has the most gear.

Please send my regards to your helpers 

I am very grateful it means a lot and I will be using this bag for years to come.

I would love to show you the back - it has a number and his name (which is why I CAN'T show you back!)

Hi Jan- Maree,
Thankyou very much for the laundry bag and quilt. They both arrived today here at XXXX and look fantastic. It's perfect timing actually because the weather has just started to really cool down. Thanks again for your time and effort with both items. Take care and all the best for Christmas and the new year.  

I have received my quilt and laundry bag, I love it, it is beautiful and colourful. Thank you so much, it really means a lot to us over here, especially over Christmas to have such kindness from people back home like yourself spending their time doing amazing things for us.

This following one was a much longer email but as I can't share place names or personal details too much I had to delete some :-(

Dear Caroline,

Thank you soo much for the wonderful laundry bag! I am truly astounded that there are such great people in this country of ours who would dedicate their very own time and resources to such a fantastic gesture of good will! I must say, this is one thing the our American friends do very well – show gratitude and respect to the serving men and women that serve to deny, those who mean to do us harm, a safe haven in places such as Afghanistan. 

What a very thoughtful gift - it just so happens that a good laundry bag is extremely hard to come by! I feel very honoured to receive your gift and wish to thank you for putting your personal touch to it! Hunni looks fantastic in her outfit, I couldn’t help but smile. You have a very beautiful dog. 

Finally, I would just like to say what an incredible job you have done with the laundry bag - it is absolutely fantastic! I will treasure it and it will remind me now, and into the future, of the generosity shown to our serving men and women. I hope that one day, I too can continue to show this generosity to someone else and expose them to the nature of such a fantastic organisation. Please know that you have done a wonderful thing, and I will remember your efforts wherever I go. 

For now, my gratitude and thanks! 

Sincerely, 

Two for Rita C

G'Day, I would like to thank you for the quilt it looks great, I am aware it has taken you hours to make so again thank you. I will be using this a lot as it is getting very cold over here. Thanks

HELLO !!!
Thank you so much for the quilt you made me.
I love it. I have it laying on my bed.
It is very special and I appreciate the effort you all put in to making it for me.
Thank you again. I hope you have a wonderful jolly Christmas together. =)
Kind Regards,


The following is a story I received from Terry and I thought it was lovely and worth sharing!

Hi Jan-Maree  what follows happened yesterday.

I arrived at the local post office/newsagents to be greeted with "Terry, Terry, wait I have puzzle books for you." The owner post mistress knows where the crossword, suduko etc are going.  While I posted two small parcels she retrieved her gift from the back and decided a box was better than the two bags the stash was in. 

We exchanged a few words and she sent her best wishes to the Aussies overseas. I had just picked up the box full of puzzle books when a voice behind me insisted he help and I mean insisted removing the box from my hands and heading out the door. I followed quickly not wanting to let my prize out of sight. Really it was only out to the footpath and two car lengths away but the unknown gentleman was being kind so I graciously accepted his assistance.

All 50, yep 50, books were deposited into the boot and I mentioned they were headed to Aussie Soldiers in Afghanistan. (as you do) The gentleman straightened a bit and smiled a little and said" Afghanistan that's my home country". I'm sure he was glad our soldiers were there. We exchanged a comment about the snow as our own temperature was reaching the mid 30's. 

There are so many people helping as Friends of AHQ, some knowingly, and others just extending a kindness. It's a real feel good to be able to let the guys and gals know we care.

Thanks and Merry Christmas to all the wonderful people working for AHQ. 
Terry

And last but absolutely not least, some gorgeous blocks for the December BOM Blocks.
These from Bern L.  LOVE the stars and the colours - so bright and cheery and the photo does not do them justice.

And these from Janine - this photo is not great either - but there are horses, sheep and aussie animals and more.

IMPORTANT NOTE
If you are making laundry bags to send on their own please check with me EVERY time  before you send them off as I am sending them to several locations and I try to share them around appropriately.  Every time you have some ready you may be given a new address based on who is next in line.  I also need to make sure that too many don't go to one area at any one time and i need to make sure that those we are sending to are not due to redeploy before the next parcels arrive with them.

Next post is Christmas Eve and I am working on something special.  No hints but you won't want to miss it!

Don't forget to check the messages from the troops and see if your recipient has left a message for family and friends.  I can put lots of faces to the names I have on my list of quilts and laundry bag recipients!  LOVE IT.

