Merry Boxing Day

I do hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the holiday season. For me, the preparation is always crazy, then..... nothing. And for a day, nothing is quite wonderful!

How the Blankets Add Up

I spent some time prepping some blankets for delivery over the weekend. I went through a lot and did some counting as I went. What I found was that of all the quilts....

• 10 were large, teen sized
• 18 were medium, 8-10 year olds sized
• 44 were small, sized for 5 year olds or younger...and most small enough they would have to go to 3 year olds or younger.
• 6 were NICU sized (18" x 24" or smaller)

 70-80 percent were definitely girl quilts.

With this in mind, I'll add that one of my delivery points needed 6 teen sized blankets, 6 for toddlers 5 and younger, and 6 medium sized ones for 6-10 year olds. Of these, 11 of the kids were boys, 7 were girls.

Perhaps you can imagine my challenge when I have specific goals to meet.

So...... I'm throwing down the gauntlet! I am challenging everyone to create a simple, scrappy teen sized quilt, appropriate for either a boy or girl, before our January Blanket Bee! Think of the jelly roll quilt, or just some 8-inch squares sewn together. It doesn't need to be fancy, or color coordinated. Try to avoid using a lot of fabrics with flowers so it can be used as either a boy or girl quilt. Something close to a 54" x 72" size would be perfect.

I can't wait to see what everyone creates!!!!!

A Thank You Note

Many of you know we sent a few blankets to Illinois recently to be given to kids affected by the tornados. I received this Thank You via email last week....

Dear Gina, 

Blessings to you and your friends in your chapter of Project Linus.  This is a picture of my six year old, Pierce, with his new blanket.  It was created with love by your friend Helen M.  Will you send this pic on to her too?  Pierce has been struggling since the tornado hit our town of Washington, Il in November.  Nights have been rough.  Since he received the new blanket nights are easier as he sleeps with it every night. 

 

Thanks to you all!

God bless!

Love,

Jessica 

Yarn!

We are almost completely out of yarn!  I can buy some, but it would be too expensive to try to keep up with our current demand. If any of you know of some knitters or crocheters that have a stash they would like to downsize, please let them know about us...we could certainly use a donation!

January's Blanket Bee

For those who are quilters, January will be a surprise block... one that is going to be new and out of the box for some of you. I won't tell you what it is, but I will say you will need....
12 10-inch neutral colored blocks
12 10-inch brightly colored blocks
Small, sharp scissors
The rest .... a surprise!!!

Resolutions

Making a commitment to improve your health in the coming year? Don't forget about the Mary-thon. I have found this works for me - I don't know why, but it does. I always make an effort to get in at least 30 minutes of some type of exercise most days of the week. There are a couple different registration levels, and all participants will have access to Hannah's Online Gym. Hannah has so many great workouts for you to try, including a Lazy Day Workout (yes, we all have them :) ) This year, they've added in a 10,000 Step Workout that can meet the daily requirement. And don't forget...$10 of the registration will go to our chapter of Project Linus - just designate us on the registration form to make that happen. All the details for the Mary-thon, including registration forms, can be found at www.mary-thon.net.

Stella Lighting

Stella Lighting has pledged to donate $100,000 to Project Linus during 2014! That's HUGE!!! As the story on the Stella Lighting website describes...

We had the opportunity to meet the Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA chapter head of Project Linus Mrs. Jodene Cook at the 2012 Pacific Northwest Quilting Expo. It became instantly evident to me that Jodene had a servant’s heart, a gracious attitude and commitment to what she had a passion for. Needless to say, both Jodene and her cause quickly inspired me. Jodene and her team of volunteers, were sewing fabric scraps into quilt blocks, preparing them to be made into quilts for children. During the show we noticed how dark it was surrounding the sewing machines that were being used. We felt it was appropriate to drop off a few lights to provide some auxiliary illumination for the machines and the volunteers. Upon delivery and set up of the lights, I was met with outspoken appreciation. Upon the shows end, we had established a new friendship and foundation between the companies. Over the past couple years, our paths have crossed and my admiration for Jodene and Project Linus has grown.

This is a very generous gift to our organization, and I know PLHQ and all the coordinators are very grateful for this support! To learn more, visit the Stella website at http://stellalighting.com/project-linus/project-linus-3/


Well, I think that's all for now. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season. We'll see you all in January, I hope!
gina

Something to Blog About

Hello everyone, and happy cold, winter evening!

