Sweet 16 🧵🎉
Our June meeting was a wonderful celebration of friendship, generosity and community spirit as we marked Sunshine Linus' 16th Birthday! 🎂💛
A delicious strawberry crème sponge birthday cake, beautifully made by Marion G.,was enjoyed by everyone. The honours of cutting the cake went to Judie B. and Sharon H., a fitting way to celebrate sixteen years of Sunshine Linus making a difference in our community. 🥳🎉
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| Happy 16th Birthday, Linus! |
It was wonderful to welcome even more visitors this month. We were delighted to have guests from Lowood, Toowoomba, Burpengary, Woodford and Witta, highlighting just how far the Sunshine Linus spirit continues to spread. 😊
A huge thank you also goes to the Mooloolah Lions Club and the Suncost Social Dancers, who generously donated to Sunshine Linus. Your support helps us continue providing comfort to so many people in our community. 🤝💕
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| A friendly greeting on arrival. |
📻 Sunshine Linus on ABC Radio
Anyone listening to Sheridan Stewart on ABC Radio on a recent Saturday Morning may have recognised a familiar voice!
Our own Judie B., spoke with Sheridan about the history and purpose of Sunshine Linus, sharing how the organisation has grown over the past 16 years and the enormous impact our volunteers continue to make throughout the community.
One wonderful outcome of the interview was a visit from Lynne, who heard Judie speaking on the radio and decided to come along and see Sunshine Linus for herself. Lynne has spent many years making items for hospitals and community groups and was keen to learn more about what we do.
She also brought along some of her delightful handmade Cats, which are certain to bring smiles and comfort to their future owners. 🐱💛
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| A warm welcome to Lynne. |
🧶Peregian Crafters & Knitters Club
Gabrielle brought along another wonderful collection of handmade items from the Peregian Crafters and Knitters Club. This amazing group contributes every month and continues to be an invaluable supporter of Sunshine Linus.
As they search for a new meeting venue, we thank them for their ongoing generosity. Their donations included beautiful items for the Baby Group and the Yarners, and Gabrielle even headed home with more supplies ready to be transformed into future Sunshine Linus creations. 🧶💛
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| First stop is the Baby Table |
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| Rugs for the Yarners |
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| The quality is always exceptional. |
🛍️ The Sales Table
The Sales Table featured a wonderful selection of handmade items this month. Alongside the ever-popular oven mitts and coffee warmers, there were also some thoughtful accessories for young mums, including nappy change mats with handy storage pockets. These practical and beautifully crafted items were a great example of the creativity and generosity of our talented members. 💛🧵
🎨 Touchie Feelie Table
Chris shared some fantastic news about the success of the Touchie Feelie Aprons. Around half of the apron kits have now been returned as completed aprons, with the remainder expected back next month. These sensory aprons continue to bring comfort and engagement to many recipients. 😊
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| Jenny H models an apron. |
Kits are also available to make the ever-popular Blockenspiels, another favourite project for members.
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| Some we prepared earlier 😊 |
✨ Glockenspiels
✨ Kanyini Bears
✨ Sensory Aprons
Don't forget to bring your kits back next month, even if they're unfinished. Returning them helps us to keep track of our projects and ensure every kit finds its way to completion.
🧵😊 The Freebie Table
There are always plenty of treasures to discover on the Freebie Table, and this month was no exception. Among them was an embroidery, which has already found a new home.
Several other completed embroidered pieces have been incorporated into handmade leather bags, which will be available for purchase at our Sunshine Linus Open Day on Saturday, 1 August. Scroll down for more details.
It's wonderful to see how pieces from the Freebie Table are given a new purpose and transformed into beautiful creations for others to enjoy. 👜🪡
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| There is always a story. |
🐻 Kanyini Bears & Catheter Covers
Jenny D demonstrated how to make both Catheter Covers and our treasured Kanyini Bears.
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| A catheter cover made in response to a special request. 💛 |
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| Jenny D with a Kanyini Bear made to the pattern |
She reminded everyone that the Kanyini Bear pattern is available on the Sunshine Linus Blog, and that it is important to follow both the pattern and the specified wool colours to ensure every bear remains true to its special purpose and cultural significance. 💛🐻
✨Show and Tell
As always, Show and Tell was full of inspiration!
🌊 Dorothy accepted the challenge of creating a quilt for a gentleman using a beautiful sea turtle panel. The design came together perfectly, with enough fabric remaining to make a matching storage bag. There was even sufficient fabric left to add handy pockets for a book and a mobile phone, making this quilt both practical and absolutely stunning.
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| Dorothy explaining the pockets in the bag |
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Sharon showcased her beautiful Disappearing 9 Patch quilt, made using Barbara's pattern and quilted with Judie B.'s tips, including the walking foot and Orange Peel design. The instructions can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the 'Free Patterns' section on the blog or for your convenience:
Here is the link: Walking Foot Quilting - Student Notes
🧥 Glorianne showcased several beautiful jackets destined for Open Day. It was fascinating to learn that while one jacket used traditional wadding, another cleverly used a sweatshirt as its base, demonstrating how creative our members are.
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| These beautiful coats will be on sale at Open Day. |
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📚 Claire shared another delightful fabric storybook created for Palmview Special School.
The story mat based on the story "Pig the Pug" by Aaron Blabey, is helping children learn about the importance of sharing through interactive storytelling.
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| Handmade Bears |
🪡 Rosalie proudly completed her spectacular Crazy Quilt, which drew plenty of admiration.
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| One piece |
🧸 There was also an incredible collection of handmade animals ready for Open Day, including bears, kangaroos and adorable dogs that are sure to find loving new homes.
🎟️ Raffle Winners
Congratulations to our lucky winners!
🎁 Bag: Jenny D.
🍾 Prosecco: Carol (one of our newest members!)
🧸 Doll: Margaret Mc.
Congratulations to all our winners! 🎉
📅 Save the Dates
July 27 July Meeting
August 1 Open Day - see details below
August 27 August Meeting
🌞You're Invited to the Sunshine Linus Open Day!
Join us for a day of handmade treasures, friendship and community.
🕘 9.00 am – 3.00 pm
📍 Nambour Uniting Church
- 🪡 Quilts
- 🧸 Toys
- 🧶 Rugs
- 👜 Bags & Coats
- 🎁 Handmade Gifts
- ✨ And much more!
📅 Saturday 1 August
🎟️ $10 admission (includes morning tea)
Browse a wonderful range of handcrafted items, including:
Every purchase helps Sunshine Linus provide handmade comfort and care to hospitals, aged care facilities, palliative care services, domestic violence refuges, and many other community organisations.
📧 Enquiries: sunshinelinus@gmail.com
🚗 Parking and entry via Donaldson Street
