Monday 31st August

Another successful Distribution Day has come and gone with thanks to the many committed helpers here at Sunshine Linus. Of course the Covid-19 safe practice plan has meant that many of these ladies (and some husbands) have spent countless hours behind the scenes preparing for the gathering.

On the day Marion and Jenny were on hand again to ensure everyone maintained the required social-distancing.

 Jan kept an eye on the air quality.

Unpacking everything and setting up always takes a couple of hours.

At 9:30am, (and after some instructions), Janet allowed the queued members entry into the hall and Lyn was ready to record their names and entry time.

Sharon made sure members were kept on the 'straight and narrow pathway' as they entered and continued their walk around the hall.

Cynthia had to re-enter through the correct doorway before she was allowed to drop off her donated items!

Members were then allowed half an hour to drop off items and pick-up supplies.

Helen and Eileen wait patiently in line at the 10 o'clock time slot.

It didn't take long for the tables to begin to fill with a gorgeous array of donated items.

There were some finely crafted 'touchy feely' items on display as well some colourful, crocheted balls and this cute little fellow made by Jenny D. Mr Octopus is destined for the special needs children at the One Mile School!

Jenny also showed two themed sensory mats. These mats are popular with dementia patients at Aged Care Centres, so if you feel inclined to make one or two, feel free!

Loretta made this stunning, three dimensional knee rug. Nambour Hospital's Acute Restorative Care (ARC) Unit have requested rugs such as this with color and texture. So, once again, if you feel inclined to make one they will be much appreciated.

Judie arrived with a cart load of quilts including this bright, modern design:

Orrawin arrived with two very intricate scrap quilts she had made.

Lyn showed two quilts she has been working on this past month, including this elegant embroidered quilt and a star-themed, window-box quilt.

Sue has been busy attaching binding to a pile of quilts including these pretty designs:

Annie donated these two lovely quilts:

Robyn left looking very pleased after her drop-off and pick-up time-slot.

And once the scheduled time-slots finished this was the view from the stage!

The distribution teams then set to work sorting, labelling and bagging ready for distribution. Leslie, Pam and Irene set to work organising all the knitted and crocheted items.

Jill set about checking and sorting the quilts.

And it wasn't long before the hall was looking a lot tidier and all the bags were zipped up ready for distribution!

Hints, Tips and Tricks

Last post I included a tip from Dorothy relating to straightening yarn. The tip this month is for the patch-workers: if you want to achieve those perfect points when piecing your blocks invest in some of these forked pins. Remember to press your seams in opposite directions, then pin your seam as usual but where they meet with the second block use a forked pin to match the seams. Leave the forked pin in place and slowly stitch across where the seams join. Perfect points every time!

A FEW REMINDERS:

Quilt Sizes

• Below is a list of the recommended and most requested quilt sizes from Sunshine Linus clientele. It makes the distribution team's job much easier if the quilts fit within these measurements.

Single bed: 60"- 75 "wide x 87"- 95" long
Body: 40"- 50" wide x 60" - 65" long
Renal: 40" - 50" wide by 70" long with the bottom corners trimmed and a pocket on the back
Wheelchair: 36" square with the bottom corners trimmed
Lap: 40"- 48" square
(You can find instructions for the renal and wheelchair quilts under the 'Patterns' tab.)

Next Meeting

• Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday 28th September, but of course this will depend on Government restrictions regarding Covid-19. So please keep an eye on your email and this blog for further updates.

Reminders for Monday's Meeting

Hi Everyone, well the next Linus Meeting is only days away now so a few reminders if you wish to attend:

First, it is absolutely essential that you contact Janet  B to organise a time slot to attend! 

Once again on arrival members will be asked to:

•  use the hand sanitiser provided

•  check their details

•  enter arrival time and sign the form

•  wear the numbered lanyard provided

•  maintain social distancing at all times

Quilt Labels

Please ensure if you are attaching your Sunshine Linus labels that they are placed in the bottom right corner of the quilt. This makes the work of the ladies who sort items on Distribution day much easier as they can check for labelling very quickly.

A few of the beautiful quilts donated to Sunshine Linus:

Hints, Tips and Tricks

The members at Sunshine Linus are bursting with creative ideas, hints and tips in relation to their field of expertise, so each month we plan to include a tip you may find useful! This month's tip comes from Dorothy and it's especially for our Yarners!

You will need: A saucepan with 2 or 3 litres of boiling water (or larger if you have it).
When you unpick an item and rip the yarn out, wind it around the outside of the saucepan. Stop when you reach a join or when it becomes awkward to wind any more. Loop the end of the yarn around the handle to hold it. Fill the saucepan with boiling water to within an inch of the top. Put the lid on and set aside until the water is cold. Gently remove the hank of yarn and empty the water. You can then roll the straightened yarn into a ball, like our grandmothers did. (Engage someone else to hold the hank on their hands for you, if you like!) 

              

Monday 27th July

Finally, after a long wait the members and friends of Sunshine Linus have been able to meet again! It wasn't a normal meeting of course but it allowed people the opportunity to drop off items they had made and pick up what they needed to continue their crafting and creating of items for the many hospitals, charities and communities we support on the Sunshine Coast.

Because of the Covid-19 restrictions much ground work was required to prepare for the meeting. Of course the day's organisation was a team effort but special thanks to Marion, Jenny, Janet, Jan and Sue, who worked tirelessly to make sure everything was done safely and in an orderly way! Marion and Jan also spent a great deal of time liaising with the church regarding the requirements around Covid-19, part of which required them to get certification through an online course.

Sue and her husband Phil generously agreed to store most of the donated items in their garage prior to the meeting and then transport them to the church hall on the day. The donated goods filled an 8' x 5' trailer plus the back of their station wagon!