It's been a busy few weeks, so I thought I do a little sharing!

Illinois Tornadoes

As you already know, November brought some horrific weather to the Midwest and particularly Illinois. Several tornadoes went through the area, and one, very large, EF4 tornado went through Washington, IL...the backyard of Project Linus National Headquarters. It took a few days to determine what the need for blankets was going to be, and in the end they were looking for 2000. They were looking for larger blankets, good for kids big or small, so we weren't able to send quite as many as we often do, but we were able to help them meet their goal. We received a very nice Thank You in return...

Dear Gina,

On behalf of the children and their families affected by the tornado that hit Washington Il.  A very BIG THANK YOU to you and your chapter for the  generous donation of  blankets that I received today.

Thank you so much
Barbara
Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford Co’s IL  

Another Thank You

Just yesterday I received another Thank You from a mom...

Good morning, 

I just wanted to say thank you! My 13 year old C. had surgery last week at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls. When he came around and was out of pain he noticed the blanket at the foot of his bed. It had ducks flying and was blue and brown and tan. I didn't know what he would think of it being so "old"...you know 13 is a tough age. But he loved it! When we got home and he got in bed he wanted to make sure I kept putting that over his blankets on his bed. Your beautiful quilt meant a lot to him and made him feel secure. As a Project Linus blanket that makes perfect sense! 

Thank you from our home to yours, and may God bless the hands that created that wonderful quilt. As a young wildlife enthusiast, wanting to be a field biologist it was perfect! As a patient hurting and scared, it was warm and welcoming. As a mom, it was nice to know how much you care and think about the kids on the pediatric floor. So thank you very much!

KM & CM

2014 Mary-thon
Are you ready to make a $10 donation to Project Linus from your Mary-thon registration and get healthy, fit and Change Your Lifestyle in the process?  Many of us have been there - we've set fitness or weight loss goals year after year after year and have never finished.  So - think about it - do you have a goal related to health and fitness that you'd like to accomplish in 2014? Or are you ready to make a positive Change to Your Lifestyle?  The 2014 Moving Forward Mary-thon is a GREAT option. No running required (unless you want to) - just regular exercise. The Mary-thon provides accountability, support and encouragement from Mary Balagna (PL National VP) and fellow Mary-thoners - what an amazing group! Project Linus gets $10 for every registration - be sure to designate the Great Falls Chapter! Please go to read about the 2014 Mary-thon www.mary-thon.net and to register.

 

Fundraiser for another chapter

For the sixth consecutive year, charities in the Lubbock and South Plains, Texas area can secure "rewards" ranging from $10,000 to $3,000 by participating in the Community Rewards program sponsored by City Bank Texas. City Bank will make available a total of $50,000 to be awarded to 10 local nonprofits to assist them in carrying out their missions of hope and service to people in need in our city and area. The Project Linus - Lubbock Chapter is in the running to receive one of these prizes. They've been as high as 3rd place, but have dropped back to 7th place. If you have a few minutes, would you please go to http://www.citybankonline.com/community-rewards/community-rewards.html and vote for them? You can vote every day until Monday, December 16. I know they would appreciated all the help we can give them!

 

Quiltmaker's Free Pattern for National Make a Blanket Day

For the fifteenth year, Quiltmaker Magazine has published a free pattern in support of Project Linus! This year's pattern is foundation pieced Fancy Fishies. You can find it at http://www.quiltmaker.com/ content_downloads/QM_FancyFishies.pdf.
Cute, isn't it???

Should we have a quilt challenge to see what everyone can do with this pattern before our February 2014 Blanket Bee??? :)

 

Blankets! Blankets! Blankets!

Those folks in Helena have sure been busy! Got a note from Jenny at The Sewing Palace recently that our donation box was full!  The 'box' is something like 2' x 3' x 4' tall...so not small! My sister-in-law stopped by to pick them up....3 full large bags and 1 more almost full! Thanks to all of you there! And a special Thanks to Maureen for hosting some monthly blanket days for the ladies in that area! I hope to be able to join you sometime soon!

December Blanket Day!

