Sisters of Stitch 4th Birthday!

Since I retired in 2011, I have been attending a group called Sisters of Stitch who meet regularly at Chermside library. It is a group which is not run by a committee and no fees are charged other than the occasional collection for tea, coffee and milk money. Attendees bring whatever craft project that they wish to do, and as a result there is quite a variety of lovely items being worked on. Last Wednesday, we celebrated the group's 4th birthday.

The cake plus cupcakes...

A few of the ladies start taking the lids off food containers or gladwrap off plates of food....

Everyone (well almost everyone) is watching the cutting of the cake...

 Judie, the organiser had asked people to bring in any examples of their earliest crafting work that they still had..

Like this school sampler...

 

And this embroidered apron made by one lady when she was in Grade 1 in a small one teacher school near Childers...

This was another sampler and sandwich plate doiley made by one member...her grandmother had taught her how to embroider...

 Some of the group standing around chatting during afternoon tea time...

I'm disappointed that this photo came out a bit blurry...it is a tapestry done in fine threads. Glenda, one of our members has stitched away at this for months. She told us that working on it helped her through the tough time of losing her job 12 months ago... It is magnificent!

 Here below, Judie is holding Glenda's work up and you can also see a pile of quilts on the table...some of the ladies brought along their early or first quilts.

Sisters of Stitch also become involved in the community and to celebrate our 4th birthday, Judie asked each of us to donate a picture book. The books have now been taken to the library at the Royal Childrens' Hospital ... we collected 2 boxes of books!

Another view of the books...

And last Wednesday I also took along some other items...yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, nappies (diapers) ...

One of our regular SOS ladies is the guide leader at Chermside. This guide group is collecting cloth nappies, baby clothes and personal items for female prisoners in PNG who have babies...

( My friend Olga passed away peacefully early this morning...

When I come to the end of the road, and the sun has set for me; I want no rites in a gloom filled room; why cry for a soul set free. Miss me a little...but not too long and not with your head bowed low. Remember the love that once we shared; miss me but let me go. For this is a journey we must all take and each must go alone; It's all a part of life's plan; A step on the road to home. When you feel lonely and sick of heart, go to the friends you know; And bury your tears in their loving arms. Miss me - but let me go. R.I.P Olga xx )

The author of the above passage seems to be Unknown, however I have noted how this text is often printed in funeral order of service booklets. it is very comforting to bereaved people.

Still keeping busy...

We got home last Saturday and it's been a busy time since...
Sunday I met up with some school friends for coffee. Monday was just catching up on chores around the house.
Tuesday was a Knit and Natter at Zillmere in the morning

and a former colleague's retirement afternoon tea later in the day...

Her farewell gift was a pair of earrings that she had really wanted...there was a bit of subterfuge here with her daughter helping pick the right gift! lol

Wednesday was DH's birthday, so a lunch for him and one of the DsD's had to be organised... then it was off to Sisters of Stitch as I had a story book to hand in as this group is going to make a donation of children's books to a hospital in honour of the group's birthday in June.

Then Wednesday night, some more of the family came over to help DH celebrate. DsD2 brought a salad and the cake which really cut my workload down and enabled me to go to S.o.S. that day.

What a magnificent cake that DsD2 made for her dad...

Thursday was my 6 monthly check up with the cardiologist (no disease, just racing heart) and all blood test results were great, especially liver function!! No evidence of fatty liver disease any more and that was great news!!! And blood pressure readings continue to lower...so good news all round.

Friday was just a hairdresser appointment but Saturday has seen DH and I out and about in the community.

You see, the Queensland government, after sacking about 14 000 public servants, is now working on cutting services...and our local high school is facing closure. I felt strongly about that because this school is like a community hub in this area...not just offering educational services, but many other groups in the community use the grounds and buildings out of school hours. It is also a school that offers less academic students a number of educational opportunities including trade certificates etc. All 3 of my stepdaughters went to this school as well as DD1 for her year 11 and 12 years after her high school closed. So I've seen what a school closure does to people and the community...so...just after 9.30 this morning DH and I walked to the local state politician's office where we would meet up with other people...the plan was that the assembly would then march to the school.
As we neared the pollie's office I could see that already people had gathered...my heart swelled with pride! people did care!!!

I've been a union member all my working life and a union rep for the last 3 years of my career...I'm an old hand at protests, demos and marches...lol

Here's someone I knew...this lady used to work at the local Coles supermarket before her son was born...her sign on his pram says it all! Also in the photo is a folk singer who sang all those old protest songs we remember from the 60s and 70s.
DH was asked if he would carry a sign...

Here we are all lined up, ready to cross the busy road so we could start our march up Stafford Rd. Brave souls stopped the traffic so we could all cross together...the people in the cars didn't seem to mind...

Here we are walking past the shopping centre

The marchers have reached the school front gate...

This is our destination...the school hall....

The television stations were all there including Sky News...

Here's some of the crowd...

And I'll let the posters have the final word in this post...

A guest blogger...

Regular readers would know that I am a member of a charity knitting group, Knitting for Brisbane's Needy. A few weeks ago, I approached the founder of this group and asked her if she would like to be a guest blogger...and she agreed. So, here's Karen!

Hello, my name is Karen Croke from Knitting forBrisbane’s Needy, and Maria has invited me to be a guest writer on her blog to talk about the work of the group.

