Evolution

Hello everyone!

I hope you're enjoying our early evolution from winter to spring - I certainly have been! I'm trying hard not to think about the implications of possibly not having enough snowpack as a result of the recent warm weather... not easy. Regardless, I'm loving the milder temperatures and lack of ice on the roads.

I wanted to send this out before our next blanket day, which is Saturday. Last month, the whole day I felt like I never really got my feet under me. With our group growing, evolving, and more people coming to our blanket days, it is becoming difficult for me to keep up with everything going on, so I think we need to change how we do some things. I know this is long, please bear with me....


Supplies
A few times recently I've heard someone say something like "...if I don't take it now, it will all be gone." With that in mind, when someone sees something they'd like to use to create a blanket, they take it before it's gone. And they might take all of something even if there is a lot of it. There are a couple of problems with this. First, I have to note every donation that comes in for our chapter and list it on our quarterly report. We've had donations come in recently that were gone before I saw what it was. Also, everything that is donated belongs to PL...until it is deemed to be something we can't use. I certainly want you to have the supplies and have some fun with them, but I do have to see them before they go to the volunteers.  Second, not everything that comes into the blanket day is meant for our volunteers there that day. There are times when things come in meant for a specific person or with a specific purpose in mind....and even though these supplies may be far separated from the common work areas, they are taken.

So, we are going to start having a Take-It Table. Anything that is ready to go home with a volunteer will be on that table. If it is anywhere else in the room, please consider that to be 'not available', at least for the time being. You are free to ask about its intent... but please don't take anything that is not on the table. The fabric in the closet totes will be considered Take-It Totes.


Organizations Wanting to Help PL
In the last couple of years, I've had several organizations approach me with the intent of them wanting to help Project Linus. However, as I talk to them, I find they want the chapter to furnish the supplies for them to help. I've thought about this to great length.... I would love to have the help, however, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with supplies just for our routine blanket-makers. As you know, the only funds we have to purchase anything are the funds we raise. I try to use this to take the sting out of some of the supplies all of you use. I don't feel I have enough to supply other organizations, even if the completed blankets would come back to PL. I will add that I have tried giving supplies to organizations in the past, and the results were not particularly positive; I'm not sure I got back all the blankets I gave supplies for, and some that I did get back needed a lot of mending before I could give them out.

"But what about the Logos blankets for Marsha, aren't you giving fleece to them?" No. For those that don't know, Logos is the kids group at Marsha's church that meets one evening a week. The kids are elementary to high school. The evening has three parts...worship, dinner, and an activity. Several years ago, Marsha included blanket-making as one of their activities during the year. Because these are kids and there are only about 45 minutes, maybe less, to get things done, the blankets are all pre-cut... the kids just braid the fleece. I do help Marsha with this activity, in part because the blankets come to PL, and in part because it is just fun. However, we do not buy the supplies for this activity; the church and other sources have provided funding for the fleece. She does bring in some of the fleece on our blanket days so she can get some pre-cut.... nothing like big tables to make that job easier...but that is not PL fleece she is cutting. We do need to thank Marsha for sharing her fleece with our volunteers in January! I'd brought fleece the previous couple of months, but interest was low, so in January, I sacrificed that to bring in fabric ...and Murphy's Law took effect.

Along these same lines, I've had requests from other organizations for blankets to distribute... some of these requesting a significant number. Most of these organizations are well-run and with good intent. So how does one distinguish between an organization that we can help and those we can't? My policy is to give to hospitals, shelters, and aid organizations that provide help in a number of ways - e.g. Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc. However, if it is another organization whose mission it is to give out fun blankets to kids ... well, harsh as it may sound, they need to build a volunteer base to make blankets for them, just as we do. We give out many blankets in our area - for 2015 it was over 1400. Even with that number, we had shortages at times, and could give out even more. And honestly, it doesn't make sense to me to give a PL blanket, with our label, to Blankets4Kidz (I made that up!), they put their label on it, then FunBlankets (also made up!) gets some from Blankets4Kidz and puts their label on it...... you get the picture. All three of these groups might be reporting they gave out 200 blankets - which would appear to be 600 total - to the community, when it is actually the same 200 blankets with three different organization labels. So, for the foreseeable future, we will continue to follow our current policy of receiving organizations.


