Stitch for Pleasure Stitch for Charity

Stitching competition

2011-07-16T03:38:00.001-07:00

Attention all stitchers .
We now have a competition for you .

The best 10 x 10 inch stitched square , with a Disney theme sent in by 25th December will win :
A craft bag with : cross stitch kit , aida, threads,hoops and gold needles .

If you need to know where to send it , please contact me via e-mail and I will send you the details .
Thanks ,
Cath

Woolly challenge update

2011-07-12T06:10:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to show a couple of pics of what the squares will be made into .

Woolly Challenge.

2011-07-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Calling all knitters and crocheters.

Auntie Jane is looking for 1,000 4"x4" knitted or crocheted squares by Christmas . These are to be made up into jumpers and blankets.

You do not have to be a member of the forum to join this challenge.

Squares can be any colour , any ply , as long as they measure 4" x 4" .

There will be a prize for the person who sends in the most squares , and it's nice ,
The prize is a knitting bag filled with wool , bamboo needles,hooks and that magic word , CHOCOLATE , lol.

The closing date for squares to be received is 25th December , if anyone wishes to send in squares , but does not have the address to send to , please drop me a line . Also ,when sending squares , please enclose a note with your details .
Thanks ,
Cath

Changes

2011-07-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone .
You may have noticed that things are changing around here.
Basically we want to be able to show off more of the photos from the group , and this is the ideal place to do so.
As I'm adding new pages and sprucing up , I've also changed the look of the blog a little to make it a bit brighter.
Obviously , it will take a while to add all the pictures that we want to put on the new pages ,so please bear with me while I get sorted .
Thanks a lot ,
Cath

More quilts and Raising funds.

2011-06-08T06:00:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone , well Aunty Jane and Evelyn have been very busy of late . For those who aren't aware , Evelyn visits AJ every week to help her pack boxes and sort the donations .She has also been trying her hand at quilting ,with much success.

Here are some of the quilts produced by Aunty Jane , and Evelyns' first attempt.

For Tressa , the house mum at Rachels' Place

General girls theme

For Nosa

Evelyn's first

For Talant

General boys theme

For AnnaAunty Jane has recently spent the weekend with Tracy in preparation for them going to Lesotho next year . Tracy is trying to raise funds for the group, and while Aunty Jane was with her , had a sponsored hair cut.

Before :

And after :

So far , Tracy has raised about £200 from this , so Well Done Tracy , and a big THANK YOU!

In other news , we are now sending out boxes of love to Derby Royal Hospitals Neo - natal Intensive Care Unit , and they love the items sent , so thanks to all who send in the knitted items.

Thanks also to all who stitch for the lovely quilts.

Until next time ,

Cath

New Kids , New Quilts and New Places needed.

2011-05-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

A few new faces join the family at Rachel's' Place .

De Boy

NosiAnd Baby Sarah .I also wanted to show the latest quilts made by Auntie Jane.

They are all lovely , and will go to grateful new homes.

Speaking of new homes , we are currently looking for somewhere in the UK to send quilts to , so if anyone knows of a children's' respite care centre/hospice/residential school for special needs or what ever who would like to receive quilts to use , please let me know .

Also , if you know of a Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit that would like to receive knitted garments and blankets for the babies , again , please let me know .

Thank you to Auntie Jane for all of the hard work put in to make these quilts and keep the group going , and Thanks to all members who help too .

Cath

Send Aunty Jane to Lesotho .

2011-02-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone .

This is a very special post.

Val has invited Aunty Jane to go to South Africa and go to Lesotho to visit Rachel's Place and stay there with the children.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity , and obviously will not come cheap.

Aunty Jane is making up knitted teddies and dollies to sell (from her own stash) to raise funds for her trip , which will hopefully be in the Spring next year . If you'd like to buy one (or more ) of these lovely hand made toys , details are below.

Jelly~ Baby~ Hugs

And Teddies . They are £2.50 each , plus £1 postage or Two for £6 including postage . They are cute and cuddly and made from all new materials. (Available in the colourways shown ) So if you're interested , please contact Aunty Jane at stitchforcharity@hotmail.co.uk and help send Aunty Jane to Lesotho .

Thank you.

Jane

2011-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to show the latest quilt which has been finished and posted out for Baby Jane.

Sadly , Jane is poorly and in hospital at the moment . Her oxygen levels are quite low , but she is getting the help she needs . We are all hoping for a full and quick recovery .

Another lovely quilt by Aunty Jane . X

A very big THANKYOU.

2011-01-22T06:01:00.001-08:00

News from Aunty Jane , first off , Val is recovering from her surgery , and from a nasty stomach bug she caught not long after. Lots of love to Val , and wishes for a speedy full recovery .