Till next time.............keep spreading the word and happy wrapping, cooking, and sewing if you can squeeze it in! 

Please and thank you :-)

Take a break from the frantic preparations for Christmas and enjoy some of the messages that have come back to us over the weekend.  

Enjoy!

First a couple of "pleases"

Hi Aussie Hero Quilts!

 My name is XXXXX and I am a private in 7RAR out of Adelaide. I am in the Mortar section here in Afghanistan. A fellow member of the section recently received one of your quilts and he tells the rest of us about it everyday! It looks very warm and I would love one if it is not too much trouble. Not only will it be very warm and comfortable for the approaching winter (the snow is getting closer everyday) I believe that it would be a wonderful souvenir for the years after my deployment.

Just from being here I can see that your quilts are very popular and the laundry is always full of your bags, so if you are a bit overloaded with requests at the moment then please don't worry about it!

Thanks very much!

My name is XXX currently serving in Afghanistan.  A couple of our fellow soldiers have been receiving the most amazing quilts and bags from you and we are all a bit jealous of them.  We would all like to say that if it wasn't for loving people like you guys at home it would make the time over here so much slower than what it already is.  Getting the mail is the one thing that most guys in my platoon look forward to most and every time one of the soldiers receives a quilt it brightens their whole day and the next week or so.  What I'm trying to ask is if at all possible I would love to receive one of these quilts and laundry bags and I think I speak for a couple of the other boys in my section as well.  it would be a great privilege to receive and pass on the great work you do for all serving members.  Thank you all so much for the work that you all do for us and I can't wait to hear from you.

And now for several Thank you messages.

For Rita M

I received my beautiful quilt today thank you so much for it has made my day! 

Its because of amazing women like yourself that my boys over here and I love doing our job!!

stay safe and have a merry xmas,

Amy,

Thank you very much for making me this Laundry Bag you have created.  It

will be very useful for me here during my time here on my deployment.

It's good to hear that you have a passion for something you love doing.

Keep up this great work, & hope you have a great Christmas & New Year.

Regards,

Thanks for a quilt from Nancy

I received my quilt and laundry bag yesterday.  Thank you so much for taking the time and effort for me.  It has lifted my morale and my room is no longer boring.  It means a lot to Defence personnel knowing people are thinking of us and give up their own time to make us feel so loved.  Have a wonderful day and please pass on my many thanks for the beautiful quilt I received.   

Have a Merry Christmas. 

Hello

My name is XXXX. I am currently deployed overseas. I have just received a quilt from Peggy of  QLD and I wanted to let her know that I have received the beautiful quilt and thank her for all that she has done.

For Wendy H.

  Dear Wendy, 

I'm writing to you this afternoon as I've just had the most wonderful surprise in the mail! The box of laundry bags, lollies, socks and other items was not at all expected but very welcome indeed. I have been in touch with Jan-Maree for a few weeks now but I really didn't expect anything on quite this scale. Your laundry bags are fantastic and will be of great use. I've given three out to colleagues who work alongside me here in Task Group HQ and I've also forwarded your details, to allow them to drop you a line.  I'm afraid I couldn't give the last one away but have kept it for myself!  Our laundry here is probably one of the busiest places in Tarin Kot and the local Afghan who works in it seems to be flat out 6 days a week, keeping up with demand.  Your bags will help brighten up his life as well as ours.  I've taken a couple of photos a day or two ago which I haven't yet sent to Jan-Maree but will do so this evening.  For many serving here at the moment, the bags and quilts will be a lasting reminder of their time in Afghanistan - and I would expect that many will travel to different parts of the world on future deployments.  The news about Aussie Hero Quilts is obviously spreading among the troops here, as I have noticed an increasing number of your laundry bags being carried around the place. I will also make sure that all the edible treats are shared among everyone who works here - although I may hang on to a couple of the coffee sachets! 

Your kind gifts have arrived at just the right time. The weather here is rapidly getting colder and overnight there was some significant snowfall on many of the mountains that surround us. In fact, I saw a weather forecast just an hour or two ago that suggested the temperature on Christmas Day will not rise above 3 degrees and could drop to as low as -10. One of the problems I am wrestling with at the moment is to find a suitable venue where we can have our Christmas beer ration, without being frozen in the process. 

I have been in the Australian Army for over seven years now, having served in the British Army beforehand. One of the really tremendous things I have always noticed about being an Australian soldier is the support provided by the Australian public. Whether it is local people who line The Strand in Townsville for a welcome home parade or people such as you who make such an effort at a busy time of year, your support is wonderful and very much appreciated. I see from your letter that members of your family have also served, so you have a good idea of what it is like to be away from home over Christmas. Support from folk such as you make the separation an awful lot easier. 