Tagging the Blankets
Use of the tagger gun continues to be a nightmare.... the tags break, the tagger gets jammed, it is used again before the jam is cleared and now it is really jammed... oy. The tags aren't that expensive, but the tagger gun kindof is. And I can't get to other things if I'm constantly having to tag blankets or unjam the tagger. So, let's try this...please just pin the ribbon to the blankets, and I will remove the pin and tag the ribbon as they are processed.


Donations
This is a tough one. We get some marvelous donations that have been such a blessing and allowed us to create some beautiful blankets. We've also gotten some that are less so. Last week, I spent over 2 days going through boxes of donations that resulted in maybe (!) 3 totes of usable fabric. Of the rest, I took 3 large bags to the Mission Thrift Store, stuffed enough scraps to make over a dozen dog beds, and 2 large bags went to the dump. Not a good use of my time, or my garage. Actually, I felt like I was cleaning the garages of about 5 other houses doing this. There was a bag of old clothes, a bag of clothespins, much polyester/satins/lace fabric that we just can't use, things pinned together for so long the pin had rusted in the fabric, stained and dirty fabric, old curtains, bedspreads, etc. People have suggested I be sure and ask if this is quilting fabric that is to be donated. Believe me, I do. However, if you aren't a quilter, you don't really know what that word means, and some believe it includes pretty much any type of sewing. Again, oy. Cost vs. gain. From this point forward, I will take only those fabric donations that I know will be of use to the group. If you know of someone wanting to get rid of some fabric, and you want to take it and sort through it, please feel free.


RSVPs
Marsha mentioned this last month, and I will mention it here as well... please RSVP to the evite whether or not you will be able to attend. It would really help Marsha, Cindy, and I be better prepared with any supplies we might be planning to bring for our block of the month or other activities.


Facilities
We have been blessed in being allowed to host our blanket days at the Moose Lodge in Great Falls/Black Eagle and now in Helena. Please keep in mind that these facilities are used by many others. We need to be respectful of any rules or policies that might be commonplace for a public facility.


Labels
For those who are sewing the PL label on their blanket, some of these are starting to drift farther and farther into the body of the quilt. You can shift it a little to the side or down to keep from covering a design, but please try to keep this close to the upper right corner of the front of the blanket.


Kits
We are happy to offer kits to construct as we are able. We have noted, however, that not all the kits taken are being returned as either a PL blanket or even an unfinished kit. There was a kit taken that was completed and entered in the State Fair...but it still has not been returned to PL. I have always taken an honor policy approach in letting people take home supplies, without deadlines, and I would very much like to continue in this manner. And I have no problem with the blankets created from PL supplies/kits being entered in either a local quilt show or the fair. However, if a blanket is made from PL supplies, please ensure it finds its way back to the organization.


Show and Tell
This is another tough one. For many, this is the favorite part of a blanket day! It is always so inspiring to see the many creative ideas! I am wondering, though, if they might be getting a bit long. With 80 to 100 blankets coming in, is there a way we can pare down the time some? Maybe if you made 2 nearly identical blankets, show only one in detail. I don't want to shortchange anyone's bragging rights.... but I know some want to get back to work. I'm open to ideas on this.


Okay....that's a lot. I'll end now, and start getting ready for Saturday. I do hope I'll see many of you there!

Hugs and Blessings
gina

Blanket Blocks for the Coming Year!

Well, here we are, end of August.... and the 3rd Saturday in September is just around the corner! Are you ready???

Cindy, Marsha, and I had a great lunch and came up with what we think, and hope, are some great plans for the coming year. I will put some of the requirements on here now, and update more later. So here we go.....

September - Square in a Square 

• What you'll need is a 10" square and a coordinating 5" square for each block.
• Finished block should be 9" square

October - Crayons and Other Rainbows 

• These will have several different rows, each its own color, but created from several 2 1/2" strip scraps of that color. We're thinking this might be a good one to do some swapping!

