Can it be mid-summer already???

Yes, the calendar is saying it is mid-summer... ads are pushing things for fall... and I've even seen some 'Back-to-School' info! It seems like summer just started!!! Regardless, summer is half over and we are half way to our next blanket days (and the crowd goes wild!!!) And since we haven't had a chance to chat for a bit, let's catch up.

Library Display

For anyone in or visiting Great Falls, be sure to take a few minutes to stop by the Great Falls Public Library. Their June-July display is Project Linus Blankets, and it stretches from the room off to the left of the entry, to the foyer, to the kids room to the right of the entry. The 2018 Fabric Challenge (that stretched into 2019) quilts are in the foyer so be sure to stop by and vote for your favorite! The blankets will be up only for another week or two so hurry in to see them!

Pet Hair
I know I sound like a broken record but we have to be better about checking blankets for pet hair. It is especially bad with fleece blankets because of their static electricity. If you are one who likes to crochet around the edge while watching a bit of television, maybe put the fleece in a large plastic bag while you work on it. I spent a lot(!) of time getting this last delivery ready because so many of the blankets had pet hair on them. I washed, I dried, I tried everything I could. Most were finally to the point I could give them away, but it took a lot of hours(!) on my part to get there... not exactly how I want to spend my time. There are a couple where the hair is so snugged into the fibers, I don't think I'll ever get it all off... and they may become shelter beds. Considering we buy a lot of this fleece, and you spend the time to turn it into a sweet blanket, it breaks my heart when it can't be used. Please, please, please do what you can to keep the pet hair off the blankets.

I did find one straight pin, and one piece of metal that looks like it might be the head of a needle that punches the batting fiber into the scrim. It was no more than half an inch long, and while the metal detector was pointing it out, it still took me 10 minutes to find it. But it was sharp(!), and eventually would have been found the hard way. This is exactly why I do the metal detector on every blanket.

Blanket Tags

I recently had a conversation with Cindy, Becky, and Marsha (yes, she's still part of the team!!!) about the tags we attach to blankets. I'm not talking about the satin labels - those are mandatory. I'm talking about the paper tag and business card we attach with a ribbon. PL National changed printers recently and while the new business cards are nicer, they are also more expensive. For the number of blankets we're delivering in a year, it would come to about $300. So we tossed around what we've been doing with the business card and poem/name tag on the blanket and the necessity of these. In the end, we all agreed the business card wasn't necessary but we all thought the poem/name tag was a nice touch. So that's what we'll do now... just that tag, which also has my contact info on it.

Financial Donations Down
This year has been a bit skinny for financial donations so far. We've had some, and are still blessed with a monthly contributor. But some of the businesses we've been supported by - well, I still have hopes, but haven't heard much. What this means? Fleece. Right now I don't have enough to go on a fleece spree. We have batting, and quilting cotton - and more of this has been donated over the summer, but our fleece supply is down. We've had some donated, but not a lot. What I'm saying is be prepared to not have a lot to use as we start up the blanket days again. Tides may turn, but I can't guarantee that.

Mystery Quilt
One of the ways our chapter does raise funds is through the Project Linus Mystery Quilt, and Mary, our PL VP has been busy with the ideas! This year's mystery is named after Logan - twin brother to Luke who was the honoree of the original Project Linus Mystery Quilt - Lukey the Lucky Penguin. All we've seen so far is the informational flyer....but it looks like it will be a fun one! Registration opens Monday, August 19, and I believe the first clue will be released on our first Great Falls Blanket Day. It is the same great deal as before... a $15 donation to Project Linus gets you access to all the clues - and these are both written and in video format. PLEASE BE SURE TO INDICATE THE GREAT FALLS and HELENA, MT CHAPTER AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE DONATION. Otherwise, the money goes to national headquarters. Your finished quilt is yours to do with as you please...it does not have to be donated to Project Linus. More information will be shared as it comes available.


Patterns

Speaking of quilts and patterns... yes, there has been discussion about the patterns we will demo the coming year. Is there a theme, you ask? Of course there is a theme! This year's theme is (drumroll, please....) Slice It, Splice It! So we will be building block/shapes, slicing them up, then splicing them back together in a different shape. FUN! I'm working on writing up the patterns now, and will get another post out soon with supplies info.