I started the group in 2006 with just 2 members. I was inspired to start the group after a chance meeting with a welfare officer from a not for profit charity, who helped homeless/needy families. She mentioned that Queenslanders didn’t seem to donate warm clothing as it was thought that it didn’t get cold enough in Queensland. When the welfare officer mentioned people being cold, living under bridges, in parks, doorways of buildings etc, I offered to knit some beanies and scarves. And that is how the group started…

Membership has reached over 400 members, who have provided more than 150,000 items up to December 2012 (including   41,000+ donations just in 2012 alone). K4BN receives no funding and all yarn is donated or bought by members themselves. (Although last year the group won $5000 which was a wonderful boost for buying supplies)

One of our members, Joy, manning our stall at a Seniors' Expo

Here we are at Petrie...ready with items to give away 

Items are donated to charities in Queensland and interstate which assist the needy. The charities must give the items DIRECTLY to those in need. The following gives you an idea of the scope of our giving. 

We help :-

·         Homeless

·         Crisis centres for women and children

·         Premature babies

·         Cancer sufferers

·         Youth in crisis

·         Aboriginal settlements

·         Animal refuges

·         Aged homes

·         Families in need

Now I mentioned that way back in 2006, I offered to knit scarves and beanies, well it wasn't long before many other items were added to the list of what the groups makes or collects for distribution. We make ‘Premmie’ and baby clothes (including booties, beanies, jackets, mittens, blankets), children’s beanies, gloves, jumpers, vests, scarves and probably most importantly, TOYS.

This lady is 91 and recently gave the group 900 squares which she had knitted. A number of these have already been sewn into blankets...

We make adult beanies, scarves, gloves, jumpers, vests and blankets; the latter we just never seem to have enough to keep up with demand. We also make blankets and toys (mainly for cats and dogs) to go to animal refuges. Another item that is in great demand are unused toiletry items to go into the hundreds of ‘hygiene packs’ our members make up each year for distribution to those in need; not only for the homeless but for those in domestic violence shelters, those adversely affected by natural disasters etc.

Some of our members sew beautiful quilts for the group to distribute...

Now Maria said I should include ‘a story’ as she said people love anecdotes…so here is something that happened recently at the BBQ for the Homeless event in Musgrave Park…

Angela Fohler ( one of the original members of the group) had made one of her incredible quillows in the indigenous colours. As soon as I saw this older indigenous man walking around I knew I wanted him to have the quillow, even before I spoke with him. When he got over to us, we gave him an indigenous beanie and then I offered him the quillow. I just can't explain the look that came over his face, it was one of incredulence (is that even a word??); he just held it and touched it, but then wanted to hand it back. I asked him why, "Because I have a beanie, someone else will need that".

I told him that I wanted him to have it, and at that, he hugged it to himself and then started crying. When we asked why he was crying he said it was because "no one has ever, ever given me anything in my life and now you have given 2 things and in my traditional colours". He then told us some stories of how he (and others) have been treated; spat on, sworn at, had their possessions stolen etc etc. He had just moved into some hostel type accommodation after many years of being homeless, after leaving the Australian Army!!! He was very proud of the fact that he had a key to his room, so he knew his beanie and quillow would be safe!!! Of course, by then I had joined him in crying!! I think after that he came back every 10 minutes or so, to thank us again and Bless us for making him feel "normal". All the time he was wearing his beanie, and hugging his quillow. Needless to say, when I went home that day I started on another indigenous beanie!

It’s stories like that, that keep Peter ( my husband) and I determined to keep doing what we do for the needy, as long as we are able to. 

Yet again! I've been sorting through those boxes of photos

If you remember, one of my goals to work on after I retired, was to work my way through the boxes (and boxes) and albums of photos that I seemed to have amassed over the years. My idea was that I would sort the photos into different categories and then scan the photos to make digital albums. There would be a copy kept on our portable hard drive and then there would be copies stored in either my Facebook account and/or my Box account. The latter 2 methods of storage mean that there is yet other copies which can be retrieved from any computer not just ours. The Facebook album of my mother's family has been brilliant for all the younger  members of our extended family as they can copy photos for themselves.  

One lot of photos that I've been putting aside for quite a while and have quite a pile, were photos taken at functions and celebrations at our church. The other day I had fun scanning and putting together a digital album of a concert we had in 1992 to raise funds...and we had lots of fun!

 Everyone helped in some way...

In the kitchen...

These lovely ladies were even having fun with the washing up!

There was a wonderful buffet table in the kitchen and one of the cheeky players  was  getting up close and personal  to one poor fellow...

Some of our young parishioners provided musical items...

There were recitations...

Peta performed a dramatic and moving rendition of 'The Man from Ironbark' 

This lady was a lecturer in the English Department of the University of Queensland...before this she worked as a teacher aide at the school where I worked, and she wrote pantomimes for my Year 7 Drama Club...

 Then we had an item from 'Les Mis'. Adrianna is still involved with music now in her middle 20s

The ladies guild worked on an act too...a medley of songs from 'My Fair Lady'... lots of rehearsals for that!

Waiting in the Sunday School room waiting for our item to be announced...

After Intermission we had 2 melodramas. The casts in these had just a few rehearsals due to work commitments...but that made it even more hilarious!
Melodrama # 1

3 'school girls' and their headmistress wait for their cues...Act 1

Cath, the Head Mistress, walks amongst the tables with her long list...

Then it was a quick change out of the sports uniform into the white outfit to play the poor heroine who was being forced against her will to marry the evil Jasper Jellybags, the villain of the piece!  But like all melodramas, after a lot of 'hamming it up' from the players and booing and hissing from the audience, it all came out right at the end. :-)

Phew! We're nearly at the end of the drama now, having survived forgotten lines  by one cast member  who then ad libbed and jumped a whole page of the script...and that page had my character's funny lines  too! sigh...

Melodrama #2
Father Neville organised this in friendly opposition to our Melodrama#1! They had had less rehearsals than us...and it showed! lol But young Peta was brilliant as Poppy the poor heroine....

The holey stockings were a nice touch! lol

Peta's mum, Pat, and Father Neville were the villains...

There were heaps of other musical items and also some dancing. It was a great night and it's been fun to 'look back'.