End of Year Finishes

It's time to wind down for donation quilts now it's the end of the year but I managed to get just one more finished first. I posted off a large box of 14 quilts for the needy last week and I am making the last delivery of 5 quilts to the local women's refuge tomorrow. This means I donated 104 quilts for the year. It's not as many as previous years but the need wasn't as great due to a welcome decrease in natural disasters, although the need for quilts for the less fortunate members of our communities never decreases.
 I have made a conscious effort to also work on my projects so that I don't burn out with the quilts I donate. I'm working on getting the balance right between making quilts for the family, or even to ones I want to make because I want the challenge of piecing a more complex design, as well as making quilts to donate.
Of course I will always think I should have made more to donate but I'll have to be happy with focusing on what is achieved rather than what I didn't get done. There's always next year!
I just want to thank all of you for your ongoing generous donations which made it possible to bring some comfort to 104 needy people this year. The kindness of your gifts is what is most appreciated by the recipients. I hope you all have a blessed and peaceful Christmas and  Happy New Year.
 I'm taking January off from the donation quilts but will get back into them again when we return in February.
Love and hugs, Jan Mac

I'm On a Roll

 I'm not sure if it's the Christmas rush that has got me working harder to get just a few more quilts done so they can be donated, or a desire to tidy up some of the scrap pieces of batting and fabric that have resulted from my recent frenzy of quilting tops. Or it may be that I know that many people will not be getting any gifts if I don't finish and donate a few more.
  The last two days have been  very productive with more QAYG blocks being made as well as more quilts from them. Yesterday I made the top 2 quilts before I went to work- luckily it was an evening shift so not as tiring. This morning I woke at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and made some more blocks and pout the third quilt together. I mixed up the order of blocks somehow, probably because I was more tired than usual, but I don't think it's as obvious when it's on a bed and it will still keep someone warm and comforted so I'm not taking it apart and re-making it. I have another one which just needs the outer binding applied so I'll have more photos to show soon.
  I hope you are rolling on to Christmas and getting all your projects finished up before we start the New Year. I'll be away for most of January so that may have caused my sudden spurt of sewing too. lol
More to come soon.
Hugs, Jan Mac

The Christmas Rush

 There's only 3 weeks until Christmas and I'm trying to get a few more quilts finished so I can donate more quilts to the needy. The first two quilts were donated tops and they also had backings included with them which made it very easy to get them finished.
  The QAYG quilt was again made from donated blocks and I've also been adding to my pile of QAYG blocks by using up the donated fabric strips that generous quilters have been sending. I think I have almost made up all the QAYG blocks I have on hand so plan to spend some time on making some more when time is too short to pin and quilt a top.
  The last quilt shown was donated as partially completed blocks and it's good to have another donated UFO done so it can be donated and appreciated by its new owner.
  Hopefully there will be a few more completions to show very soon, despite being busy with more paid work in the coming weeks. Unfortunately it's all night shift again, apart from an evening shift tomorrow so making QAYG blocks may be all I can fit in between work and sleep. It all helps to get quilts made quickly when I have a pile of blocks to work with.
Thanks for stopping by again. Is anyone else getting some last minute sewing done for Christmas too?
Hugs, Jan Mac

In Time For Christmas!

 I am still trying to fit in making some more quilts to donate for Christmas gifts to the needy and thought I'd just ignore the heat today and get them done! I'm still trying to have a clean up in my sewing room so sewing blocks together or quilting tops is part of the cleanup- and that is why I'm not making a lot of progress with the cleaning but at least quilts are being finished.lol
  The first quilt was a donated top and it will make a lovely gift for a young girl or lady as it is in soft apricot and pale green. The second top was made from a wall hanging which I made larger by using pink squares to surround it. I also had to make backings for both tops so I hope to see some space in my fabric shelves soon.
  Now that is is cooling down a bit I plan to quilt another top tonight so stop back soon as there will be more finishes to see.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

Quilts for Christmas Donations.

