Hi All.  Welcome to the first Quilts of the Week post for 2013!!!
11 quilts and 31 laundry bags for 2013 and 
957 quilts and 1410 laundry bags overall!

Please note – I cannot take any more requests for personnel leaving Afganistan in March – it is getting too close to get quilts off to them as mail is too unreliable.

Now, on with the Quilts of the Week. Bearing in mind that this is still only the 4th of January and lots of people are still on holidays, and I shared some quilts on Monday night to finish off 2012, I think we have done pretty well this week.

 Lesley


Liz


Robyn and Sue and quilted by Chris

Belinda – I just had to show you a close up of the quilting!  This is Belinda’s first Aussie Hero Quilt.

Julie Ann

 Julie Ann

Kaye

Kylie

 Kylie

 Kylie

 Nancy



Great job everyone!

The thank you messages are rolling in as all the quilts we sent for Christmas have arrived.   Please do not be disheartened if you do not receive a thank you message – lots of the guys have been extremely busy, long hours, little time off and often limited internet and email access – particularly the more junior guys and girls.   Just take it from me that all our quilts and laundry bags are being appreciated.  One of the reasons for sharing the thank you messages on the blog is to show how much our things are treasured, even if not everyone who receives one can send a message or a photo.

 For Fran and Rick from JN

My quilt and bag arrived on Christmas eve. Let me say WOW. They are absolutely fantastic. I was blown away by the effort put into it especially seeing my beloved dogs on it. I waited till Christmas day to open it. I have it hanging pride of place on my wall next to my Aussie flag as its too nice to use on my bed. I can’t thank you enough for arranging it for me. What you and your quilters do is just fantastic, it is really nice to know that there are people out there that care for us enough to donate their time and money and brighten our time away from our loved ones.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and new year.

Thanks again from an proud Australian Airman.

Hi Rita (C) and Yang Family,

I’d just like to say thanks for the quilt and I appreciate the time and effort you put into it, I never knew a quilt could have such a story, I’m very impressed. I’d also like to thank you for your well wishes and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a happy New Years.

All of us serving here in Afghanistan appreciate the support you give us, especially during this time of the year when we’d like to be home with our family and friends.

Once again thank you very much and we all appreciate your support.

Good Afternoon Rita (C)

I just wanted to send you a quick email to say thank you very much for the beautiful quilt, photo frame and all the other lovely goodies I have received from you. 


They were a wonderful surprise and I have put the photo frame to good use with a nice photo of my younger brother and sisters. The quilt is keeping me warm of a night and the colours have definitely brightened up my room. I really appreciate the time and effort that was put into these gifts.


I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I wish a safe and happy New Year.


Regards,


Hello John and Rita (C),

Thank you very much for your kind gift, the hand made quilt. You will be happy to know that I have already made good use of it by adding it to my bedding on one of the particularly cold nights we have here.

Whilst the Camp I am in does have some constructed accommodation it does still get a bit cold. On this particular night we were at minus 3, but I think there is more to come as we head into Winter. I am in XXXXXXX which is a bit warmer than the other bases 🙂

Well, thanks again for the kind gift and lovely sentiments, we all feel very proud of the work we are doing and are heartened by the support and generosity of people such as yourselves. The quilt was a great gift and the quality is superb, I’m sure I will have it for many years to come and it will be one of the great reminders I have of my time in Afghanistan.


Keep up the great work and have a fantastic X-mas and New Year.


All the best 


The following are for Liz B
Hi Liz 

I would like to thank you so very much (and Jan-Maree of Aussie Hero Quilts) for my single bed quilt and matching laundry bag.  These items are very popular and well prized among us over here in Afghanistan (particularly since its now winter and I have to say its pretty cold during the day and most evenings)

Might I just add that I think my quilt is far far nicer than the others !!!!  I really appreciate your kind words and sentiments.
Trust this email finds you well and rested after the Christmas and New Year celebrations. 

Kind regards and best wishes.
Hello Liz and Rob,

Thank you so much for your quilt, it is fantastic. It came today in the mail run. Just in time for New Years. I can see the time it must have taken to create. Its really cold where I am at the moment and an extra quilt in my swag is a fantastic addition. Its been getting down to around -5 to -10 overnight.


I love the personalised laundry bag. It means now I don’t have to play the game of trying to pick my white laundry bag out amoung the hundreds in the laundry. Thank you as i was never that good at that game.


It really means allot to me that there are people out there willing to put in this amount of effort for someone they do not know. Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in getting me this package. It really has made my day. I will hold onto this quilt long after this deployment is over and one day hopefully pass it onto one of my own children.


Happy New Year and God bless you

G’day Leonie and AHQ,

        Thanks for the laundry bag. It’s come in handy as I have been using plastic bags to put my washing in, which tend to split quite regularly! The Dinosaur pattern is quite apt, as I am a bit of an old dinosaur myself.  Thanks again,



One for Lesley who made the quilt and Karen B who made the Laundry Bag

Thank you so much for my quilt and personalised laundry bag. It really means a lot to myself and all of the men and women serving over here that receive them.
Its great to see that good old fashioned morals and support from home are not dead in certain parts of the community.
Thank you once again!
Kind regards, 



For Jill

Thank you to your friend (that would be Jill)  that made me the quilt.  it made my day I love it 🙂 thank you so much 🙂

Another great week and a good start to the year.  I have a load of new requests on my list so if you want to make a quilt for someone specific please just let me know.  If you are new to Aussie Heroes and would like to be on my Volunteer List please let me know.  You can email me your contact details at fr**********@gm***.com

And a final reminder – if you would like to take part in the Aussie Hero 2012 Challenge Block please email Caroline for her details – she needs a stamped self addressed envelope.  The blocks that are coming in are fabulous – and this is going to be one special quilt!

Caroline’s email address is ca***********@gm***.com

Till next time…………….keep spreading the word and happy stitching!