Thank you in Geelong

from w
Every single day a woman phones me or calls in about boxes of beautiful materials, sewing kits, wool, craft books, etc. for me to sort, box, label and take to the Donation in Kind Geelong depot in North Geelong. Peceli helps in boxing and transporting. About fifteen containers leave the depot each year bound for the South Pacific or Asia. I am amazed that a small request and a dozen flyers I printed have had such a response, often from strangers who just happened to see a flyer at the Spotlight shop. The women often give me an assortment of craft items that are brand new from the shops. The items are going to women's groups in Fiji (or elsewhere) or to secondary schools for the needlework classes. I believe that there are always two or three women in every village who are inventive, imaginative, and can find new ways to make quilts, baskets, mats, clothing, etc. I hope some will be able to establish cottage industries with the things we send.
Today when I came back from a luncheon with a group of older church women I found the front verandah of our house filled with boxes, and I don't know who delivered them!

Another thing for saying thank you is for the recent rain so the drought is a memory, though we are still on restrictions. The grass has greened up and the citrus trees have survived. There are flowers and even fruit on the lemon tree in our back yard. A few months ago I really thought the tree would not survive the drought.

Sending goods to Vanua Levu

from w
This morning the container going to Vanua Levu at the initiative of Joy, was finally filled and locked ready to be transported to Melbourne then Lautoka then onto Dreketi in Vanua Levu. It was filled with computers, furniture, books, medical supplies, women's bras (!) etc. etc. and my assortment of boxes for women's needlework and crafts I had collected from various women's groups in Geelong. The locals here are very generous in giving new and old items. This afternoon more boxes arrived at my doorstep from a sister of a dear friend Nancy who passed away a couple of years ago so I did a doubletake when I saw her resemblance. Her donated goods included lengths of cloth for sewing and also little craft items and samples of what to do with them. They will go to women's groups and high school needlework students in another container later in the year. Geelong Donation in Kind depot sends about 15 containers a year to South Pacific islands and to South East Asia.
(some photos added later; thanks Joy.)

Another Quilt Convention

from w
Usually I chuck advertising material straight into the recycle but this one caught my attention, the 2008 Quilt Convention coming up in Melbourne. I went last year and saw so many beautiful examples of women's crafts though it was really, really crowded with enthusiastic quilters. This time the exhibition will include some South African embroidery from the Kopanang Project for village women affected by the HIV/AIDS virus. This group recently received a commission for 13 wall hangings for Oprah Winfrey's South African school for girls.

Another things I noticed in the brochure was a competition to make quilts for 'Under Flynn's Wings' - as it's eighty years on since the commencement of the Flying Doctor Service in Australia's inland. A nice mix of craftwork with the history of the Presbyterian / Uniting Church's national mission to the inland.