November - Buzzsaw

• Each block will be created with 2 10" contrasting, coordinating squares - a light and a dark.

December - Matchstick Marimba

January - Foundation Piecing

• Pattern to be determined but it will be done on muslin. Cindy has some she is cutting up for this.

February - Surprise!

• All I'll say is you'll need a neutral background 10" square and a contrasting 10" square.

March - Skateboards 

April - Quilt As You Go
Pattern to be determined.

Summer Wrapping Up

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...

1. I almost never use pins. I might use my binding clips at times, but almost never pins.
2. 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).
3. 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!

Vote early, vote often!

Hello everyone and happy summer!!!

Well, I see that I haven't done a blog post since February. February!!!! Just an indication of how busy things have been.

Coincidentally, the last blog post was on the PL Mystery Quilt...which is why I'm writing this today. The purpose of the Mystery Quilt was to be a fundraiser for Project Linus. First, the registration... which got you the weekly patterns. If you didn't enroll then, you can at any time... the clues are all still waiting for you, plus you have the option of looking at the finished quilt to see how you might change it up if you would like.

After finishing the quilt, participants were encouraged to send in a photo of the quilt, and PL Headquarters would select the top 20. Even though it was a crunch time for me at work and at home, I somehow managed to finished my quilt, and I am very excited to say that it was one of the top 20 selected!!!

Now it is time for me to ask for your help. The winners are chosen by popular vote... and, as this is a fund-raiser, the votes are $1 each. Voting started June 1 and goes through June 30. Voting is easy, and you can vote as many times as you like! As the post title says... vote early, vote often! The top three quilts with the most votes win some great prizes and the chapter coordinator of the winning quilter's chapter will also win a beautiful assortment of thread for the chapter. Right now... I'm in the bottom half of the pack.

I can't express how important it is to our organization that we get financial donations. Maintaining 501(c)(3) status means keeping up with a lot of legal stuff. We also need supplies for Blanket Days, brochures, printing, postage, etc., etc., etc. We get some donations from area businesses but it seems we always could use more. On the positive side, because we are a 501(c)(3), your votes, which are a donation, qualify as a tax deduction!

Since starting this chapter in 2006, we've given out over 7000 blankets! We are often told how much these blankets mean to not only the child who receives it, but also to the parents, to the nurses, to the family! Please consider a donation to help us continue to do this work!

So, I am half-asking, half-begging you to go to this website and vote for my quilt.... Quilt #7...which, by the way, I named "Antarctic Summer". To view the quilts, you can go to this website...

http://www.projectlinus.org/lukey/voting/ 

or you can go straight to the voting page at

https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=b71a5a 

Again... it is Quilt #7... Lucky 7!!!

 

Thanks for listening!
gina

Who doesn't love a good mystery?!

Wow. Two blog posts in one weekend! I think that's a record for me.

I know you are busy finishing up some blankets - thank you all SO MUCH for the overwhelming response! I also know many of you, maybe most of you, don't follow our chapter or national PL through Facebook or the Blanket Beacon. I further know we have a lot of quilters who are always looking for a fun idea. In that light I am sharing the news that the Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge fundraiser has officially started! Registration opened a couple of days ago and will be open throughout the challenge. Once you register, you will have access to the current as well as all the previously released clues....in other words, you won't miss anything if you register after the start.

The challenge will be a great learning experience for many who classify themselves as a "quilter wanna-be" as detailed instructions and tips will be provided with each clue. The contest will be even more fun for those who use their creativity with the pattern and enter their masterpiece! 

As this is a fundraiser, there is a $15 fee ($15.45 with the fee for paying with a credit card.) When you register, remember to list the Great Falls, MT Chapter on your registration form so the $15 will come to our chapter.

Now, some may remember we were planning to do a Quilt Challenge fundraiser ourselves, and I was planning to start that on our February Bee day as that is National Make a Blanket Day. Well, as the saying goes, great minds think alike. I wasn't aware HQ was planning to do this, and especially with the same timing. It would be too much to have two going at the same time so our local challenge will kick-off later in the spring.

