Following is my newsletter with regard to this wonderful quilt ministry. Thequiltshow.com initially posted my story almost two years ago and the dream (with your help and help from many of your members) was finally realized. I hope you will post the newsletter for all to read. With gratitude, Alanna Petrusich
NEWSLETTER FROM MY SULYMANIYAH TRIP
December 28 finally arrived and Joe and I left for Sulymaniyah which is the second largest city in Kurdistan, the northern province of Iraq. We travelled via Amman, Jordan and spent our first night there visiting friends.
December 29 was met with great anticipation. After two years, my dream of wrapping an orphan with a hand-made quilt was finally going to be realized.
Joe and I arrived in Suly on a cold and gloomy rainy day but it did nothing to dampen our spirits. My wonderful new friend Tahseen Taha was there to greet us with his good friend Karzan. What wonderful young men they are!
Let me tell you about Tahseen before continuing with my story. When I was having trouble contacting anyone at the Chamber of commerce in Suly, I decided to try emailing the chancellor at the American University of Iraq whom Joe had met in early 2008. Still, I received no response. I later found out he had relocated to Jeddah. After that, I tried “info” @ American University of Iraq. And finally I received a response – from Tahseen Taha. Ever since then, he has been my lifeline to the orphanages and their directors. As well, he has become a dear friend and refers to me as his Canadian Mom!! Of course, I now call him my Kurdish son! He has a wonderful heart and I was witness to just how wonderful during our time together in Suly.
Tahseen and Karzan drove us to our hotel and we had a short visit to discuss the plans for the next day.
On the morning of December 30, Tahseen arrived with all of the boxes and a wonderful driver. We drove to the first orphanage which was the boys orphanage. On the lower floor were the boys age 5-10 and the upper floor were the boys 11-18. The first things we handed out were teddy bears to the little boys – squishy, huggable teddy bears! You can see by the pictures how the children’s eyes lit up! What a heartwarming scene for us! Following that, they all formed a line and as I pulled a quilt from the box, they threw up their hands if they liked that particular quilt and would like to have it! It was so much fun to wrap that colorful little quilt around a child and embrace him with a big hug. Tahseen explained the red heart that is appliquéd to each and every quilt. It means that the quilt was made with love and is given from one heart to another … that they can wrap their new quilt around themselves and know that they are wrapped in love! I watched the expressions on the children’s faces as he talked about the red heart and it was touching to see how the kids reacted facially. They knew they were receiving something very special – more than cotton and color!
After we gave them their quilts, it was time to give them a zip lock bag full of school supplies. These came from an organization called OIC – Operation Iraqi Children. This is an organization in the United States whose co-founders are the actor Gary Sinise and Laura Hillenbrand. They came to us via the humanitarian team of the U.S. Military. This humanitarian team was my savior because they were instrumental in transporting my 6 large boxes of quilts from Kuwait to Sulymaniyah. It would have cost a fortune to have them accompany us on Royal Jordanian Airlines! I am forever grateful to Ltd. Herrera and Chief Hall for their support and contribution to making this ministry a success!
After visiting with the little boys and looking at their bedrooms, we had a group picture and enjoyed a few final hugs. Then we were on our way upstairs to visit the teen boys. They were all waiting to see us with great anticipation!!
They were overjoyed to be receiving quilts that had themes of cars, basketballs and sports on them! Thank goodness we had lots of them!! Again, they showed their sensitive side (can they even have one after what horror stories they can tell?) when Tahseen told them the significance of the red heart. This truly seemed to mean a lot to these boys. Again, we handed out school supplies and had a fun group picture with lots of smiles and a few hugs (after all, these are teens!). The lady in the photo is a lovely, warm hearted lady who has worked at the orphanage for 30 years! Joe had met her two years ago when he visited the kids. She remembered him also.
We also found several boxes of flip-flops in the boxes of donated goods from the Humanitarian Team. We made sure every boy received a pair and all of the workers in the orphanage. Everyone was very appreciative.
In some of the other boxes from the Humanitarian Team, there were hand-made cotton bags – again full of school supplies. Inside these bags was a picture of a young boy from Tempe, Arizona. He had taken it upon himself to ask for donations of school supplies to send to the children of Iraq. His name is Taylor Lott and he is a member of the Boy Scouts of America. If I can locate him when I am in Arizona in the spring, I will go meet him and show him the pictures of the actual kids his school supplies went to!! Thank you Taylor for your kind and generous heart. You are an example of what small acts of kindness can do and how they can impact the lives of others.