Helena Blanket Days
For those who have not yet heard, our Helena Blanket Days have a new home! Donna and Julie of Montana Longarm Quilting offered a room of their shop for this. It is smaller than the room at the Helena Moose, but the lighting is better - it's nice and bright! I really think we can make it work. The shop is at 3310 McHugh Ln, (west side of road), about 1/3 to 1/2 mile north of Custer Ave, in Cottonwood Center (I think that's what it's called). There are no steps. Dates will still be the second Saturday, 10:30 - 2:30. And looking for inspiration? They always have some great quilts on their machines... and they offer classes on using their machines so you can quilt your own!

I think that's it for now. My yard work is calling! For those who have been working on blankets and dropping them off... THANK YOU! I delivered 170 blankets last week, and every donation helps. Make sure you enjoy our always too short Montana summer a bit, too! I want you relaxed and refreshed for when we dig in come September!!!

Blessings to you all!
gina

Mid-winter ponderings.....

Wow. What a crazy few weeks it's been! I went to the Great Falls blanket day with so many things to share, I actually made a list. And, of course, everyone wasn't there, so it must be time for a blog post! Since the last one was in August, it's probably time anyway. 😲

Project Linus Shirts

PL Headquarters is trying a new way of doing T-shirts. They found a company that will make T-shirts - short sleeved, baseball shirts, and sweatshirts for a very reasonable price. Anyone can go in and place an order, and the item(s) will be shipped directly to you from them. There is a bit of a catch though... the window to order is only open for 2 weeks 4 times a year. The first window is open now through February 4, 2019. If you would like a PL shirt for yourself, please go to the Western Associates PL site at plstore.mybrightsites.com/  Website models are men, but the sizes are unisex... as most T-shirts are.

Project Linus Mystery Quilt Contest

The 2019 Project Linus Mystery Quilt Contest registration is officially open. There's no race to register your quilt - you have until 5pm CT February 2nd to finish your quilt, take a picture of it and submit your registration form with photo. Please read over the contest rules before your submit your registration just to make sure you have all your ducks (confectioneries) in a row! Even if you've already given your quilt away, if you have a good quality photo and your quilt meets all of the contest requirements - you can still enter. Here's the link: www.projectlinus.org/contest/entry/  I know we had some adorable ones made from our area volunteers!!!

PL Great Falls and Helena Chapter Fabric Challenge

We again did a chapter fabric challenge, and if you haven't gotten your fabric and turned in a quilt, there is still time! There was a changing of the guard of some sort at the library, and some things got missed in the shuffle, so instead of being on display in January or February, we won't be displaying the challenge quilts until June... much better for me considering the weather differences! If you haven't gotten your challenge fabric, we still have some available! One yard cuts are a $15 donation to the chapter, 1/2 yard cuts are $10. If you are interested, please let me know, and I will get a Challenge Packet to you. And please remember, this is a fund-raiser for our chapter. And! There will be prizes!!!

Closer Ties with Joann Fabric and Crafts

JoAnn Fabrics will be doing a PL partnership roll out on January 31. Additionally, they are planning to do an event on February 16 - PL National Make A Blanket Day, for 4 hours, in each store. As I understand, during the event each store will have one employee dedicated to showing people 4 different techniques for making fleece blankets (I do hope they include cutting off the selvedges!) We are not required to be there, but if you are out and about, think about stopping in a local store. That is the day of our Great Falls Blanket Bee, so chances are I will miss it.

This partnership building began some months ago, and we do now have drop-off totes in both the Great Falls and Helena stores.

Numbers!

PROJECT LINUS 2019 'DID YOU KNOW?'
Here are some interesting facts and figures about Project Linus as of January 1, 2019...

• Karen Loucks started Project Linus on December 24, 1995. 
• Project Linus National has had nonprofit status since May 12, 1997.
• Project Linus nationally has officially collected over 7,302,762 blankets as of January 1, 2019. If 70% of them are fabric (30% fleece), assuming each one is 3 yards, that translates into over 15,335,799 yards of fabric. If 30% are afghans, based on 6 skeins per blanket, that is over 13,144,968 skeins of yarn.
• If each blanket is an average of 60" long, and we laid them end to end, they would stretch 36,513,810 feet or 6,915 miles. That is as tall as 1,258 Mt. Everest, or 20,560 One World Trade Centers or 29,211 Empire State Buildings or as long as 92,680 football fields!
• As of January 1, 2019, Project Linus has about 294 chapters in the United States. We have 299 wonderful, compassionate coordinators.

