Newsletter – September 2016

19th October 201619th October 2016 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

Our thanks to Upper Street Events for our free stand at the Festival of Quilts. It is always such an exciting event and we meet so many of our supporters there – and encourage new supporters as well. We were lucky enough to have a big stand this year and were able to put up lots of pictures of our ‘satisfied customers’. The happy smiles on the faces of children cuddled up in their quilts and blankets were very encouraging. We also had some lovely stories of children who had received quilts. I heard today that a boy who received a quilt a while back when going to live with his uncle after his parents died ‘saved the day’ when their little girl was devastated to lose her teddy – he let her borrow his precious quilt to comfort her.

Thanks also to the Warm Company. They have been providing us with free wadding for Linus quilts as well as wadding packs and fabric from Lewis and Irene to use as raffle prizes. They even let us sell raffle tickets from their stand at the show. With this, and our scrap sales, this was by far our most successful fundraising ever.

Finally, thanks to the Game of Quilts – a competition for teams to make a quilt in a day at the Festival while visitors watched. The quilts they made were donated to Linus and are on their way to Birmingham Children’s hospital.

Heather | East Shropshire & West Staffordshire

Once a month, on a Friday, a group of ladies get together in the workroom at the Quilters Quest shop in Bridgnorth to specifically make patchwork tops for Project Linus. They pass the tops to Ann Jermey who quilts them, without charge, on her long arm quilter. Ann hands them back and the ladies put the binding on and gives them the finishing touch of a label. As I am usually given anywhere between 30 – 60 quilts at a time having the label already on them is a bonus. In June this year there was a joint venture at St Nicholas church Oldbury, near Bridgnorth, with an open garden weekend and a show of Linus quilts in the church. Pat Beech was in the church making more tops and promoting Project Linus.

Church quilt exhibition

The joint venture was extremely well attended and very profitable. The proceeds were divided 3 ways and St Nicholas church, the Air Ambulance and Project Linus UK each received a donation of £1,005.11. On August 16th there was a presentation evening in the church where a representative from each of the recipients was invited to attend. As the local co- ordinator I had pleasure in attending and received my big cheque with Pat and Mary the founding ladies of the group at my side.

Philippa | Edinburgh East & Midlothian

A lovely thank you note:
“Thanks to the beautiful hands that made the gorgeous blanket that has made my 2- month old baby girl feel so comfy while poorly in hospital. You are all angels xxx “

Baby on quilt

Ann | South Sheffield & Chesterfield

Reece with his I-Spy quilt

This is Reece, who received an I Spy quilt from sew4others – he is 4 and was born with Angleman Syndrome (which means he has a missing chromosome gene 15 whuich delays normal development). His mum says “we are so happy with Reece’s development although he does struggle with walking on his own, and talking. He loves the blanket and takes it to bed with him. Thanks you so much.”

Gerta | North Norfolk

In June the North Norfolk group were asked to stage a display of our work at the Queen’s Birthday Civic Celebration at Christchurch, Fulmodeston, North Norfolk. The church supports our group and gives us lots of publicity at many events in the village. We were asked to decorate the chancel, from the reredos to the chancel steps, including the altar. Our group made a terrific effort and put up a remarkable display of quilts, blankets, prem hats, snuggle squares and toys made by our members.

We are a small group with only five quilters and 16 knitters and we all worked really hard to show what Project Linus does for our local hospital, which is the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital. I also collect quilts from a group in Norwich, Surrey Stitchers, and they too contributed lots of beautiful quilts for the display. As you can see, we draped quilts over choir stalls, hung them on walls and put toys on window sills. The centrepiece was the altar which we fronted with a quilt, which actually reflected the tiled floor.

Church quilt display

The display caused much discussion and interest. The outcome was that we have since received many donations of fabric to use in further quilts. We also had a request from Fakenham church for quilts for two bereaved siblings, which we were happy to give. All items have now been donated.

Newsletter – July 2016

26th July 201626th July 2016 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

We’re busy planning for our stand at the Festival of Quilts (11th-14th August) at the NEC. The organisers are kind enough to let us have a free stand, but that does mean that they fit us in around their paying customers. Our stand number will be shared on Facebook and Twitter once it becomes available. We will be selling scrap fabric and raffle tickers to raise money for supplies. The Warm Company, who already provide free wadding to lots of Linus events around the country, have provided a number of packs of fleece and fabric as raffle prizes.

Linus coordinators have also taken stands at various other quilting and craft events around the country, several for the first time this year. I don’t know whether there are more shows, or whether we are just getting more involved. Either way, it has been a great way of meeting more people.