Thanks again and I hope you and your family have a great Christmas and a peaceful 2013. 

With very best wishes, 

What you ladies do is very much appreciated over here. Quilts keep us warm and make us think of home when we climb into bed at night (or morning, depending on our shifts). Have a great Christmas and wonderful new year. Keep up the wonderful work you are doing as it is truly appreciated by all.


Hi Jan-Maree, 

Hopefully you've seen the email I've just sent to Wendy, thanking her for the quilts and goodies I've just received. Thank you also for your letter and your part in forwarding all the items. 

As I mentioned in my email to Wendy, news is certainly spreading about AHQ. I don't think it will be too long before your laundry bags outnumber the plain mesh one with which we are issued. 

We really consider ourselves very fortunate to have people such as you supporting us at home. I have another family friend who recently was involved in packaging up 3,500 care parcels; one for every soldier serving overseas. From my desk, I watch people passing with the big blue bags of mail as they arrive from the base post office and then carried out to the sub-units. There is always a noticeable lift in mood as the mail arrives and your packages just add to that. 

Please pass on our thanks to all who are involved in Aussie Hero Quilts - you are all doing a great job! 

Kind regards, 

Gidday Jan -Maree, 

        I received my quilt and laundry bag yesterday afternoon which was a surprise of how quickly they got here, could you please pass onto Carolynne D my thanks and gratitude for such an authentic Aussie theme. She must have spent a great deal of time and care in the development of both items which I'm very thankful for. I'm also enjoying the chocolates and very much appreciate the Aussie Christmas Songs CD which I enjoy listening to this time of year when I get a spare 5 minutes. 

        Again thank you all for your support and thoughts as it does make a difference over here. Wishing you all a Very Happy and Safe Christmas / New Year. 

Hi Jan-maree,

Just letting you know one of the boxes with laundry bags have arrived and Everyone says thank you very much for them.

We got some good laughs out of the green and pink tartan bag. It would have only been a week ago one of the girls here had made up a little poem on my white board at work joking about me wearing green and pink tartan (there's not too many words that come to mind when trying to rhyme with my name). Naturally she asked for the green and tartan bag.

Thank you or the little chocolate treats as well. One of the guys had been talking about missing crunchies so he got that one and a couple of us split the cherry ripe. it was delicious. Thank you.

The mail system has been a little slow lately/ had some problems with weather along the way so hopefully the other will turn up in the next day or two.

It's already very cold at night, it's reasonable during the day, but it's getting colder.

we are meant to have snow down here in the next couple days.... i kind of hope we don't  it's been raining, which is usually what happens just before the snow starts up.

No no special request, you are doing enough for us with the LB and quits.

Dear Jan-Maree, 

I have received in the mail today a beautiful quilt based on "Australiana" from Kaye in Werribee. The colours and scenes remind me of home and the detail on the quilt is lovely. The quilt has added some unique colour to my room and brings a tear to my eye when I think of home. The extra warmth from the quilt is needed as we are actually having cooler nights here at the moment and it rained quite heavily today which was unexpected. 

I would like to thank you and your quilters (I am sure there are some men out there quilting away as well) for all the time and effort that is being put into providing these quilts for us so far away from home, we really do appreciate all that is being done. 

Many thanks, 

I have received the quilt and have just now receive the Laundry Bag also. 

Thank you very much for these; they are fantastic. They will both come in very handy and are really appreciated. 

I have passed on your details to my troops.

Hi Jan-Maree,

 Just wanted to let you know that XXXXX has received his quilt and he loves it!!

I have attached a photo that James sent me and could you please pass on the following message to Anne H.

Anne,  thank you so much for all the time and effort you have put into this beautiful quilt!!  James loves it and appreciates all you've done to make it for him, also he said it was very warm and with weather in single digits over there that is real plus!!  We both wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!!

Don't know about you but it all just makes me want to sew more!

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

All Sorts

Hi all,

Lots of business tonight, and some fun at the end, so sit back and sip your coffee or tea or maybe a long cold glass of something while you read.  

First up - I goofed up last night and put the wrong email address down for Caroline. 
Shocking!  I know! and you all thought I was perfect!  Ho Hum. Just don't tell my kids I am not! 

