![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/IMG_0548-for-web-300x200.jpg\")
Janeen Loudon was one of the people who came out to take part in the sit and sew day.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever in my life did I think I\u2019d be making bat wraps,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do a lot of patchwork, but once you know how to use a sewing machine it\u2019s all transferable. \u201cIt\u2019s great to help out the community and the poor little animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
When an online community called Rescue Craft Co put out the call for wraps, pouches and other items that can help injured wildlife, Ms de Groot was perfectly positioned to respond.<\/p>\n
But is it wasn\u2019t just the ten or so people who came to Ms de Groot\u2019s small quilting studio who got to making the much-needed items, more joined in online as she led a how-to session live on Facebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of live feeds and one night I said to the girls \u2018what do you think of this?\u2019 and then it snowballed,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the girls are doing it with us in their homes as we do it. During the live feed we\u2019ll be talking back and forward and be able to see what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019ll be people in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland who\u2019ll be getting little groups together.\u201d<\/p>\n
As quilting is Ms de Groot\u2019s bread and butter, she was able to put that directly to the cause as well.<\/p>\n
Special quilt patches featuring cute koalas have been designed and copyrighted, with proceeds from their sale and use going to raise funds for wildlife affected by the fires.<\/p>\n
There was also work towards creating a special quilt for raffle undertaken on the day.<\/p>\n
At the end of the huge effort, the team working from Michelle\u2019s Patchwork had created 20 bat wraps, seven small pouches, 10 large pouches and completed three blocks for the charity quilt. In addition, material had been cut and prepared for a further 53 pouches and 15 bat wraps that will be sewn together in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AS the nation continues to be affected by bushfires that have scorched the country this summer, there was a small but meaningful effort to help taking place in the Shire. Last Saturday, on a farm east of Dereel, members of the local community came together to sew bat wraps, pouches for koalas, wallabies and kangaroos […]<\/p>\n