Hi everyone!

Hope you are finding someway to stay warm as we plow (literally!) our way through these last days of winter!

Thank You Received...

I received a lovely Thank You in the mail today...

I just wanted to write and thank you for the beautiful blanket you made for our new sweet baby, M. Thank you for using you time and talents to bless little ones.

M. was born last night to a mom who was unable to care for her. My husband and I, along with M's two small biological brothers, and our five birth children, will become a family, extended thru need and loss, but built on the solid foundation of God's gracious love. Your blanket gift is a good starting reminder that He will not leave His little ones comfortless.

Thank you again for you kindness.
Sincerely,
P.C.

Upcoming Blanket Days

Our next blanket day will be next Saturday, March 12, at the Moose Lodge in Black Eagle. We will also have a Blanket Day Sunday, March 20, at The Sewing Palace Bernina.

Attend Institute with a Friend...or 5!

Announcing the Project Linus Institute Best Friends Offer!

Beginning March 1st, take advantage of this special Institute offer. Simply invite 5 of your friends to attend Project Linus Institute with you, and you can attend for FREE!
How does ...it work?

• First, plan for a great week together at Project Linus Institute, July 20-23, in Peoria, Illinois.
• Second, invite your friends to register at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=871835
• Make sure that they add a note in the comments field indicating that they are attending with you as your FRIEND.
• Once you have 5 people sign up as your FRIEND, you may register for free by calling us at 309-585-0686.
• Already registered? You can still have your FRIENDS sign up with you as their FRIEND. Once 5 people have registered we will refund your Institute fee.
• Spread out the savings with your friends and save everyone money, or use the savings for yourself or someone else to attend for free.
• Everyone who registers 5 FRIENDS is entered into a drawing for a FREE INSTITUTE PACKAGE to Project Linus Institute 2011, which will include one registration fee, hotel accommodations for 5 nights and $300.00 in travel expenses paid. (one Institute package to be given away)

Ok, here’s the small print. If you are a Project Linus Chapter Coordinator, you cannot invite other Chapter Coordinators to come as your FRIEND, (but you can invite 5 other friends) nor can you be on someone else’s FRIEND list. Registration ends March 31, 2011. Don’t delay!

Let me know if you're interested or have any questions.

E-mail lists

If you ever find that you no longer want to receive emails from our chapter of Project Linus, please just send me a note letting me know. I would hate to clutter anyone's Inbox with unwanted info.


That's all for now. Here's hoping you have a wonderful weekend!!
gina

National Make a Blanket Day!

Hi everyone and Happy National Make a Blanket Day!

National Make A Blanket Day Event
This is the first year I haven't done something on NMABD...and looking out my window, I am glad it turned out that way. Really, I didn't want to take on a bunch of different things at the same time again... it just gets too overwhelming. So once the Community Day sale is done (next Saturday - February 26!), I'll turn my attention toward that. I was thinking about something like an open house. I've thought about doing it someplace like the mall...I just need to find out what it would take to do that. Where ever we do it, I'm thinking of having our "regulars" doing demos of different blanket making techniques, maybe an area where kids could color some quilt squares. I'm always looking for ideas! Let me know if you have any.

Blanket Bee Days
It's come up a few times this year about the possibility of changing the day of one Blanket Bee or another because of other events being on the same weekend. This was an issue I had last year, but when I asked if anyone wanted to change the weekend, I didn't get much response, so I left it as it was/is. Anyway, I've given this all some thought and have decided that we will not be changing the day of the Bee because of conflicting events. I spend a lot of time advertising that we meet the second Saturday at the Moose Lodge September through May, and I would hate for anyone to show up just to find no one there. So, that's when we'll be there. I do plan to change to a different weekend next year, but we will continue through May on the second Saturday at the Moose Lodge.

Speaking of Blanket Bee days, we have one scheduled for The Sewing Palace Bernina on Sunday, March 20 for our Helena friends!