It was time to leave and go meet the girls. They were about a 20 minute drive away. There weren’t as many in-house when we arrived. Several had gone to spend the holidays with extended family members. We did leave quilts and school supplies behind for them. We had a wonderful time with the 8 girls who were present. Four of them we found huddled in a small empty room with the exception of a small bench and a small tv. The caregiver introduced us to them and explained who we were. Eventually, the other girls came out of their rooms and we all gathered in the lobby of their orphanage. They dove into the teddy and doll box and made their selections. The colorful quilts that we had for the girls were so perfect! They were thrilled with their new blankets. Tahseen told them, once again, of the red hearts. And once again, they were touched by the story and significance. After handing them their new school supplies and sandals, we had a fun tour of their bedrooms. There are 3 – 5 beds per bedroom and all were very tidy. They older girls had posters of famous singers on their wall (so that seems to be the same the world over!) and the little girls has some cute pictures as well. Each bedroom was named after a flower and one was butterfly. There were two sisters here and we were told that they had two brothers in the boys orphanage. How I wish I had asked if they go to see their brothers. The oldest girl was an incredible artist. She showed us her sketches and we were so impressed that we will be sending Tahseen some art supplies for her. A talent such as that must be encouraged. As we were saying our goodbyes and preparing to leave, I mentioned this girl to Tahseen. He asked for some time to go see her work. He suggested that perhaps he can work with AUIS (the university) to get her some additional help. He came out with a sad, but true story. Beside her sketches, were several phrases but I couldn’t read them. Tahseen told me that they said how dark her days can be and she misses her mother so much. I wish I had spent more time visiting with her. My heart aches for her. I wonder what her sad story is. Four siblings in orphanages with one horrific story. I wanted to take them all home.
We found that we had some quilts left after spending time with the children. Tahseen suggested we stop by the seniors home. He hadn’t been there and wanted to go see it. All I can say is how horrific it was. It made the kids orphanages look like the Holiday Inn! We entered and were introduced to the director of the orphanage. He told Tahseen that the building had been donated but not much had been done to it to make it very liveable. The seniors were sitting at a long table (the ladies on one side and the men on the other). They were eating rice and something else unidentifiable. Their hands were so cold as I reached over their shoulders to hold them. One little lady who couldn’t have been more than 70 pounds, was squatting down in front of a small kerosene heater – trying to get warm. As she looked up and saw Tahseen, she thought her son had come to visit her. Tahseen was so touched by this that he quickly squatted down, kissed her hand, touched it to his forehead and leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead saying yes, mamma, your son is here. She wasn’t sound of mind and that scene will forever stay in my mind. It was so touching and gave the little old woman a moment of joy and peace I am sure.
for the rest of the story and pictures ' www.alannaorphans.blogspot.com
NEWSLETTER FROM MY SULYMANIYAH TRIP
December 28 finally arrived and Joe and I left for Sulymaniyah which is the second largest city in Kurdistan, the northern province of Iraq. We travelled via Amman, Jordan and spent our first night there visiting friends.
December 29 was met with great anticipation. After two years, my dream of wrapping an orphan with a hand-made quilt was finally going to be realized.
Joe and I arrived in Suly on a cold and gloomy rainy day but it did nothing to dampen our spirits. My wonderful new friend Tahseen Taha was there to greet us with his good friend Karzan. What wonderful young men they are!
Let me tell you about Tahseen before continuing with my story. When I was having trouble contacting anyone at the Chamber of commerce in Suly, I decided to try emailing the chancellor at the American University of Iraq whom Joe had met in early 2008. Still, I received no response. I later found out he had relocated to Jeddah. After that, I tried “info” @ American University of Iraq. And finally I received a response – from Tahseen Taha. Ever since then, he has been my lifeline to the orphanages and their directors. As well, he has become a dear friend and refers to me as his Canadian Mom!! Of course, I now call him my Kurdish son! He has a wonderful heart and I was witness to just how wonderful during our time together in Suly.
Tahseen and Karzan drove us to our hotel and we had a short visit to discuss the plans for the next day.