If you did email her last night about the dinner and didn't get a reply please send her another email tonight as we don't want to miss out on anyone coming.  Her correct email is carolinejgunn@gmail.com

Check out last night's post if you need to know all the details.

MOST IMPORTANT REQUEST

Can you please do me a favour.  With over 70 requests underway at the moment and that does not include the quilts we are arranging for HMAS ANZAC it is impossible for me to remember who is sewing for who, especially when some of you are sewing for more than one someone. 

 You will notice that I have started putting the first name of your recipient in the subject of my emails.   That helps but can you please help too.  When you send me an email can you PLEASE tell me who you are talking about and if it is an ANZAC quilt can you please specify that.  It just makes my life SO MUCH EASIER.

Also important

 With well so many wonderful Friends sewing for AHQ can I can't remember who does and who doesn't like to do laundry bags.  Can you please remind me at the appropriate times - ie. when I hand you a request.  That will remind me to get on to one of my laundry bag sewing ladies.

Quilt Size

If you are new to AHQ you can find all you need to know about the size etc of our quilts here

I am noticing a few quilts are creeping in that are a little wider than the 42 inches that we go with.  Personally don't mind that unless you are sending them to me to complete.  Just bear the following in mind.  Please don't make them any shorter than around 66-70" (recommended size is 70-75") because lots of these guys are tall and also some of them like to take them out to the camp fire to wrap around their shoulders and short quilts won't work for that.  Also if making them wider please remember that they are general going on single beds and most of them are pushed against the walls so the quilt can only hang down on one side.

And don't forget - you still need to be able to squeeze them into the box.

Finally, if sending quilt tops to me they really need to be the recommended 42".   As I am often preparing ten or more quilts to go to quilters I need to be able to work with a standard size for economy of effort and also materials.  At 42" wide I can fit two quilts on a piece of batting off the roll side by side and still have enough clearance for the quilters.  If I get quilt tops that are all different sizes I have to cut odd shapes and sizes of batting and that all takes time.  

If I do receive quilt tops that are too wide or too short please don't be offended if you see that they have been re-sized but given that this all takes time I would really appreciate it if quilt tops come at the standard size.  It just makes me able to do so much more in the same time.

I hope that makes sense and I hope you understand.

Judy emailed me some photos today.  She is sending off a new batch of laundry bags but check them out!!! Aren't they gorgeous!  Apparently these are supposed to be Christmas placemats but Judi turned them into these super cool laundry bags. I thought I should show them to you and let you know that these gorgeous panels are out there.

I do have to say that I think the Warratah is my favourite.

I also heard from Wendy L from VIC.  Wendy's Mum, Nan, sews laundry bags for us and then gives them to Wendy to send them off.  Wendy has been sending a few single laundry bags off and she took the time to do some research on what options there are.  

Here is what Wendy said.

I realised very quickly that to send ONE laundry bag in the Bx2 mailing box that we have been using to send the Quilts, left a lot of space and required a LOT of goodies to make the parcel interesting. Which led me to embark on a mini quest to find the perfect packing medium to send "Just" a Laundry bag.

I thought you would be interested in what I found. I have attached photos of the boxes I bought from Officeworks with samples of what will fit in each.

Photo 1 - Box A4 $2:00

This box is strong and I was able to pack bulky items, which is good if I want to send a Beanie or Socks. It is a little bit shallower than the Bx2 and my sample box weighed in at 1.5kg

Photo 2 - Box PPS Small $1:49

This is the one that I will be using. It is about HALF the size of the Bx2 box and will take a laundry bag, pkt of Tim Tams and a couple of extras like playing cards, lollies etc. Not too expensive to fill or time consuming to pack.

 Photo 3 - Box Expandable Mailer $2:05

This one is interesting as the sides can be adjusted to fit snuggly around the contents. It can be as small as one laundry bag folded flat, or as deep as a packet of Tim Tams on its side.

Photo 4 - Box Padded Bag - $7:00 -something for 5 (Can be bought individually). I had these on hand but would not use them again. I thought they were a bit expensive and not too robust to be thrown in the back of a transport and definitely not suitable for Tim Tams!

Hope this helps, in case anyone is asking or may be unsure of sending unaccompanied laundry bags due to the feeling that they must "fill up" the Bx2 box to fill the space or make up the weight. Just because we CAN send 2kg postage free - doesn't mean we HAVE to!