Make a Blanket Night!
Marsha had her church LOGOS group making PL blankets last Wednesday and I was able to join them for the event. What fun - it was pajama night! So many kids with so much energy! They finished over 30 double fleece blankets!! And three cheers for Marsha for having all the fleece ready for them! The pieces were all paired, pinned together, and the fringe and holes cut. She had 39 ready to go. What a huge chore! They are all wonderful and will be a welcome gift to the kids that receive them.

Thank You Note
And speaking of the kids that receive them, a wonderful Thank You showed up in the mail today...

The card has print that reads...
One day (March 29th 2010 to be exact) one baby weighing one pound won the hearts of one million peopole. E., our tiny miracle boy started an enormous movement of kindness and generosity. Thank you for everything you did, it did not go unnoticed (even though it took months to get these notes out) E .weighs over 12 pounds, no longer requires oxygen (yay!) has grown a wee bit of hair for the winter, loves to scoot around on his back, smile, squeal and giggle, Life is good. Our world is not full of just a few good people; it's full of all the BEST! Thank you for being one of them. Thank you so very much

Then hand written...
Project Linus, Thank you so much for the gorgeous blanket. E. will enjoy it for many years to come. Thanks again! Love, J,L and E.

And I thank you for everything too!

Stay warm!
gina

Winter...again!

Sew Weather
Another January morning, another several inches of snow. While selling the Community Day Coupon Books at Herberger's the last couple of days, I certainly heard plenty of people comment on how weary they were becoming of this winter. At times I'm with them...especially as I watch my horses ice skating in their corrals. It's never been this icy - ick. But snow weather is sew weather! What a great opportunity to work on some projects!

January Blanket Bee
Yes, I missed the January Blanket Bee and a huge 'Thanks!' to Marsha for stepping in at the last minute to head it up. As I mentioned above, winter has been different this year. Twin Bridges started experiencing ice jams in late December or early January. It was causing some problems and they held a town meeting to share information. They wanted me there to talk about the dynamics of river ice and ice jams. I hated to miss the Bee but the river's are my job. It was an interesting meeting with a great turnout. And I'm sure Marsha did just great!

Prickly Pear Blanket Bee
We had our first Blanket Bee at Prickly Pear Quilts last Saturday, and it was truly one of the nicest I've had. Donna's classroom, with its stone walls and beams, felt very much like someone's living room. And, actually, it used to be someone's living room. It's not a huge area, but it is perfect for several people, and is laid out so that everyone can converse easily. It was once the Helena Assayer's Office. She has a wonderful shop started, and if you haven't been yet, please try to stop by and visit. The classroom is downstairs. It is on the Helena Walking Mall, so parking can be found in the lot beside The Base Camp, or continue through that lot to find a space right behind the shop. There is a back entrance from the parking side of the shop.

Community Day
This spring, Community Day is Saturday, February 26. Yahoo! It doesn't conflict with any Blanket Bees! Sales of the coupon books so far have been good! They always slow down as the sale approaches as most everyone who usually buys one has already. For those who might be interested, they changed it last time by greatly reducing the exceptions. They've changed it again this time, and now the coupons are also good on their Yellow Dot (clearance) items. As always, I expect it will be a great sale and we'll do well. If anyone would like to buy a coupon book, or sell a few, just send me an email - GreatFalls.MT@projectlinus.org.

The best part about selling the coupon books is meeting some of the people who have been touched by the blankets. One little 6-year-old came up and told me she still has her Pooh blanket (she got it when she was 3 or 4) - what a little sweetheart. A nurse from the NICU told me how wonderful you all are to do this. She thinks the blankets we give them are at times the nicest thing that family has ever received. There was also a nurse from Mercy Flight. You have all touch so many lives in such a wonderful way!

Friendship Triangles and Disappearing 9-Patch
I am loving the results of the blocks from the Friendship Triangles. I haven't seen any of the trees put into quilts yet, but I think four of those in one top would be a great beginning for a teen sized quilt. Sharon G made a beautiful quilt using two rows of triangles, one inverted from the other, with whole fabric strips in between. It was just great! The options for how to use these pieces is limited only by our imagination!! I haven't seen any finished Disappearing 9-patches yet. I hope to at our next Bee on February 12!

