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Upcoming Events We are experiencing a real shortage of boy blankets in all age groups except infant Sebago Lake Grange and the Knit Wits of Sebago are hosting a blanket day on National Make a Blanket Day, Saturday, February 16th, at the Sebago Center Church on Rt 107, at 9:30 am – 3:00 pm. Cape Elizabeth Grange is sponsoring a blanket day on Sunday, April 6th, at the Cape Elizabeth Community Center on Rt 77 in Cape Elizabeth from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm. There will be a blanket day on Saturday, April 26th, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, at the Gorham Savings Bank Community Room on Rt 202 (10 Wentworth Drive) in Gorham. Please RSVP to me at 839-2275 or portland.me@projectlinus.org . Watch for the Marden's Discount Store in early April with the details for theri "3rd Annual Marden’s Blanket Day” event plans. Marden’s stores throughout Maine will be accepting blankets from early April through Saturday, October 11th, the day of their 2008 event. Check with the Fabric Department in your local store to find out about the activities planned for Saturday, October 11th. |
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PROJECT LINUS HEADQUARTERS FLEECE BLANKET PATTERNS HERE
York/Cumberland/Oxford/Androscoggin/Sagadahoc/Lincoln Counties
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January 2008
It is hard to believe that another year has passed. 2008 will mark my fifth year as a Project Linus Coordinator and the tenth year in which Project Linus has been represented in Maine. In 1998, my good friend Merlene started delivering hand made blankets to Eastern Maine Medical in Bangor. About a year later, blankets made their way into the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland thanks to Connie Kippex. Maine now has six coordinators bringing together volunteers, collecting hand made blankets and distributing those blankets into the arms of a child in need of an extra “hug”.In 2007 our Southern Maine Chapter experienced growth with the addition of many new volunteers and new facilities who service children in need. We supported children through Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, MMC International Peds Clinic, MMC Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, MMC NICU, Southern Maine Medical, Central Maine Medical, Bridgton Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital, My Choice Pregnancy Resource Program, Bridge Crossing Home, Sebago House, Ingraham Homes, Sweetser Homes, Preble Street Teen Shelter, The Center for Grieving Children, A Children & Teens Grieving Program, Camp Sunshine, Crossroads for Women, children’s group homes in Windham, Gorham, Bristol and Jefferson, etc.
We also supported many individual children who lost loved ones, experienced home fire, accidents or serious illness. We provided comfort to two young girls who found their father after a snowmobile accident and helped get him medical attention, and a young girl who saved her grandmother from drowning. We provided comfort to two teen brothers who lost all of their belongings in a fire which destroyed their home. We provided comfort to a young girl and boy who lost their beloved grandfather. We provided comfort and warmth to four young children whose family was having a hard time keeping their home warm. One Thousand Five Hundred and Thirty Eight (1,538) children received your “Blanket Hugs” in 2007. Thank you!!!!
We have several Blanket Day events scheduled for the first half of 2008, plus we are already planning for Marden’s Blanket Event and our Annual Book/Blanket Challenge. Think about joining us for one of these fun events. Dates and details are provided in this newsletter. Please reserve your spot with me or the contact person for each event.
Also, have a look below in the "Helpful Hints" section for a "How To" article on finishing fleece blankets.
Please go to the link on the left of this page Project Linus in Maine to communicate directly with your local chapter.
1. Sebago Lake Grange and the Knit Wits of Sebago are hosting a blanket day on National Make a Blanket Day, Saturday, February 16th, at the Sebago Center Church on Rt 107, at 9:30 am – 3:00 pm. Lunch and beverages will be served. A small donation is requested for heat and electricity to reimburse the church. Door prizes will be drawn throughout the day. Completed quilt tops, batting & backing will be available to work on and kits will be available for the easy Project Linus flannel blanket pattern. If you want to work on a kit, please bring your sewing machine, scissors, pins, extension cord, as well as at least 1½ yards of flannel for donation. Irons, ironing boards, rotary cutters and cutting boards will be provided. All levels of sewing experience are welcome. There will be something for everyone to work on. The completed kits will be donated to Project Linus and you may keep the pattern. Please call Ann at 787-2489, or you can email me, portland.me@projectlinus.org to reserve your seat and please let us know if you will want a flannel blanket kit.
2. Cape Elizabeth Grange is sponsoring a blanket day on Sunday, April 6th, at the Cape Elizabeth Community Center on Rt 77 in Cape Elizabeth from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm. We will work on Project Linus easy flannel kits, and we will also have available another easy flannel pattern and kit for those of you who would like to try something different this year. A donation of at least 1½ yards of flannel is requested to attend this event. Please bring your sewing machine, scissors, pins and extension cord. Ironing boards, rotary cutters and cutting boards will be provided. The completed blanket kits will be donated to Project Linus and you may keep the pattern. Please call me at 839-2275 or email, portland.me@projectlinus.org to reserve your seat.
