Those of you familiar with the quilting world know that quilt blocks often have names: Flying Geese, Log Cabin, Windmill, Attic Window, Maple Leaf and many more.  At our last Blanket Sew Day, we made Bug Jars!  Two of our Blanketeers collected bug fabric, jar and lid fabric, cut the shapes and presented them to our group to stitch up. One of the fun and interesting aspects of our Project Linus Chapter, has been teaching and sharing quilt techniques. This sharing and sewing has lead to assembling quilts with blocks made by 8-10 people. Blocks are made, stitched together, quilted with batting and backing and bound by one volunteer.  We…

On Aug. 26th, I stopped by the Bunny Hop Quilt Shop to check our blanket locker.  As usual, there were some finished blankets inside.  When I returned home and logged them into our Project Linus database, that blanket pick up resulted in getting to 500 blankets made since our chapter began in May 2018! Skilled sewing, fun colors, stunning patterns, quirky fabrics, colorful threads, soft yarns, warm fleece=the best blankets for kids from birth to age 18.  I continue to be impressed with the blankets our blanketeers create.  Their generosity and kindness is stitched into each blanket they make.  Thank you blanketeers…you make our chapter possible.

Remember the childhood classic: The Little Engine That Could?  Recently, one of our blanketeers  likened our chapter to that little engine.  We are a small chapter of 10 active blanketeers who meet monthly.  We also have had some blanket donations from others who support our mission, but do not regularly attend our meetings. Let’s see…471 blankets divided by the number of months our chapter has been active (15 months) equals: 31 blankets made each month or about one blanket made each day. Not only does our chapter  make a remarkable number of blankets given our size, but these blankets are also remarkable for their colors, designs, and construction.  I know…

Humboldt County Project Linus celebrated our one year anniversary in May.  When I started this chapter, I was hopeful that I’d find both blanketeers and local agencies serving young children who needed blankets.  My hopes have become a reality and I am happy to report that in one year, our chapter made 406 new blankets and 367 of those blankets have been delivered locally to 15 agencies working with children up to age 18. I have seen the Project Linus mission in action: getting feedback from staff regarding the ways in which our blankets have helped  children and their families along with hearing just how much making the blankets has…

At our March 30th Saturday Blanket Day, 54 blankets were turned in by our small, but mighty group of blanketers!  You can see some of the beautiful blankets that were made here.  This is the most blankets donated in a day since our beginnings in May 2018. And, as you can see, they pretty much filled up my car: front seat, middle seat and cargo area all full of lovely blankets. There were teen size blankets, youth sized blankets and ones made for toddlers and infants.  Some were quilted, some were crocheted and some were made of fleece with a crocheted edge.  So many blanket styles and all just perfect…

Our Humboldt Chapter applied to the Coast Central Credit Union Sponsorship Program for a grant.  I was contacted by Colleen Toste, VP of Marketing and Communications, recently and she let me know that our request for $500.00 had been approved.  This funding will help us make blankets for children on our community who need a Blanket Hug! This grant is our 2nd “YES” to a written proposal and it feels quite satisfying to get the support of organizations in our community.  There are many non-profits in our area who do good work in a variety of areas: health and social services, environmental issues, educational efforts, the arts and so many more.…

On March 16th I received a check for $500.00 from the Humboldt Lodge No. 79.  The Masons make contributions to local non-profits and we were fortunate enough to be selected as a recipient. This donation followed the old adage of:  third time is a charm.  I had written two other grant requests both of which were declined.  I wrote the Masons in February sharing information about the mission of Project Linus and our blanket progress to date.  Our Humboldt Chapter has donated over 260 blankets to 12 organizations who work with youth from birth to age 18. The funding we hoped to receive would be used for blanket making supplies…

I recently delivered 44 Project Linus blankets to Changing Tides Family Services.  The blanket sizes ranged in from infant to teen. This agency serves many children and their families and provides a variety of supportive services.  I was happy to see these blankets in a place where they will be connected to a child.  Here is a photo of this delivery: I now have one blanket in my inventory, but I know that it will soon be joined by other finished Project Linus blankets.  Our chapter is now 9 months old and balancing blanket inventory and blanket deliveries takes a bit of coordination.  I decided months ago that I’d rather…

It was raining blankets at our 1st Project Linus meeting of the New Year!  I thought that our dedicated blanketers might take some time off from blanket making during the holidays, but I was mistaken.  At our meeting 26 new, beautiful and expertly made blankets were donated to our chapter.  For me, each blanket was a special gift reflecting the true meaning of the holiday season which is giving to others, especially to those in need. My sofa was just big enough to accommodate the blankets as you can see here. There were all types and sizes of blankets: fabric, fleece and crocheted as you can see here. It took…

Our Humboldt County Chapter is 8 months old this December!  In those 8 months, our chapter has made 181  blankets and I have personally delivered  167  blankets.  The holiday deliveries feel especially  important.  We see holiday commercials and abundant advertising with photos of happy kids and their families.  The reality is that not every kid is feeling the holiday magic. Some of our blanket recipients are separated from their families and can no longer live with them for a variety of reasons. We know that a blanket does not replace a family.  This year, some of our blankets will be holiday gifts for kids living in  youth and family shelters.…