Bid for an Original Art Quilt & Support the Queensland Flood Appeal Auction

Despite the excitement leading up to the Twelve by Twelve reveal, I’ve been distracted and concerned by the devastating floods occurring to the north in Queensland. A third of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone – this is an area about the size of Texas! I am auctioning one of my art quilts in my signature style to raise funds for the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal – see below for more details.

My brother, his wife and my 2 1/2 year old niece live in the regional centre of Toowoomba which was struck by an “inland” tsunami of flash flooding earlier this week. This dramatic footage was filmed just two kilometres from their home. Thankfully, the worse they suffered was a flooded laundry and silt on their lawn. Others were not so fortunate as the wall of water wrought havoc, death and destruction. Twelve people have died and 43 are still unaccounted for.

The floods have reached Brisbane, the capital of Queensland and Australia’s third largest city. While the Brisbane River appears to have peaked, authorities are warning water will remain at ‘major flood’ levels for at least another 24 hours. 20 to 40,000 homes are likely to be flood affected across 50 suburbs and it may be many days before evacuated residents can begin their clean-up.

In times like this, well meaning quilters and crafters often talk of making quilts and packing up materials to send to the affected areas. However, as highlighted in this article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, Cash is King in a Crisis, the most practical thing we can do right now is donate money to the relevant relief appeal – Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. (Remember, for Australians, all donations over $2 are tax deductible – that means you can donate more!)

Toni Coward of Make it Perfect is coordinating a fantastic initiative which addresses our instincts to make or do something AND raises funds to assist the flood victims. She has organised an online auction with all proceeds going to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. You can find the details by clicking on the link below:
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Today I would like to offer an item for auction to assist in the fund raising efforts. My offer relies on the generosity of those reading to bid an amount they are willing to pay for the item and commit to pay that amount into the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. I am auctioning one of my art quilts with my signature curved piecing – When the Waters Subside(12x12in)*:

If you would like to add When the Water Subsides to your collection then the rules for participating in this auction are very simple.

How this action works:

1. Bidding starts at $50 Australian.
2. Place your bid by adding a comment here stating how much you are willing to offer to own When the Water Subsides. Your bid must be greater than the previous bid.
3. All bids must be in whole dollar increments and will be taken to be in Australian dollars.
4. The auction is open to all and the price will include postage to any address worldwide.
5. The auction is now open and closes at midnight on the 24th of January 2011 (Sydney, Australian time).
6. I will contact the winner at the conclusion of the auction. The winner must commit to sending their bid to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal and provide an email receipt as evidence of payment. Non-austrailan donors can still donate by credit card using the online payment link or there is also information about how to do an international bank transfer.
7. Once I have evidence of payment When the Water Subsides will be posted to its new owner.

Your generosity is much appreciated, particularly by those most affected by the floods. I offer you my thanks on their behalf. Please share this auction with as many people as you can.

* When the Water Subsides was one of three quilts I made for the Twelve by Twelve Eggplant Challenge. The name refers to the grasses next to the lagoon near my home when it was drained (ironically, to prevent flooding) in mid-2010.