Happy Fall Y'all!
We had just a wonderful blanket day in Great Falls yesterday! I so enjoyed seeing all our old friends again... and seeing some new faces as well made it even better! I brought back four BIG bags of blankets, and about half are labeled and tagged already! Thanks to Donna, Virginia and Nellie in getting this done!
The icing on the cake for the day???? Marsha got to sew all day! No, that was good but not the icing. The icing was that Cindy found the missing rotary cutter!!! And it had some friends with it!!!!!!! Yes, after most had left, Marsha and Cindy were reorganizing the closest, consolidating tote contents, etc. Cindy was going through a tote with some fleece that was sitting up on the high shelf and there they were, all cozy and content in a Ziploc bag! So, Yay! I was planning to buy some more anyways, but this takes a bit of the pressure off and now I can wait for a really good sale. I was so excited!
This was our first day with everyone bringing their own fabric cuts, and I didn't really see any big problems. I did hesitate to give the full cutting instructions - I held back the last step on cutting the strips into 8" pieces. I was trying to avoid confusion and having people show up with pieces that wouldn't work. So, in the end, there were some who spent more time cutting than they probably wanted to. I'll put the full instructions out from this point forward and try to make sure the instructions are as clear as possible so everyone has the correct pieces and gets to spend all day sewing. Next month's is easy.... 10" squares. And you could even do it with squares smaller or bigger than 10"....they all just have to be the same size. I've seen one done with smaller squares 'checkerboarded' with neutral blocks - very nice in the end. You'll need at least 30 10" squares (or other size) for a smaller quilt. If you want to make a bigger quilt, each additional block takes 5 squares.
I was more than a little sad to learn that Sharon F will be leaving our group - she and her husband are moving back to Ohio. I've so enjoyed seeing Sharon grow in her quilting...she was one who showed up wanting to help but didn't think she could quilt...and she's made some that are just beautiful! We'll miss you Sharon, and hope you join up with the chapter there....they will be so blessed to have your talents helping them!
Our friends in Helena got together at Maureen's house...I know they had a good time... they always do when they get together! I would love to hear some details from them on what we missed!
Becky took a lot of photos during Show & Tell. She is going to try to post them to our Facebook page as an album.... hopefully we'll be able to get this done in the next couple of days.
So we're off and rolling, and I think we're off to a really good start!
I can't wait to do it all again next month!
gina
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Hoffman Challenge Quilts
For the quilt lovers out there, Big Sky Quilts has on display the winners of the Hoffman Quilt Challenge. For this challenge, all the participants are given a piece of the same fabric, and they create a quilt using this fabric. I had an opportunity to see the quilts this morning when I dropped off some blankets for them to take to flooding victims up in the Calgary area. These are not typical quilts; they are art quilts, and they are all just amazing! If you can, make some time to stop by and look at the quilts - they're back in the classroom, and they'll be there only until Tuesday, August 27.
For those of you in Helena, we'll be having a Blanket Bee this Saturday! I've wanted to do it all summer and I am finally able to make some time! Bring your sewing machine and routine sewing supplies to Prickly Pear Quilts, 10:30 to 3! We'll be in their very cool (both in temperature and ambiance, for those who've never been there!) downstairs classroom. I am so looking forward to seeing you all again.... it's been a very long time since we got together last!
That's it for now! Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. I'm already seeing signs of the seasons changing!
gina
For those of you in Helena, we'll be having a Blanket Bee this Saturday! I've wanted to do it all summer and I am finally able to make some time! Bring your sewing machine and routine sewing supplies to Prickly Pear Quilts, 10:30 to 3! We'll be in their very cool (both in temperature and ambiance, for those who've never been there!) downstairs classroom. I am so looking forward to seeing you all again.... it's been a very long time since we got together last!
That's it for now! Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. I'm already seeing signs of the seasons changing!
gina
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Another sweet Thank You
Dear Project Linus-
I wanted to write you to thank you for the blanket we received during my son's hospital stay At one month, our little one was admitted for breathing issues. While our nurses were great, all of the sheets & blankets were standard hospital issue. On our 3rd day, a nurse brought a lovely blue knitted blanket and I was so thrilled because for the first time, my child looked like a baby and not a body hooked up to tubes & monitors. I held him & the blanket and we were both comforted. So to all who knit - Thank You!
C & E
I wanted to write you to thank you for the blanket we received during my son's hospital stay At one month, our little one was admitted for breathing issues. While our nurses were great, all of the sheets & blankets were standard hospital issue. On our 3rd day, a nurse brought a lovely blue knitted blanket and I was so thrilled because for the first time, my child looked like a baby and not a body hooked up to tubes & monitors. I held him & the blanket and we were both comforted. So to all who knit - Thank You!