3. There will be a blanket day on Saturday, April 26th, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, at the Gorham Savings Bank Community Room on Rt 202 (10 Wentworth Drive) in Gorham. Please RSVP to me at 839-2275 or portland.me@projectlinus.org . We will need an approximate count of attendees by April 10th, so that we can plan for lunch, seating, etc. Bring your Project Linus blanket supplies to work on, there is plenty of room to sew; and big comfy couches and chairs to knit, crochet or hand stitch. We will also have a large table set up if you have fleece projects you want to work on. There will be a few easy flannel kits available to assemble if you would like to try one, there will be someone to help you. Please bring your sewing machine, scissors, rotary cutter, thread, extension cords, etc. Cutting boards, irons and ironing boards will be supplied. Lunch will be served and there will be door prizes and an auction table with various exciting prizes you will want to win. Tickets for the auction will be $1.00 each or six for $5.00. The money raised from the auction table will benefit Project Linus, Southern Maine. There will also be totes of fabric available for you to look through and choose any fabrics you would like to take to work on that day or to return as a Project Linus blanket at a later date. I also have some yarn that will be available. Please join us for a fun day of sewing and needlecrafts, and make some new friends.
4. Watch for the Marden’s Discount Store announcement in early April with the details for their “3rd Annual Marden’s Blanket Day” event plans. Marden’s stores throughout Maine will be accepting blankets from early April through Saturday, October 11th, the day of their 2008 event. Check with the Fabric Department in your local store to find out about the activities planned for Saturday, October 11th. Marden’s collected over 2,500 blankets state wide for Maine Project Linus in 2007; they plan to top that number in 2008. Thank you to the Marden family for this special opportunity, we so appreciate it.
If you would like to sponsor a Blanket Day in your area, or have a few friends who would like to get together to sew, knit or crochet, let me know; I would love to help you put your event together.
Blanket Beacon Newsletter
Please visit www.projectlinus.org to sign up for your subscription to the new Project Linus National Blanket Beacon Newsletter. There is a field on the home page for you to sign up to receive the newsletter via email. This publication will be emailed to you by Project Linus National and will have news about Project Linus chapters throughout the country, special offers, etc. You do not need to worry about your name or address being passed on to other companies by submitting your information. There is also a field in the sign up form which asks which chapter you are affiliated with. Please indicate our chapter in this field. There is a “sign up” contest which runs from now until March 31st and the chapter who gets the most subscriptions for the new Blanket Beacon Newsletter wins a grand prize of $500 credited towards chapter expenses.
Quiltmaker Magazine – Hopes & Dreams Quilt Pattern
Quiltmaker Magazine has released their 2008 pattern for Project Linus. Visit www.quiltmaker.com to print your free quilt pattern called Hopes and Dreams. They have a paper pieced version as well as a pieced variation of the pattern in addition to various sizes. You can also find past Project Linus patterns on this site.
Free Patterns – Knit, Crochet & Quilt
There is a huge offering of free patterns on the internet. Take some time and check out sites such as debbiemumm.com, quiltinaday.com, connectingthreads.com, allpeoplequilt.com, lazygirldesigns.com, the leisurebotique.com, plus most quilt magazine sites, as well as fabric companies offer free downloadable quilt patterns. Visit debbiemacomber.com, leisurebotique.com, lionbrandyarn.com, bellaonline.com, plus most of the yarn manufacturers and magazines offer free downloadable knit/crochet patterns. Also, when you visit www.projectlinus.org, check out the free patterns you can print and use. I searched free quilt patterns on the internet, and could have spent the whole day on line visiting the various sites.
Comfort Cooking From Southern Maine Blanketeers
Our “Comfort Cooking from Southern Maine Blanketeers” cookbook was published in the fall of 2007. Thank you for your support through recipe donations and cookbook purchases. If you haven’t had the opportunity to purchase your copy yet, I will have them available for sale at all Blanket Day events, or you can contact me to find out how to receive your copy.
Thanks to all of the shops who have sold the cook book for us, your help is most appreciated.
Helpful hints and Instructions
There is an excellent article about finishing a fleece blanket, complete with graphics, that can be downloaded here (in Microsoft Word format)....download THIS MS Word file
Our drop off sites are
- Kathie’s Quilt Shoppe, Shaw’s Ridge Road, in Sanford,
- Tony’s Sewing Machines, Rt #111 in Biddeford,
- A C Moore, Target Shopping Center, Running Hill Road in South Portland,
- The Korner Knitters , 2 Fort Hill Rd (Rt 114 & 35) in Sebago Lake Village,
- Quiltessentials, 909 Minot Ave. in Auburn and
- Mariner’s Compass Quilt Shop, 11 Centre St. in Bath,
- Edith & Edna on 51 Exchange Street in Portland,
- Joann Fabrics at the Topsham Fair Mall in Topsham, and
- any Marden’s store.