The big news is that a very kind member ,who wishes to remain anonymous has sent in a donation of stamps , £150 worth , with more promised . As you can imagine , this makes a huge difference to the group as one of the main expenses is postage . This will cover sending out approx 20 boxes of love , so on behalf of everyone in the group , I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the lovely person for a most generous donation , it really means a lot .
That said , we have a back log of boxes waiting to go , so we do still need more stamps , and as more kids are coming to live at Rachels' Place , more donations of clothing , toiletries and other things for the kids are most appreciated .
Thanks again ,
Cath

Another new family member

2011-01-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

And , please welcome Talant , she is Zatters' younger sister , aged 4-5 at the moment . As there is no birth registration in Lesotho it is hard to keep track of the kids ages ,so a lot of them are approximate.

Baby Joshua , and a few other bits .

2011-01-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone , just wanted to show a pic of the latest little one to live at Rachel's Place .

This is baby Joshua ,

Joshua means saved by God ,and as the local pastor had to travel over the mountains on horse back to fetch him , Val thought it was quite appropriate.

And here is a pic of Joshua with Jane . Two precious little bundles who will hopefully have a long and happy life now at Rachel's Place .

Other news , Val is in hospital recovering from surgery for burst appendix and a few other problems , so we are all sending best wishes for a speedy recovery . Lots of love Val XXX

We are in need of knitted teddies ,and larger sized jumpers for the kiddies , and at present , we are organising Christmas boxes for the kids . Due to long postal times, they will have to be sent in September at the latest , so we are trying to get them sorted in plenty of time .

Thanks for reading ,

Cath

Urgent Request , Please help if you can

2010-11-28T13:17:00.000-08:00

We have had word from Val in South Africa that she is desperate for sleep suits , age 6-9 months and 9-12 months for the kiddies .
Please think of us if you can .
Thanks

Meet Baby Jane

2010-11-27T07:33:00.001-08:00

I'd like to introduce Baby Jane to everyone . She has been named after our very own Aunty Jane as thanks from Val and everyone in Lesotho for all that she is doing for them.

I'm sure you'll agree, she's a little beauty , and if she takes after her namesake she will also become a wonderful person .

Patchwork Frenzy .

2010-11-15T02:48:00.001-08:00

Aunty Jane has been on a roll this week ,with lots of new quilt tops made up and ready to be quilted . She has been very busy making the most of everyones' stitched squares and turning them into these lovely tops .
ENJOY!

Amy's Creche and a request for Crocs!!!

2010-10-29T01:58:00.000-07:00

Another one of our projects we plan helping next year
In from the start ..our aim is it provide cot quilts,soft toys, sleep wear,nappies and knitted garments for the babies...

Amys creche is nursery unit presently being built along side rachels place.. please help all you can THANK YOU XXXXXX
If you click on the picture it will take you to the information on the forum

Special request to all you kind hearted friends ... i need some croc's for the kiddies in rachels place please can you send me some ...any sizes and colours very very welcome thank you hugs auntyjane xxx

Meet the kids

2010-10-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

Rachels' Place has just taken in the first children , so we'd like to introduce some of the kiddies we are working to help .This is Nosa , also known as Lucy , what a lovely smile she has.Meet Jonnyand baby Chloe.

And this is Zatter , he is 8 years old and was being used as a shepherd. Here he is bathed and dressed in his brand new pj's all ready for his first night in his new home .

Thank you to everyone who helps these lovely kids .

XXX

On the beds at last.

2010-09-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

As promised , here is a pic of the quilts on the beds at Rachels' Place , and don't they look lovely , all ready for the kids to snuggle under them.
This is a pic of Vals' husband Davy with the local pastor , showing him and the children the quilts and telling them all about our group and what we've done for them.

The other news from Lesotho is that they are now in the process on building a baby unit next to Rachel's Place . This will be called Amys' Creche , and they are hoping to have it up and running for September next year . So , we will be busy making cot quilts, knitted garments and blankets and collecting baby items. If you want to help but need more info , please visit our site .

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this possible .

Another quilt and news from Val

2010-09-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here's another new quilt from Aunty Jane . We all love to stitch the alphabets , but it is more work when it comes to making up the quilt tops. As you can see though, they look fantastic when done.This is a picture of Val sorting through the stuff to be loaded into the container that was being shipped from Ireland to South Africa.

The big news is, that the container should be arriving in Lesotho next week . So , hopefully we'll get some pictures of some of our quilts on the bed in Rachels' Place . I'm sure the kids will love them .

