50th Anniversary Quilt UPDATE

50th Anniversary Quilt 

UPDATE

No need for a bunch of words, just quilting eye candy.

1/3 of the way done at this point.  Enjoy.

Testing out the gold accents.

We need your help!!!

 Over at  Among the Gum Trees  

An appeal has been issued to help crafters in  Australia who have lost everything in the horrible floods that are going on  over there.

I thought you all might be interested in helping and maybe did not know about this chance.   I did not know until today when it was passed on to me by a friend.

So read about it below and see how you might help.

For all links and to contact Jenny go to

Among The Gum Trees

****************************************************************

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We need your help!!!

A large part of our country is under water...the devastating floods have destroyed town upon town, and there is no end in sight for the next month or more. The water is still flooding towns as it makes its way down the country, and more rain is till bucketing down. This is indeed "Queensland's darkest hour" as our state Premier has described it.

The inland tsunami that hit Toowoomba yesterday has left the nation reeling, but no more than the people of Toowoomba with the deaths of children and still over 70 people missing. 

The list of towns affected is long. The area of flooding is larger than Texas.

The Gum Tree Designers are asking for your help.

There will be many hundreds of crafters who have lost what is their joy, their hobby. 

In our own small way we want to help, and we need you to come along side with us.

We want to collect, and then distribute, a 'New Beginnings' sewing kit for those who need to start over with their craft. We will be posting the kits in bulk to the various quilting groups in each town.

This is what we'd like in each kit:

1. A handmade sewing caddy, complete with needlebook and pincushion.

2. A pack of embroidery scissors with a scissor keep.

3. Six individual skeins of stranded embroidery threads.

4. Embroidery needles.

5. 1 fat quarter of fabric.

If you can help, please email Jenny at -

 jennyofelefantz AT yahoo DOT com DOT au 
OR
purpleflowerpatch AT gmail DOT com

for the address in Australia to post these kits to. 

PLEASE post by the first week of February.

Fee is going to make some drawstring bags to put the kits in, but if you can put your kit inside one you have made that will be even better. 

Please share this appeal on your blogs and link back to this post! 

Some free online patterns for sewing caddies can be found at  -

Helen's blog HERE 

About.com HERE

Maureen's blog HERE

Marcus Brothers HERE...

