Friday is forecast to be another very bad fire day. I am hoping it is no where near as bad as 'Black Saturday' as it is now being called. I learned today that a quilter friend's brother was killed in the fires. It really makes you feel helpless as there is absolutely nothing you can do or say except let them know that you care. I guess the message is we never know whats around the corner so let everyone you care about know it now!!!

Today is a national day of mourning here in Australia. I know it was televised Australia wide but not sure about elsewhere. It was a very moving ceremony. Tears were never far away throughout the ceremony. It just really hit home just how devestating the tragic fires of two weeks ago were. In know we are all trying to do our little bit eg. making quilts, getting together small stashes and kits for those who have lost theirs, but it seemed just so incidental today, the magnitude of the loss of unbelievable. But in true Aussie spirit many are already beginning to get on with their lives and rebuilt bits and pieces of their communities, sports club etc. I wish them well. I spent today once again working on what we now term bush fire quilts, I wish I had another term as this seems so inadequate, and I don't want to call them victims as most them were 'fighters' not victims and survivers portrays a meaning which I don't want to face just yet. My prayers are with them all.

Wednesday and today were once again spent sewing for the bushfire quilts. A few are just about finished now and they are looking really nice. The quilt as you go method is definitely the way to go when wanting to do quilts in a hurry, in fact one of the group says she only intends to use this method from now on as it is the quilting which gets to her (me to). Hand sewing is now finished except for the binding so back onto the machine tomorrow to put the finishing touches then the binding, my least preferred part of quilting.

These are the latest additions to my second sampler quilt using the small 6 inch blocks. I have just got a new pattern but haven't got around to doing it yet, concentrating on blocks for the bushfire quiltt at the moment

I have completed 18 blocks of the 30 needed for a QAYG string quilt for the bushfire victims. I have never done this method before but am finding it very easy. Not only that but I am using up mega scrap from my strip boxes. I actually have 2 empty large shoes boxes now and I haven't seen an empty one of these for years. Its incredible to think you make a lovely quilt completely out of scraps, so I am certainly 'stashbusting' here. A few of my friendship group are going to get together on Wednesday and again on Friday in the hopes of getting another few finished. Another mad firebug has been at work in the Otway Region which is closer to where I am but still a fair way away, but considering how quickly the fires spread last week one can never be sure. Precautions, precautions, I think are the order of the day at the moment.

Wow what a week! It was suggested by one of the members of my local group that we use our regular monthly meeting (yesterday) to make quilts for the bushfire victims (now up to about 1800 homes gone, so that means goodness knows how many homeless). I made a few phone calls and untold emails asking for people to come with their machines, fabric from their stashes, bits and pieces of batting etc. I was completely overwhelmed by everyone generosity. We had a great day. About 20 ladies spent the day, cutting, sewing and hand stitching. Most of us decided to use Jan Mac's method http://sewmanyquiltstoolittletime.blogspot.com quilt as you go as we want to get these quilts sewn and off as soon as possible. Many thanks to Jan for her tutorial, she is a fellow Southern Cross Quilter, and she does magnificent work for charity!
All in all I think we would end up with about 10 or so quilts (when they are all finished) and the members would like to either adopt a family or town. As yet I don't know how to go about this but with all the messages tooing and froing on the Southern Cross Quilters List I'm sure it will be possible in the near future. I hope so anyway. If not we will leave it to others to distribute.

What a very sad weekend. So much devestation, loss of life, property and wildlife here in Victoria from horrific bushfires. I spent much of the weekend listening to the radio to keep updated on the fire situation around the State. Saturday was far too hot to sew, about 44C here, so instead spent much of the day checking out a lot of great blogs via the blog rings I am a member of. Yesterday was much cooler down into the low 20s much better for sewing. I was able to get two heart blocks done for Southern Cross Quilters who are having a tough time at the moment either through sickness or loss of a family member.

I had hoped to post photos of two more 6 inch blocks but my camera decided it had had enough (probably heat stress!!) so this will have to wait until it has had a visit to the repair shop or been replaced with a new one. As I am now to the end of my download month this will probably be my last post for a while.

I have decided to make some smaller blocks e.g. 6 inch in softer colours as well as the 9 inch previously posted (two different quilts). All the blocks in the friendship swap will be included but I will make a lot of others as well of my own choosing. I am coming to the end of my download month and will be downsizing my allowance as the school holidays are over and the grandchildren are no longer here a few days a week logging up lots of time on the net. Consequently I will probably onlybe uploading photos once a month from the 10th as I find it really eats up my limit. I have been playing around with this blog adding bits and pieces to it and spending lots of time looking at some other really great blogs.