For our chapter, we delivered 1964 blankets in 2019, and have delivered a total of 13,297 blankets since our chapter opened in March 2006.

Patterns

We have three patterns left in our 2018-2019 series 'Simply Sweet!' These three are... Night Sky, Cupcake Frosting, and one I haven't named yet. I have been loving seeing all the different interpretations of the patterns this year... you guys are so creative! I know these upcoming ones will spark even more imaginative designs! I'll leave the details of these next three for another post.

NICU Blankets

It was mentioned at one of our recent blanket days that NICUs are now favoring fleece over natural fiber blankets. I hadn't heard that, so when I made my most recent delivery to the Benefis NICU, I asked. There were three nurses (or other medical professional) on duty at the time, all joined in the brief discussion, and none had heard this. One stated she felt the fleece ones are more linty. So, for now, for us, nothing has changed.

Blanket Quality

I want to thank everyone for their diligence in keeping the quality of the blankets they donate high. I'm finding fewer pins... but still some, less pet hair... but still some, and a lower number of blankets that need some repair... but still some. This is saving me a great deal of time, and allowing for a faster blanket in/ blanket out turn around. It is obvious many are using the Guidelines handout...Thank You for that!!! If you still need a Blanket Guidelines handout, please let me know.

Labels

I also appreciate those of you who are sewing the labels on your blankets... this, too, is saving me a great deal of time. There are still some that are being put in the wrong corner, or on the back. It happens... I've done it myself. You just have to really look at the blanket and fabrics, front and back, to see what is the top. A few of you are using very fancy stitching to sew on the label. For this, simpler is better. There are times when I feel the label really needs to be moved, and the complex stitching is a bear to remove. A straight stitch, small zigzag, or blanket stitch (with the straight part of the stitch going along just outside the label and the teeth or bars pointing in toward the label) are all that is necessary.

Let's Wrap This Up!

Okay... that's a fair bit. I still have more on the upcoming patterns to share, and some Thank You notes to share... more to come on those topics soon.

Meanwhile, it is really snowing out... I'm skipping my class in town... so I am going to go work on getting some blankets ready to deliver instead.

Stay warm... stay safe! and Blessings to you and yours
gina

Instructions for Latigo Woven Fringe for Fleece Blankets

Below are instructions for doing a woven fringe around a double fleece blanket. This is a nice alternative to tying knots as the blanket lays flat and there are no lumps. This method seems easier for kids to do as well. 

However!!! 

These instructions do include the use of a rotary cutter....basically a round razor blade you roll to cut fabric. And like razor blades, they are incredibly sharp. Just slightly hitting one that is left open can cut through the skin. If fingers get in the way when rolling, it can cut off a portion of your finger. This is definitely not a tool to let kids use, especially unsupervised. When we have kids make these blankets, we have all the cutting done beforehand, and the kids do just the braiding. We have scissors available for any cuts that were missed, and adults make those corrections.

When using a rotary cutter, always observe basic safety...

• Always close the cutter when not in use! NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
• Consider purchasing Klutz Gloves to protect your hands while cutting.
• Don't use worn, dull blades - like your kitchen knives, these can be more dangerous than the sharp ones.
• Use an appropriate cutting mat and ruler/guide when cutting.

Quilt Fabric Challenge... would you like to win a....

...beautiful Project Linus Tote Bag???

Yes, that will be the first prize in our Quilt Fabric Challenge!






This is a Project Linus zippered tote bag by Port Authority. It is small enough to take with you yet holds all the necessities. Colors are happy aqua splash with bright lime strapping. The tote, made with 1680 denier polyester features soft web handles, a two-way zippered closure, and an interior pocket with hook & loop closure. Approximate size is11.5"h x 12.5"w x 5.38"d.



Prizes for 2nd and 3rd place are yet to be determined.


What is the Quilt Fabric Challenge? I'm so glad you asked!