C & E
Monday, August 5, 2013
A very nice Thank You!
Hi all!
I received the following Thank You via email today! Very sweet!
gina
I received the following Thank You via email today! Very sweet!
gina
My son had to go to the er for the first time in his life. He ended up with stitches and a fractured skull. We were admitted to the hospital and he was very excited to have the wonderful blanket that was provided by your program. Thank you so much, something so simple as a blanket can give great comfort. Thank you again
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Time to Prepare!
Hello Everyone!
Well, believe it or not, summer is more than half over!!! This first half has been just one thing after another for me, and I have not come close to even getting started on the list of things I wanted to accomplish during the season!
I have had a chance to meet with Cindy and Marsha, however! We had a lovely lunch a few weeks ago, went through some old patterns and some new, and came up with ideas for our upcoming Blanket Bees!
I'll start off saying we're booked for the 3rd Saturday of the month, 10:30 to 2:30, September through May, at the Moose Lodge - same as we've been doing the last couple of years. I'll get this added to some of the community calendars soon.
I have had a chance to meet with Cindy and Marsha, however! We had a lovely lunch a few weeks ago, went through some old patterns and some new, and came up with ideas for our upcoming Blanket Bees!
I'll start off saying we're booked for the 3rd Saturday of the month, 10:30 to 2:30, September through May, at the Moose Lodge - same as we've been doing the last couple of years. I'll get this added to some of the community calendars soon.
Now, in keeping with a suggestion from our May pot-luck, I am going to give you a list of what we have planned, and some ideas of what you'll need fabric-wise each month. You might remember I had hoped to have a mid-summer supplies day. Well.... as I said above...... in the end, it just might not happen. Every weekend has been booked...and is booked. I'm still considering other options, but...it just may not happen.
So....to look forward to our next year.....
September - Twizzlers
For a 41"x60" quilt, you'll need....
- 24 - 2 1/2" strips
- 1/3 yard sashing fabric
- 1 yard border fabric
- 3/8 yard binding fabric
October - Ten-Minute Block (rerun!)
Each 'block' takes 5 10" squares - you'll need 30 10" squares.
November - Jim and Ann's block (I'll get the info for this and send that soon!)
December - Disappearing 4 or 9 Patch (rerun!)
- Your choice to do either the 4-Patch or 9-Patch
- 4 or 9 squares (surprise!) in the square size of your choice (4", 5", 6", 8" - all a good choice)
- You can do as many blocks as you like, to create the quilt size you want
January - Cats and Dogs
- This is going to be a bit of a surprise... but I'll tell you you'll need...
- 9 or 12 10" blocks of neutral fabric
- 9 or 12 10" blocks of colorful printed fabric
- 1 yard for sashing
- 2 yards for outer border
- 1 1/3 yards for border and binding
February - Easy Pineapple (rerun!)
- Center - 4 1/2" square - this could be fussy cut from some cute fabric
- 1st round - 4 1/2" square (yes, the same as the center)
- 2nd round - 5 1/2" square
- 3rd round - 7" square
- 4th round - 9" square
- 5th round - 11 7/8" square
March - Fast Flying Geese - For a quilt 34 1/2" x 53 1/2" you'll need...
- 45 - 7 1/4" squares (geese)
- 180 - 3 7/8" squares (2 yards total - this is the background/sky)
- 2 - 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric strips (border and sashing)
- 4 - 4 1/2" x 45" strips (more border and sashing)
April - X-Blocks (we have the X-Blocks templates)
- To use the 7 1/2" X-Block and make a bigger quilt...
- 12 strips 4 1/4" x Width of Fabric - all same or similar fabric
- 12 strips 6 1/2" x Width of Fabric - all different fabrics
- To use the 6 1/2" X-Block and make a slightly smaller quilt...
- 12 strips 3 7/8" x Width of Fabric - all same or similar fabric
- 12 strips 5 3/4" x Width of Fabric - all different fabrics
May - Wrap-up/Organize
That will give you some things to think about. I'll re-read the list in a day or two to make sure I've got things right. I'll also add the info for the ones I'm missing.
With that... it's late, and I have to be up early! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!!!
gina
Friday, March 8, 2013
A Wonderful Thank You!
Hi everyone!
I think it was Emily who last month told me she'd been reading the blog and it was last updated in November. Wow... November!!! It must be time.