Thanks for visiting .X

New quilts and news from Val

2010-08-24T06:25:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone , just to show the latest of quilts from Aunty Jane .

The whole of the lovely cake alphabet was stitched by one of our members . Love the bright orange , that should cheer someone up .The latest news from Val is that Rachels Place can now take in children . They have their charity number and everything is sorted for the go ahead. They have permission to build the toilets and the equipment for the solar power is ordered , so things are looking good. Here's a pic of Val with a couple of the local children.

Thanks

Message from Jane about Rachels Place

2010-06-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

Just received this message from Jane about Rachels place and her trip to meet Val and Janet so thought Id post it here for all to read xx
hi folks

As many of you already know i have just come back from a very informative meeting with Valerie bailey the lady who together with her husband Davy have built a much needed children's orphanage in south Africa. the name RACHEL'S PLACE was chosen after a young girl called Rachel white who was knocked down and died in northen Ireland Valerie's home country not far from where our beloved Jaymbee lives ...Rachel's place will be home for around 60 children without families to care for them from babies to 17 years( they have just this month recived their charity number)

Our early support for Rachel's place came in 2008 via a trip to a small sub post office in the Acomb district of york UK and the baby pack project .. a story on its own . ;D ;D ;D

when i first found out that RACHEL'S PLACE was being built i wanted our fantastic crafting group to help in some small way so i offered without thinking our first 50 quilts. This was to be over 2 years but thanks to you and your fantastic generosity and to Angie who offered her quilting skills we've done it in 6 months...THANK YOU TO OUR MODS AND TO OUR MEMBERS

This week i went to northen Ireland to hand over the first half of our quilts for Rachel's place together with 30 huge boxes of love containing hand crafted and bought garments,toys,blankets and other donated items for the babies and children. Valerie has family in northen Ireland and the support of Rachel's family who fund raise to aid val and the work at Rachel's place

i met val and Janet for the first time this week and we chatted and chatted for around 4.1/2 hours non stop :D ;D Val is a very genuine person, and i like her... the outcome of this is that each child will now receive a quilt and a bed bag from us to keep on arriving at Rachel's place..they will also receive a notebook,pencil and toy together with any clothing donated for them...our aim is to also send each child a small Christmas box too ...i have also offered to send as many cover kits as possible for the older girls to stitch and use

the village where Rachel's place is situated is very very poor and the weather either very hot or very cold... they had snow just last week .they don't have electricity nor gas and the orphanage has no heating nor water supply, this is collected from the only stand pipe in the village which has been known to freeze. personal and clothing washing is done here too. i dare not tell you about their toileting needs.. :o :o...

the cooking of the children's one single meal a day is done on 3 bottled gas rings..the children don't get much meat to eat as its not allowed to bring meat in to the village....

well folks Ive updated you to the best of my abilities my own personal commitment to Rachel's place and to val is 200% i would very much appreciate your support for both our group and for Rachel's place but i do understand if you don't feel able to support us at this time

we will be holding a second fund raiser in the summer of 2011 this will be to help us to keep up with postage and materials costs donations are very welcome

thank you for taking the time to read this message hugs Jane and the gang xxx

please ask if you need any more info hugs jane xxxx

Thank you and a Plee for Help from Val

2010-05-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Try again I put this post on the wrong blog!!!!

hi gang ...im really happy to announce that we have just about reached
our target for 50 christmas boxes for the kids at rachels place
THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE who has kindly donated.. because of the huge
...amount of things donated ive not been able to make these up as
individual boxes but i have packed every thing in to
transportable boxes...

HELP does anyone know any
companies that do solar power ,we need something that will light Rachels

Place about 20 lights as we dont want to use candles or the oillights
incase of fire.there will be no elec in the home as there is none in the
village,we have got prices here but we could build another home with
...the money that they are looking for about 20 lights ,if anyone has any
ideas please let us know ,valxx

Request for Clothing ( From Aunty Jane)

2010-04-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

HI FOLKS
I'd like to put out a special request please for underwear,shorts,trousers and teeshirts for both boys and girls from the age of 2-12 years ..all will be going to Rachels place as they have nothing to offer the children when it opens later this year.
Thank you hugs Jane and the gang xxx

3 more quilts for Rachels Place

2010-03-30T03:09:00.001-07:00

Here's 3 more from our very clever ladies Angie and Jane

Jane did the 2 Blue ones and Angie did the fish quilt Im sure you will agree they are all 3 fantastic Well Done Ladies xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2 more quilts by Angie

2010-03-23T02:13:00.001-07:00

WOW Angie your on a roll hun Fantastic quilts again for Rachels Place xxx

2 more quilts for Rachels Place

2010-03-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the next 2 quilts for Rachels Place these have been completed by Angie

Fantastic work hun Well Done xxxx I'm sure the kiddies in Africa will love them and their room will be so bright and colourful its bound to cheer them up.