The Quilt Fabric Challenge is a fund-raiser for our chapter. Packet to participate is $10 for a half yard cut of the Challenge Fabric, $15 for a full yard cut. You then take the Challenge Fabric and pull other fabrics of your choosing, and a pattern of your choosing, in with it to create a Project Linus blanket. We tentatively have plans to display these quilts in the at the Great Falls Public Library for a month. Don't feel your skills are good enough to rise to the challenge? These are Project Linus Blankets... they don't have to be fancy or elaborate to be something a kid will love... just fun! Please consider participating - remember... it is a fund-raiser for our chapter! 

If you need a Fabric Challenge packet, send me an email...  GreatFalls.MT@projectlinus.net .... and we'll figure out a way to get one to you. There is a limited number available... once these are gone we won't have more.

Half Way

Good morning, everyone!

Yes... we are half way... half way through summer... half way until we start our next blanket days!

The first half has been a crazy one in my life, so I'm ready to move forward and am hoping as I do things will settle back to just the normal chaotic I'm fairly used to.

So just a few things today....

Quilt Challenge Fabric

For all those who have not yet heard, we are once again doing a Quilt Challenge Fund Raiser for our chapter. Packet to participate is $10 for a half yard cut of the Challenge Fabric, $15 for a full yard cut. You then take the Challenge Fabric and pull other fabrics of your choosing, and a pattern of your choosing, in with it to create a Project Linus blanket. I'm not sure yet exactly how voting will be done, but there will be some prizes! In the past, these blankets were on display at the Great Falls Public Library for a month. Not sure if that will happen again, but I will investigate. Again... this is a fund raiser for the chapter... we buy a lot of batting and fleece and yarn. And PL Blankets don't have to be fancy or elaborate to be something a kid will love... just fun. Please consider participating! If you need a packet, send me an email... GreatFalls.MT@projectlinus.net and we'll figure out a way to get one to you. There is a limited number available... once these are gone we won't have more.

Pattern Plans for 2018-2019

We have selected some patterns for the upcoming year! Last year's theme was Easy but Elegant. This year, we will stick with less complicated patterns again under our Simply Sweet theme. I will provide a supply list for the first few here.



September - A Hole Lot of Fun!
For this pattern you will need...

* Background Fabric (White) — 1¾ yards
* Bright Fabric — Use a Jelly Roll, or cut some favorite bright fabrics into 2½” strips –you will need approximately 2¾ yards total. You could also use Charm Squares or a Layer Cake.

October - Fran's Gift

This will be one taught by Fran. I will get some details for yardage and update this soon.

November - Christmas Morning

Don't let the name fool you... this is a quilt for all seasons!

What you'll need....

* 30 — 10” squares of fun prints or solids (Layer Cake can be used)
* 30 — 5” squares of coordinating prints or solids (These can be made from remaining pieces of Layer Cake)
* 3 yards background fabric

Blanket Day Schedule

Our Blanket Days are set, and it is the same as the last several years.

• Helena - Moose Lodge on North Montana, 2nd Saturday of the month, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. The exception is September... that one will be the 5th Saturday of the month.
• Great Falls - Moose Lodge in Black Eagle, 3rd Saturday of the month, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Alrighty -  that's the highlights for now, I think. Enjoy the rest of your summer! Hope to see you all... and those Challenge Quilts soon!!!

gina

A New Year Dawning!

Hello Everyone and Happy 2018!!!

Yes, it is the dawning of a new year. If you were to ask me, I'd say it came at us like .... well, I can't come up with that just-right analogy. Regardless, it certainly feels like the last half of 2017 just went flying by and 2018 is smacking me upside the head!

My last post was August, I believe, and in that I mentioned the first few patterns for our monthly blanket days, but said I was saving the others so I would have to do another blog post. Which I am now... but I didn't intend for it to be last minute! Yeeks!

Blanket Deliveries...

First... some details on 2017.

I reviewed all my numbers and the total count for our chapter deliveries in 2017 is 1906 blankets! In just the last quarter - October through December - 787 blankets went out. That's nearly twice a typical quarter and explains very well the "It feels like all I do is blankets!" comment I made to a few.  If we compare 2017 to previous years, we delivered...