Thanks for taking the time to do that research Wendy!  I think that is great.  Wendy makes a great point.  Just because we can send 2kg for free does not mean we have to.  The guys are just happy to receive their laundry bags - any extras you include are a bonus.  If sending a few less extras makes it more affordable to send more laundry bags then that is well worth thinking about.

Well, I promised you a bit of fun and here is comes.  I was lucky enough to be invited to spend last Saturday with these lovely ladies in the following pictures.  This first one is Jan and she works at the RAAF Base here in Sydney.  I called her months ago to make her aware of Aussie Heroes and guess what!  She is a quilter and she already knew about us!  LOVE IT!  A while later she and her sister, Diane, came out to Penrith to say hello during one of our sewing days.

Jan belongs to a wonderful sewing group and I was later invited to come along and talk to them about AHQ but unfortunately it coincided with taking my son to boarding school so I couldn't go. :-(

They didn't give up on me though and invited me along again on Saturday to join them for the day at their retreat at a very picturesque setting in Mulgoa.

It was a lovely day spent with lovely people!

Jan's sister, Diane, was there and she had made 20 outer pieces for laundry bags (the colourful bit) and also 20 pieces that go on the top to carry the cord and all she needed was the lining.  So I took along bundles of calico and sheeting that I had been given and Diane cut out linings for all her laundry bags.  She worked so hard all day.  As she cut the linings out she handed them on to some of the other girls and they completed the laundry bags.

By the end of the day there were 20 of the most awesome colourful laundry bags ready for me to take home!  There are only two that are made from one piece of fabric. Most are made from lots of little bits and I think they are wonderful!  

Aren't they great.

 Honestly the photos do not do them justice!

These ladies are Chris, Bev and Karol.   They are some that helped to sew the laundry bags.  Whilst everyone was working on LBs I was machining the binding on four quilts and telling them AHQ stories.   Once the laundry bags were finished Chris and Karol and Jan each grabbed one of the quilts and started doing the hand sewing for me.  Let me tell you ladies, Del,who usually does a lot of my handsewing, was very pleased. 

Beverly in the middle here actually has a cousin who came back from Afghanistan with severe injuries.  He is up and about these days and doing well but it makes the Aussie Heroes Project very real for her.

Kim and Judy also worked on the laundry bags and after Denise had cut out all the linings she needed, and we only had just enough, Kim took all the scraps and sewed them up so that she could send me home with four more linings for four more laundry bags.  Now that is really handy!

This is the quilt that Beverley has made and I have already found it a good home.  It will be heading off as soon as Bev has finished the binding.

Diane took all her scraps and sewed them together to make her quilt top - LOVE IT!!!  it was a bit wide so she cut the sides off and added them to the top and bottom to bring it up to the right length.  I really love this - so bright and the diamond pattern is GORGEOUS!  Every now and then I see a quilt and think I really don't want to send it off and this is one of those. Just as well it is with Diane to send off and not here with me!  LOL

Piecing the front wasn't enough for Diane.  She pieced the back as well and if you look closely in the top left hand corner at the plain green square, that is the label.

What a gorgeous quilt this one is!  The photos do not do it justice either.  The colours just sing!
Once again Diane took leftovers and scraps and pieced this matching laundry bag.

Just try and lose this one!

Unfortunately I didn't get photos of all the lovely ladies which was bad planning on my part! They are such a lovely group, loads of ribbing and teasing and some of it certainly not appropriate for me to share on the blog (isn't that right Karol and Kim!)   Comes under the heading of "too much information" but I would head back to sew with them any time!

Thanks for having me ladies!

:-)

Linda received a great thank you message from someone on HMAS ANZAC - 

Hey Linda,
hope I have the correct email address here but thank you very much for the quilt! :) It was lovely to receive a parcel from home, especially when it holds a quilt and pillowcase with personalised touches, it was awesome! The tim tams were amazing as well, I had run out of packets and they will be saved for a special occasion, probably to share with friends on Christmas day.
Thank you again for thinking about us and obviously putting a lot of time into making and sending a quilt and toilet bag.. It's taken pride of place on my bed! 

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

Aussie Hero Friend of the Day

Welcome to our new Post - Aussie Hero Friend of the Day!

I could have gone with Friend of the Week but I wanted the flexibility of not being tied to a regular schedule!

Melissa has bravely volunteered to go first and I didn't even have to nag her!

Melissa

My name is Melissa and I live in Rockhampton Queensland. I took up sewing while on maternity leave last year. Before that the last time I did some sewing was way back in year 8 Home Ec. 