Our blanket day is a couple weeks out yet, but just a couple reminders. We will have a pot luck lunch. When I send out the evite, there will be a way to say what type of dish we need and what you will be bringing. This is always fun, and, of course yummy! Our block for December will be either the Disappearing 4-Patch or the Disappearing 9-Patch. For the Disappearing 4-Patch, you'll want to use bigger blocks....10 inches works well. For the Disappearing 9-Patch you can use almost any size. I wouldn't go smaller than 4 inches though....and not bigger than 8 inches. We are in need of some bigger blankets, so I'm hoping you'll make lots of blocks!

I think that's it for now. I know the holidays are busy for everyone, and I am so very grateful for all of you who still manage to find some time to help. It is so appreciated!!!!

See you in a couple weeks!

gina

 

Great Start to the New Year!

Happy Fall Y'all!

We had just a wonderful blanket day in Great Falls yesterday! I so enjoyed seeing all our old friends again... and seeing some new faces as well made it even better! I brought back four BIG bags of blankets, and about half are labeled and tagged already! Thanks to Donna, Virginia and Nellie in getting this done!

The icing on the cake for the day???? Marsha got to sew all day! No, that was good but not the icing. The icing was that Cindy found the missing rotary cutter!!! And it had some friends with it!!!!!!! Yes, after most had left, Marsha and Cindy were reorganizing the closest, consolidating tote contents, etc. Cindy was going through a tote with some fleece that was sitting up on the high shelf and there they were, all cozy and content in a Ziploc bag! So, Yay! I was planning to buy some more anyways, but this takes a bit of the pressure off and now I can wait for a really good sale. I was so excited!

This was our first day with everyone bringing their own fabric cuts, and I didn't really see any big problems. I did hesitate to give the full cutting instructions - I held back the last step on cutting the strips into 8" pieces.  I was trying to avoid confusion and having people show up with pieces that wouldn't work. So, in the end, there were some who spent more time cutting than they probably wanted to.  I'll put the full instructions out from this point forward and try to make sure the instructions are as clear as possible so everyone has the correct pieces and gets to spend all day sewing. Next month's is easy.... 10" squares. And you could even do it with squares smaller or bigger than 10"....they all just have to be the same size. I've seen one done with smaller squares 'checkerboarded' with neutral blocks - very nice in the end. You'll need at least 30 10" squares (or other size) for a smaller quilt. If you want to make a bigger quilt, each additional block takes 5 squares.

I was more than a little sad to learn that Sharon F will be leaving our group - she and her husband are moving back to Ohio. I've so enjoyed seeing Sharon grow in her quilting...she was one who showed up wanting to help but didn't think she could quilt...and she's made some that are just beautiful! We'll miss you Sharon, and hope you join up with the chapter there....they will be so blessed to have your talents helping them!

Our friends in Helena got together at Maureen's house...I know they had a good time... they always do when they get together! I would love to hear some details from them on what we missed!

Becky took a lot of photos during Show & Tell. She is going to try to post them to our Facebook page as an album.... hopefully we'll be able to get this done in the next couple of days.

So we're off and rolling, and I think we're off to a really good start!
I can't wait to do it all again next month!
gina

Hoffman Challenge Quilts

For the quilt lovers out there, Big Sky Quilts has on display the winners of the Hoffman Quilt Challenge. For this challenge, all the participants are given a piece of the same fabric, and they create a quilt using this fabric. I had an opportunity to see the quilts this morning when I dropped off some blankets for them to take to flooding victims up in the Calgary area. These are not typical quilts; they are art quilts, and they are all just amazing! If you can, make some time to stop by and look at the quilts - they're back in the classroom, and they'll be there only until Tuesday, August 27.

For those of you in Helena, we'll be having a Blanket Bee this Saturday! I've wanted to do it all summer and I am finally able to make some time! Bring your sewing machine and routine sewing supplies to Prickly Pear Quilts, 10:30 to 3! We'll be in their very cool (both in temperature and ambiance, for those who've never been there!) downstairs classroom. I am so looking forward to seeing you all again.... it's been a very long time since we got together last!

