I'm Still Here

 Thank you all for your kind words and support. I have received several requests to keep this blog going so I'll continue to show the quilts I finish which will be donated. I finished two more QAYG quilts today as well as one on the weekend. I also quilted the donated top. It was a large medallion quilt top and I received several of these. They have sat in the pile waiting to be quilted but they were all too large for the groups I'm supporting now. Therefore I have started to de-construct them so that they are no larger than 50" by 70" in size as that is the most useful for them. I'm using the leftover bits and pieces to make more tops or they will be used to piece backing.
  As you can see I am still busy with the donation quilting. I guess that then only difference is that I'm not taking donations now so I can focus on getting some of my UFOs finished- a lot of those will most likely be donated too and it gives me a chance to work on some of my own projects. I have promised 35 quilts to a group which runs camps for abused and neglected children and I want to get them finished before we head off on our travels again in a few weeks time.
   Thanks for stopping by again.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Retiring From Active Duty

 These three quilts are the last ones I sent off with the last shipment on Sunday. The first is fabulous and came all the way from Finland. Ulla, one of my generous blog readers, made this beautiful quilt and cleverly used the striped fabric to create a stunning design. The second quilt is a cheater quilt I quilted and the last one is a lovely bright kid's quilt which was a donated top.
 I delivered 17 quilts and 4 blankets as well as lots of school supplies and knitted items and they all went to Janice of Needy Stitches in Melbourne. Janice's email is needystitches@gmail.com and she supports many different organizations which help the needy in Melbourne and country Victoria.
   She is able to accept finished quilts, knitted items as well as crocheted or knitted blanket squares. I have been sending quilts to her as well as she passes them on to many different organizations. She is unable to accept fabric or unfinished quilts and tops though.
   After almost 20 years of making and donating quilts and other items I have decided to retire from active duty and will be closing this blog down. I will still make and donate quilts and blankets but on a much smaller scale and I will no longer be accepting donations as I still have a lot of donated tops and blocks to finish off. I have also donated most of the wool and yarn I had stored as Janice will distribute it to people who are happy to knit but can't always afford to buy supplies. They then donate finished items back through Needy Stitches.
  I want to say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone for their support and donations for the needy and those affected by floods and bushfires. We have managed to bring comfort and warmth to many in need. I do encourage you to continue to make and donate as you see fit, and there are many organizations which help in our communities.
 I need to take time for me as well as more time for the family and I hope you all understand that this wasn't any easy decision to make. I will still be blogging regularly on my other blog at Sew Many Quilts- Too Little Time so please stop by and say hello some time.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Is Eight Enough?

 I've been busily quilting over the past few days as I want to make another delivery at the weekend and the more I can fit in the better, as far as cost of transporting quilts goes. I sewed until 11.30pm on Tuesday night and again all day yesterday but only finished one today as I had family commitments this afternoon. I need to get more finished as we are planning more traveling very soon and I don't want to leave un-quilted tops and blocks here when winter is on its way and quilts will be appreciated.
  I am also trying to finish off some of my UFOs (some of which will probably be donated too) but it is good to get more quilts finished and out of here so I can tidy the shelves a bit before we leave on our travels again. I'm working nights again tomorrow but hope to get some more quilts finished before that so maybe eight isn't enough! Check back soon to see how many I manage to add to the finished pile.
Hugs, Jan Mac

With a Little Help From My Friends

 I have received three more beautiful quilts from Maria Wilson of WA while I was away and they are all so lovely that they will be sure to bring a smile to their recipients. They are on their way to be distributed at the Melbourne Homeless Connect day which will be held on April 17th. I also managed to finish off a QAYG quilt from donated squares as well as quilting a crumb scrappy top, so I'm posting off 18 quilts and 2 more crocheted blankets tomorrow. I have 2 more quilts that wouldn't fit in the box so they will go with the next shipment.
 All of these donations are only possible thanks to all my generous quilting and blogging friends who send tops, blocks, fabric or finished quilts as well as donations to help pay for the costs.
I hope you are all as blessed as I feel when we are able to help the needy to stay warm and bring some comfort as well.
 Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Five For The Week

 Thanks to all your generous donations I've manged to get five more quilts finished this week. The first is a large QAYG quilt from donated blocks and the remainder are quilts made from donated tops. They will soon be on their way to bring comfort to the needy and finally our hot weather is starting to ease off now that we are entering autumn. I'm going to be away again in two weeks time as we are taking a long-planned trip to Tasmania so I plan to get as many quilts finished and donated as possible before we go.
 Many thanks for all your help in getting quilts finished and donated to those in need.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Just Do It

 It's been unbelievably hot here with temperatures of 41 degrees C. and sewing has not been easy but I decided to just get it done. So I sat in front of the floor fan as well as having the air conditioning on and sweated through making two quilts yesterday using QAYG blocks. I also completed the blanket I was crocheting but I did wait until it cooled down a bit before I crocheted all the blocks together.
  More QAYG blocks have arrived from around Australia, while we were away, so I plan to get busy making more quilts this week. Many thanks for all your lovely donations to help others.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Three Finishes

 I finished these a few weeks ago but didn't get time to show them on the blog. I have also been busy making more QAYG blocks and the pile is starting to grow nicely so I plan to get more quilts finished soon. The need for donations of blankets and quilts for the needy is ongoing apart from the parts of the country affected by bush fires and floods so I know these quilts will be appreciated by the recipients.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Two Beautiful Donations

 I received these beautiful finished quilts last week and I'm so sorry that I am late in posting the photos. These quilts came from Margie Wallin in Toormina (NSW) are just so lovely and the butterfly quilt is all hand embroidered. They have been beautifully quilted  by Anne Macgee from Country Quilting, who donated the quilting and batting for free.and they will be such special gifts for their recipients.
  Thank you so much for the lovely donation from both of you.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Time to Quilt

 I can't believe that it's February already and that we have had more natural disasters here in Australia. They have ranged from floods, bushfires and mini tornados and have reached across most of the States of Australia. I'm getting straight back into quilt production again as the need for quilt comfort will be greater than ever this year and the number of homeless will probably be greater due to the natural disasters destroying so many homes.
 I've spent the last few days making QAYG quilt blocks, scrappy 9 patch blocks and also crocheting squares for blankets. I've finished the first blanket for the year as well as the first quilt and will sepnd today making more blocks and hopefully getting some more tops quilted.
  If you have any time, scraps of batting and fabric I can always use more QAYG blocks to put together for donation quilts. Even just one or two will help to get more quilts finished and donated. Also any scraps of wool or yarn would be a huge help toward getting more blankets made as I crochet when I am unable to sit at the sewing machine. At the moment I'm very grateful that I thought to buy the industrial sewing machine as it has made it so much quicker and easier to finish up these QAYG quilts.
  Thank you for your kind words on my last post everyone and also thanks for all your support with these quilt projects.
Hugs, Jan Mac

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