These shops have been very supportive of Project Linus on an ongoing basis. It would be very difficult to coordinate the collection of blanket donations without their help. Please shop these generous businesses whenever you can.
A Project Linus blanket is made of new, washable materials in kid friendly colors from smoke free environments. Knitted and crocheted blankets should be made in acrylic blends or cotton yarn (no wool, please). Quilts should be made of 100% cotton, with a poly, cotton, or poly blend batting. Please tie or machine quilt (hand quilting is fine, too) the layers together so that when the blanket is washed it stays together. Fleece makes a warm, snuggly blanket, but if you “knot” them, remember to make the ties no longer than 3”, they can get tangled in cords and tubes if donated to a child in the hospital. I have also received a few that were tied a little too tight, making a “bowl” effect. There are several patterns out there now for single layer fleece, a cost savings versus double layer, check www.projectlinus.org for free patterns. I also have a limited supply of a booklet passed out at Conference with ideas and patterns for fleece blankets. Very important, please check your blankets for stray pins. These blankets are hugged, dragged, played with, washed and dried over and over again; they need to be of a rugged construction. Many people have asked me about sizes. I have included a guideline on age versus size, but I usually say, make the size and pattern you want, there is always a need. Newborn = 25”x 30” Toddler – Young Child = 35”x 40” (or 45”) “Tweens” = 40”x 60” Teens = 50”x 65”-70” Enjoy making your blankets, they mean so much to the child who receives them. Believe me, the child and their family feel the love and “hugs” you have put into your creations.
Thirty-five beautiful book/blankets were displayed for viewing on a VERY rainy and cold Saturday, October 27th, 2007, at the Thornton Heights United Methodist Church in South Portland. Many people attended despite the weather, and were so impressed by the blankets you created and donated for this special challenge. The blankets were taken to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in early November for the children who spent Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home and family. Margaret Gunn and the Hungry Caterpillar won 1st prize, Meredith Carver and National Velvet won 2nd prize and Joni Linscott and Jigsaw Safari won 3rd prize. The Stash Masters Quilt Group sponsored a bake table with proceeds benefiting Southern Maine Project Linus. Over $500 was raised through the voting process and the bake table for our chapter. We are so grateful to the Thornton Heights United Methodist Church for the use of their church for our show.
MANY THANKS
We have a very strong group of volunteer “Blanketeers”, or fondly known to me as “Blanket Angles”, who keep this chapter well stocked in beautiful blankets. Thank you!!!
We have eyes and ears in most corners of our six county chapter area helping to make sure more children in need are discovered and presented a “Blanket Hug”. Thank you!!
We have those “Blanket Angels” who tag the blankets as they come in, so that they can be delivered as quickly as possible. Thank you!!
Please know how much you are all appreciated and how important you are to the children we provide comfort to. We received many thank you notes:
From a mom – “ I can’t thank you enough for the Linus Blanket Hug! The care and love that went into that blanket is amazing. It’s a beautiful blanket. Alison has been sleeping with it every night. Every time she thinks about how much she misses her dad, she hugs the blanket a little tighter.”
From a mom – “I’d like to take this opportunity in hopes that you speak my thanks and gratitude to all those who make these blankets. Over the last six months my son (who is now 13 month of age) and I have been bouncing from place to place in order to stay safe from my ex-abuser. The time has been profoundly difficult and he has found comfort in his new blanket.”
From a mom - “I want to thank you so much for the beautiful blankets you sent to my sons after the death of their father. We sit many nights watching TV snuggled up in their warmth and I think of your good works every time. Thank you!!”
From the Center for Grieving Children: “I truly can’t think of a gift that has more meaning for our children, teens and their families. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please convey our gratitude to all of the wonderful caring blanket makers.”
From a dad: I wanted to thank you all for the lovely blankets you sent our daughters. Both girls were very excited and are sleeping with them as I type this short note. The loss of the mother is so terribly hard. I really appreciate a program such as Project Linus which continues to help the little ones work through their loss as we grown-ups try to do the same. Thank you for all you did for our family and clearly what you have done for many families. It is truly most admirable!
As always, if you know of a child in need of a “Blanket Hug”, please let me know.
Don’t forget to let me know if you need a book for the challenge, or if you are making a blanket with your own favorite book. Please register as soon as possible for one or all of our upcoming Blanket Day events.
“You cannot help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself”
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
We had many yarn and fabric donations which allowed volunteers who would not otherwise be able to provide materials a way to sew or knit/crochet for Project Linus and donate their time to comfort a child. Thank you!!!