As always, it's been crazy busy. I wrapped up the Community Day Sale last weekend. It turned out better than I thought it would! Regardless... it may be my last - Marsha won't let me do them anymore :( Seriously...they take a lot of time and the gain is just not what it used to be. I could go into great detail as to why, but I doubt there is any interest in knowing that. We will try to find other methods of fund-raising to keep us going. We're gaining more recognition in the community so it may work out. We've received some wonderful donations lately from many different directions!
Thank You
We got a wonderful Thank You for a blanket that we sent to the kids of Sandy Hook Elementary. I will just copy it below....it speaks for itself.
LOGOS
I again spent a wonderful evening with the Bethel Lutheran LOGOS kids making blankets. I am always overwhelmed at seeing so many kids spending a Wednesday evening at church and then so eagerly working on the blankets! Marsha heads up this project and this year she did things a bit different... rather than us packing up the blankets and me taking them home to prepare for delivery, we left them at the church so the congregation could see the work of the kids. During services the following Sunday, Marsha told everyone about the kids making the blankets and they were given a standing ovation!!!! How great is that?!?!?! Our Thanks! to Marsha, LOGOS and Bethel Lutheran for all their efforts!!!!!
Bindings
As I've been labeling and tagging blankets recently, I've notice some of the bindings are missing the quilt. It is being wrapped either to the front or the back, and then stitched down. Problem is, if this is done with a straight stitch or narrow zig zag... it is often missing the quilt top or backing because the stitching is back a bit from the edge. There are several different ideas and tips for doing the binding to avoid these types of problems. I plan to put many in the end of season pattern booklet. Meantime, after stitching the binding down, maybe go around the quilt again with a wide, maybe even a decorative stitch, with the stitch centered over the edge of the binding.
Okay...I know that's not much but it's a start. I'll try to get the next one out before 6 months passes this time! :)
Hugs and blessings!
gina
I think it was Emily who last month told me she'd been reading the blog and it was last updated in November. Wow... November!!! It must be time.
As always, it's been crazy busy. I wrapped up the Community Day Sale last weekend. It turned out better than I thought it would! Regardless... it may be my last - Marsha won't let me do them anymore :( Seriously...they take a lot of time and the gain is just not what it used to be. I could go into great detail as to why, but I doubt there is any interest in knowing that. We will try to find other methods of fund-raising to keep us going. We're gaining more recognition in the community so it may work out. We've received some wonderful donations lately from many different directions!
Thank You
We got a wonderful Thank You for a blanket that we sent to the kids of Sandy Hook Elementary. I will just copy it below....it speaks for itself.
Dear Project Linus Great Falls/Helena Chapter-To everyone who helps us in any way.... you have brought this kind of comfort to another. There aren't words to thank you enough. We are very grateful to each and every one of our volunteers and supporters.
Yesterday the town of Newtown held a community distribution event to provide our Sandy Hook School students and the rest of the community a chance to personally receive some of gifts of comfort that were sent to us after the school shooting on 12/14.
It was an orderly and fair and FUN activity for our kids. When we walked in the door (after verifying that we were a SHES family) we were given some bags and every one received a blanket, a stuffed animal, and could choose three toys or other gifts from a set of tables. In addition, some raffle tickets were given to each child for a chance at some of the larger gifts.
We came home with three quilts and blankets, all sent to us from The Linus Project. I wasn't able to retrieve the tag from my youngest son's blanket before he ran off to cuddle with it, so I'm not sure specifically who sent it to us. It was a fleecy blanket with cars and the words "honk" "beep" and "toot" all over it, finished with a lovely crochet edging. We also received a beautiful dark purple quilt, also without a specific tag from a chapter.
But my personal favorite came from you. ______ did a beautiful job on a quilt that has predominantly green colors. We chose it for the green and white to represent Sandy Hook School. But what caught our eye was the line of purple butterflies in one of the pieces. We lost two personal friends that day. Purple was Dylan Hockley's favorite color and, as a child with autism, he would "flap" when he'd be enthusiastic and excited by something. As such the butterfly and the color purple have become things that remind us of him and his family. When we opened the quilt we were so pleased to see cute green frogs too! Our friend Catherine Hubbard was a lover of nature. And though there is nothing "official" about frogs that symbolize her, one of my favorite photos of all times happens to be a photograph of Catherine and two of her friends laying down on a dock seeking out frogs and fish and other wonders of nature. For me personally, it is a little green frog that keeps Catherine and her family close in my thoughts. The blanket incorporating those three elements into one makes it so significant and special.