1617 in 2016

1414 in 2015

1316 in 2014

The overall total for our chapter stood at 11,333 at the beginning of the year.  Wow.

Monthly Pattern Outlook....

Okay, so now to the patterns...

January - Chevron

For this quilt you are going to need some WOF (width of fabric) strips. For each color/fabric change (zig-zag row), you will need one 6" x WOF strip.
You need at least 2 different colors/fabrics, and can go up to 19 different colors/fabrics.
If you use 19 different fabrics, you need only one 6" x WOF strip of each fabric. If you use only two fabrics, you will need 57" x WOF of each fabric.

February - Snowball's Chance

For this quilt you'll need...
2½  Yards Neutral Solid or Tone-on-Tone
36 10" Squares in Colorful Prints (there are 42 used in the picture to the right, however this makes it 80" long and we don't need it to be quite that big.)








I will another blog post out in February for our March and April patterns.

Blanket Cleanup

I am happy to say over the last several months, I've found only one pin in a blanket. Much improved from a year or so ago.... but still room for improvement. I'm aiming for ZERO!

I'll also mention that we're going into the time of year when animals start their change of coat. If you have any, please try to keep them away from the blankets (believe me, my cats have taught me this is an ongoing battle!), and if you work on blankets anywhere close to where they might nap, maybe put a sheet down and keep the blanket on that. The pet hair I'm finding is also very much reduced from a year or so ago, but I am still finding some. A HUGE 'Thanks!!!' to everyone who is going to special effort to eliminate these concerns for me!

Project Linus Mystery Quilt - Part 2 - The Mystery Quilt Challenge!

For those who want to take their completed Exploring the World with Ethan Mystery Quilt to the next step, a reminder was posted to the Mystery Quilt  Facebook page...

Just a reminder that we will begin accepting entries in the 2018 Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge Contest in less than a week (January 15th)! The FIRST 20 quilts entered will be accepted for the contest and then, if we have more than 20 entries we will select up to 10 more entries from the additional entries. I've seen so many beautiful photos of your finished Exploring the World with Ethan quilts and we hope each of you will consider entering your quilt. Here's a link with the contest rules AND descriptions of the GREAT prizes you can win! In addition, as the votes start coming in (beginning February 1st) we will be giving away some GREAT prizes RIGHT HERE on our Facebook group page as well!!!

 http://www.projectlinus.org/contest/details/ 

Remember - this is NOT a judged contest - it is a fundraiser for Project Linus which means any quilt entered could win! (See the contest details for more info.)

To win, all you have to do is enter and then get people to vote for your quilt. Yes, there is a small charge for voting, but it is a fund-raiser for Project Linus...that's how they raise the funds. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your workmates, tell your Facebook and Twitter and Instagram contacts, tell complete strangers! to go and vote for your quilt. I know there were some great ones from folks in our chapter!

Alrighty... that's enough for now. Stay warm and try to keep your head above the snow!

Blessings
gina

Moving Forward into Autumn!!!

Good morning, everyone!

Well, here it is... August! Our first blanket days are barely a month away, and I have been furiously trying to get things ready. In just the last few days, Cindy, Marsha, and I settled on some ideas for the coming year - yes, Marsha is still on the hook for some things! 😊 So, let's have an update....

Opinion Poll

I am happy, and a little relieved, to say the poll pretty much showed the results I expected to see... so maybe I'm not too far out of touch with how things are going with the groups. All in all, there were several "I love them" votes from the quilters, several "I couldn't care less" from the non-quilters. So we will continue on with this part of our blanket days. We did have another volunteer for teaching a block - thanks, Carmen!!!

Block of the Month Patterns

Okay... for the last few years, I've put all the blocks we're going to do throught the year out there about this time. I'm not going to do that this time. I'm not going to do it because that means I'll have to come back in another month or two and add more. If I don't have a good reason to do a blog post, I tend not to do one. This will give me a reason. So I'll start with the first couple of months and save the rest. Trust me, the block are selected - this isn't just procrastination. 😎 And this year's theme - EASY but EYE-CATCHING! In addition to being EASY!, we included patterns that will work with a variety of pre-cuts. This is going to be FUN! So, here we go....

