Bushfire sewing: lots of links and what you can do

So today, I have realised in the last 24 hours I have gone through many many phases.

Horror, fear, indignation, abandonment, prayers, acceptance, submission, service and hope, hope, hope as I sew these blocks.

I am sharing links for anyone that wants to contribute fabric, wool, batting, quilt tops, QAYG blocks, orphan blocks, crochet squares or crochet blankets as comfort quilts for the Australia wide bushfire zones.

https://sewmanyquiltstoolittletime.blogspot.com/2020/01/quilt-as-you-go-block-tutorial-for-oz.html

Tutorial on how to make blocks.



https://sewmanyquiltstoolittletime.blogspot.com/2020/01/oz-comfort-quilts-bushfire-quilt-drive.html

Oz Comfort Quilts bushfire drive

link to the facebook group for Animal Rescue Craft Guild. They have patterns and tutorials for pouches, nests, bat wing wraps, almost anything you can think of, and they also need materials and money for postage.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/arfsncrafts/?hc_location=ufi

Patterns for cool neck ties for the fireys. It is only the start of the fire season, and these neck coolers are required for the masses of volunteers in Australia.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2121038621331981/permalink/2124786820957161/?__xts__[0]=68.ARD5boxL2ztdwoULN0LlPFjoK9K_csBpL6vzAcfGoFZBKU2QU7wtVmS8xmNjC5Fsk75-apgPKC1CAROqtqHKOrkQmwN4yZCNpBq-yrshPAT-VUEa8y0rwCr1QPK40c02qTBetV9H0FEObGgW_oo_6e0O5IVcI2b_BmZd_ExRLtxHhUrqcv_kkrASTOnuHpxh45Hf7w8mJ2CiOMi_JU5iB3I532lb1394hE-1L-igBGRN-Hj25EllaYit2G2TMysIk4Y042cCh0B-WBHF8YHmjzmAno6jOeAJ9ccd3ZiIGlow06WnvuAPIbssITGUw5gGdPK3DwKGITUSGR8zKFM&__tn__=kCH-R


and a video tutorial if you prefer

https://www.facebook.com/lozluci/videos/1427046110796681/UzpfSTU5Mzc5Mzc4NDoxMDE1Njk0OTc1MDE3ODc4NQ/

Link to locations for dropping supplies off to the Animal Rescue Collective.

https://rescuedpets.com.au/drop-off-locations/?fbclid=IwAR0nTOu3d-nj4kD1OEBYsqOeK0Abmq96Zg37Ypzol8wrkrFpybh7L6mt3iE

Four blocks together, but they will have sashing before they are turned into a quilt.

And in the words of a wise woman...

"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." - Mother Teresa

Australia on fire and the Oz Comfort Quilts group

It's been a scary, frightening, huge few days in Australia with bushfires all over the country, and one with 1,000km front burning the size of Belgium.

Totally uncontrollable, and mostly fought with volunteers, and volunteer funding.

It has brought out the best and the worst in people.

 These days with so much online and social media, messages and information are sent much faster. Most people have access to the internet in one way or another. In 1997 I joined an online quilting group called SCQuilters (Southern Cross Quilters). They were on yahoo groups, and you had to read all your emails to see what people had written.

I met some of those dear friends at SCQuilters retreats. I think the first one I went to was in Melbourne in about 2001. I didn't even know anyone, I just went!  Then I went to another one in Bendigo in approximately 2003, and there I first saw Jan Mac and her charity quilts.

She gave a talk and showed us what she made, and what we could donate. She accepted even the tiniest of scraps and showed us her crumb quilts. What we had kept and had left in scrap bags or what we were throwing away, she was turning into hundreds of comfort quilts.

Well. That made a huge impact on me. And when I decluttered my house for sale on 2011-2012 I gave away a LOT of fabric and scraps and bits and pieces for charity quilting.

Which brings me to my current post.