That's it for now! Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. I'm already seeing signs of the seasons changing!
gina

Another sweet Thank You

Dear Project Linus-
I wanted to write you to thank you for the blanket we received during my son's hospital stay At one month, our little one was admitted for breathing issues. While our nurses were great, all of the sheets & blankets were standard hospital issue. On our 3rd day, a nurse brought a lovely blue knitted blanket and I was so thrilled because for the first time, my child looked like a baby and not a body hooked up to tubes & monitors. I held him & the blanket and we were both comforted. So to all who knit - Thank You!
C & E

A very nice Thank You!

Hi all!

I received the following Thank You via email today! Very sweet!

gina

My son had to go to the er for the first time in his life. He ended up with stitches and a fractured skull. We were admitted to the hospital and he was very excited to have the wonderful blanket that was provided by your program. Thank you so much, something so simple as a blanket can give great comfort. Thank you again

Time to Prepare!

Hello Everyone!

 

Well, believe it or not, summer is more than half over!!! This first half has been just one thing after another for me, and I have not come close to even getting started on the list of things I wanted to accomplish during the season!

I have had a chance to meet with Cindy and Marsha, however! We had a lovely lunch a few weeks ago, went through some old patterns and some new, and came up with ideas for our upcoming Blanket Bees!

I'll start off saying we're booked for the 3rd Saturday of the month, 10:30 to 2:30, September through May, at the Moose Lodge - same as we've been doing the last couple of years. I'll get this added to some of the community calendars soon.

 

Now, in keeping with a suggestion from our May pot-luck, I am going to give you a list of what we have planned, and some ideas of what you'll need fabric-wise each month. You might remember I had hoped to have a mid-summer supplies day. Well.... as I said above...... in the end, it just might not happen. Every weekend has been booked...and is booked. I'm still considering other options, but...it just may not happen.

 

So....to look forward to our next year.....

September - Twizzlers

For a 41"x60" quilt, you'll need....

• 24 - 2 1/2" strips
• 1/3 yard sashing fabric
• 1 yard border fabric
• 3/8 yard binding fabric

October - Ten-Minute Block (rerun!)

For a 38"x57" quilt top
Each 'block' takes 5 10" squares - you'll need 30 10" squares.








November - Jim and Ann's block (I'll get the info for this and send that soon!)


December - Disappearing 4 or 9 Patch (rerun!)

 

• Your choice to do either the 4-Patch or 9-Patch
• 4 or 9 squares (surprise!) in the square size of your choice (4", 5", 6", 8" -  all a good choice)
• You can do as many blocks as you like, to create the quilt size you want

January - Cats and Dogs

• This is going to be a bit of a surprise... but I'll tell you you'll need...
• 9 or 12 10" blocks of neutral fabric
• 9 or 12 10" blocks of colorful printed fabric
• 1 yard for sashing
• 2 yards for outer border
• 1 1/3 yards for border and binding

February - Easy Pineapple (rerun!)

For each block (and you'll want at least 6), you'll need...

• Center - 4 1/2" square - this could be fussy cut from some cute fabric
• 1st round - 4 1/2" square (yes, the same as the center)
• 2nd round - 5 1/2" square
• 3rd round - 7" square
• 4th round - 9" square
• 5th round - 11 7/8" square

March - Fast Flying Geese

• For a quilt 34 1/2" x 53 1/2" you'll need...
• 45 - 7 1/4" squares (geese)
• 180 -  3 7/8" squares (2 yards total - this is the background/sky)
• 2 - 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric strips (border and sashing)
• 4 - 4 1/2" x 45" strips (more border and sashing)

 April - X-Blocks (we have the X-Blocks templates)

• To use the 7 1/2" X-Block and make a bigger quilt...
• 12 strips 4 1/4" x Width of Fabric - all same or similar fabric
• 12 strips 6 1/2" x Width of Fabric - all different fabrics

• To use the 6 1/2" X-Block and make a slightly smaller quilt...
• 12 strips 3 7/8" x Width of Fabric - all same or similar fabric
• 12 strips 5 3/4" x Width of Fabric - all different fabrics

May  - Wrap-up/Organize

That will give you some things to think about. I'll re-read the list in a day or two to make sure I've got things right. I'll also add the info for the ones I'm missing.

With that... it's late, and I have to be up early! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!!!
gina

 

A Wonderful Thank You!

Hi everyone!

I think it was Emily who last month told me she'd been reading the blog and it was last updated in November. Wow... November!!! It must be time.