Thank you for your service, for sharing your craft and creativity, and most importantly your caring with my community and touching my family directly. My son was in harms way on the day of the shooting and has found that "epic snuggle" therapy is the most helpful. Now he has a special blanket to include and the rest of us have beautiful quilts to quietly honor the friends and innocence lost to us that day.
mother to 3rd grade "Bear"
Sandy Hook, CT
LOGOS
I again spent a wonderful evening with the Bethel Lutheran LOGOS kids making blankets. I am always overwhelmed at seeing so many kids spending a Wednesday evening at church and then so eagerly working on the blankets! Marsha heads up this project and this year she did things a bit different... rather than us packing up the blankets and me taking them home to prepare for delivery, we left them at the church so the congregation could see the work of the kids. During services the following Sunday, Marsha told everyone about the kids making the blankets and they were given a standing ovation!!!! How great is that?!?!?! Our Thanks! to Marsha, LOGOS and Bethel Lutheran for all their efforts!!!!!
Bindings
As I've been labeling and tagging blankets recently, I've notice some of the bindings are missing the quilt. It is being wrapped either to the front or the back, and then stitched down. Problem is, if this is done with a straight stitch or narrow zig zag... it is often missing the quilt top or backing because the stitching is back a bit from the edge. There are several different ideas and tips for doing the binding to avoid these types of problems. I plan to put many in the end of season pattern booklet. Meantime, after stitching the binding down, maybe go around the quilt again with a wide, maybe even a decorative stitch, with the stitch centered over the edge of the binding.
Okay...I know that's not much but it's a start. I'll try to get the next one out before 6 months passes this time! :)
Hugs and blessings!
gina
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Hurricanes and snow storms
Hi everyone!
Our east coast chapters are looking for help supplying blankets to the many kids affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy and now a nor'easter. I have committed our chapter to sending some blankets to help. How many can we pull together quickly??? These have to be of typical Project Linus standards...made of new material, washable, and something that a kid...newborn to 18...would love. We'll need to pay for the shipping as well. Spread the word... we need to get these ready to go as soon as possible!
Hope everyone is doing okay through our snowstorm!
gina
Our east coast chapters are looking for help supplying blankets to the many kids affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy and now a nor'easter. I have committed our chapter to sending some blankets to help. How many can we pull together quickly??? These have to be of typical Project Linus standards...made of new material, washable, and something that a kid...newborn to 18...would love. We'll need to pay for the shipping as well. Spread the word... we need to get these ready to go as soon as possible!
Hope everyone is doing okay through our snowstorm!
gina
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Blanket Bees, Community Days, and Mary-thons! Oh My!!!
Hi everyone!
Well, the snow this morning pretty much says summer is over! The days will be colder and the nights longer for the next several months. Sounds like perfect Project Linus blanket making conditions to me!
Blanket Days Rolling Again!
We've had two blanket days already... one in Great Falls and one in Helena. Great times at both, and some beautiful work done! Thanks everyone for coming, and I hope to see you next time!
Our next Bee for Great Falls will be October 20, and I'm anxious to see some of the finished Zig Zag Quilts. Our Helena ladies created some great Disappearing 4-Patch quilts and some fleece as well. Their next Bee will be in early December.
Moving Forward Mary-thon 2013 Registration
Community Day Sale Time
The Herberger's Community Day Sale is coming November 9 and 10! I'll be selling the $5 coupon books in the store as a fundraiser several times between now and sale days. For those of you from out of town... you can help as well AND get some great bargains! The coupon book has several coupons you can use online...with bargains as good as and even better than the in-store deals. Now you can buy your coupon book online to support Project Linus. Just go to http://bit.ly/SxjnNN for more information. Project Linus will get the entire $5!
That's all for now!
Hope to see you all soon!
gina
Well, the snow this morning pretty much says summer is over! The days will be colder and the nights longer for the next several months. Sounds like perfect Project Linus blanket making conditions to me!
Blanket Days Rolling Again!
We've had two blanket days already... one in Great Falls and one in Helena. Great times at both, and some beautiful work done! Thanks everyone for coming, and I hope to see you next time!
Our next Bee for Great Falls will be October 20, and I'm anxious to see some of the finished Zig Zag Quilts. Our Helena ladies created some great Disappearing 4-Patch quilts and some fleece as well. Their next Bee will be in early December.
Moving Forward Mary-thon 2013 Registration
Mary is so excited to announce that Registration is now open for the 2013
Moving Forward Mary-thon. The starting gun goes off on January 1, 2013
and she says it's going to be a banner year!!! I have to say... I've done these the last two years, and it really does make me keep a commitment to work out at least 5 days a week!