On the morning of December 30, Tahseen arrived with all of the boxes and a wonderful driver. We drove to the first orphanage which was the boys orphanage. On the lower floor were the boys age 5-10 and the upper floor were the boys 11-18. The first things we handed out were teddy bears to the little boys – squishy, huggable teddy bears! You can see by the pictures how the children’s eyes lit up! What a heartwarming scene for us! Following that, they all formed a line and as I pulled a quilt from the box, they threw up their hands if they liked that particular quilt and would like to have it! It was so much fun to wrap that colorful little quilt around a child and embrace him with a big hug. Tahseen explained the red heart that is appliquéd to each and every quilt. It means that the quilt was made with love and is given from one heart to another … that they can wrap their new quilt around themselves and know that they are wrapped in love! I watched the expressions on the children’s faces as he talked about the red heart and it was touching to see how the kids reacted facially. They knew they were receiving something very special – more than cotton and color!
After we gave them their quilts, it was time to give them a zip lock bag full of school supplies. These came from an organization called OIC – Operation Iraqi Children. This is an organization in the United States whose co-founders are the actor Gary Sinise and Laura Hillenbrand. They came to us via the humanitarian team of the U.S. Military. This humanitarian team was my savior because they were instrumental in transporting my 6 large boxes of quilts from Kuwait to Sulymaniyah. It would have cost a fortune to have them accompany us on Royal Jordanian Airlines! I am forever grateful to Ltd. Herrera and Chief Hall for their support and contribution to making this ministry a success!
After visiting with the little boys and looking at their bedrooms, we had a group picture and enjoyed a few final hugs. Then we were on our way upstairs to visit the teen boys. They were all waiting to see us with great anticipation!!
They were overjoyed to be receiving quilts that had themes of cars, basketballs and sports on them! Thank goodness we had lots of them!! Again, they showed their sensitive side (can they even have one after what horror stories they can tell?) when Tahseen told them the significance of the red heart. This truly seemed to mean a lot to these boys. Again, we handed out school supplies and had a fun group picture with lots of smiles and a few hugs (after all, these are teens!). The lady in the photo is a lovely, warm hearted lady who has worked at the orphanage for 30 years! Joe had met her two years ago when he visited the kids. She remembered him also.
We also found several boxes of flip-flops in the boxes of donated goods from the Humanitarian Team. We made sure every boy received a pair and all of the workers in the orphanage. Everyone was very appreciative.
In some of the other boxes from the Humanitarian Team, there were hand-made cotton bags – again full of school supplies. Inside these bags was a picture of a young boy from Tempe, Arizona. He had taken it upon himself to ask for donations of school supplies to send to the children of Iraq. His name is Taylor Lott and he is a member of the Boy Scouts of America. If I can locate him when I am in Arizona in the spring, I will go meet him and show him the pictures of the actual kids his school supplies went to!! Thank you Taylor for your kind and generous heart. You are an example of what small acts of kindness can do and how they can impact the lives of others.
It was time to leave and go meet the girls. They were about a 20 minute drive away. There weren’t as many in-house when we arrived. Several had gone to spend the holidays with extended family members. We did leave quilts and school supplies behind for them. We had a wonderful time with the 8 girls who were present. Four of them we found huddled in a small empty room with the exception of a small bench and a small tv. The caregiver introduced us to them and explained who we were. Eventually, the other girls came out of their rooms and we all gathered in the lobby of their orphanage. They dove into the teddy and doll box and made their selections. The colorful quilts that we had for the girls were so perfect! They were thrilled with their new blankets. Tahseen told them, once again, of the red hearts. And once again, they were touched by the story and significance. After handing them their new school supplies and sandals, we had a fun tour of their bedrooms. There are 3 – 5 beds per bedroom and all were very tidy. They older girls had posters of famous singers on their wall (so that seems to be the same the world over!) and the little girls has some cute pictures as well. Each bedroom was named after a flower and one was butterfly. There were two sisters here and we were told that they had two brothers in the boys orphanage. How I wish I had asked if they go to see their brothers. The oldest girl was an incredible artist. She showed us her sketches and we were so impressed that we will be sending Tahseen some art supplies for her. A talent such as that must be encouraged. As we were saying our goodbyes and preparing to leave, I mentioned this girl to Tahseen. He asked for some time to go see her work. He suggested that perhaps he can work with AUIS (the university) to get her some additional help. He came out with a sad, but true story. Beside her sketches, were several phrases but I couldn’t read them. Tahseen told me that they said how dark her days can be and she misses her mother so much. I wish I had spent more time visiting with her. My heart aches for her. I wonder what her sad story is. Four siblings in orphanages with one horrific story. I wanted to take them all home.