As always, it's been crazy busy. I wrapped up the Community Day Sale last weekend. It turned out better than I thought it would! Regardless... it may be my last - Marsha won't let me do them anymore :(  Seriously...they take a lot of time and the gain is just not what it used to be. I could go into great detail as to why, but I doubt there is any interest in knowing that. We will try to find other methods of fund-raising to keep us going. We're gaining more recognition in the community so it may work out. We've received some wonderful donations lately from many different directions!

Thank You
We got a wonderful Thank You for a blanket that we sent to the kids of Sandy Hook Elementary. I will just copy it below....it speaks for itself.

Dear Project Linus Great Falls/Helena Chapter-

Yesterday the town of Newtown held a community distribution event to provide our Sandy Hook School students and the rest of the community a chance to personally receive some of gifts of comfort that were sent to us after the school shooting on 12/14.

It was an orderly and fair and FUN activity for our kids. When we walked in the door (after verifying that we were a SHES family) we were given some bags and every one received a blanket, a stuffed animal, and could choose three toys or other gifts from a set of tables. In addition, some raffle tickets were given to each child for a chance at some of the larger gifts.

We came home with three quilts and blankets, all sent to us from The Linus Project. I wasn't able to retrieve the tag from my youngest son's blanket before he ran off to cuddle with it, so I'm not sure specifically who sent it to us. It was a fleecy blanket with cars and the words "honk" "beep" and "toot" all over it, finished with a lovely crochet edging. We also received a beautiful dark purple quilt, also without a specific tag from a chapter.

But my personal favorite came from you. ______ did a beautiful job on a quilt that has predominantly green colors. We chose it for the green and white to represent Sandy Hook School. But what caught our eye was the line of purple butterflies in one of the pieces. We lost two personal friends that day. Purple was Dylan Hockley's favorite color and, as a child with autism,  he would "flap" when he'd be enthusiastic and excited by something. As such the butterfly and the color purple have become things that remind us of him and his family.  When we opened the quilt we were so pleased to see cute green frogs too! Our friend Catherine Hubbard was a lover of nature. And though there is nothing "official" about frogs that symbolize her, one of my favorite photos of all times happens to be a photograph of Catherine and two of her friends laying down on a dock seeking out frogs and fish and other wonders of nature. For me personally, it is a little green frog that keeps Catherine and her family close in my thoughts. The blanket incorporating those three elements into one makes it so significant and special.

Thank you for your service, for sharing your craft and creativity, and most importantly your caring with my community and touching my family directly. My son was in harms way on the day of the shooting and has found that "epic snuggle" therapy is the most helpful. Now he has a special blanket to include and the rest of us have beautiful quilts to quietly honor the friends and innocence lost to us that day.

mother to 3rd grade "Bear"
Sandy Hook, CT

To everyone who helps us in any way.... you have brought this kind of comfort to another. There aren't words to thank you enough. We are very grateful to each and every one of our volunteers and supporters.

LOGOS
I again spent a wonderful evening with the Bethel Lutheran LOGOS kids making blankets. I am always overwhelmed at seeing so many kids spending a Wednesday evening at church and then so eagerly working on the blankets! Marsha heads up this project and this year she did things a bit different... rather than us packing up the blankets and me taking them home to prepare for delivery, we left them at the church so the congregation could see the work of the kids. During services the following Sunday, Marsha told everyone about the kids making the blankets and they were given a standing ovation!!!! How great is that?!?!?! Our Thanks! to Marsha, LOGOS and Bethel Lutheran for all their efforts!!!!!

Bindings
As I've been labeling and tagging blankets recently, I've notice some of the bindings are missing the quilt. It is being wrapped either to the front or the back, and then stitched down. Problem is, if this is done with a straight stitch or narrow zig zag... it is often missing the quilt top or backing because the stitching is back a bit from the edge. There are several different ideas and tips for doing the binding to avoid these types of problems. I plan to put many in the end of season pattern booklet. Meantime, after stitching the binding down, maybe go around the quilt again with a wide, maybe even a decorative stitch, with the stitch centered over the edge of the binding.

Okay...I know that's not much but it's a start. I'll try to get the next one out before 6 months passes this time! :)

Hugs and blessings!
gina