For those interested in participating in Lukey, the Lucky Penguin Mystery Quilt Challenge, please go to this website for more information and to register... http://www.projectlinus.org/lukey/clues/ Clue #1 has been released! I hope many of you will participate just so I can see all the fun quilts that you create!

Hugs and Blessings
gina

  

It's gone viral!

The winter, that is....

Good morning everyone!

As I'm sure you've heard in the news, and from friends and neighbors, this year has been a bad season for colds, flu, and viruses. I took a typical month (or so) supply to Helena January 15, and they were mostly gone by February 1. Havre is out of blankets as well. I've gotten more to Helena, and am about done getting more ready for Great Falls - I haven't heard from them, but they're probably going through them as quickly as everyone else. I'm trying to find a way to get some to Havre in the next few days.

So.....our supplies are dwindled! If you have any in the works that you might be able to get done before our next blanket day - that would be fantastic! I'm sure these facilities aren't done with winter yet, even though my trees are (at least one is leafing out already!)

Thanks for all you do - as these requests show, it means so much to so many!!!
gina

Happy January Thaw!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you have been enjoying our break from winter! I know it won't last for long, but it sure has been nice to de-ice the streets and go around without a coat for a couple of days!

Quiltmaker Magazine Project Linus Patterns

For those who were at our Blanket Bee in Great Falls, you may remember Mary's quilt with the boats, a pattern from Quiltmaker Magazine. I said I would send out a link to those patterns and..... Ta Da! I didn't forget. Quiltmaker started their Project Linus series of patterns back in 2000, so there are 16 different ideas on the page! Over the years, I've done a sample of several of these at the PL Conference. Most, maybe all, are paper-pieced. I love paper-piecing, myself, so I find these fun. If you've never done paper-piecing and want some help, I'm sure you can find some at our blanket days! The page with a link to all the different patterns is found at .. http://www.quiltmaker.com/patterns/projectlinus.html

Supplies for February Quilt Block

It may take a bit of time to gather your fabric supplies for our February quilt block, so I want to give you a head start. The block/pattern will be Bali Love Song. This is a simple pattern and is done with 2 1/2" strips. You will need 13 sets of 2 contrasting fabrics - these sets can be all the same or all different - I would lean toward all different. You will want a  light fabric and a dark fabric in the set - you're looking for contrast. The pattern calls for width of fabric strips, but you will cut these down to smaller pieces. As long as you can cut two pieces each that are 2 1/2", 4 1/2", 6 1/2" and one 8 1/2" long, from each fabric, you'll be fine. You'll also want some additional strips, up to 14, for the border design. You'll also want about 1 yard of a neutral for the background.

March Quilt Block - Crazy Eights

As the name suggests, this block will be divided into 8 equal angles. If you remember your geometry, that means that your angle will be 45 degrees. If you have a 45 degree template, or were thinking of buying one, this would be a great time! I will make some cardboard templates, but this will be much easier to do if you have a more sturdy angle.

Build a Block, Build a Quilt

In case you don't know, Project Linus is launching a "Build a Block, Build a Quilt" Mystery Challenge followed by a contest on Feb 8th with GREAT prizes! I would like to invite you, and all your friends and family, to  participate. The challenge officially launches on February 8th and registration will be open on the national Project Linus website, projectlinus.org, at that time. If you choose to participate, be sure to designate the Great Falls Chapter as the recipient of the $15 participation donation. I'll share more details I learn them!




I think that's all for now. If I've missed something, just let me know!

Until February!
gina

1314

Hello everyone and happy snowy morning!

Well, as I typically do, I spent some time the few days before Christmas getting some blanket deliveries done. I had prepared a bunch for the NICU, and some bigger ones, and some holiday ones, for Haven of Hope (women and children shelter) and Benefis Pediatrics. With the number I usually give to the shelter, I thought there would be plenty to cover both facilities. There wasn't. There are usually 9-18 kids there... this year, 29. So I gave them all they needed, which left mostly just little ones for the Peds. I came home, got some more ready to go, and took those out very early the next morning - Christmas Eve.