1st Quilt for Rachels Place (African Compassion)

2010-02-19T01:10:00.001-08:00

Here's the first finished quilt for Rachels Place, Im sure you will agree it looks great well done Jane as you say 1 down 49 to go xxxxx

(editted)Boxes of Love and the first quilt progress for Rachels Place

2010-02-18T02:39:00.001-08:00

Here's a photo of the 28 Boxes of Love Jane recently parcelled up and sent Don't they look fantatsic I'm sure they are joyfully recieved they are so colourful and below that is a photo of one of the babies that recieved a box.

Huge thanks to all that contributed with knitting stitching and donations for these boxes, and a

Massive thanks to Jane for all the hard work she does making the boxes up.

Also below is Jane with the first quilt in progress for Rachels Place isnt it looking fantastic Well done Jane and you look very cosy under there too!!!

Baby Rosie and her quilt

2010-02-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

The title says it it. Meet Rosie and her quilt isnt she just the cutest.

Rosies Quilt

2010-01-26T00:21:00.000-08:00

Here is Aunty Janes latest stunning creation , well done Jane you do a fantastic job .

Latest news on the Haiti quilt on e bay is that it has now reached £26.00

Please use this link or the one in the side bar to go and take and look and or place a bid

Hugs to all

Shellie

URGENT REQUEST FOR HELP

2010-01-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

Urgent request for Help
Stitchers needed to help stitch 750 squares for 50 quilts for a 60 bed orphanage being built in South Africa (as mentioned in previous post )as you read this..
Please send us any squares you can all will be used
For more information please check out our forum by clicking HERE
Massive Thanks in advance from Aunty Jane and the Gang xxxxxxxxxx

A Special Picture

2010-01-15T00:43:00.000-08:00

Aunty Jane has just recieved this photo from Val in Africa one of the little girls we have helped. She is sitting on one of our knitted blankets and holding one of our teds. Certainly makes it all worthwhile when you see pictures like this doesnt it girls, also makes me feel lucky that my kids are growing up with all the things they have got.
You can find out more about Val and her work here

First post of 2010

2010-01-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

Firstly and finally LOL Happy New Year ( better late than never)
Thought the first post of 2010 should show some of the kiddies we help. Dont know all the individuals but here are some with their quilts and some of the youngsters we help in Africa.Hugs to all and thanx for staying with us

Apologies for not posting more often

Hugs Shellie

Our very own Anuty Jane with her grandson Chris ( who we are in the process of making a Cat quilt for)

Some of the children we send boxes too in Africa

Rhys using one of the bibs

Just a few of the lovely children with their quilts

Happy Christmas to all

2009-12-21T05:44:00.000-08:00

Heres the final post for this year.
We would like to wish all on the forum and our blog readers a Very happy Christmas and Happy New Year
Here's the latest quilt from A|unty Jane it is for a little girl called Bethany and 2 Winnie ones as well
Jane Im sure every agrees they are as always stunning hun xxxxx

Beautiful Christmas Quilt

2009-11-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

Aunty jane has just finished this gorgeous Christmas Quilt

I'm sure you will agree it is stunning

Well Done Jane

And a huge thank you to everyone for leaving comments xx

Angies Quilts

2009-11-24T00:54:00.000-08:00

Decided to give Angie a post all to herself to show off her quilts ( modelled here by Aunty Jane )

Im sure Jane will agreee its a great to have some one else quilting with her and that Angie has done a great Job

Well done Angie and thank you for all your hard work.

Janet's Knitted Blankets

2009-11-23T01:29:00.001-08:00

Here's some photos of the lovely blankets that Janet makes with all the knitted squares we send her

Janet they are lovely I love the way you finish them off hun well done Im sure they are greatly recieved.

Endangered Young uns Quilt

2009-11-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

Heres Jane's latest finish

Gorgeous or what!!!??

Finally a post

2009-11-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

Finally I have the energy etc to update this blog
I've not been able to sit at the PC for long stretches so by the time Ive answered e mails and blogged and said hi on the forum Ive had it and my health is not the best at the mo
Anyway enough excuses
Some updates
September saw the Fundraiser ran by Auntie Jane and others up in York and those clever lasses raised over 400 pounds WTG Girls

There was a request for a special quilt with a ballet themed for a little girl called Chloe
and Aunty Jane has been joined by a new quilter called Angie - welcome to the gang Angie.
Here's Chloe's quilt modeled by Aunty and some of Angies quilts too.
Girls if u want me to add anything please yell. ( I wont be offended been a few months to catch up on)
Thats all I can think of for now
Love and Hugs Shellie

Chloes Quilt
Quilt made up by Angie more to be added when I get fotos!