We found that we had some quilts left after spending time with the children. Tahseen suggested we stop by the seniors home. He hadn’t been there and wanted to go see it. All I can say is how horrific it was. It made the kids orphanages look like the Holiday Inn! We entered and were introduced to the director of the orphanage. He told Tahseen that the building had been donated but not much had been done to it to make it very liveable. The seniors were sitting at a long table (the ladies on one side and the men on the other). They were eating rice and something else unidentifiable. Their hands were so cold as I reached over their shoulders to hold them. One little lady who couldn’t have been more than 70 pounds, was squatting down in front of a small kerosene heater – trying to get warm. As she looked up and saw Tahseen, she thought her son had come to visit her. Tahseen was so touched by this that he quickly squatted down, kissed her hand, touched it to his forehead and leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead saying yes, mamma, your son is here. She wasn’t sound of mind and that scene will forever stay in my mind. It was so touching and gave the little old woman a moment of joy and peace I am sure.
To read the rest of the story, or to see all of the pictures, go to my blog: alannaorphans.blogspot.com
Cheryl’s Memory
I sit looking out of the kitchen window trying to visualize how she looked. She was so pretty, blonde curly hair, blue-green eyes, a wonderful smile but the clarity of her inner beauty came with her voice and laughter. I can barely remember her voice she was always happy and the sweet way she talked was like music. No matter what the weather each time she called, she brought sunshine into my heart. Oh, Lord how I miss her, today is the fifth anniversary of her death; a dreadful death by breast cancer, Cheryl put up a valiant fight, it took a long painful two-year and half years she fought hard for her life; it was a brave struggle. She finally let go. Leaving behind those who loved her, we all felt her pain we all suffered with her right up to the day she let go. Her husband and two children have never come to grips with her passing. This week will be hard on them.
Grief is an action it has to find a place to go and taking your eyes off your pain and helping others is a survival skill.
I sought to find comfort in volunteering. I am a quilter and I heard of a group forming to both celebrate the love of quilting and to be a force for fighting Breast Cancer. The funds raised would go to supporting patients in our own community. I joined the Gig Harbor Quilt Festival. Their cause is Breast Cancer; they raise money for local Breast cancer patients all the while promoting the love of quilting in our community. There are so many fundraisers where the money collected goes outside of your community or even state they collect it for research and only a portion comes back to the giving community.
There are so many women standing in front of their mirrors and feeling that strange lump, they have no insurance and no idea what to do next. That is where GHQF come in we have funds to provide free screening, counseling and so much more. We have raise over $157,000. Every penny stays in our community.
I became the Silent Auction Chair, the first year my silent auction made $900, last year we made $10,000 on the Silent Auction alone, wow is all I can say. This year I stepped down and work in a supporting roll, my heart will always belong to GHQF.
I learned the secret of giving/volunteering while leading a support group, I thought I was helping the patients but soon learned they were healing my spirit and I was getting better.
There is magic in giving of yourself to others; a magic you ca not find anywhere else.
We also have a group of women that meet every other Tuesday they make Comfort quilts for the patients of a local Oncologist. Just picture yourself going to chemotherapy for the first time and having a nurse rap a bright quilt around you, and saying “This quilt is for your recovery; it is a gift from people who care about you.” The sad thing is we cannot keep up with the volume of new patients; we live in what seems to be an epidemic state that is why getting that Mammogram is so important. Have you had yours lately?
The phone finally rings I suspect it will be my granddaughter she always calls on the anniversary of her mothers death, we will probably talk for an hour or so, maybe even cry a little. Grieving stays in your broken heart, the act of giving of yourself relieves the pressure but the pain never goes away.
Two long years ago in March of 2007, I submitted a story about a quilt ministry I had started because of a trip my husband had made to Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq. I have been blessed by many of the "thequiltshow.com" membership who have sent me quilts for the kids. I recently reached the goal of 90 quilts !! yeah!! Now that this goal has been reached, my husband and I will make plans to take the quilts to the orphans in September. Of course, the ministry continues. Another orphanage has been brought to my attention just south of Sulaymaniyah. So, work on your UFO's ladies and I know some precious souls who have nothing to call their own who would be overjoyed to have their very own quilt made by loving people and loving hands. My blog is www.alanna.orphans@blogspot.com . Thank you to all who helped me achieve this first big hurdle!!
My two daughters were visiting from Utah and we got talking about a couple of funerals that I had attended during the previous few months. One funeral had so many flowers from well-wishers that they had to open up another room to accommodate them all, while another didn’t have any flowers at all. I proceeded to give my girls input on what I wanted (and didn’t want) at my funeral. Though some flowers would be a nice touch, I would really like to give everyone an opportunity to celebrate my life rather than mourn over the loss. So, what better way to take their minds off the reason why they are at the viewing than to see an exhibit! Instead of stands full of flowers, why not have stands full of hanging or draped-over quilts? This would certainly be different and I think it would be really cool to be surrounded by my quilts!
