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