September

I'll bet you didn't know that our September Great Falls Blanket Day falls on National Sew A Jelly Roll Day. Yes.... it is apparently a thing! Seems if we're going to be sewing, we really should roll with the idea (see what I did there???) So our September block will be a jelly roll based pattern... one I am going to call Garden Wall. What you need...

• 1 Jelly Roll. A Jelly Roll typically has 40 strips 2-1/2" wide. You can, of course, make your own Jelly Roll collection - you don't have to buy a pre-made one. The blocks finish 18" square... to make a quilt with 12 blocks that would finish 54"x72" you might need 3 or 4 additional 2-1/2" strips. This will depend on the true width of fabric your strips (this varies a bit, 40"-42", not only by fabric line but also by fabrics within a line) and what you're able to squeeze out of each one.
• 1 yard white/neutral background fabric.

October

We are going to continue with the Jelly Roll theme.... just because.... and do one I'm going to call Don't Fence Me In.
What you need...

• 1 Jelly Roll
• 1/2 yard white/neutral background fabric

What else is in store?

One of the changes I'm making this year is that I, personally, am no longer going to be able to deal with the scraps for the dog/cat beds. I think it is a great thing to do with the scraps, and I hope that either someone else will take charge of this for us, or that each of you will create and drop off the beds individually. For me, between the blankets coming in/going out and the supplies I store for you to use, there just isn't more room I can give to this, or time to create/deliver. At some point that may change, but for now I'm going to be hands-off except for the scraps and beds I make myself.

Size Versus Fabric Print

Recently, I found out one of my previous neighbors had passed away. I knew this woman...she was a wonderful, beautiful, feisty gal who liked her beer. Very nearly 100 years old. Her daughter posted a recent photo of her mom - it looked like they were out camping - and when I saw it, the first thing that struck me was she was wrapped up in what I am almost certain is a Project Linus blanket. I recognized the fabric print (it was a baby print fleece) and the woven fringe. So why would a woman nearly 100 years old be given a PL blanket? I can't answer that with any certainty. I know she didn't get it from the Peds ward. I am pretty sure she doesn't have any great-grands that are babies. What I am wondering is if it was that this was a large blanket in a baby print fabric. It was close to teen size - maybe too big for the ER to give to a baby... but not something a teen or older child would want because of the baby print. So they might have given it to someone who was just cold at the time and didn't care what the blanket looked like.

So, let's all be cognizant of the fabric print we're using and the age group to which that print is most appealing, and try to make the blanket a size that best fits that age group.

New Volunteer

We've had a few of our friends move away... but stay in touch... and it means so much to me that they enjoyed this group enough that they want to keep ties!!! 💙  Well, we've added another to our group via long distance. I received the following email a couple weeks ago...

Dear Gina,

I would like to join in the giving of quilts in Helena MT through Project Linus. I have provided an ongoing monthly donation to your chapter through national HQ online.

I wish that I could quilt and donate finished projects to support your efforts. Since I live and work in Japan with our US military, I buy my fabric and supplies online and would end up paying shipping to receive the fabric and supplies and then again to ship quilts. So, I've decided to join in your efforts in another way by sending financial support for your group of quilters.

Montana was my home prior to moving overseas. My husband and I plan to retire in Helena eventually. I have raised my two children in MT. I'd really appreciate hearing about your group's efforts and receive a newletter if you have one.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
L___

How wonderful is that?!?!? Through the exchange of emails, and me asking if I could share her story with you, she responded...

Yes, please feel free to let the group know I've joing from afar. Give them all a greeting from Japan, konnichiwa (hello) and kyotsukete (take care).

Do you have regular meetings or get-togethers for sewing time? I sure do wish I had a group with whom I could sew. I miss that being overseas.

I'm so glad to be of help.

I am going to start searching for a way to join people in via the Internet. Facebook live is too one-way, but maybe the phone chat feature would work. I'll be looking into that.

Meantime, Welcome, WELCOME! L___! We are so happy to have you join us!

