Starting off with a bang!

Well, we are still a few days before our startup Bee for the season, and things are already taking off!

First, the Bees
As I’ve said before, they will continue to be on the 2^nd Saturday of the month at the Moose Lodge. I didn’t have any compelling reason to change the weekend, and I can’t think of a better location. The September Bee, we will share the room with some Farmer’s Market vendors. I’ve been told there won’t be many, so space should not be a problem. This will only be occurring during September, possibly October.

We’re going to try some new things at the Bees this year – guest demonstrations, special projects, etc. If you have anything or know anyone that might be able to show us something new, let me know.

We were hoping to have lots of kits ready to go for our start-up, but summer is summer...even when it’s cool and short. We have some to start off with and we’ll get more cut soon. We have lots of fabric!

Community Day Sale
We will again be participating in the Herberger’s Community Day sale as a fund raiser. I’ve had a couple folks volunteer to help me sell the coupon books at the store door prior to sale day. If anyone else would like to help, I would love it! For those who want to help sell at the store prior to sale day, we’ll make up a ‘display kit’ for you to use. Even if you could just take a few and sell them to friends and family, that would be great! It all adds up and gets us a spot in the store on sale day which is Saturday, November 13...the second Saturday of the month.

WOTM Holiday Craft Show
The Women of the Moose have invited us to participate in a craft show they will be having at the Lodge. The registration fee is quite reasonable, and I am curious to see how we do at a show before the holidays. The last spring one did not turn out well at all, and I doubt I will do anymore of those, but I want to give this one a try. We will be looking for ideas of sale items. What would you want to buy at a craft show and what could you make for us to sell? Let me know. We have some things already, and we have offers of a few more things. Again, let me know if you have some ideas. If there is interest, we might try to get together for a work day to prepare prior to the show. The show will be in November... the second Saturday.

Did I also mention the Bees are the second Saturday? Yes...in November we will be doing a craft show, the Community Day Sale and the Bee all on the same day. I will do the Community Day Sale, Cindy Jauert will head up the craft show and Marsha Martin will do the Bee. It sounds like a lot, but I’m sure it will all come together.

Triangle Squares Quilt Guild Annual Party
The Triangle Squares Quilt Guild will be having their annual party on the 1^st Saturday in October in Valier. I attended this a couple of years ago and had a fun time. I will pass on more info with time and info when I have it.

JoAnn’s Discount Cards
I have the ‘Project Linus membership cards’, and will bring them to the Bee Saturday. These have to be used with the card you order from JoAnn’s to get their 10% discount on your purchase of supplies for Linus blankets. The 10% will apply to regular and sale items, but will not apply to anything you’re buying with a 40% off coupon. Mine showed up last week, so it took 3-4 weeks.

Project Linus Institute
For those interested, the info for the Project Linus Institute to be held in July 2011 is now on the national website... projectlinus.org. They’ve changed things up a bit this time, and again promises to be a great event. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Blanket Delivery
I made a blanket delivery to St Pete’s Hospital in Helena recently. I am thrilled to say they had run out and called to let me know they needed more. It doesn’t sound like much, I know, but I’ve always asked everyone to let me know and this was the first time it happened. When I dropped them off, the nurse on duty told me I wouldn’t believe how grateful the families are to have these blankets given. It brings comfort in so many ways. Thanks to you all for everything you do.

Hmm.....is that it?
That’s probably enough even if it isn’t everything. I hope to see many of you Saturday!

Until then...
gina

Summertime!

Halfway
I look at the calendar and can't believe what I see...it's the middle of July. Halfway through the summer and already time to start planning for next fall. The plan is to start the Blanket Bees again in September, but I'm wondering if the second Saturday is the best for everyone? Is there another one that would work better? I know there were a couple of events I missed last year because they occur on the second Saturday as does the Blanket Bee. So...what Saturday works best for you? Please let me know.

Fabric
We have come into more fabric, so Marsha and I hope to have lots of kits ready to go come fall. I hope no one is buying fabric to make blankets because we do have plenty right now.

Project Linus Institute
For the last couple of years, I have attended Project Linus Conference/Institute. This is where I've gotten some of my ideas for easy patterns, new tools, etc. In the years past, they've allowed each coordinator to bring chapter assistants. Last year it was limited to one assistant. Well, the format is changing. Rather than having Institute every year, they will now be every other year...so the next will be in July 2011 and it will be open to everyone! It will be held July 20-23, 2011 at the Pere Marquette Hotel in Peoria Illinois. In the past, I have flown in on Tuesday, taken a couple of half-day classes on Wednesday, EXPO was on Thursday, inspirational talks and chapter management Friday and a business meeting Saturday, then home Sunday. There was a banquet Friday and Saturday. I believe the agenda will be similar next year, and the special guest for Friday evening will be Jennifer Chiaverini, author of the Elm Creek Quilts novels. You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at www.jenniferchiaverini.com.