A couple of days later, one of my daughters came to me and said that we should not have to wait until I died to celebrate my life. Why not plan an event while I’m still alive? She suggested I should celebrate my 50th birthday by hanging all my quilts and invite all my family and friends to view them. And the best part would be that I would be there to enjoy it. Since my birthday is in December, it is a really hard time of the year to do something like this, so we decided to celebrate six months later on my 50 ½ birthday. While planning for this big party, I realized that I had at least one quilt made from each of the five decades of my life. Last Fall, I asked my son-in-law to come up with a catchy title – and this was the result:
A Quinquagenarian's Quilt Quest - Five Decades of Quilting (or QQQ for short).
During the past 1 ½ years, I have also been on a mission to complete a few of my UFOs for this event. I have not completed nearly as many as I wanted to, but one of the most meaningful quilts that I finished was a quilt entitled “The Generations Unite”. This quilt is made by the hands (and feet) of four generations, but represents six generations of family quilters. After my mom passed away, I received a set of her embroidered blocks and they were the inspiration for this quilt. Different aspects were included to represent each quilter and their style. The youngest generation’s contribution was their foot and hand prints. To get all this in one quilt, it ended up being a two-sided quilt. If you would like to read more about this project or see pictures of the quilt please visit my blog posts about it:
http://www.newyorkquilter.com/search/label/Quilt%3A%20%20The%20Generations%20Unite
The QQQ 50 ½ Birthday Party is now planned for June 13. We will be hanging over 70 of my quilts, including a special exhibit of the six generations of quilts that I have in my home. I also have about 6 quilts that are ready to be quilted but I have come to the realization that they will look really nice in the UFO section. If you happen to be in New York next weekend, I would love to have you stop by.
Hi Alex and Ricky,
I just watched your latest show and I was especially touched by the after set. Before I tell you why, I would like to say that I'm Italian, I write from Rome where I live and so I want to apologize for my not perfect english.
I was touched because your words about simply Quilts brought me back in time when I lived in
the US from 1997 to 2002. My husband and I moved from Italy in Maryland where in 1999
my son Roberto was born; that has been the most wonderful time of my life but even the most intense. I was a new mom, I was very lucky I had (and still have) a wonderful caring husband but still my family was on the other side of the world here in Italy and the loneliness I felt was very deep. I needed something to love and that would make go away that bad feeling that was getting me more and more so I started to spent time in to a fabric store near my place and dreaming about that wonderful fabric. I had no idea what quilting was; in Italy it's not a very common hobby so I tried to learn by myself following Simply Quilts. It took me a couple of shows to fall in love with quilting ("a little longer" to be a decent quilter...!). I've had the chance to meet quilters at the library, I joined a guild and I got to know wonderful people. I've learned a lot ever since about quilters and I feel proud to consider myself one of you. I just want to thank you Alex for your work
but especially for the passion you were able to pass to me with Simply Quilts that I'll always bring in my heart, and for the work you are doing with TQS. I can't tell you how happy I was to learn, and it was just by chance, that something like TQS existed. I'm finally able to watch you again like in the "old days" , learn more and more and especially to feel again close to american quilters despite an ocean divides us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Elena
Mom passed away on March 23, 2009 from a Thoracic Aortic Dissection, she was 83 but only 13 days short of her 84th. We believe she made it, just not to the actual birth date. While living with me I took this picture with the person that the quilt would belong when completed. She had a few UFO's, as all quilters do.
Mom was a self taught quilter, started in 1989, loved the rotary cutter when it came out and all the pre-made templates. But like most quilters she had to draft her own patterns to accommodate her designs. I'm not quite as bright. Her final service was very unusual. We celebrated her life by having people bring in all the quilts, finished or not along with other crafted items she had made for them. It looked like a quilt show in the sanctuary. Oh, how she loved quilting! It showed that day. The memories of the times she spent making all of those items of love! Sure wish we had done this when she was still living. I think she would be amazed and really pleased at how much she had accomplished.
I am a quilter thanks to my mom, and I have a 6 year old grand-daughter who also started sewing strips at the age of four. She wants to know when we are going to finish her quilt she started! My precious sister Cynthia inherited all moms sewing stash,tools,books,fabric,sewing machines. She is also now going to be a quilter! I am sharing this with you to encourage you to make pictures of each quilt with the recipient. Turn the photo into a quilt label and attach it to the quilt. I plan on doing this for my mom's quilts that I need to finish and also for the ones I am making for those I love. If possible have a quilt show while your quilting loved one is still on this earth. No matter finished or not. You won't regret it.