Some of the changes to the 2013 event include an updated web site and a Moving Forward Mary-thon Workbook. The 2013 Moving Forward Mary-thon Medal is pictured on the Moving
Forward Mary-thon Registration page. In addition
to the Workbook, the registration package
also includes tracking sheet, pledge, racing bib and a new 25 ounce Moving Forward Mary-thon
water bottle. Click here to go to the website: Moving Forward Mary-thon Webpage
Most fitness events donate a portion of the proceeds collected to a charity. The Moving Forward Mary-thon donates $10 to Project Linus for each Mary-thon registration!!! You can designate that you want your $10 to go to our chapter. Last year the Mary-thon raised over $4000 for
Project Linus!
Join me this year! Click here to register!
The Herberger's Community Day Sale is coming November 9 and 10! I'll be selling the $5 coupon books in the store as a fundraiser several times between now and sale days. For those of you from out of town... you can help as well AND get some great bargains! The coupon book has several coupons you can use online...with bargains as good as and even better than the in-store deals. Now you can buy your coupon book online to support Project Linus. Just go to http://bit.ly/SxjnNN for more information. Project Linus will get the entire $5!
That's all for now!
Hope to see you all soon!
gina
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Ideas!
New Fall Lineup!
Well, after the storm the other night I can definitely feel autumn coming and our Blanket Bees will be starting! Cindy, Marsha and I had a lovely lunch and came up with some great ideas! Here's the plan...- September - Zig Zag Quilt
- October - Disappearing 4-Patch Blocks
- November - Scrappy 4-Patch and Handlebar Blocks
- December - X's and O's
- January - Surprise! Something easy after the bustle of the holidays!
- February - Quiltmakers' PL National Make a Blanket Day Block - whatever that might be!
- March - Friendship Braid
- April - Three from Three
- May - Finish or retry any of the blocks done this year and organize!
I am really excited to get started again... I'm not quite ready yet but really looking forward to it! I've talked with Jeff, and we're good for the 3rd Saturday at the Moose Lodge, 10:30 to 2:30.
New Website!
Well, technology, great as it is, can also be a pain. I had been doing our website through Microsoft Office. Recently, they decided to cancel all the free websites for users. Soooo.... time to come up with a new idea. What I decided to do was get our own domain... projectlinusgfmt.org... and buy the web pages. It'll cost a bit of money, but I think this will be more dependable in the long run. I've revamped it a bit, and want to do more, but I'm planning to just do a little at a time. Check it out!That's all for now!
See you all soon!!!
gina
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Wow! What a summer!
Here it is, already August! This summer has been flying by, and I don't have nearly as much done as I intended... for Project Linus or really anything! I remember being a Brownie - and the handbook talked about the little elves who would sneak in and do good deeds like cleaning house or your bedroom - something like that. There were times when I even tried to be that little elf (not as often as my Mother would have liked, but that's another story!) So, over the course of this summer, I have been gone a lot, and I have determined that those little elves - well, they've changed! They don't come in and clean... they come in and mess things up! That is the only explanation I've come up with for why my house seems to get dirty even when I'm not there! Sigh.
Things just keep rolling in... conference, Mother in Law visit, fairs (I had to work booths for my office), a two-day class, blankets, my job, organizing a conference for work...I just go from one to the next. Trying to hang on to the tail of a jaguar is what it feels like some days!
Conference
Project Linus Conference was at the end of June. First I'll say I planned to write a bit every day about what was going on. However . . . I didn't take my laptop, I took my Nook. It has virtual keyboard and those are not really 'typeable' - it's more 'hunt and peck'. I'm definitely more of a typist - virtual keyboards do not allow me any speed at all, and even with fairly small fingers I'm always getting the wrong key. So I tried the business center at the hotel - that wouldn't allow me into some of what I tried to get into (security, of course) so eventually, I just gave up.
Anywho......Conference was in Philadelphia this year - first time a significant distance away from PLHQ. I was kindof jazzed about the different location as I've never been to Philadelphia - I'll get to see the Liberty Bell! Well... for those who might also have this hope... make sure you get there before 5 p.m. because that's when they tuck it in for the night. I got to look at it through a glass window. A bit disappointing to say the least. People EVERYWHERE... and they close everything up. As we were walking around (I was with another coordinator and her husband and a past coordinator/now HQ assistant) we tripped over this after hours, Bell to Bell tour. It was great! They pick about 5 things to show you there at 'Independence Square' tell you the story plus a little more info. The woman who led ours (all by volunteer so a different guide every night) was a fabulous guide and included some great stories. Much better than just meandering around reading placards. Heading back to the hotel, we made a wrong turn, went over a bridge and ended up in New Jersey. Interesting thing... going into New Jersey, the bridge is free... but to LEAVE New Jersey... you have a pay a toll. I guess that's their plan for keeping some residents in the state?!?!?!