Now...who pays for this trip, should you choose to go? You will. Project Linus does not cover the cost at all...for coordinators or volunteers. I will pass on more information as I receive it. There will also be info on the PLHQ web site...projectlinus.org. Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

On the 'off' years, there will be smaller regional events. This year there is one in Kansas City (I don't remember when) and one in Vancouver, WA in September. and they too are open to everyone! I have some info if you're interested.

Blanket Recipients
We have enough blankets coming in now we can look for some additional organizations to put on our recipient list. Do you have one in mind? Again...let me know.

Okay... I think that's all for now. Try to let me know the Saturday that works for you before the end of the month, and the same with new organizations.

Enjoy the rest of the summer....now that it's finally here!!
gina

Can it possibly be May?

Hi everyone!

Yes, it is indeed May. And not just May - mid-May!!! I don't know where the last 4 months have gone.

We have been receiving blankets from many areas. I don't think I ever mentioned that some of the blankets from the Disney Give A Day, Get A Day program came from Florida, some from Arizona, and some from Utah. I found that so wonderful - they wanted to help our community (and for some, their past community) from so far away! We also got blankets from various areas of the state both for Haiti and for regular donations. We got several kite quilts, the Quiltmakers' Make A Blanket Day pattern, from quilters in Malta. They were adorable, ladies!!

Our last Blanket Bee for the season was last Saturday...the same day as the Optimist Craft Show. Thanks to Marsha for heading up the Bee, and my apologies for missing it - I was doing the craft show. The craft show was not terribly successful if you look at it purely from a financial standpoint. There just wasn't much traffic... even less than last year. However, part of the purpose is to familiarize the community with our mission. I chatted with a mother with 2 kids...both of which have received blankets, I chatted with a nurse from NICU, and I chatted with one of our blanketeers who has been too busy to make it to our Bees lately but looks forward to coming again in the fall (we're counting on seeing you in September, Judy!) There were a couple of people who wanted info so they could help, etc. So, from that perspective, it went well. In the balance, it was a lot of work to get ready, and you never know how it will go. I kindof doubt I do another one unless it is one well established (like a Farmer's Market) or something before the holidays. If any of you would like to take up this challenge and do a table at a fair or a garage sale, etc., just let me know. We have the banner, handouts, and such you can use.

I heard the Bee went well, and thanks to Jim and Ann for bringing me some desserts! (Yum!) I did miss seeing everyone. I want to offer a HUGE thanks to the Moose Lodge and Jeff for helping us out this season. It is such a great room to be able to use. Knowing it was there waiting for us every month took a large load off me this year. I am incredibly grateful to them.


Blanket deliveries
I've already delivered over 200 blankets this quarter! Wow!


Summer activities
I may be doing a demo day at the Lewis & Clark Stampede in July. I'm not sure how big this might be. Let me know if you'd like to help.


Girl Scouts wanting some help
Oh yeah! There is a troop of girl scouts who want to get their Sew Interest Project and Silver Award making Linus blankets starting during the summer. They don't have much sewing skill. I was thinking a 90 minute quilt made with 6 inch squares might be good. I'll probably need help going to the meetings and such. Any one up for that? I believe they are in the Great Falls area.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to post more often now that things are slowing down a bit (oh my... I probably just jinxed myself saying that!!!)

Take care and have a great summer!!
gina

Catching up!

Hi all-

Well, I just noticed that the last post was January 19. January! Where has the time gone??? Let's see... Disney Give A Day Get A Day program, Herberger's Community Day Coupon Book sales, Haiti Earthquake Relief blanket days with labeling, boxing and shipping, regular blanket days, fabric donations that need sorting, the Komfort Kids Quilt Challenge, work, home.... Okay, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised I didn't have time to update the blog.

The Disney Give A Day Get A Day program turned out great! We got about 160 blankets as a result of the program. That's nowhere near what other chapters took in, especially those in Florida and southern California areas...they took in thousands. Literally, thousands. I'm very grateful the response here was not that enthusiastic...I had my hands full keeping up with the commitments I did get. The blankets are all well done - most did the latigo braid fringed fleece. There were also a few quilts which were absolutely adorable! All in all, it was well worth the time, and we may get more blankets from a few of these folks as a result. Almost everyone said they truly had fun doing the blankets, and many said it was a great family time activity. I have only a few blankets left to receive and we'll be done with Disney. They reached their 1 million passes a couple of weeks ago, so it's just wrapping up stuff now.

The Community Day Sale was again a great success. I believe we were among the top earners for coupon book sales prior to sale day. I put in about 6 hours during the sale as well. The money will be great to help buy fleece and other materials. We have several organizations who want to do this type blanket, either fringed or crocheted, but the cost can be prohibitive even on sale.

The Haiti Relief project was absolutely overwhelming!!! The turnout for the blanket days, the drop-offs, the contributions for postage... I never expected anything like the response we received. In the end, we (our chapter alone) sent over 300 blankets!! I haven't heard latest numbers for the whole organization, but last I heard it was up around 40,000! That's HUGE!! I can't possibly thank everyone who helped, but I'm trying. I still have between 50 and 100 blankets I can send off, I just need to find an avenue to do it.