After entering these in the system, our preliminary total of blankets delivered for the year is 1314!!! That's over 100 more than my goal of 1200 - 100 per month!!!

So, how about you - did you make it through the holidays? Did all those gifts get done? It was very busy...crazy busy.... for me getting ready for the day - especially the last 4 to 6 weeks, but the day itself was quiet. I even found time to take a several mile walk.... a perfect day for that!

Now, we're on the cusp of a new year. What will be our goal this time? Same amount - 100 per month? Push it up some? I haven't decided what I think would be best - what do you think?

Moose Looking for a Raffle Quilt

I was asked recently if we could help out the Moose in creating a quilt for them to raffle as a fund-raiser at their next state conference. We cannot give them a quilt donated to Project Linus, but if you have one you would like to donate to them for this purpose, that would be very generous! Let me know soon!

Quilting in Thirds

In December, Mary mentioned her technique of quilting in thirds, and brought in a handout that describes this. I did a google search and found a few different mentions of the technique, along with lots of other good ideas! Those links are below. If you're interested, you might also google 'quilt as you go techniques' - I'm sure there is a wealth of ideas there as well!

• http://blog.ajpadilla.com/2010/08/22/machine-quilting-what-works-for-me/
• http://quiltlessons.blogspot.com/
• http://www.quiltingboard.com/resources/article-73.html

Fabric Donations

Both Big Sky Quilts and Bernina Silver Thimble have given generous donations of several bolts of fabric in the last few weeks. If you've purchased any fabric in the last year, you know the value of these donations! Please thank them next time you are in their shops!

... Resolutions

And if that sign isn't enough, the reading on my scale is. As I do most every year, I let myself enjoy the 'treats' of the holidays a little more than I probably should have. Time to rein in the splurging and get back to healthier habits. 2015 will be the 5th year of the Moving Forward Mary-thon. I've done this every year - twice. That's at least 50 weeks of making sure I did at least a little exercise 5 days a week. I don't know why this works for me, I just know it does, so I will be doing it again this year.

As you may remember, Mary is the PL national VP, and founder of the Mary-thon. She started exercising to bring her own health to better levels. If you've looked into this before, there are some changes to the 2015 Mary-thon. I've put some of the frequently asked questions from www.mary-thon.net below.

There is a registration fee, and part of that goes to Project Linus. Please designate our chapter as the recipient when you register.

WHAT IS A MARY-THON? 
A Mary-thon is a 26 WEEK fitness program where YOU set a fitness goal, YOU decide what type of exercise(s) you are ABLE to do, YOU commit to exercise throughout the 26 weeks and I (Mary) provide you with the inspiration, motivation and applause along the way. You are given 30 weeks to complete your 26 week commitment.

IS THIS SIMILAR TO A MARATHON? 
Not exactly…Although both are fitness events, a Marathon is a 26.2 mile long distance foot race and the Mary-thon is a 26 WEEK fitness program. A Marathon is usually an event that involves running, but you do NOT need to be a runner in order to be a Mary-thoner. 

WHAT IS DIFFERENT FOR THE 2015 REGISTRATION?
We have decided to give you 30 weeks to complete your 26 week program. Because of this, there will be no re-starts! When you start, you exercise regularly and then you finish! There will be three start dates - you decide which "corral" best fits your 2015 schedule. The dates are: January 4 (finished by July 2), April 5 (finished by October 1), or May 31 (finished by Dec 26). If you need to change your corral for any reason, you must notify Mary at mary@mary-thon.net and mail in a $10 check to

Moving Forward Mary-thon c/o Mary Balagna
730 Stevens Creek Blvd
Forsyth, IL 62535

HOW DO THE CORRALS WORK?
In a marathon, you are assigned a corral based on your projected finish time. Here at the Moving Forward Mary-thon you can choose your corral based on your schedule. You will have the same starting date as everyone else in your chosen corral. As you progress, you will receive incentives for completion.

*Finish 6 weeks and you will earn your "Rookie" status and receive a downloadable certificate.

*Finish 13 weeks and you will earn your "Semi-Pro" status and receive a Mary-thon reflector head/arm band or headband (your choice).

