August 2016

First report this month is from the mid-month workshop. Approximately 15 members attended and practiced their quilting using walking feet and free motion on a number of small quilts.

Karen and Sue show great concentration.

Meanwhile Thelma was busy ironing quilt labels, hundreds of quilt labels.

Today's meeting saw the fruits of the groups' labour with several small quilts returned for distribution.

Carolyn displays her rainbow quilt with applique motifs while Lyn and Maureen each returned with a trio of quilts.

The group was visited on that day by Linda and Dawn with a great supply of  "touchy feely" squares which are incorporated into quilts and aprons such as has been made by Linda below.

Today, the team who handle the distribution of goods for premmie babies received several beautifully made dolls, one accompanied by a miniature quilt.

The centre table was, as usual, overloaded with various goods including many pairs of bright knitted children's slippers, breast cancer cushions, drainage bags, beanies, a touchy feely mini cushion, 

 bibs for nursing homes.

and dozens of quilts that appear anonymously such as these whirling designs.

Sunshine Linus is indebted to the ladies from Bribie Island who delivered 5 huge bags of quilts , some of which kept our binding stitchers busy all morning.

Two impressive bags made for distribution to women who are seeking shelter and have nowhere to store their meagre belongings were coveted by many who were present.

Each month President Kaye quilts many quilts as well as making a variety of other goods for special needs. This month Kaye showed a noughts and crosses kit made in an embroidery frame using colourful buttons as tokens, some hexagon balls, a quick quilt of overlocked fleece, and use of squares of different sizes in an interesting design.

It is often difficult to establish who made the colourful quilt tops that Kaye so ably quilts but below are a few that members saw today, all produced from scraps of donated fabric.

Orrawin is a regular contributor and today she showed two animal quilts made with motifs that have been donated by a friend of Linus who lives in Chinchilla and regularly sends goods to the Coast.

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This square within a square quilt above also originates with Orrawin.

Margaret volunteered last month to assemble a huge bag of donated Suffolk Puffs to this result.

However, there were still enough puffs for a second member to try their hand and so we look forward to seeing the next version.

See also the detail from a quilt by Rosemary's sister,

tumbling blocks by Margaret O

and Gloriana's brick quilt

Annie showed how she had used half-square triangles in three different sizes and effects.

Claire entertained us with her creative take on the classic Possum Magic above and also brought along a sensory foot quilt and a sensory brick quilt made to meet special requests.

Anne's delightful children's quilts each followed a particular theme:

animals,vehicles, a train and a scrappy version.

Was that all? Not at all. 

The contents of those 5 bags from Bribie Island yielded delights as seen below.

Members were challenged to leave with at least 2kgs of fabric each.
To end this month's blog, one of our members has mislaid the pattern for the following quilt. If anyone picked it up from the freebies table, could you please contact us?  It is a stunning design and the member's family would all like one now.

Next meeting is Monday, 26 September.

July 2016

July 2016
While fewer quilts were photographed today, Sunshine Linus still distributed over 98 quilts. Where they went can be seen on the page entitled What we make and where it goes at right.

Knitted and crocheted items were popular donations including

Kanyini bears made by Bev

a group of colourful care bears

 

some practical shoulder capes destined for local nursing homes

and a pile of breast comfort cushions for Nambour Oncology Unit 

and the Sunshine Coast Breast Clinic

where Dawn's cloche and turbans will also be most welcome

Quilts completed for today from donated materials included a large star quilt, quilted beautifully by Ann on her domestic machine and a strippy quilt

 Machine embroidered squares are always welcomed to feature in quilts such as this pretty design.

 Barbara has raided her male family member's wardrobes and produced several quilts using every scrap of their unworn shirts:

Every scrap of fabric has been used in these strips and squares.

Tiny squares typical of the variety of donated goods each month have been carefully joined and quilted by Kaye using one of Claire's dyed  cotton sheets for backing.

Just as it seemed we had seen most of the quilts for display, in came Jeanette with her husband carrying a stack of quilts, some of which can be glimpsed on the right of the first photo. 

While some members cannot attend every month, they contributions are most valued when they arrive.

Blockenspeils were among the products provided for children. 

Since President Kaye taught some of us how to do these, a few arrive each month. The pinning an stitching can take as long as 6 hours. 

Weighted blankets for autistic children at Able Care, "touchy feely" aprons made by Rosemary and others, here modelled by Carolyn, and a large fabric ball made by Claire T were admired.

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A new design by Claire was this weighted  collar to be trialled in nursing homes for patients with Alzheimers -modelled by Judy.

Claire continues her fabric interpretations

 of favourite children's

 stories into interactive wall hangings. Her efforts with The Bear Hunt  and The Hungry Caterpiller left us all entranced.

 AH, there's the bear!!

 and a very well fed caterpillar indeed.

Next meeting is on Monday, 29 August.

June 2016

Marking the coldest June for five years for south east Queensland, Linus members celebrated their sixth birthday with a cake cut by four original members (Carolyn, Sharon, Lee and Liz).

Children's quilts featured this month:
Robots 

 and dinosaurs by Lee,

warm bunny rugs by Rosemary, and

a farmyard quilt and ducks in a row by Anne

More traditional quilts such as the Dresden Plate design, a double-sided Hunter Star and an interesting black white and pink design were shown by Orrawin and Denise.

(Note Orrawin's use of "leftover" lengths of binding on the back of this quilt. Bring your short leftover binding to Orrawin and she will make good use of them)

Goods to be sent to the Philippines such as the one-piece apron designed and modelled by Jan and the monitor bag designed and made by Lee add further challenges for members.

Mona and Sue have been forward thinking, bringing hero capes for Christmas gift bags, 

while our wonderfully creative Claire produced the Little Blue Riding Hood Cape, a wall quilt based on The Rainbow Fish and a skills book.

Jan's quilt-as-you-go Hearts epitomises the spirit of Sunshine Linus, using skills with textiles to improve the quality of life of those less fortunate than our members.

For a list of all the goods produced and distributed after this meeting, see the What we make and where it goes page on this blog.

Next meeting is Monday, 25th July.