If you know of more free caddy patterns online, please leave a comment with the link and we'll add it to the list.

~~~~~

Jenny is also auctioning two of her original handmade Shabby Roses quilts to raise funds for the Flood Appeal. You can see the details HERE on her blog.

Joy is auctioning a kit for one of her beautiful patterns HERE.

Fee is auctioning a pretty fat quarter bundle of Sugar Pop HERE.

Our recently retired Gum Tree Designer, Vikki, is also auctioning a set of 'Springtime' patterns HERE.

We will keep you posted on other ways we intend helping as the weeks progress. The effects of the flooding as it continues to rage on will be felt for a long time to come, as it is not looking like ending for many weeks, perhaps months. 

Your help is appreciated more than you know.

We are also asking for donations to raise the funds for the postage costs to all the quilt groups, so if you can help out with that we are most appreciative! We have put a DONATE button on our sidebar for easy Paypal payments. 
Any money remaining after postage will be given to the Queensland Government Flood Appeal. 
 'll set up a button in our sidebar later this week to contribute. 

Thanks,

the Gum Tree Designers

xxx

Posted by Jenny of Elefantz at 12:31 PM

The Pink Slipper Project

I just found this site and wanted to share it with everyone.

It is called

The Pink Slipper Project

they make and send slippers to women and children in shelters.

See their button on my side bar.

I know how generous and helpful crafters are so I figure
you will want to help.

They have patterns for sewers, crochet, knitting.
Check it out!!

Comfort Quilts for Arnie & Family

This has been quite a blessing for me. When we found out about the struggles Arnie would be going though, I put out a call to my two online quilt groups for orphan blocks so I could make him a comfort quilt. The ladies on these lists, Quilters On Review and Trading Fabrics rose to the call and way, way beyond. Because of the generosity of the ladies on these lists we made 4 quilts, one for each member of the family.

This is Arnie's quilt, the top was donated by Veronica, backing by Moria. It was my pleasure to sandwich, quilt and bind.
















Cheri's quilt, came from a collection of blocks made by different members of the two lists, Moria again gave the backing. I got to assemble the blocks into a top, quilt and bind this beauty for Cheri. Thank you to Suzy, Susan, Kate, Yvonne, Veronica for the blocks.
















The following quilts were given by Veronica, complete and ready to give for the kids. They are darling quilts perfect for Dillon and Hailey.






























Lorri Chambers wrote a poem to use on comfort quilts and she gave me permission to use it on these quilts, the poem is below. I did make a small change and added TF for the Trading Fabrics group that share in this project as well.

*********

This is a quilt of many prayers
made by many with their hearts
each stitch is a blessing that illness,
fear and worry will depart.

Wrap it tight around you
and feel the love of all who made
this quilt of many prayers
just for you.

You may not know them personally
but they are very special and rare,
their prayers silently spoken that
you know how much they care.

So stay strong and win the deeds ahead
and keep your quilt of many prayers close by,
For the ladies of QOR and TF, will keep you by and by.

Lorri Chambers june 1 2008

*********
Yvonne also sent $20.00 which paid for the postage to send the quilts, which went in the mail yesterday. I sent them to my DDIL, she will deliver them, since we did not want them sitting on a porch unattended. I am looking forward to hearing all about their delivery.

I have been so blessed by the generosity that has been shown for this family. God is so good and He has surly given good hearts to all who helped with this be it with material items or prayers. To check on Arnie and his progress check out the blog made for them.....Krah Family

Playing

Can you tell I have been playing in the beautiful crochet items my MIL gave me? Taking pieces ment as coasters I put pretty shinny fabrics underneath stuffed with batting, add organza ribbon around the edges and buttons, jewelry and a silk rose as centers to create pretty pincushions.
Next an empty Altoids can also became a pincushion with pretty trims, beads and crochet.
On the design board are crochet Christmas ornaments, also made with the lovely crochet pieces.

Remember to click for a closer look.

Enjoy.

Where does time go?

Where did the week go? I can't believe it has been a week since I posted last.

I have sent my Under the Sea blocks and friends off to Leslie, they should arrive at her house tomorrow.

I have been wanting to try painting on dryer sheets, which I first learn about from Pam and you can see how here and here. Here is what I did, some little friends for the special quilt. I don't know how Leslie will use them but they were fun at any rate.















My two finished UTS blocks for the charity project for the kids cancer ward.

Special Project - Update

Block 1 is done for the Special Project, Leslie is doing.

Turtle and friend. These are fun little quiltlets, 6 x 8 inches in size. Mr. Turtle is appliqued, he was fussy cut from another piece of fabric. The seaweed consists of rick rack and eyelash yarn. The rick rack is held down with DMC floss and beads. I worried about making a starfish, but he turned out pretty good. Lace and french knots help depict sand, the 'sand' fabric is really snowflakes and I have very little of it left, it is an old fabric I got from a stash that an older friend was getting rid of. Click to get a closer look at all the goodies in the sand.

















Mr. Fish was an experiment he is made of dryer sheets painted with Lumiere paints, padded with batting, a backing applied and then zigzag around the edges in a multi color thread. His eyes are beaded with seed beads and a black sequins. Isn't he cute, I think I will try a seahorse next.....they will go with the blocks, hopefully Leslie can use them on the overall quilt.


Here is a sneak peek at block 2, more to come.

Special Project

Today I am sharing with you the blocks I have created for the special project Leslie is putting together. Now to give the turtle and dolphin a under the sea home.







































Next I will be sharing with you the completed front of the latest Christmas stocking!

Stay tuned.