Hello everyone!
Here it is, almost the middle of August already! Time to start thinking
about getting Project Linus things rolling again soon! Our Helena friends stayed
busy and continued to meet in June and July. Cindy, Marsha, and I are still in
the process of selecting some block for the coming year... so more to come for
that later.
A Pointed Topic
Today, I made a delivery to
Benefis Pediatrics.. While chatting with the nurse, she mentioned that a needle
had been found in one of our quilts. My heart sank. This is something that just
can't happen. Now, I can tell myself that we've delivered over 7000 blankets
over 9 years and this is the first one - at least that I've heard about. That is
one one-hundredth of one percent occurrence... or 0.014%. That's a really good
success rate... but it means nothing if you are the recipient/parent of the one
blanket that had the needle. I know I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it
again.... needles and pins left in blankets is probably the biggest complaint we
get as an organization. And with most of us having been jabbed by a needle at
one time or another, we can understand.
I did ask if she was sure this was a Project Linus blanket, and she
was.
Yes, I do check every blanket with a metal detector. So, how could it get
missed? I'm not sure. I brought the needle home (yes, she had saved it) and ran
the detector over it. It set it off without incident. I put in an old battery,
and it still found it. I put it under several layers of fabric...and it set off
the alarm. I moved the wand quickly, still no problem. The only possibility
I can think of is if the battery died while I was doing that blanket. I don't
think that is an issue though, because you can hear the wand when it is on. So
somehow... it slipped through.
Really, the metal detector should be the second line of defense... the
blanket-maker is our front line. What can you do to eliminate the possibility of
pins and needles being left in the quilt? Here are some of the things I
do...
- I almost never use pins. I might use my binding clips at times, but almost
never pins.
- If for some reason I do have to use pins, I allow myself a certain number,
typically 3 or 5, and keep them on a magnet. These are the
only pins on the magnet and the
only pins I will use. At the end of the project, that
magnet had better have the same number of pins, and if it doesn't, I'd go
looking in the blanket for the missing one(s).
- When hand sewing any part of the quilt and need to take a break, don't ever
slip the needle into the quilt until you come back to it. Knot the thread, and
put the needle in a pin cushion. Then re-thread and start again when you can get
back to it.
The needle found was a hand-stitching needle... a relatively large one.
Please, please, please double check your blankets for pins and needles before
turning them in.
Fair Time!
Our own Miss Marsha is feeling very proud! While walking through the quilt
entries at the fair last week, she passed one that she thought was really cute,
and then suddenly realized that the blanket was a kit that she had put together
for Linus! The blanket won a blue ribbon...so congratulations Marsha on great
fabric choices! I wasn't able to get out to the fair, so I am anxious to see it
when it gets turned in!
Blankets
The house was well inundated with blankets early in the summer, but the
numbers have come down with recent deliveries. We'll be needing anything you've
been able to work on during the summer come September.
Lukey the Lucky Penguin Quilt
This is way late in coming, but I want to say 'Thank You' to EVERYONE who
voted for my Lukey the Lucky Penguin Quilt! I was very excited to be one of the
top 20, and was even in the top 10 for a while! Becky Smith took the top prize,
and she is truly one of the most lovely, warm, generous, giving people..... I am
absolutely thrilled for her. In the end, Project Linus was the winner with over
$6000 raised! And the kids are winners because there are some great blankets
that were made during the contest, and will be made in the future. Again, my
thanks to you all - I truly appreciate your help!!!
Okay.... I think that is all for now. Enjoy what's left of the summer, and I
look forward to seeing you all again soon!
September - Square in a Square 
November - Buzzsaw