I also got to see Valley Forge. I'm not exactly sure what I pictured this being like prior to seeing it, but the thoughts were more like a campsite next to a river. For those who've never been there... it is a huge, sprawling, beautiful area on the top of a hill. Tremendous view of the valley below.
Also went to Lancaster County (I think...) and to a couple of Amish quilt shops. AMAZING prices... on the low side! In the one, you could also get candy as well as a variety of herbs, spices and grains! I had a pretzel from the very first pretzel factory in the new world. Yes, it is a relatively small business that is still in business!
Okay... that's pretty much it for the touristy side of the trip. Conference was really packed with some great ideas. EXPO had so many fun, easy (but intricate looking!) quilt blocks... Marsha, Cindy and I are going to have a tough time picking out just 8 or 9 for our block of the month. Because EXPO was an extra day, I was able to squeeze in an extra class as well... a great way to do a blanket, back and binding all at the same time! One of the classes I took was 'Ugly Fabric Workshop'. That was interesting! In all the classes I've taken before, I've learned to sort by color... as we all did in May. Well, this instructor had a different approach - she sorts by seasons. Brights for spring, warms for summer, jewel tones for autumn, and muteds for winter. As I thought about our bins and bins of small pieces of fabric, I thought she could be on to something here - you aren't going to look for a springtime yellow in an quilt predominately autumn jewels. I'm not sure if there is a way to work this into our sorting scheme or not... but I think it is worth giving some thought.
Other classes were quilts with tipped pinwheels, a shaker ladder, and just a fun, easy striped, alternating block quilt. Again... lots of fun ideas!
Our banquet speaker was a woman who used to give tours at Valley Forge. I swear, if every history teacher could tell the stories of the past like she can... there is not a kid out there who would not know every detail. She was incredibly captivating. Every eye was on her the whole time. She spoke about the women and children who were at Valley Forge - again, something I didn't ever really think about. So interesting!!!!
Friday was more presentations, and among those was one from Quilting Treasures. They have gained the license to create some fabric using the Peanuts characters. They are also a company that wants to give back. Knowing at least a little about Project Linus, they decided this was where they wanted to help. So they came up with a line of fabrics that are just FUN...and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these fabrics will go to Project Linus. I was so taken listening to them... you could tell they want to help Project Linus as much as each of us does. Very heartwarming! I am told The Bernina Silver Thimble and Quilt-A-Way in Great Falls, Creative Stitches in Shelby and Ben Frankin Crafts (I think) in Havre will be carrying these fabrics. I was told this by a sales rep, and I don't know her area of coverage. So if I didn't mention your favorite quilt shop, be sure to ask them about it. I know The Bernina Silver Thimble got their shipment in just last Thursday... so cute!!!! They are also planning to add some fleece and possibly some flannel to the collection.
Part of the Quilting Treasures presentation was on creating fabric. To start, I'll say they also create the VIP lines of fabric for places like JoAnn's. Interestingly... both these VIP lines and their quilt shop lines start with the same raw, blank fabric. It is in the inking, and color setting, and further processing that the difference (and costs) come into play.
We also saw the quilts that will be included in a new book written by our president and vice-president, Carol Babbitt and Mary Balagna. It is filled with 20 quilts and patterns, stories from Project Linus, how you can help, etc. It will be coming out in October I believe. The Bernina Silver Thimble may carry some...that's still being looked into at this time.
Saturday night was our final event - another banquet (and let me just say the food was phenomenal the whole time!!!) We heard a couple of presentations that were tissue-required. It started off with a video of kids seeing their solider parent come home... some were also spouses. One of the presentations was on Pocket Hugs. This is something that the daughter of our vice-president kicked into gear in her area. The were having a deployment of soldiers in their area, so I think it was one of her church groups who created some fleece blankets for the kids. And remember those little squares cut from the corner? They took one of these, and cut some mini fringe around the sides. When the blanket was given to the kids of the soldiers being deployed, this mini blanket, this Pocket Hug was given to the soldier allowing them both to hold onto part of the same blanket while they were apart. The second presentation was from the coordinator who does our Fallen Soldier project. She and her husband look every day to find if any soldiers have been killed, if they have a family and if they have kids or maybe siblings. She then contacts the area coordinator to see if they can get blankets to those kids/siblings. She gave the statistics and while we haven't reached every single one, we have reached as many as we possibly could and that number is in the thousands. And yes, our local chapter has contributed to this cause as well. Both wonderful presentations.