 Yesterday was a good day for quilting with two more tops finished off and quilted. The first quilt was a donated top and the next one was from a class I took with Lessa Siegele in September. Of course there are always more QAYG quilts to make up from the donated blocks that have been arriving here lately.
Thank you so much for your ongoing support to provide quilts to the needy and disadvantaged. I have also been working on some of my UFOs too and some will be donated and others will be kept for family members. I'd rather get quilts finished and used rather than stockpiling fabric so I try to sew or quilt on most days. Unfortunately working so many night shifts has severely cut into my sewing time as sleep is at a priority. lol! I hope that paid work will be easing off soon so I can get more quilts finsihed for Christmas donations.
Thanks for all your help and for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Beautiful Donations Arrive

 These fabulous quilts were  both made and donated by Maria Wilson from Western Australia. They are so lovely that they are sure to warm the heart of the people who receive them for Christmas. Maria's friend, Linda Moore, also sent over some lovely quilt tops and they'll be shown here as soon as I have them quilted.
 Thank you for your continued support with supplying the needy with quilts of comfort.
Many thanks and hugs, Jan Mac

Three a Day

 Working through the scraps has meant that I've been very busy with making more QAYG blocks. I've been using them pieced together for backs of the QAYG squares as well as making long strips of them for the string piecing. It's great to see the end of some of these older fabrics and the storage containers are finally emptying.
 I delivered another 10 quilts as well as some donated knitted garments and a crocheted blanket and then finished another 3 quilts yesterday. my crocheting has slowed down while I work on my own hand pieced quilt but I'm still making progress with the donation quilts and I should have another delivery to make before Christmas. I'm loving the industrial sewing machine and it has certainly sped up the process for putting these blocks together.
It's time to get back to the machine and see how many more scraps I can use up.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Back in the Groove

I've finally taken a break from my current quilt project to work on more donation quilts. It's also a good excuse to have a clean up and make more blocks to use up the scraps that have accumulated here. I haven't used enough to see a difference in the storage areas yet but I'll keep working at them. Having a pile of donated QAYG blocks ready to put together makes it very easy to get some quilts finished quickly.
 Here's 4 I've finished in the past couple of days and I've made another pile of QAYG blocks to use as well. Some of the scraps are so old that it's good to see them used up and into quilts so I can make room for more fabric LOL.
 Thanks for all your donated blocks which are helping to bring warmth to the needy.

Hugs, Jan Mac

Finally Some Finishes

 I have been very busy with paid work and have really not spent much time on the donation quilts during the past few weeks. When I did have time I was also focused on finishing some of my Works in Progress, or Projects Half Done and even new projects which resulted from some classes I took and the results are shown on my other blog.
 However I did manage to get two more QAYG quilts finished thanks to the lovely quilters who have sent more QAYG blocks and my new industrial machine has made it much easier to get them done. We're heading off on holidays soon so I'll be taking my hand stitching with me and not working on donation quilts for a while. Luckily I have completed the quilts I had already promised to different organizations so they will have them in time for Christmas.
 I'll check back soon when I have more finishes of quilts to donate to share with you.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

Slowly But Surely

I have been working more shifts than usual for the last few weeks and it has curtailed my quilting but helped to pay for the new machine so all good. I've only managed one more QAYG quilt finish but I have a day off tomorrow so hope to get some more done then.
  I've also been working on my hand stitching for some of my WIPs when time allows.
I hope you are all having some time to stitch this weekend.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Pushing Through

I am really enjoying sewing with the new industrial machine and it is pushing through all the thicknesses of batting and fabric with so much ease that I wish I'd bought one years ago. It really saves on wear and tear on me and not just on the domestic machines.
  I'm also working on some needle turn appliqued blocks for me and you can see them on my other blog. It's been good to work on some of my quilts in progress as well as finishing off more quilts to donate.
Thanks for stopping by.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

A Timely Purchase

 If you read my other blog you would know that I bought a second hand industrial sewing machine yesterday and I'm surprised at how much easier it is to finish off the QAYG blocks. I made these two quilts yesterday afternoon and finished them today and didn't have the usual strain of pushing them through my sewing machine. The new motor is so powerful that it just stitches through the thick batting without a problem. I took some QAYG blocks with me so i could try out the machines and the seller recommended this machine as it is strong enough to cope with the thicknesses. I have a pile of blocks to work through here and will get them done ASAP now that I have a machine which can handle them. I've "killed" two domestic sewing machines with the donation quilting and I was reluctant to use my newest machine in case I wore out another machine.
  I will have more photos to show as soon as I finish my next stint of night shifts.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Quilts Delivered

