Time flies when you're working on blankets and I didn't get the newsletter out in July as planned. We had a great time making fleece blankets on July 11. Read the details below.

Make a Difference Day is October 24. Please see below for when and where plus fabric requirements for the quilt we'll be doing. Final details will be in a newsletter in early October.

Two wonderful things happened as I struggled to create this newsletter. First, Wal-Mart called. Then, Patty Gregory made an appointment for a mysterious delivery.

A few blanketeers and I applied for a Community Grant at several Wal-Mart and Sams Club stores last February. In July, the Lee's Summit store awarded us a $1,000 grant. It is wonderful to have funds for our expenses!

Patty Gregory arrived with 2 large bags of Warm & Natural quilt batting. The Warm Company donated a semi-truck load of batting to Project Linus Headquarters. Patty drove to Bloomington, IL and got some for us and the Joplin chapter. Thanks, Patty!

We are delivering significantly fewer blankets. Several factors are causing this: the division of the KC area into 2 chapters, the normal summer drop in incoming blankets and, undoubtedly, the economy. The need for blankets remains high, yet we've had to cut back on deliveries.

I want to get more volunteers making blankets. That means more work behind the scenes. With more cash donations, we can buy materials and recruit blanketeers who are unable to buy yarn or fabric. I hope you'll consider volunteering for one of the 3 jobs described below.

SusanB

Making blankets is our main job, but there are activities that happen behind the scenes that most of you never see. We need help so that the chapter runs smoothly and no one is overloaded with tasks they do not enjoy. If you would like to be more involved in Project Linus, consider volunteering for one these jobs.

Chapter Assistant – Assist with quality checking of incoming blankets, sewing labels on blankets, newsletter mailings and errands. Add ties or quilting, secure/weave in yarn ends on afghans, etc. to finish donated blankets that aren't quite ready. Fold newsletters and stuff envelopes.

Fund Raising Assistant – Identify potential donors. Write letters and make phone calls to request donations of cash and merchandise. Find or create activities to raise cash to support our Project Linus chapter.

Training Assistant – Train volunteer groups (e.g., church or youth groups) to make fleece blankets. Demonstrate trimming selvage, squaring the piece of fleece, cutting fringe, tying knots and other no-sew options for finishing fleece.

To volunteer for one of the positions or to get more information about the responsibilities, please contact SusanB at 816-761-4137 or

Twenty-three blanketeers gathered on Saturday, July 11, 2009 and learned several new ways to make fleece blankets. About half the group was from the blanket group that meets at Noland Road Baptist Church. It was great to meet these ladies who make so many blankets every month.

Favorite blanket finishes were Bunny Ear Fringe and Picket Fence Fringe; both are no-sew methods. One blanket was finished with contrasting fringe. Several ladies worked on crocheted edging.

Alice Cook and LoriAnn Anderson demonstrated their own methods of stitching squares and rectangles together to make blankets from scraps.

Several blankets featuring a center panel were created with their techniques.

Blanketeers arrived with 29 finished blankets and 32 fleece blankets were finished for a total of 61 blankets. Many pieces of fleece went home with volunteers and some of it has already come back as finished blankets.

Thanks go to Beth Whorton who arranged for us to use Noland Road Baptist Church for the Summer Fleece Extravaganza. Thanks also to Jodie Land and Alice Cook for helping with setup, clean up and blanket labeling.

What:Make a Difference Day

When:Saturday, October 24, 2009. 9 am to 3:30 pm

Where:Cornerstone Church, Lee's Summit, MO

On Make a Difference Day we'll be making a quilt that combines scraps with strip piecing. Look through your scrap basket and fabric stash for lots of different fabrics. Each 6" block has only 3 pieces for quick assembly. We'll have something to do for those who don't want to sew also.

In addition to blanket making, Make a Difference Day will also be a volunteer appreciation event. The details are to be determined, but I hope to have some nice door prizes and a guest speaker.

The next newsletter, in early October, will have complete details about our Make a Difference Day plans. In the meantime, here are the fabric requirements for the quilt we'll be making so you can start collecting and cutting your fabric.

If you make blankets with a holiday theme, please remember that they need to be turned in about 2 months before the holiday, so we have time to do the quality check, attach our Project Linus label and deliver the blanket before the holiday.

We prefer blankets that do not have a holiday theme. Children and families may not want a reminder that they were sick or in a bad situation on the holiday.

Mix fabric for several different holidays or use small amounts of a holiday fabric with non-holiday fabric to create a blanket that can be given to child on any day of the year.

If you want to make a holiday themed blanket, please keep in mind that many holiday themed blankets go to healthy newborn babies. And remember, no metallic thread and no yarn with a metallic strand.

Do you work for a company that donates money to charities that employees volunteer for? Wal-Mart is one employer that does this.

Please check to see if your employer supports employee's volunteer efforts. You already spend time helping Project Linus. Please take the time to fill out and submit the needed paperwork to get the grant or charitable contribution for Project Linus from your employer.

Do you or a friend work for Kohls in Jackson, Clay or Platte County? SusanB wants to plan an event and invite Kohls' A-Team. With at least 5 A-Team members for 3 hours, we qualify for a $500 grant. Plus we'll get some blankets made.

We just received a $1,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation which will pay for essential expenses and our big blanket days. With more cash donations, we can buy fabric, yarn and batting to make more blankets and supply volunteers on limited incomes.

Please contact SusanB at 816-761-4137 or if your employer supports your community service efforts with contributions to the charity or if you know someone who works for Kohls.

No Toe-Catchers, Please

Please make sure your quilt ties are too small to catch a little finger or toe. The stitch through the fabric should be no more than ¼" on both the front and the back of the quilt. We've had to cut ties out and quilt several blankets because the wide ties were a safety hazard.

The Hand Rule

Mountain Mist batting says quilt or tie up to 5" apart for best results. This is a good guide for any batting with layers that pull apart. If you quilt or tie farther apart, the batting shifts and tears in the laundry and eventually that favorite blankie will be a lumpy mess. Anywhere you put your hand on the quilt you should touch a tie or a quilting line.

Fundraisers

Best Choice UPCs– Please save the UPC codes from your Best Choice products. We get $30 for every 1,000 UPCs. Please don’t send the entire label, we only need the UPC code.

Mountain Mist UPCs– Save the UPC codes from Mountain Mist batting or any Super Fluff product (batting, fiberfill, pillow inserts) for Project Linus. We can get 25 yards of quilt batting with 100 UPC codes and a small handling fee.

Send your UPCs to SusanB or turn them in with your blankets.