Oh yeah! At the end of the Saturday banquet, they have the drawing for the conference coordinator's prizes - there were four this year -a yarn shopping spree...a collection of 250 fat quarters...$500 for your chapter account...and a sewing/embroidery machine. I won the machine!!! Brother has some embroidery designs that can only be used with their machines - I think - designs like Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, lots of Disney things...etc, so I might make some of those for quilt kits!
As our conference was in Philadelphia, our theme was 'Making History' and the quilt challenge fabrics were a blue with white stars and a red/white/blue with flags. Mine is hanging up in The Bernina Silver Thimble, if you'd like to see it.
Blanket Bees
We are fast approaching our first Blanket Bee! Marsha,Cindy and I will meet next week to come up with our plan for the year. The plan is still to have them the 3rd Saturday of the month at the Moose Lodge. I'm trying to reconfirm that with Jeff, their administrator, but I don't see any problems at this time. We might get bumped to another room the first month or two during their Farmer's Market, but otherwise we should be good to go.
We did have a Bee at The Sewing Palace Bernina in Helena in July. Several ladies came out and we created some really cool jelly roll quilts! I've scheduled another one there in September and still another in December! I'm torn between hoping for more snow this year - as we are really going to need it after last year - and hoping for easy driving roads. We'll see what we get. I'll try to schedule another one or two later in the winter or early spring.
Well, I think that's enough for now. I'll wrap up and send another next week after Cindy and Marsha and I make some decisions. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again!!!
gina
Things just keep rolling in... conference, Mother in Law visit, fairs (I had to work booths for my office), a two-day class, blankets, my job, organizing a conference for work...I just go from one to the next. Trying to hang on to the tail of a jaguar is what it feels like some days!
Conference
Project Linus Conference was at the end of June. First I'll say I planned to write a bit every day about what was going on. However . . . I didn't take my laptop, I took my Nook. It has virtual keyboard and those are not really 'typeable' - it's more 'hunt and peck'. I'm definitely more of a typist - virtual keyboards do not allow me any speed at all, and even with fairly small fingers I'm always getting the wrong key. So I tried the business center at the hotel - that wouldn't allow me into some of what I tried to get into (security, of course) so eventually, I just gave up.
Anywho......Conference was in Philadelphia this year - first time a significant distance away from PLHQ. I was kindof jazzed about the different location as I've never been to Philadelphia - I'll get to see the Liberty Bell! Well... for those who might also have this hope... make sure you get there before 5 p.m. because that's when they tuck it in for the night. I got to look at it through a glass window. A bit disappointing to say the least. People EVERYWHERE... and they close everything up. As we were walking around (I was with another coordinator and her husband and a past coordinator/now HQ assistant) we tripped over this after hours, Bell to Bell tour. It was great! They pick about 5 things to show you there at 'Independence Square' tell you the story plus a little more info. The woman who led ours (all by volunteer so a different guide every night) was a fabulous guide and included some great stories. Much better than just meandering around reading placards. Heading back to the hotel, we made a wrong turn, went over a bridge and ended up in New Jersey. Interesting thing... going into New Jersey, the bridge is free... but to LEAVE New Jersey... you have a pay a toll. I guess that's their plan for keeping some residents in the state?!?!?!
I also got to see Valley Forge. I'm not exactly sure what I pictured this being like prior to seeing it, but the thoughts were more like a campsite next to a river. For those who've never been there... it is a huge, sprawling, beautiful area on the top of a hill. Tremendous view of the valley below.
Also went to Lancaster County (I think...) and to a couple of Amish quilt shops. AMAZING prices... on the low side! In the one, you could also get candy as well as a variety of herbs, spices and grains! I had a pretzel from the very first pretzel factory in the new world. Yes, it is a relatively small business that is still in business!
Okay... that's pretty much it for the touristy side of the trip. Conference was really packed with some great ideas. EXPO had so many fun, easy (but intricate looking!) quilt blocks... Marsha, Cindy and I are going to have a tough time picking out just 8 or 9 for our block of the month. Because EXPO was an extra day, I was able to squeeze in an extra class as well... a great way to do a blanket, back and binding all at the same time! One of the classes I took was 'Ugly Fabric Workshop'. That was interesting! In all the classes I've taken before, I've learned to sort by color... as we all did in May. Well, this instructor had a different approach - she sorts by seasons. Brights for spring, warms for summer, jewel tones for autumn, and muteds for winter. As I thought about our bins and bins of small pieces of fabric, I thought she could be on to something here - you aren't going to look for a springtime yellow in an quilt predominately autumn jewels. I'm not sure if there is a way to work this into our sorting scheme or not... but I think it is worth giving some thought.