Project Linus Institute
They've extended the Early Bird Registration Discount for our PL Institute until January 31. That's tomorrow! It will be held in Peoria, IL in July 20-23 . There is always so much to learn! If you are interested in attending, and anyone is welcome to attend, please go to http://projectlinus.org/institute.html for more details. I've been to two so far, and am planning on being there in July!

Blankets
Well, I am surprised to be saying this, but I am finally feeling like we might be getting short on blankets. After the Haiti and Disney events last year, I wasn't sure I'd ever feel blanket-short again...but they go quickly. Each of the hospitals in Great Falls and Helena go through 30-40 a month. I've also given to the Havre hospital, and various other organizations - none of which go through quite as many as the hospitals. The Salvation Army has given out several this winter. I would like to get a lot of bigger, teen sized blankets for kids in the Montana Youth Homes and Eagle's Mount. There is always a need somewhere. As always, your help and time is so very appreciated!

Moose Lodge
The Moose Lodge will be hosting a Winter Market on... the second Saturday of the month at least in February and possibly through the spring. The are using the BINGO room for this and taking up about 3/4's of the room. We will move to either the Friendship room (where the closet is) or upstairs. We'll evaluate that on the 12th.

Well, I think that's about all the news for now. Enjoy the winter weather...somehow...and be safe. I hope to see you all at the Blanket Bee in February!

gina

2011!!

Hello everyone!

Well, I am stunned to realize it, but it appears I have not updated the blog since early September! It is certainly not because there's been nothing going on...just not enough time to do everything, I suppose.

Blanket Bees
We will continue to have our Blanket Bees the 2nd Saturday of the month at the Moose Lodge in Black Eagle. We also have one planned at a new quilt shop on Last Chance Gulch in Helena, Prickly Pear Quilts, on Saturday, January 22, 2011. I'm hoping the weather stays relatively mild for the drive down. We will have another in Helena in March at The Sewing Palace.

During the last Blanket Bee in Great Falls, we finished a few of the Friendship Triangle Tree blocks! They're beautiful. At our next Bee, we'll try some different layouts. Marsha's Disappearing 9-Patches are turning out great as well! We should have some great quilts completed soon!

We haven't had many fleece workers at the Bees the last few months. I know we talk about different quilting patterns and projects and techniques a lot, but we want those who work the fleece, or those who knit or crochet to know they are just as welcome to come work with us. We plan to have someone give a demo on different ways to crochet the edge of the fleece sometime this spring.

Fund-raisers
We will again be doing the spring Community Day Sale with Herberger's. The spring sale is Saturday, February 26. I'll pick up the coupon books and start selling this week. This is the only fund-raising event I am planning this spring.

Project Linus Institute
Don't forget...anyone is welcome to attend the 2011 Project Linus Institute to be held in Peoria, Illinois in July. I plan to attend. You can find more info at www.projectlinus.org. I know Jennifer Chiaverini of the Elm Creek Quilts book series will be one of the evening banquet speakers. I haven't heard about the specific classes yet. Let me know if you have any questions.

Resolutions!
I am hoping to reorganize some things in my life this year, including some of my Project Linus stuff. I've already gone through a couple of email lists and found several emails missing. I don't know if this is because they didn't get added, if they were somehow deleted... what. Anyway...I'm trying to get that fixed. There are a few other things as well. So far, I don't have any big events going on to overwhelm my plans... like Disney passes or earthquakes...so I have hopes of success!

Also, for those of you who might have fitness resolutions for the coming year, the vice-president of Project Linus is hosting a "Mary-thon" for 2011. She is basing this on some of the things she learned doing a half-marathon recently. To 'win' (and she will be handing out medals to those who 'win'), you have to complete 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week for 26 consecutive weeks. She allows you two extra weeks for unexpected events...so you have 28 weeks total to complete the goal. This has to be done by December 31, 2011. The type of exercise is up to you, and this is on an honor system. If you are interested in signing up, let me know, and I'll get your info to her. I did sign up - I had also had a resolution to work out more anyway so this might help me keep focused in that regard as well.

I do hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed holiday! I've missed seeing many of you and hope to again soon at one Blanket Bee or another.

Be well!
gina

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