Hand sanitizing stations were set up for entry and exit and Susan, Marion and Jenny made sure the floor was marked for social distancing requirements.

Janet was responsible for checking and organising the registration of all attendees and distributing name badges and job descriptions to those members who were assisting with the set-up.

Sharon and Jenny made sure that all the labels were in place for the donated items.

Then of course it was 'all hands on deck' to set up all the tables and items for drop off and collection.

Margaret, Sue and Glorianne arranged all the donated goods for the 'freebie' tables and of course there were boxes and boxes of stuff as everyone had the time during lock-down to have a good clean out and de-clutter!

Kaye sorted and prepared the patchwork and sensory fabrics ready for collection.

Once everything was in place the first of the scheduled attendees arrived to drop off their donated items and check out the massive amount of goods on the 'freebie' table!

Susan helped out in the kitchen by serving a 'cuppa' to the busy workers.

Kaye set about measuring and cutting the wadding for the quilt makers.

And yes, there was still time for a chat with social distancing rules in place of course!

Although there was no official 'show and tell', Pam and Irene couldn't resist showing their lock-down efforts!  Jenny from Noosa had made 2 blocks from a 'Block of the Month' program but was unable to complete the quilt so Pam and Irene decided to join forces to complete a very cute Australian animal themed quilt!

One more item of special mention, Sunshine Linus received this gorgeous 'Find Me' quilt from Elaine W (who was unable to attend today's meeting). It shows Australian animals and birds and hidden cards that have to be matched to the same embroidered picture.

By 11am the second team of helpers had arrived and it was time to start sorting and packing the items for distribution.

The 'Quilts' team had everything under control as they checked and sorted the quilts.

The 'Yarners' were looking quite relaxed after their efforts sorting and packing.

By the end of the morning all the items for distribution were packed, labelled and ready for delivery.

Special thanks to Jenny's husband Charles who arrived in his 4 wheel drive at the end of the meeting to collect and store the many boxes of fabric left over from the 'freebie' table!

After a pack-up and clean-up session Susan thanked everyone for their efforts and a very successful meeting.

Some reminders:

• Sunshine Linus has been asked to make 300 masks for a not for profit group who work with disability clients. A small group of members are having a working bee to cut out and put sets together and will be seeking help from other members to make up the masks. Please do not go ahead and make masks before contacting Jenny as there are very specific requirements we have been asked to follow.
• Next month's meeting is on Monday August 31st and will follow the same format as July providing things don't change with COVID-19 restrictions.
• Please, NO MORE BEANIES, we have plenty!

Take care and keep well. Hope to see you at the next meeting!

Distribution Day Protocol

Hi everyone, as many of you will know Jenny D sent out a very detailed email outlining what will be happening at the July Distribution Day on Monday 27^th July at the Nambour Uniting Church Hall. Below is a summary of the key points:

This will not a normal meeting. It is an opportunity for you to drop off items you have made and to pick up materials such as those on the Freebie table as well as wadding, foam blocks and labels etc. We expect that most people will be at the hall for 20 - 25 minutes.

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like items to be collected please contact us to arrange it.

Obviously if you are unwell please do not attend!

How the day will be organised:

8 am to 9:30 am - Set up and display of donated items for the Freebie table. (Only the new Freebie and Fabrics team and 5 - 6 committee members will be present at this time).

9:30 am to 12 noon - Drop off/pick up by members during designated timeslot (see below).

• Members are asked to SIGN UP for one of five half hour slots :

(9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30) so that we can limit the number inside the hall. Only 20 people can book each time slot. 

Please SIGN UP by contacting Janet B who will record your contact details when you sign up for your time slot. 

• On arrival members will be asked to:

- use the hand sanitiser provided

- check their details

- enter arrival time and sign the form

- wear the numbered lanyard provided

• If you have not signed up beforehand you will have to wait until a vacancy in a time slot is available. Socially distanced chairs will be available outside the hall to wait on for a short time. Otherwise you may have to return later. 

• Members will enter by the double doors on the right hand side of the entrance and proceed in one direction past the tables and then exit by the double doors closest to the church. 

• Physical distance markers 1.5m apart will be on the floor, please use them. 

• On exiting, members will be asked to:

- sign out with departure time
- return their lanyard to the marked container
- use hand sanitiser
- leave the church grounds as soon as possible.

12 noon to 3 pm - Sorting, Distribution and Packing up items for storage, packing up of Freebie tables and Clean up. Only those with designated jobs present.

Please take the time to contact Janet to book a time slot; commit to a time to attend and abide by the time restrictions. 

If you have any questions please contact Jenny D or Marion.

NEW Distribution Day

Hello everyone, you will probably have noticed that the previous post has been deleted to avoid any confusion. Due to the government announcing it is bringing forward the changes to Covid-19 restrictions to this Friday and due to difficulties with parking and access with the Lutheran Hall, the decision has been made to move our next meeting back to the Uniting Church Hall in Nambour on Monday 27th July. 

THIS WILL NOT BE A NORMAL MEETING. It will still be a Drop off and Pick up meeting with people doing a one way circuit past tables to drop off items and then past freebies and materials to pick up. In one door and out the other in 15-20 minutes! This will happen between 9:30am and 12:30 pm. We will still have monitor numbers in the hall carefully to maintain social distancing protocols.

We ask that you restrict the items you drop off as we expect a large amount and have limited requests and storage at the moment. Perhaps you can just put a large hole in your stockpile rather than completely clearing it!

Sorting, Distribution and Packing up for storage will be in a separate session in the afternoon after everyone has dropped off items, (so that we can meet social distancing requirements).

Jenny D will send out a further email later this month with details of the meeting organisation and a list of items that are on wish lists (both current and in the near future). 

Keep an eye out for further updates!