Other classes were quilts with tipped pinwheels, a shaker ladder, and just a fun, easy striped, alternating block quilt. Again... lots of fun ideas!
Our banquet speaker was a woman who used to give tours at Valley Forge. I swear, if every history teacher could tell the stories of the past like she can... there is not a kid out there who would not know every detail. She was incredibly captivating. Every eye was on her the whole time. She spoke about the women and children who were at Valley Forge - again, something I didn't ever really think about. So interesting!!!!
Friday was more presentations, and among those was one from Quilting Treasures. They have gained the license to create some fabric using the Peanuts characters. They are also a company that wants to give back. Knowing at least a little about Project Linus, they decided this was where they wanted to help. So they came up with a line of fabrics that are just FUN...and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these fabrics will go to Project Linus. I was so taken listening to them... you could tell they want to help Project Linus as much as each of us does. Very heartwarming! I am told The Bernina Silver Thimble and Quilt-A-Way in Great Falls, Creative Stitches in Shelby and Ben Frankin Crafts (I think) in Havre will be carrying these fabrics. I was told this by a sales rep, and I don't know her area of coverage. So if I didn't mention your favorite quilt shop, be sure to ask them about it. I know The Bernina Silver Thimble got their shipment in just last Thursday... so cute!!!! They are also planning to add some fleece and possibly some flannel to the collection.
Part of the Quilting Treasures presentation was on creating fabric. To start, I'll say they also create the VIP lines of fabric for places like JoAnn's. Interestingly... both these VIP lines and their quilt shop lines start with the same raw, blank fabric. It is in the inking, and color setting, and further processing that the difference (and costs) come into play.
We also saw the quilts that will be included in a new book written by our president and vice-president, Carol Babbitt and Mary Balagna. It is filled with 20 quilts and patterns, stories from Project Linus, how you can help, etc. It will be coming out in October I believe. The Bernina Silver Thimble may carry some...that's still being looked into at this time.
Saturday night was our final event - another banquet (and let me just say the food was phenomenal the whole time!!!) We heard a couple of presentations that were tissue-required. It started off with a video of kids seeing their solider parent come home... some were also spouses. One of the presentations was on Pocket Hugs. This is something that the daughter of our vice-president kicked into gear in her area. The were having a deployment of soldiers in their area, so I think it was one of her church groups who created some fleece blankets for the kids. And remember those little squares cut from the corner? They took one of these, and cut some mini fringe around the sides. When the blanket was given to the kids of the soldiers being deployed, this mini blanket, this Pocket Hug was given to the soldier allowing them both to hold onto part of the same blanket while they were apart. The second presentation was from the coordinator who does our Fallen Soldier project. She and her husband look every day to find if any soldiers have been killed, if they have a family and if they have kids or maybe siblings. She then contacts the area coordinator to see if they can get blankets to those kids/siblings. She gave the statistics and while we haven't reached every single one, we have reached as many as we possibly could and that number is in the thousands. And yes, our local chapter has contributed to this cause as well. Both wonderful presentations.
Oh yeah! At the end of the Saturday banquet, they have the drawing for the conference coordinator's prizes - there were four this year -a yarn shopping spree...a collection of 250 fat quarters...$500 for your chapter account...and a sewing/embroidery machine. I won the machine!!! Brother has some embroidery designs that can only be used with their machines - I think - designs like Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, lots of Disney things...etc, so I might make some of those for quilt kits!
As our conference was in Philadelphia, our theme was 'Making History' and the quilt challenge fabrics were a blue with white stars and a red/white/blue with flags. Mine is hanging up in The Bernina Silver Thimble, if you'd like to see it.
Blanket Bees
We are fast approaching our first Blanket Bee! Marsha,Cindy and I will meet next week to come up with our plan for the year. The plan is still to have them the 3rd Saturday of the month at the Moose Lodge. I'm trying to reconfirm that with Jeff, their administrator, but I don't see any problems at this time. We might get bumped to another room the first month or two during their Farmer's Market, but otherwise we should be good to go.
We did have a Bee at The Sewing Palace Bernina in Helena in July. Several ladies came out and we created some really cool jelly roll quilts! I've scheduled another one there in September and still another in December! I'm torn between hoping for more snow this year - as we are really going to need it after last year - and hoping for easy driving roads. We'll see what we get. I'll try to schedule another one or two later in the winter or early spring.
Well, I think that's enough for now. I'll wrap up and send another next week after Cindy and Marsha and I make some decisions. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again!!!
gina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)