For updates on Project Linus read the summary of our latest newsletter below or join us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with all the latest news and photos.

Download the full newsletter (PDF) to see photographs of the beautiful quilts described below.

A huge thank you

2013 was our most successful year to date with a total of 23,109 donations of quilts and blankets. Thank you so much to all our co-ordinators, quiltmakers and knitters for their support.

Meg (Staffs Moorlands)
It’s with great sadness that I am sharing with you the passing of a wonderful lady – Joan Dengel of Great Longstone, Derbyshire. She has been a massive contributor to Project Linus over the last few years, making lovely quilts along with her daughter Paula, her last count was 431! Although her health was not good, she was a cheerful and inspirational lady, getting others to help too with knitted and crocheted blankets. We met twice a year to ‘put the world to rights’ and shared lots of quilting ideas and tops; hers always much better than mine. I personally shall miss her very much and the organisation will be a few quilts less without her generous contributions. God bless you Joan.

Barbie (North Dorset)
July was a very busy month for us with our record number of 92 quilts donated. We held an exhibition in Shaftesbury with the North Dorset Quilters and raised £74 from donations. Several people came in and said they had a grandchild who had received one of the Project Linus quilts and how they loved them.

Each year a different group of children who have been affected by the Chernobyl disaster come over to Sherborne for a month’s holiday with host families, this month gives them an extra unbelievable 3 years of life. We have been involved with this group called ‘Chernobyl Children’s Life Line’ for 3 years now and give all the children a quilt to take home. it’s wonderful to see how they blossom in this short time and the delight on their faces when they choose their quilts.

We were recently contacted by Homestart who were very keen to be supplied with quilts for children under 5 so our first delivery of 41 quilts was made in July, with more to come in the future. They are most appreciative of them and have sent a lovely letter saying thanks to all our ladies.

We would like to thank Carol Scott for all her hard work for Project Linus in this area as she has now retired as co-ordinator but will surely keep in touch and continue to make quilts for us. Carol and Anne started the group in 2008 and it continues to gain momentum every month.

Ann (Chesterfield/South Sheffield)
We had a ‘monster’ time at a sew4others meeting – all the ‘monsters’ were made from strangely shaped scraps that we all have after cutting out shapes from bond-a-web backed fabric. We just added the eyes! This quilt went to the Children’s Hospital in Sheffield via the PACT nurses who said the boys would be fighting over who had this one! So as not to leave them out we made a monster quilt for a girl too which will soon be on its way to the hospital.

It was still school holidays during our August meeting and the grandsons accompanied their grannies. The boys had a lesson in knitting squares for blankets and joined in the fun of show-and-tell.

Angela (West Dorset)
The Melpash Show in August was very successful making £236. Gill did her stuff again and organised a competition using a quilt called ‘Little Dragons Everywhere’. The competition involved naming dragons and the quilt was won by a lady from Weymouth. Our thanks go to the organisers of the show who gave us a free pitch again, and to Joan Hawes and Margaret Read who helped us on the stand.

Many of you came to the Flower and Quilt Festival held in Askerwell Church in July. As I sit here now with the central heating on, it seems a long time ago but the weather could not have been more perfect for us. Everyone worked so hard for the event and it was a resounding success. Every pew in the church was draped with quilts and almost everyone who walked through the doors and saw the colourful display said ‘wow’. We exhibited approximately 60 quilts and most of these were given to various recipients a week later. The PCC and Project Linus made an amazing £689 each. Our thanks go to Askerwell PCC for agreeing to hold the event and all their hard work, and also to all those people who made quilts for the show.

Lesley (Selsey)
In July 2013 a group of ladies from around West Sussex joined the Selsey Quilters for a workshop day making quilt tops for Project Linus. This was the second year that we had a lovely sunny day to come together and what a great day we had. This year we took along our small stretching bars as well so we could show how to stretch a quilt top with a fleece back or with wadding and a backing as some of the girls hadn’t done this before. 10 quilt tops were completed and a good day was had by all.

Jacquie (West London/North Surrey)
It’s been quite a busy time in the West London/North Surrey area. In November a member of Honeybees Quilting Group organised a Project Linus day at Tysons Sewing Centre in Southall. Tysons offered free facilities and we had a great time choosing fabrics and making a variety of quilts. Thanks should go to Tysons and to Anna East for organising everything including the biscuits! All the quilts will go to Ealing Hospital.

Also in November, Thameside Quilters held a Christmas quilt-giving evening. Several of the quilts had been made at the annual Quiltathon in July from a pattern by Karen Hellaby and it was interesting to see the same pattern with different interpretations. Altogether 45 quilts and blankets were donated to charity, as well as 4 incubator covers for St. Peter’s Hospital. A great evening spent with generous ladies.

Do you have any stories or photographs for the next edition of the newsletter? Please do send these in to our newsletter compiler Ann Smith to share with other volunteers.
Happy Quilting.