Mystery Quilt

As many of you know, two years ago, our Project Linus vice president, Mary, designed a mystery quilt as a fund raiser for Project Linus chapters. That first one was the Lukey the Lucky Penguin pattern. Luke was one of Mary's grandsons, a twin, who died suddenly of a heart condition. I memory serves, the whole project was done as the family's annual effort to keep the memory of Luke alive. It was very well received, and many asked for another mystery! So the next year Mary created Gracie's Get Well Garden. Again, a big hit with even more participants. Gracie is another of Mary's grandchildren. Well, the Mystery Quilt has become 'a thing', and it's time for another! This year's will be Exploring the World with Ethan... and, yes, it, too, is named for a grandchild (she has 13!)

All of these Mystery Quilts are fundraisers for local Project Linus chapters. Access to the pattern and clues comes with a $15 donation to Project Linus. If a local chapter is designated on the registration, that chapter get the entire $15. With each event, we've learned things that work, things that don't, and are always looking for ways to make it better. I've encouraged some area quilt shops to participate by perhaps offering a discount for supplies with Proof of Registration (you are emailed a receipt.) I have't heard back from anyone on that. Anyway...Registration will open August 21, with clue delivery starting in September. Those who finish the quilt by a deadline (don't know this date yet) are then encourage to enter it for prizes. This has become a very fun event, and while the quilts don't have to be donated to Project Linus, many have been and they're always adorable! I hope you'll join us this year!

For more information, go to projectlinus.org


I believe I am going to stop here. There's much to do, and the days are getting shorter already. I hope you're looking forward to our coming blanket making season! I'm certainly looking forward to seeing all of you again!

Until September...
gina

I'm in a Summer State of Mind.....

Hello and, wow, Happy July, everyone!

Yes, it's mid-summer already! It was staying cool for so long I was wondering if we were going to see summer. Then I went to Phoenix for a couple of weeks and definitely found 'summer' there.... or the gateway to Hell... at 118 degrees, it's hard to tell the difference. So I come home looking for those cooler breezes only to have the heat follow me. Drat.

It was late August of last year when last I posted on the blog. Wow, again. I really wish I could rein time in a bit... slow it down. Instead, I just hang on and try to keep up with the ride!

So... what's new???

Blocks of the month
I'm hoping to do something a little different this year for our block of the month. Rather than Cindy or I (and previously Marsha) coming up with the different blocks, making the samples, then teaching the patterns to the group, I am hoping to have some of you take on a block. I mentioned this to the Great Falls group last spring, but anyone in either group is welcome. Doris H has already volunteered, and will be doing our block in November. We need 6 more volunteers! Once you tell me what you want to do, I will write and print up the patterns. You will make the sample and teach the block. So.... who's in???

Summer
For me, this summer has been an especially busy on for Project Linus. No conference this year, but there have been some fabric donations and purchases to get us going come fall. All that on top of making deliveries! So my down time from blanket days is certainly not down time! On the really hot days, I've been spending some time downstairs trying to get some things organized, other things ready for our blanket days. Basement is still utter chaos...but I can see some progress.

Blanket Clean-up
A huge Thank You! to everyone for taking a little extra time to do a final clean up on your blankets before you donate them. From stray threads, to pins, to the occasional pet hair.... it's all been incredibly minimal the last few months, and I am able to prep the blankets for delivery in a fraction of the time! That's huge for me!!! I truly appreciated your efforts!!!

Marking Quilts
You might remember me mentioning issues with Frixion Pens after meeting a quilter at the Helena Art Walk last fall. I tripped over another write-up on the issues. It says many of the same things I shared, but there are a few additional points as well. You can read it at... http://quiltskipper.com/2015/08/frixion-pens-all-you-need-to-know/

Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge
You might remember me telling you that Mary B, our PL VP, is the one creating the Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge. You might remember me mentioning that they are named for her grandkids... and she had a lot of grandkids already, but just added two more in the last few weeks! I think this is a total of 13 now!!! Well, it's time to honor another grandkid with the 2017 Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge! This one is named after Ethan, and not knowing anything other than what the photo is implying, I am already excited! Registration for the PLMQC will start in August, with clue release starting in September. I believe the registration fee will again be $15, and if you designate the Great Falls & Helena, MT Chapter on your registration, the entire fee will be donated to our chapter. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun, and the blanket does not have to be donated to Project Linus, but we've gotten some great ones from the first two challenges! Be sure to 'like' the PLMQC Facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/groups/848183768557929/  ... and tell all your friends and family about this fun adventure!!!

