Christmas 2017 Quilters Needed

We are looking to provide 210 Christmas quilts to 20 neonatal nurseries right across Western Australia and need your help!

Jill of Patchwork Place in Albany has kindly designed a pattern for us to share with our sewers and hope that they might join them in creating some beautiful memories. You can download the instructions here, or find them below.

You can post items to Tiny Sparks WA, PO Box 1114, West Leederville WA 6901.  We are working to provide a NOR and SOR drop off location.  Please e-mail admin@tinysparkswa.org.au for the addresses.

We would appreciate if all quilts could be sent in by the 1st of December to allow us time to distribute state wide before Christmas.

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Christmas Quilts for Tiny Sparks WA

Size 16" x 24"
 Or
41 cm x 61 cm

Requirements

Piece backing approx. 18" x 26"  (45cm x 65 cm) - white or cream
Piece 100% cotton light weight batting/wadding same size as backing piece.
Small amounts of Christmas coloured fabrics.

Suggestions

Any basic 4"  or  8" block pattern

No borders.
Keep blocks simple.
Avoid using yellow or gold.
Use conventional quilt binding or a commercial satin or pre-made binding or finish by “bagging” then turning through to right side. Top stitch around edge if using last method.
100% cotton fabrics (though not essential) are easier to work with.

A - Basic 4" Block - Total of 24 squares cut 4 ½" x 4 ½ "  in Christmas colours

1. Arrange design into 6 rows of 4
2. Join together into rows with ¼ " seam.
3. Press seams in row 1 to the right, in row 2 to the left, row 3 to the right etc
4. Join the rows together.

Basic 4" Block - 2 alternative designs

B - Basic 8" Block - Cut 6 squares 8 ½" x 8 ½ "in at least 2 Christmas colours.

1. Sew into 3 rows of 2.
2. Press seams in alternating directions then join rows together.

Basic 8" Block

Finishing Quilts

1. Lay the backing right sides down, place the wadding on top and finally the pieced top right sides up. Pin together and quilt.
2. Prepare binding by joining the 2 bits end to end with a mitred (angled) seam.
3. Press in half lengthways. Sew onto the right side of the quilt having ALL raw edges level. Mitre the corners as you sew.
4. Trim off the excess from the edges.
5. Handstitch the folded edge of binding over onto the back of the quilt.

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Finished Quilt created by Jill of Patchwork Place, Albany

Father's Day 2017

Thanks to the support of our community we were able to distribute 210 gifts across 20 neonatal units state wide for Father's Day.  We know from the feedback we have received over the past 4 years that these special occasion gifts really go make a difference to a parents connection with their baby in the neonatal unit.

We designed cards especially for our neonate Dads so they can treasure their baby's tiny footprints created with love by their neonatal nurses. We also included a small gift to let them know that they are not alone, and the Tiny Sparks WA community is here to support them and their family.

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Cards for Dad's in neonatal units.

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Keyring gifts.

Mail out for our regional hospitals.

Heading to the post office.

World Prematurity Day | Fight Like a Premmie at Crown Pyramid

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Dad Premo has been inspired by his twins after watching them fight for life in the neonatal unit for more than 100 days.  He is jumping in the ring on World Prematurity Day, November 17 to Fight Like a Premmie in White Collar Boxing's 10th charity fight night.  This is an event not to be missed!  Tickets on sale soon, please share with your friends.

tiny bites for tiny sparks 2017

Dress up, dress down, stay in or go out, the options are endless!  We invite you to host a 'tiny bites for tiny sparks' event in November in support of World Prematurity Day which is officially November 17.  Invite some friends to enjoy coffee and cake, open the conversation about prematurity, raise funds by collecting donations or having a raffle.

World Prematurity Day is an annual opportunity to support WA families, raise awareness in the wider community and make a difference to others.

We encourage schools and workplaces to get onboard.  Consider wearing purple, or free dress to mark the day and collecting a gold coin donation in return.

Register your event here.  Don't want to worry about handling cash on the day, then set yourself up a fundraising page with a goal through Everyday Hero here.

Remember to share photographs with us of your event using the hashtags #tinysparkswa #worldprem17 

Want to print a poster?  You can do so here.

For any further information please e-mail admin@tinysparkswa.org.au

Gather my Crew

When a crisis hits normal life can be turned upside down, and coordinating offers to help into practical support can be overwhelming.

I experienced this first hand when a friend was dealing with health issues that meant she was bed-ridden for 6 weeks. My friend needed support, and there were plenty of people who’d offered to help, but it took hours to coordinate people and make sure she and her 5 year old twins got the help they actually needed.

This was when Gather My Crew was born.

Gather My Crew is an online rostering tool that has been developed specifically to support people going through a tough time to ask for and coordinate the practical help they need.

Using the expertise of people who had ‘been there, done that’, Gather My Crew exists to make sure people get the right kind of help from all of their well-meaning friends, family, neighbours and colleagues – without all of the stress that usually comes with coordinating help when a friend or a family member becomes ill.

It is a way to ask for help - and to turn that help into a calendar that tracks and records who is doing what and when. It even sends reminders and updates to keep everyone connected throughout the time the help is needed.

How does it work?

It is really easy to set up a Gather My Crew account. Firstly, you register to use the online tool via our website (www.gathermycrew.org). Secondly, you identify all of the things you and your family will need help with over the coming weeks via our 'click and select' list. Thirdly, you invite your friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, fellow school parents to help out.  And then you let the online rostering tool do the rest. This can all be set up in around 30 minutes – either by you or by a willing friend.

Gather My Crew is a registered charity. The online tool is free and easy to use.

You can find out more at www.gathermycrew.org.

Susan Palmer (M.Psych, MPH, PhD)

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We are pleased to be helping 'Gather my Crew' get word out about their invaluable service!  So many of our families all around the state could benefit from a hot meal on the table at the end of a long day in hospital, their lawn mowing done when they are unable or older children looked after, dropped at school etc.  Spread the word far and wide about Gather my Crew and keep us posted about how it has worked for you.  Flyers will be going in our care packages to ensure people are aware help is available right from the start. ~ Team Tiny Sparks