With the internet, and the fast transferrence of news (fake, construed, real and monitored news) we saw heartbreaking images and videos of trapped animals that died, red and yellow glowing landscapes, people trapped on a boat in the water, on the beach as they could not escape fires.... our hearts broke all over, and I personally felt horror, fear, indignant (that we had been left without a leader and without support or overseas aid)... this turned into sorrow, heartbreak, and then collaboration in worldwide prayer groups, and mass timed reiki sends. Then for me there was acceptance, submission, and I sent healing and loving thoughts to our animals that had passed away to raise the mass vibration of humanity, for the suffering of people and trauma young people would always remember.

Then Jan Mac posted this wonderful message, that she was coming out of "retirement". In 2009 she has organised quilts for bushfire affected people in Victoria and nearly 3,000 quilts were distributed.

This year we are going to need more than that.

Jan's blog is https://sewmanyquiltstoolittletime.blogspot.com/

You can find details of how to make QAYG blocks and turn them into a quilt here: https://sewmanyquiltstoolittletime.blogspot.com/2020/01/quilt-as-you-go-block-tutorial-for-oz.html

This was just what I needed, and I immediately sorted through fabrics to find some pieces, enough to make at least 3 quilts. On average the quilts end up 50in x 70in so they are a very useful size.

I am using this yoga frog fabric, because I wanted the quilt to be uplifting. The right person will receive this quilt and they will hardly believe how much it suits them.

These fabrics will really resonate with someone, and I wanted to give someone the best, not the leftovers.

I need to make a total of 35 blocks for this quilt.

It feels great to be actually doing something.

I am very grateful that I can make these.

I had a bit of a blub as I listened to Cathy Miller's song "A Quilter's Embrace" and I imagine this quilt hugging someone whenever they think back to memories that will never really leave their mind.

https://youtu.be/gddjG_obHto

Here is a link to the song for you x

3 kids quilts

I framed these stunning digital print panels with some batik borders, and now they are ready for edge to edge professional quilting by Mum at Deep Creek Quilting.

It has been quite a while since the children had new quilts, and now that I have a plan to make bushfire quilts, I wanted to get their new ones made first.

And so here are snippets of the three similar panel quilts.

I am looking forward to showing the finished pieces when they return and I can stitch the binding.

Universal Mother prayers

Prayers to the Universal Mother that transcends all time and space, to bring rain, healing and relief to all those affected by the Australian bushfires.

1,000 metres firefront, and one mass of fire the size of Belgium, with fires all over the country.

Joining global with this cloth I made as a basis for a sacred space.

Universal Mother. Rain upon us.

Christmas decoration continues

I am still in Christmas decoration mode, as I was without my sewing machine for most of December, and I went through absolute withdrawals!!!

This cute little dog quilt top is about to be posted to Mum at Deep Creek Quilting for professional quilting. I could of course quilt it myself, but I am posting quilts for the children, so why not ask her to do it also.

And with some more of the panel I have put together a little tablerunner.

It is so satisfying to be turning stored fabrics into precious pieces.

Mind you, I bought most of those spots and stripes after Christmas when my beloved handed me $100 and said "hey baby, I know you want to go to Spotlight to the sales, here, go get it out of your system", so I checked online and at 40 percent off fabrics I took the dog panel and a flower fairy panel with me to match colours... next thing, the dog panel has been cut up!!

 I've also made some oven mitt/pot holders and when all quilted and bound I will share the photos.

Hello mango season!

One of the things I love most about far north Queensland is mangoes at Christmas, by the bucket!

This is my first bucket load (they sell for $10 a bucket up here), and the first go in the dehydrator.

I can feel there will be a few buckets this season!

Starseed Towel

This handtowel is appliqued with the triple goddess in shimmery fabric. It's gone to its forever home along with the new release card deck "Goddess Dream Oracle". What a great match they are.

I've purchased a special pattern from Blackbird Designs with a quilt design "The Raven". The book contains the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, and some of my favourite ever motifs: ravens and pumpkins. I have decided to make it in muted colours to hang up in the house in October, before we decorate for Christmas. 

I think we are going to have seasonal decorating all year round.

All I've done is start the stems. Hee hee. I am using an ongoing grunge fabric for the stems, as I have no idea how much I need.

This towel in its stunning blue is so absolutely gorgeous.

I have appliqued a starseed woman on a shimmery fabric moon background.

All ready for a special bath ritual.