So, between Disney and Haiti, my house has been swimming in blankets. I have always said my husband is very patient, and he has certainly been so with all this. He's also been a great help getting the boxes ready to ship. We put the blankets in large bags in boxes, then vacuumed out the air. You then really have to seal the end up...twist, rubber bands, etc. It takes the volume down to 1/2 to 1/3 the original, and we were able to get 40-55 blankets in a box. Really saved some on shipping that way, and still, it came to over $300. Luckily, we had the contributions to cover it.

Through all the press, we got some marvelous fabric donations. The Bernina Silver Thimble in Great Falls (10th Ave South) donated 50 pretty darned full bolts of fabric for our first Haiti blanket making day. Then a couple of weeks ago, they gave us another 46!!! Nearly 100 bolts of wonderful quilting cotton!! Please show them your gratitude, and stop by their store. In addition to Bernina machines (my personal favorite), they also have lots of machine embroidery supplies, sewing supplies, quilting supplies, patterns and, of course, fabric!

We also got a some huge 'estate' fabric donations. One of the problems with a couple of these was that the fabric was infused with cigarette smoke, and some of the fabric just wasn't appropriate for making blankets.

The Komfort Kids Quilt Challenge sponsored by our long time supported Big Sky Quilts resulted in some adorable quilts. The 16 submissions are hanging in the Great Falls Public Library. I thought they would be there through the end of March, but they will be there until the end of April! Stop by and give them a look - they're hanging from the 2nd bannister above the entryway. Again, kids are the judges for this challenge...whatever they like will be what wins.

One of the changes Project Linus is making this year for coordinators is with their Coordinator's Conference. This has always been a yearly event. Last year, they decided they would make these bi-annual events...so there won't be one this year. Instead, those years when there isn't a national conference, chapters will host regional conferences. This year, the Vancouver Chapter and the Kansas City Chapter will each host regional conferences. The difference is that volunteers are invited to these conferences! I have some info for the one in Vancouver which, if I remember, will be in September. Let me know if you're interested and I'll forward the info to you.

Well, my house and a pile of blankets is calling. I will post some pictures from the quilt challenge to the website soon.

Have a great Easter week!
gina

Project Linus National Make a Blanket Day

Hi all!

I have exciting news! Big Sky Quilts will host a quilt challenge for National Make a Blanket Day, February 20, 2010. We haven't iron out all the details yet, but below are the rough ideas for the rules...
1. At least 75% of the blanket must be Avlyn's Komfort Kids fabric line. Most, if not all of this line that was designed by Patrick Lose specifically for Project Linus, is available at Big Sky Quilts. As I've mentioned before, 8% of all purchases of this line are donated to Project Linus by Avlyn Fabrics.
2. The blanket must be no smaller than 36"x42" and no bigger than 45"x60".
3. There will be first, second and third place prizes - likely gift certificates from Big Sky Quilts.
4. All submitted blankets become donations to Project Linus.
What we hope to do is display the entries at the library in the kids section, and have kids vote on their favorite.


I'll let you know more details once they are in place.

Be well!
gina

Happy snow day!

Hi everyone!

Give A Day. Get A Disney Day!
Well, I've had a couple of emails showing interest in the Disney Give A Day. Get A Day. program. Other parts of the country, particularly Florida and California have received 1200-1800!!! The coordinator in Kansas City (I think) has commitments for 1200 blankets (and is now wondering where she will put them all as they will all be delivered before the end of February!!) It has been crazy hearing what some people want to do...or don't want to do. Anyway... I've had a couple of interested folks... a total of 9 blankets. I can handle that.

Cute quilts
Several of you were taken by a couple of the quilts Nellie brought in over the last few months. I knew I had seen the patterns for each, and I finally took some time to find them.


The Wiggly Worm Quilt I found in the April/May issue of Country Woman Magazine - page 44. They also have the pattern/instructions online at http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/2010/FM10/Crafts-Wiggly.asp?RefURL=&KeyCode=&tdate=&PMCode=&OrgURL=



The You Are Here Quilt I found in Quiltmaker's Favorites Spring 2009 issue. They don't have the pattern online but have a website for the pattern http://www.quiltmaker.com/patterns/details.html?idx=5019 and you can order the pattern or a copy of the magazine there. It looks like the shipping is outrageous (nearly $10?) so you might want to borrow someone else's copy instead.

Christmas Quilts
My husband and I spent part of Christmas Eve delivering some Christmas and winter-themed quilts. We were given a donation of some Beanie Babies so each one had a toy attached as well. I know the quilts and toys were most appreciated!

Blanket Bee Saturday, January 9
Our next blanket day will be this Saturday at the Moose Lodge. It is expected to be warmer by then! Hope to see lots of you there! If anyone would like to try the Quiltmaker's Kite 'n Kaboodle pattern, let me know and I'll bring some copies for you to use.


National Make a Blanket Day
The Project Linus National Make a Blanket Day will be Saturday, February 20, 2010. Our blanket bee day is the weekend before. Does anyone have any ideas for something different we might do for MABD? I'm open to ideas.

All for now!
gina