Missing mom,
Jewell
My sister, Ginny, was the first of 7 siblings to pass away and her legacy will never be forgotten. She and her husband were very active in bluegrass activities and mountain man rendezvous. She made all of the clothing for herself and her husband. She started quilting about 10 years ago and when I retired I started to take classes to share the activity with her. Ginny made bereavement bears for people who had lost a family member. The bears were made from clothing the deceased family member had. She made bears from our parents clothing for each of her brothers(2) and sisters (4). She was also making quilts for each of us when she passed away. The story that follows is a testament to her life and the love she so freely gave to all around her.
The story starts in August of 2007. I had recently lost Ginny to breast cancer and inherited her 50 year stash. What an overwhelming gift that was! A day later I read a blog from BrinkofNorway, stating that fabric cost an equivalent of $50 US in Norway. She had to pay $50 a yard and I had a full walk in closet of material in front of me. What would Ginny do? She would pack up a box of material and send it off, which is just what I did.
Of course, you always have to listen to your older sister. Hanne-Grete received the material just as she was starting a new position and the material had an opportunity to adjust to Norway. It had only ever been in Pennsylvania so a time adjustment was a good thing. At last Hanne-Grete looked at the material, it started to talk to her and she made a quilt. She didn't make just any quilt either. When Hanne-Grete sent me a picture of the quilt I started to cry. My sister's favorite quilt block was a log cabin, you can easily guess what pattern Hanne-Grete chose. Now, living in Norway is a quilt that I will always think of as Ginny's quilt. Why did I send the material? Why did Hanne-Grete sew a log cabin quilt? Because quilters are just the most wonderful people in the world and we always figure out just the right thing to do.
Ginny's material has also been donated to the Reach to Recovery program of the American Cancer Society, as well as for quilts for Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia. Fabric donations have been made to Project Linus and the Christmas material has been used by Operation Shoebox in Florida to provide Christmas stockings for our men and women in service to the US. Ginny's legacy continues on................
In the past patchwork Sitges International Festival of 2009 I sent a piece whose title is 100 wishes to all. It created a blanket so that people could visit the exhibition to touch and read the wishes and saw behind. I sent along with a blanket explanation of the meaning that was all that appeared to be placed on a poster next to the blanket. Not only is this place they put a sign saying not to touch as all the other pieces in the exhibition could not touch mine either. I have a great sadness because I had hope that once people have visited an exhibition of surprise that could play a piece and watch as it was done. What I had written was: Butterflies in the forest of trees inspired me when monarch butterflies all together to procreate. The fence around the limitations that mean we are not able to get us to the desires that exist. Water is the road to freedom so you can get, and in many cultures water is purified and takes all the negatives you see in our lifetime. Water is a nod to reality, we know that there are fish in the water but not see, and padding I've created are just fish that if we rotate the piece by the setback is the bottom of the lake. There are 13 different quilts to show that I am not superstitious and I do not preclude a desire to achieve superstition.
I'd like to find an Exhibition where people could to touch my piece.
I go quilting every Friday evening at the church near me I have been going there for a couple of years, I only took up quilting 5 years again aged 60 when I retired from the work force.
(you do not have to be a member of the church)
They always supply tea & coffee & cakes etc for us girls for free, there is no admittence charge to join either.
I wantd to show my appreciation to them so I made this lap quilt which they raffled and the money they made went into the church funds to help their parishoners who needed some help.
I hope I did not break any laws as I saw this pattern in a quilt book and loved it, I know you are not allowed to copy them for profit but I hope that does not apply to the church for worse off people funds. Jo.
Just wanted to say a very huge thankyou to all of you in America who will send fabric to Australia for the state of Victoria fire victims who quilt, what a beaut idea and I'm sure it will all be well received.
I live in Frankston Victoria and today 18th February 2009 we still have the haze from the fires that are still burning.
My family live about an hour from the fires but the whole community are banding together to help out, we actually have buried a beautiful ringtail possum that fell out of our huge gum tree as after 3 days of 45 degree heat is must have been too much for the little creature.
Yesterday I received the DVD of Ricky Tims Kool Kaleidoscope quilt to make, I have watched it already and am itching to make a start.
Thanks again to all you kind people. - Jo.
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