*Finish 19 weeks and you will earn your "Pro" Status and receive an official Mary-thon drawstring "sports pack".

*Finish your 26 weeks and you will receive your beautiful 2015 Finishers Medal and your name will be listed on the website as a 2015 Mary-thon finisher!

IF I MISS MY CORRAL, CAN I JOIN IN ON THE NEXT CORRAL?
If you miss too many weeks of working out in your corral and there is a corral that hasn't started yet, you can mail in a $10 check to join the new corral. However, you will not receive two of the same incentives for completed weeks. For example, if you start with Corral 1 and make it to "Semi-Pro Status" and then quit, you may start with Corral 3, but no awards will be given until you reach the "Pro" Status. 

WHAT EXACTLY DO I NEED TO DO? 
You DO need to commit to regular exercise for 26 weeks with the following guidelines:

Regular exercise means 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week (for the Full Mary-thon) or 3 days per week (for the Half Mary-thon) for 26 weeks.

• You design your own personal workout by selecting the exercises that best suit your abilities, health and physical endurance. **Be sure to check with your physician BEFORE beginning any fitness program, including the Mary-thon!
• Walking, running, weight lifting, elipitcal, yoga, Zumba, stair stepping, swimming, etc. are just a few of the many ways you may want to try.
• The Moving Forward Mary-thon™ Workbook also contains several GREAT workouts with three levels of intensity – Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced if you need some suggestions. The best part is that if you cannot exercise for 30 minutes straight, you are allowed to break up your workout into manageable increments (5-10 minutes each) as you build your endurance, energy level and strength.
• You MUST report your progress to Mary along the way. It’s the Honor System! You are welcome to e-mail Mary (mary@marython.net) as often as you like with your questions, concerns, successes, and progress. You MUST report in quarterly (Week #6, #13, #19 AND when you finish) in order to receive your incentives as well as your finishers medal.

The Corral start dates are January 4, October 1, or May 31. Choose the one that works best with your 2015 schedule.

 

WHY DOES THE MARY-THON WORK?

Working together supporting each other, being accountable to someone (YOU and Mary), making a financial commitment, signing a pledge, and being rewarded a beautiful finisher's medal for completing our goal is why the Mary-thon is successful! You will be stronger and more physically fit as a result of 26 weeks of regular exercise AND you will be supporting a charity through your participation!

 

More Ways to Help Project Linus

 

For those who love Christmas music, Mary's son, Alex, made his first CD just before the holidays. Yeah, I know it would have been nice if you'd know about this a month ago - my apologies - reread paragraph 3. I haven't had a chance to order one for myself yet, but will this weekend. You can find info on this at his website http://alexbalagna.com/home. It is nine beautiful traditional Christmas songs performed with Alex's unique style. Alex will be donating a portion of his sales to Project Linus and to SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome) and he has a very important reason as he has been touched by both of these organizations in a very personal way.
 
As a bonus, order the CD and you can get a free quilt pattern, Stars of Wonder, designed by Mary for Alex! Mary designed and completed this quilt as a gift for Alex in celebration of his new record. You can receive a free copy of Mary's Stars of Wonder quilt pattern with your purchase of Joy of Christmas when purchased through Alex's website. Just email a copy of your receipt to Mary at Mary@projectlinus.org and your pattern will be on it's way!

Also, Project Linus came out with our first ever Limited Edition Project Linus ornament - again, my apologies for the late notice, again, paragraph 3. Antique silver in color, it comes with a white/silver corded string perfect for hanging on your Christmas tree. Features a beautiful black velveteen draw string pouch ideal for giving to that special someone in your life.  Whether you purchase for your own tree, or as a gift, you'll also be helping bring comfort and security to children in need.  Find it at the Project Linus Store.

 

And Finally...