 I sent off another box of 10 quilts today as well as knitted beanies, tote bags and crocheted blankets. These 3 quilts were all donated as tops so it was fairly quick to get them finished. I've made enough quilts for the kids' camp now and will spend some time finishing off some of my UFOs. Most of them will also be donated but it will give me some more room on the shelves as well as allowing me to start some new projects.
 Hugs, Jan Mac

A Five Quilt Week

 It was a good quilting week and I finished 5 by staying up quilting until 11pm one night. I needed 5 more kid's quilts for the camp and now I just have one to finish so then I can make some more to be donated as Xmas gifts for the needy.
 I only manage to get so many quilted because of the generous help from other quilters who have made tops and/or blocks. I plan to work on one of my UFOs this weekend as well as crocheting more squares for blankets for the needy. It's cold and wet so it's a good time to stay inside by the wood fire.
 Stay warm everyone.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Just Two

 I've only had time to quilt two more donated tops before I spent a week in Melbourne but now I'm home again I plan to get some more finished. The first quilt will be a lovely gift to a girl who will attend the camp for abused and neglected children. I've been asked to provide quilts for this group again this year and I need to get busy to make sure I have sent them enough for the children who will attend the camp. The second quilt will make a lovely lap quilt and I have several more to quilt as well before these are donated.
 Many thanks for all the donations which are bringing hope and comfort.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Just Time For Two

 I finished the bindings on just 2 more quilts before I sent off another 17 to be delivered to a group which helps the needy. I still have more tops to quilt and I need to make sure that I have delivered another 35 quilts for children who will be attending a special camp for abused kids. I plan on getting enough finished to make that total and then keep going with more quilts for the needy. I also sent off another crocheted blanket as well as some hats, and bags and now I'm working on the set of baby clothes for a family friend as well as baby quilts for my nieces who have recently had babies.
Life is always busy but good.
Hugs, Jan Mac

A Week Of Five

 This week was busy with paid work but I did get 2 quilts finished early in the week and then today i quilted abd bound 3 more. I've also been making backings and bindings too.
 The first 3 were donated tops and the string pieced quilt was made from blocks without batting so I joined them and then quilted them as I usually do with quilt tops.
The last tartan top was donated by Gina E. (Vic) and will be perfect as a male quilt. It is actually brighter than the photo as the light was fading when I finished and took a photo.
 Thanks to everyone for their continued support and donations.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Sunday Finishes

 I bound the 3 quilts I'd worked on yesterday and although the photos are a bit dark the quilts are so lovely and bright really. The first one was made by Gina E. (Vic) and it is a lovely manly quilt as is the second one which was made by Lorna from Colleambly (NSW). The third quilt was one made by the lovely ladies from Kyabram and it is a lovely soft flannel quilt which will give some cuddly hugs. The last quilt is yet another QAYG quilt made from donated blocks and the bright pink sashing strips were sent by Stephanie D from WA.
 Thanks to all of you for continuing to donate these lovely tops and blocks meaning that more quilts will bring comfort to the needy.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Three Quilts Donated

 These beautiful and colourful quilts were all made and donated by Margie Wallin from NSW. I love the jigsaw pattern and took a close-up in case someone else wants to make one. They are much brighter than the photos show as it was a rainy and overcast day today and will bring so much love and comfort to their recipients. Thank you for your ongoing support with these quilt appeals, Margie.
 It was a good day to spend making quilts and I managed to quilt 3, finish a QAYG quilt and bind 1 quilt. I also managed to break my sewing machine which has been such a good work horse for me. Luckily I had another one I could use but I do miss using the same machine as I know all it's little habits. I guess that means I'll need to sew some more tomorrow so I get used to the machine I'm using now. Check back tomorrow when I plan to show the photos of today's finishes.
 Hugs, Jan Mac