Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

As well as applique a couple of the blocks will be painted too.

Next Aussie Hero Quilt Started.

 This next quilt is for my recipients baby daughter. Request is favourite colours blue and green, mermaids and fish. The 3 large pieces are background and the rest will be fish and mermaids and weeds appliqued on. I will add some pops of colour with starfish and details.

This is the fabric for the back. Keys is a prominent feature.

The McGrath Foundation Project.

This is the mini quilted wall hanging I have made for the McGrath Foundation. Posting it on Monday.
https://handiquilter.com.au/news/the-mcgrath-foundation/
Designed by Helen Godden for this specific purpose, This is her link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRCRBlkGNg
A very worthwhile and interesting project.

Aussie Hero Quilt Finished.

Aussie Hero quilt finished. Laundry bag tomorrow.

Almost Finished.

All ready to hand stitch the binding to the back.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

One more row to add for the top. I am liking how it is coming together. Showing the back of the quilt as well.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

Getting there.

Started on the Tree.

This is the beginnings of the tree.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

 For something different, I am quilting the blocks from the back side up to echo the leaves and flowers. This makes the back more interesting.

From the front it looks like this.

Aussie Hero Quilt Request Started.

This is the start of my next Aussie Hero quilt request. Mystical tree with gold leaves. the black fabric is for the back of the blocks, the pale yellows for the background of the top of the blocks and the brown for the trunk and branches and the green with gold for the leaves. I have made a drawing with a grid pattern to make my tree shapes for each block to be cut out and appliqued. I bought some gold glitter fabric paint and will do a test piece first to see if it will work.
Inspired by my weekend away for the Aussie Hero Dinner I have sorted out my sewing room and kept only Aussie Hero stuff with small cardboard boxes for other crafts. Organised and focused.

Laundry Bag To Go With Quilt.

Laundry bag to go with quilt.

Aussie Hero Quilt Finished.

Aussie Hero quilt request finished.

Aussie Hero Stuff.

 At the War Memorial. With Nicole and Caroline. Me in the middle my very first Selfie! Two very lovely ladies who picked me up and took me back to the Hotel for each and every event. Thank you You are Amazing!.
I was going to do a write up about the whole experience but it would end up incoherent babbling! My suggestion would be to go to the Aussie Hero Quilts and laundry bags to see what is written there.  If you have sewn for Aussie Heroes it is an event well worth going to. From my experience it is refreshing to be talking to and listening to fellow sewers first hand. To see and hear from the recipients first hand. To thank them for their Service in person is beyond great. Will I go again? YES!
The lovely Sandy at POPPY'S on the last day bought me breakfast, (I literally had $1 to my name at that point) asked me if I could add BOMs as she has a core team that takes these blocks and makes them into quilts and could use more help. 
All I can add to it is my own understanding of what it all means, to those who receive our gifts of a quilt and or laundry bag. It has empowered me to try harder and to work better. I will now be adding BOMs to my list. One week a month at the start of the month I will be for that week making the blocks and sending them in. I will make a block a day as well to add to the bags. 
My kids are giving me two 5 kilo pre paid post bags each month to do it.
If you have kids, you are as a parent, very proud of them. They know it because you tell them, but to hear from your own kids how proud they are of you, is something I did not expect to hear, but I am so happy that they are! So they too are a contributor to a cause I am so passionate about.

My next quilt ready to put together.

Kitty Quilts.

 This is Leigh

This is Wiss. They love their new kitty quilts.
Give me a day or two to gather my thoughts and to catch up on sleep, Looking forward to letting you know how wonderful and inspiring it was to be with fellow Aussie sewers and recipients.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

To give the quilt a bit more punch I am making sure that the anchors are having a flow about them by laying them out light to light and dark to dark.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

This is the anchor quilt block quilted.

Free Motion Quilting.

This is the free motion quilting I will be doing after a little practice first.
Tutorial is found here.
http://www.afewscraps.com/2015/03/fmq-weekly-watery-meandering.html

Next Aussie Hero Quilt Started.

 The request is for anchors and paisley. This lovely variegated blue is going to be anchor blocks, using trapunto not sure how I will be quilting it yet,

The paisley blocks are quilted by tracing around the paisleys. Not sure if it shows up here. All the back blocks will be the same paisley blocks.

Aussie Hero Quilt Finished.

Aussie Hero request quilt finished.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

Blocks have been all sewn, putting it all together with Meggie helping this time.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

 Tilli helping.

The layout so far.

Kitty Lap Quilts.

Today I made a couple of lap quilts for my daughter, Her two cats love being on a lap on a blanket and getting brushed. This is a summer solution. Cotton on one side, this is for the lap side down, the top, soft fluffy top for the cat to sit on. Red emoji on one.

 White on the other. Looks like I will be making some for my cats too, Tilli loves it!

Too cute.

Started Again.

It was getting far too busy and not enough scraps to do what I originally wanted. Less colours, more order. The border is half the width of each block so I am doing 4 applique and painted blocks bordered in the deep pink, the food is in the border, not sure what the other blocks will be yet.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

A couple of blocks done. I am using up strip scraps around the blocks to frame them as no colours have been chosen as a favourite. All the black outlines have been sewn on the figures too, so it is quilting it at the same time.

Next Aussie Hero Quilt Started.

 My recipient has asked for food, fitness fashion and shoes. These are the fabrics for the back.

For the front, a mixture of applique and hand painted panels inserted into blocks. The blocks will be quilt as you go.

Aussie Hero Quilt Finished.

 Front.

Back, just needs the label.

Meggie Helping.

Playing around with the layout before putting the rows together.

Aussie Hero Quilt Continued.

 Centre block.

Ready to be sashed and bound.