A Very Special Thank-You
9/29/2014
To: All the wonderful people of Linus

Dear Linus,

Words cannot possibly express the phenomena that occurred last Thursday here at Butteville Elementary school. To say that our students loved the gift of your beautiful quilts and blankets would be an understatement. I know that for those of you who were part of this, I need not explain. The kids literally lit up when they were given their quilt. They instantly wrapped themselves in the warmth of both the fabric and the gift itself. We heard the same from parents who received both child and blanket when they arrived at home. Kids stayed wrapped up from the moment they got home until they went to bed!

We know that many of our students were distraught over the recent fire and the incredible loss faced by family and friends. Your decision to give every child a quilt was indeed generous but also met a huge psychological need. It was truly amazing. Again, thank you, to all of you at Linus for this astounding gift!

Sincerely,
Todd Clark ~ Principal/Superintendent
Butteville Elementary School

 

 

 

I think that's all for now... and my computer is acting up. As always Thank You ALL for everything you do! You are the best!

 

With best wishes for a Happy New Year...

gina

November Blanket Bee Block

Hello everyone, and Merry November!

You may recall from the blog post that listed the quilt blocks for each month that November was going to be '90-Minute Mix-up'. The 90 minute quilt was one of our first 'kits' and got a lot of use. It is a standard 5 x 7 block layout. It is a quilt as you go method, though most don't do the quilting that way.

One day, Sharon Gale showed up with one, but she had gotten tired of just looking a the 35 squares, so she added in some pinwheels for some of the blocks. Very clever! Thinking outside the box gave the quilt an entirely different, and fun, look!

So, that's the 'Mix-up' part of this month's block - take your 35 standard squares (and these can be any size even though I said 9 inch squares in the blog post), but somehow change some of the blocks to make a look that's snazzier than a standard 90-Minute! This will be an exercise in creativity! What you do with the blocks you mix-up is entirely up to you!

Look at the photo in the August (or September?) blog post of a typical 90-Minute to remind you of the standard look. Part of me wants to offer suggestions on things you could do, but I'm going to resist... I'm going to leave that entirely up to you!

Can't wait to see the results of everyone's ideas!

gina

Happy October!

Good morning, everyone!

It is October already, and the autumn colors are coming on! Fall is truly my favorite season!!!

October Blanket Bee Quilt Block

As mentioned before, our quilt block for October will be X Marks the Spot.
For one 12 1/2" block you will need...

• 4 - 6 1/2" squares of print fabric
• 8 - 4" squares of white fabric
• 4 - 3" squares of a solid colored fabric
• 4 - 3" squares of a coordinating colored fabric

I have some white fabric we can use if you don't have any... I will try to find some time to cut some squares before our blanket day to get us started.

A Thank You Note from Weed, California

I'm sure you all heard about the fires in California, Oregon, and Washington over the past couple of months. They were the cause of most of our smoky summer skies. One fire in California, the Boles Fire, burned much of the town of Weed. There is much more to the story that can be found here http://www.kezi.com/weed-students-return-to-classrooms/, but in the end, the coordinator nearest there was asking for 850 blankets to give to all the school kids in that town. We helped her meet that goal. A 'Thank You' note was sent by a parent of a couple of the kids....

I am a parent of two children that attend Weed Elementary school and who were evacuated during the Bole...s Fire. When they came home bursting with smiles and showing me their two BEAUTIFUL quilts they received from Project Linus I was shocked! "Every child received one?" I said..."Yes, we all picked out one," they said. After reading the inscription tag included I was moved to tears. I had never known about Project Linus before and just want to say it was one of the sweetest, generous gestures. You gave all of these children a wonderful gift.....the gift of comfort. My daughter loves decorating with it and my son is attached to it somewhat like Linus and has slept with it every night so far. They shared stories of the other children so excited to pick out a special blanket made just for them, many of which lost all they had in the fire. They were so excited about them all made so special with children in mind. Those children may never forget that frightening afternoon in September but they will also never forget the love and generosity of others! Its been overwhelming! I hold them each a little tighter and thank God for all their safety! Please pass on a huge THANK YOU to fellow blanketeers. ..their gift meant more than they know :):).........

And just in case you were wondering, the name of the town comes from the name of the man who founded it, not the other weed California is known for....  :)

That's all for this morning! See everyone in a couple of weeks!
gina