Okay... that's all for now. I look forward to hearing from all those who are willing to help with the block of the month. Please send me a note ASAP with your idea and we'll find a time to fit it in...  gina.projectlinus@gmail.com

Thanks, everyone! I truly do appreciate all you do, all you contribute to Project Linus! You're all the best!!!!

gina

Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge!`

Hello everyone!

Can it really be the end of August?!?!?!? Our Helena Blanket Bees start in less than 2 weeks, the one in Great Falls in less than 3 weeks! I am busy trying to get things ready for all that!

What else is going on??? I'm glad you asked! It's time to register for the Project Linus Mystery Quilt Challenge! This year's challenge is Gracie's Get-Well Garden, and I get the feeling it will be an owl theme! ;) Clue release will start September 10. This promises to be another fun, child-sized quilt!



Some of the questions I've already been asked.....

• Cost is $15... plus forty-some cents in change to cover the credit card fees.
• Clues will be released over a 6 to 8 week period, each should be released on Saturday mornings.
• Instructions will be detailed, and techniques used will allow quilters of all levels to participate. Don't let your new-ness to quilting keep you from joining in the fun!
• No, you do not have to finish the quilt in a specific amount of time, unless you want to enter it in the contest to win some of the big prizes! You can download the clues and save them and complete the quilt as quickly as you can, or as slowly as I might.....
• No, you do not have to donate the quilt to Project Linus. You can give it to someone you know, or keep it for yourself, or donate it to Project Linus - that is your choice!
• No, you can't share your entry with another. Due to copyright laws, you cannot post or share any specific details about the challenge's weekly clues (yardage, fabrics, instructions, cutting, etc.). However, there is a Facebook page dedicated to the Mystery Challenge and there is lots of sharing of progress on that page! Fun! Fun! Fun!
• Yes, this is a fundraiser for Project Linus, and our chapter gets the entire registration fee if you put that on your registration form. There is a question on the registration where you should enter the GREAT FALLS/HELENA, MT CHAPTER. Again, each entry is $15.

You can find more information and complete the registration on the PL National Website... http://www. projectlinus.org/contest/index.php

I know a few of us have already signed up... I hope more will join us! And feel free to share this info with all your quilting friends!

Thanks, and see you all very soon!!!!

Kindness always

gina

Supplies

Well, we meet again!

I was actually encouraged to write this post. And it's not something new... we've talked about it before. Let me explain...

Some time ago, there was an opening at the Glasgow Weather Service Office. Interested candidates put in their resumes, and a very nice gentleman was selected. He went to Glasgow before the rest of his family to get things set up and ready for their arrival.

On June 10th, this man woke up and was getting ready to head to work. He was excited because the next day he was flying to Arizona to be reunited with his wife and kids and bring them back to their new home in Montana. As he was doing his laundry, a huge explosion occurred. What the explosion didn't destroy of the home, the resulting fire did. His neighbor heard him yelling for help and ran over and assisted.  He was transported to the local hospital with serious burns. He was stabilized and then transported via AirStat Ambulance to Salt Lake City and the University of Utah Burn Center.  The house was a total loss.

This man held on to life with a vengeance... and while he had the spirit to keep going, his body could not keep up. After more than 40 days of battling the burns, the surgeries, and everything else....he passed away.

I was in contact with the Glasgow office to get an address for his family early on so we could send his kids some blankets. With all that was going on, I didn't get it until a few days ago.  So I start going through my blankets on hand to find what I want to be two very special blankets for these kids. And here is where we reach the point of this post.... the two kids are boys...one 6 and one 8 years old. While I have given away several blankets over the course of the summer, I still have many left. But there are almost none to give to two boys, 6 and 8 years old. Lots and lots of girl blankets. Lots of small blankets. Some with great fronts for boys (or girls) but a definite girly fabric on the back. But I have almost nothing that will work for these two boys. I almost regretted sending some out to Benefis recently... maybe I should have held some back... but they need boy blankets, too.

So once again, I am encouraging you to think about creating more boy blankets and quilts. And if you have something that will work for either a girl or boy on the front, please try to do the same for the back...something plain or geometric...rather than flowers or something girly.

Thanks so much for everything you do!

Kindness always~
gina