I have currently been sewing items for Aussie Hero's for the past 5 months. At present the running total is 21 laundry bags and 1 quilt, which is currently being long armed stitched for HMAS ANZAC. 

 My husband Damian and my 17mth old daughter Holly are both very supportive of my sewing work I do for Aussie Heroes. Holly loves to help me pick out the material for each and every laundry bag not only giving it to me to work with but loves to model the material around the house just to let me know how it will look when worn by someone. Holly also loves to sit on my lap while I sew. 

 The best part about sewing is getting satisfaction of the finished product and gratification that someone will be using your products to help them with their time away from family and friends. 

Not only do I do work for Aussie Heroes but I am also a High School teacher. Yes I know!!!! A high school teacher! I really do love my job sometimes!   

How cute is Holly!!!  Thanks so much for sharing this week Melissa. Is there anyone in the Rockhampton area who is sewing for Aussie Heroes?  Melissa would love to know.

I heard a couple of great stories this week that I am so pleased to share with you.  First up from Wendy in VIC.

Today I had a very odd set of circumstances that you may enjoy.

My son asks me at 12:00am last night if I could take his girlfriend to High School.

It took another hour to work out the logistics (She lives in XXXXX so had to take VLine to Southern Cross then local train out to us, etc etc etc.)

Needless to say it put me on a road that I would not normally be on and sent me to a shop I do not shop at.

I was going through the register with some shopping which included a couple of sample packs of shampoo reduced to .50c ea. The lady behind me asked what they were and I told her Shampoo samples - we send them in care parcels to the troops overseas. She replied How wonderful! and the next I knew was I was being handed $3.00 and she had disappeared to 'get some more for you'.

Turns out her son had been in the Army in Afghanistan and she had sent him stuff while he was there but didn't know how she could help now he was home.

I gave your business card to her and the cashier who was also intrigued. I now have 6 more shampoos to send ;-)

Terry from Sydney also sent me a great "spread the word" story  - two on the same day!

Who knew? I live in a country village smack dab in the middle of Sydney. The post office is at the back of the news agents. I took in my first batch of laundry bags with goodies to post. I purchased some sukudo books to include. The woman on the register said "you know their all the same" I explained where they were headed. "Wait" she ducked out back and retrieved a batch without covers. The covers are returned for credit from the printer. "that's my donation hey I'll save them for you" Someone else doing what they can.

But Wait there's More..... at the local op-shop the already reduced yardage was reduced to 1/2 price for a good cause by a good cause.

I felt good and was happy that others were willing to share in Aussie Hero Quilt and laundry bags project.

That just made my day yesterday!

The following made my day today!  Both these messages are from the Father of one of our heroes.  First he wrote on facebook - 

Thanks for the Quilt my Daughter XXXXX received, I think its the best thing she has in her equipment. Her comment  "All ready to get into bed with my new quilt. Thank you to the beautiful person who made this for me you definitely have made my day". From a father of a serving troop. I thank you sincerely.

And then he sent me an email - 

Thank you for the quilt my daughter just received in Afghanistan. From her comments on her facebook page, it really made her feel good. As her father it also made me feel good knowing she has a Aussie made quilt made by a person that supports our Troops and their efforts over there. 

Joy sent off a batch of laundry bags this week, her very first, 
and she passed on this tip for those using Heat N Bond.

If you are using Heat N Bond Ultra to attach a label don't take the HNB to the very edges of the patch. Doing so may hold down the edges well, but it gums up the needle when you stitch them down. I learnt that the hard way - glue on the needle, thread breaking, etc. The last ones I did I left a 4-5mm gap on the outsid eedges - patch is stuck down and I could then sew around the outside edge with problems

:-)

Quilts of the Week 

LOADS of  laundry bags heading off this week.  I looks like you must be reading the blog!  
Here is the same reminder I issue every Thursday - if you have sent a quilt or a laundry bag of this week then please send me a pictures.  The following ladies have sent me pictures of quilts and laundry bags that have hit the mail this week.

Deborah, Deb, Joy, Julie Ann, Karen B, Kaye, Kirsty, Kitty, Lynda, Michelle, Pauline, Peggy, Rae, Terry, Wendy and Nan

If you are NOT on that list and have sent off a quilt or laundry bag can you please send me an email, preferably with a photo, and preferably sooner rather than later.  And if you have already emailed me and sent a picture and you are not on the list - please remind me.

If for some reason you can't send a picture through this week then that is okay - just send it when you can but please don't forget.  

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