Newsletter – November 2017

New Director
Lyn, Heather and Helen are delighted to announce that Sarah Smith (Assistant PLUK Coordinator for Hereford) has agreed to join us as a Director of Project Linus UK. Many coordinators who have been to the Festival of Quilts over the past couple of years will have met Sarah. We look forward to working with her as she assists us with the Head Office admin jobs.


Thank you | Heather
A big thank you to all our volunteers who handed in quilts, tops, knitted blankets and orphan blocks at NEC making a fantastic total of 251. We received many black and white quilts which was our theme for this year. Next year’s theme is rail fence. Any size and any colour.

Once again, our packs of magazines didn’t take too long to sell. A bargain at 4 magazines for £1. We met many people who had not heard of Project Linus UK and they left promising to make a quilt and donate it to their local coordinator.


Caroline | Liverpool
We had a great day at the Abakhan store, turning strips of shirts into quilts for Project Linus. The fabrics are particularly good for boys of all ages and we hope the recipients like them!


Jacquie | North Surrey & West London
I have been supplying small quilts to Baby Basics in Sunbury (Middx) since 2015. It has been amazing to see what this small, local charity has achieved, and a real pleasure to be involved. This is what they have to say about Project Linus’ contribution to BabyBasics:

Baby Basics Sunbury is part of the national Baby Basics charity who supply Moses baskets filled with clothes and equipment for new babies up to three months to mothers who are struggling to meet the financial and practical burden of looking after a new baby. We have been running in Sunbury for three and a half years and we have just delivered our 400th pack! We receive referrals from Midwives, Health Visitors and Social Workers and provide to families over a large area, some are refugees and some fleeing domestic violence. We also supply gifts for ladies in HMP Bronzefield. Project Linus has supplied us with beautiful quilts to place on top of the baskets and they look so special. Each one is different and they really make our baskets look special. We really appreciate the support we receive form Project Linus.

Baby Basics has centres across the UK and you can find out more at http://baby-basics.org.uk


Elspeth | Lanarkshire & Glasgow East
I invite people who make requests for quilts (Social Workers, Health Visitors etc.) to advise if any of the youngsters have special interests. They often do. Below is a reply from a local Social Worker after she received a batch of quilts. The four youngsters mentioned had experienced great trauma. Got it right this time!

You and the ladies do all the wonderful work and today I got to see the delight on 4 children’s faces as I delivered some of the quilts today! (no school today) The wee boy with the aeroplane quilt had a sharp intake of breath when he saw that and said WOW! He wrapped the quilt over his head holding it under his chin and never removed it the whole time I was in for the visit.

The wee girl with the butterfly quilt was also blown away when she opened the quilt out saying ‘I LOVE butterflies!’ I told her this was made especially for her by ladies from your project and she did not have to share it with anyone if she did not want to. The little girl with the princess quilt could not stop smiling saying she loves ALL the princesses and sat on the couch with it wrapped around her.

The 15-year-old said thank you as he was doing something on a tablet, however when I was leaving he had it wrapped around him. They are planning a night in with munchies and to watch a film all snuggled up with their quilts. You all do all the work and I get to see this. Thank you again for making such a difference in these children’s lives.


Margaret | Oxfordshire
Having been a Coordinator for a whole year, I cannot tell you all how rewarding I find the whole experience. I have been lucky enough to become involved in supplying not only quilts and breast pump bags to the Neonatal Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital but also quilts and ‘wiggly bags’ to the children’s oncology unit. (Wiggly bags are small bags used to put the Hickman Lines in that the children have inserted just above their hearts that are used to dispense their medication). I received this email from a mum who has a little boy on the Neonatal Unit and it makes everything we do worthwhile and hope it makes you all feel the joy as well!

By way of introduction, my name is Susie and I’m one of the Mums who has a baby currently on the intensive care unit at John Radcliffe Hospital. I hope you don’t mind me getting in touch but I wanted to pass on a big thank you to you and the group for the lovely blankets and bags you’ve sent to the ward recently. They are absolutely beautiful and very much appreciated. I picked a white blanket with blue trim and have used it to keep my little boy, Benjamin, warm when having a cuddle. And the patchwork bag is proving very useful as a book bag for the story books I’m reading him. I just wanted to let you all know that the hard work is very much appreciated and to thank you for your kind support. All the best, Susie


Helen | East Staffordshire
We have received this lovely thank you email from Aoife’s mother, and wanted to share it:

My daughter was in Great Ormond Street Hospital in April 2015 on ECMO.(ECMO is the use of an artificial lung (Membrane) located outside the body, (Extra Corporeal) that puts oxygen into the blood (Oxygenation) and continuously pumps this blood into and around the body.) She was very ill. We had been flown from Dublin Ireland to London for this treatment. Aoife got her lovely Project Linus quilt at that time. Thankfully Aoife recovered and is doing great now. Her quilt is in use all the time and much treasured. Well done in your great work.


Heather | Wrekin, Shropshire
At Newport P&Qs, a sewing group I go to each week, I ran a Project Linus day. Some of the ladies made a quilt on the day and many others slipped down the binding on quilts that had been made prior to the day. The end result was 28 quilts which were very welcome as my stock was depleted.


Joan | Dumfries & Galloway
In November last year, I was invited to speak to the Annan Quilting and Sewing Group about PLUK. Annan is the other end of my area, (Dumfries & Galloway) about 80 odd miles from my home! Very enthusiastic small group, and they said that they would make a start in the new year.

This week I met their organiser for coffee and handover in Dumfries (not quite halfway!) She gave me 40 quilts from her own group, 16 from another group nearby I had never heard of, and 22 from a previous donor. Needless to say, I was delighted, never before had so many in one month! I am holding some back as my intake is usually thin in December/January, with the holiday season. There were so many good ideas to “borrow”, Their organiser said they would be making more in the coming session. I have found, previously, that a wee talk to a group usually reaps good results!


Maureen | Argyllshire
Dunoon Community Quilters had a wee talk from Maddie McCance the lady who founded Cathleen’ Cabin at Hafton
Holiday Village. It is a static caravan providing a week’s holiday for families who have a wee one with a life-threatening illness or some trauma in their lives.

They come via recommendations from Robin House or Rachel House. Sometimes the parents might come after the loss of a little one for a wee break. I contacted Maddie and have since given her several Linus quilts to pass on to the littleones. The feedback has been amazing as they so absolutely appreciate that there are
folks out there who care enough to make these quilts.