Another Gorgeous Quilt

2009-08-20T01:05:00.000-07:00

Here's Jane most recent finish I belive she finished this just yesterday

JANE - its gorgeous hun well done and Very best Wishes from us all on the Forum for tomorrow we will be thinking of you

Love and Hugs and Thanx to anyong who spends some time and leaves a comment!!

Jane is a STAR

2009-08-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Our Founder Aunty Jane is going to be very busy getting quilts ready for Maureen from the Hobmoor Oaks School ( hope I got that bit right Jane)for September so she won't be about online much for the next couple of weeks as she needs to get loads done before her knee op.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE OP JANE I'M SURE ALL OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU FOR NEXT WEEK.

Another of our group is absent at the mo too

Sammie has hurt her hand so we all wish her a speedy recovery too and hope she is soon bk to her cross stitch etc.

Here are two of the stunning quilts Jane has recently finished I am sure you will agree she has done a fantastic job and the recipient will be very very lucky

WELL DONE JANE YOU TRULY ARE THE STAR

Honey Pot Bear Quilt

Outerspace Quilt

Im Back

2009-08-10T03:36:00.000-07:00

Just popping in to say Hi Im back.
Will be updating this blog at some point this week when I have got all the news etc from Aunty Jane.
So wastch this space
Love and Hugs Shellie

Last post before I disappear for a couple of weeks Updated with Teddies Escapades!

2009-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Latest from Aunty Jane is that she just got back from her Cross stitch Group who have donated some squares and some hand crafted cards so huge thanks to them.
She has posted out to South Africa this week and has been busy knitting teddies in 4ply getting ten little teds out of one ball with still some wool left over WTG Jane
She had a little disaster with the Transport quilt but has rescued that one brilliant job Jane, Im sure I wouldve thrown a paddy and left it lol

Next - Dianes teddy arrived and Jane says he is great and doesn't know what your were worried about Diane Jane loves him.

Finally a huge Thank you to everyone with their continued support and fundraiser support too
Thanks for reading please leave a comment
Hugs and Love
Shellie and Aunty Jane

Check out Teddies Escapades

With Janes Cat!

Checking out the Boxes

Snuggled under the Transport Quilt shattered after a busy day exploring!

Finally a 2nd Post!!!

2009-07-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hope you didn't think Id deserted you just that I've not been well.

Anyway here's the update for the last 2 weeks or so with a few pictures too, loads more pictures of everyones beautiful work can be found via the forum in the photos section.

Firstly I need to thank everyone for their contributions and donations, Jane has received

Squares , knitting, handmade cards, stamps ( which help greatly with the postage costs) and some donations for the baking fund for cakes for the upcoming fund raiser in Sept.

So huge thank you to all.

Jane has posted out several boxes to, Africa, Preemies UK and the Royal Berkshire Hospital and she has also sent out wool for the knitted teddies that we are in desperate need off especially 4ply ones as they knit up smaller for the smaller babies that sadly don't survive these go in pairs one with the angel baby and one in a memory box for the parents.

We also need small blankets and little trousers, teddies etc for the Christmas boxes which Jane posts out in September.

Secondly :-

Jane has been working very hard to update the forum , there's still a few tweeks to do but she has done a great job considering its her first ever time and she did it all on here own ( Fab work Jane we are all impressed )

Please come and have a look and let us know what you think.

Below are a few pictures of items that have arrived and/ or been posted as I said before you can see everyones work in the Photos section on the main forum.

I am off on my hols soon but there should be at least one more post before I go

Thanx for reading and leaving a comment

Bibs with cross stitched bands

TeddiesAn Angel Gown ( this one was knitted by my darling Mum )

Welcome to our new blog

2009-06-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Firstly welcome the the Stitch for Pleasure Stitch for Charity Blog

More info and photos will be addded as I go along but here this weeks report on how things are going.

There is loads more information on our Forum and Website (Click on the words to go to the forum and site)

Aunty Jane ( our founder) has sent out 3 boxes of love 2 to the UK and one toSouth Africa.

She has recieved several parcels of donations both from Members and Non Members of the group. She has also completed the Groovy Chic Blanket and has already started on the first Lucie Heaton's Transport Alphabet Blanket.

Here's and example of the blankets and of the knitting that this group has done.

Transport Blanket in progress ( looking great Jane xxxx)

A recipient with her blanket

Boxes of Love