Maybe it is just the company I keep, but I feel that there is a real growth in the number of people willing to get involved in activities to help their communities, or perhaps it is that there are now increasing numbers of baby boomers like me reaching retirement and getting stuck in to organising things. There are lots of people with skills and time who are a great and often untapped resource who can make a real difference to the quality of life in their communities. There are some really active Linus ladies around the country who have managed to inspire their fellow needlewomen. This not only benefits the children who receive the quilts and blankets, and their families, but also provides a creative outlet, good company, and a sense of purpose to their makers. Let’s celebrate this sense of a community coming together and take that spirit out into the wider world.

Sylvia | Warrington

Crazy Quilters and Knitters for Linus celebrated their 10th anniversary at their April meeting with a coffee morning. There was a display of the quilts and blankets they had made since Christmas in the church. The event was well attended and we managed to raise lots of funds to continue our work. Regular visitors to our fundraising events have collected several tote bags for their £1 entrance fee from previous events and they proudly bring them, prepared to fill them with their neighbouring areas too.

Our star prizes for the raffle were a large Japanese style quilt and an Afghan blanket. Each group member had been involved in one or other of these projects. The cushion tombola proved to be popular with everyone. For the younger visitors we had balloon modelling, name the doll and lucky bags. We are very fortunate in getting lots of donations of fabric and wools and although these are not always suitable for Linus, our ladies keep very busy making lots of craft items for our stalls. At the end of the day, the children enjoyed getting involved by picking out the winning raffle tickets. Thank you to all our supporters.

Anita | Biggin Hill

“I just wanted to write to send you on my sincere thanks to yourself and your team at Project Linus for the support that you have recently given to the Biggin Hill Children and Family Centre. As you are aware , our purpose is to support families across the Borough during both difficult and desperate times for many different reasons. Many of the families that we support are impacted from many different situations and rely on professionals and kind-hearted people like you to support them through these difficult periods.

I am pleased to share with you that the blankets that you made and kindly donated have all been gratefully received by parents/carers and children locally that we felt would benefit the most. Thank you once again for all your hard work and support and I wish you every success for the future with the continuation of the amazing work that you do. We hope that you will come and see us again soon at the Children and Family Centre.”

Elspeth | Lanarkshire and Glasgow East

“Dear Elspeth, Just wanted to drop you a wee note to say thank you for the beautifully made quilt that my daughter received when she left Wishaw General yesterday. She loves it and is using it through her recuperation. Please pass on my thanks to the lady or gent that put so much of their time into making it, she will treasure it. Anne Henry”

Jacquie | West London and North Surrey

Last September I was invite to give a talk about Project Linus to Harlington WI. This went down very well, and there was a lot of interest as I passed around a variety of quilts for the ladies to handle. Not long after this I was contacted by the Chairman of the Middlesex Federation of Women’s Institutes. She had decided to offer a challenge to all of the WIs in Middlesex (50) to make quilts for Project Linus. I provided guidelines for the quilts, and two rolls of wadding were donated by The Warm Company for the challenge.

After their AGM in April (where the quilts were on display) I picked up 55 quilts and 34 knitted blankets which filled my car! The Middlesex WIs had really risen to the challenge and produced a variety of quilts in lots of different designs and sizes – perfect for Project Linus. I am hoping that some of the quilters will continue to make quilts for me as this has proved such a wonderful project.

Sally | Fife

Last week I attended a morning assembly at Masterton Primary School in Dunfermline where I gave a small talk about Linus and received 17 quilts made by P6 and P7. The children also said a few words about what they had been doing:

“Masterson Sewing Club runs every Thursday lunchtime by Mrs Campbell and Nana Barbara for P6 and P7 children who can sew. We try to do our best to use as many recycled materials with our sewing as we can from Masterton jumpers, duvet covers, Dads shirts and a lot more.”

This is the third year I have collected quilts from the school, they are so enthusiastic and keen it does you good to meet them.

Clare | Trossachs, Stirling and Surrounds

I had booked a holiday to Ecuador, and shortly before I left, the devastating earthquake occurred there. I asked my travel company if they had a local contact who could distribute quilts to children affected if I could take some with me. They are involved with supporting this charity and their representative was so very appreciative of the thought, and the quilts. They really were so touched to receive quilts from Project Linus UK. It meant a lot to them that the wider world cared about them.

Jacki | Gloucestershire and Bristol

Four year old Erin had five heart operations cancelled before finally having her surgery in May 2016 at the Children’s Hospital in Bristol. Erin’s Mum Tara has asked if Erin could have a quilt, and by the time she had the surgery, she had two – a hospital quilt and big girl quilt in pink and purple. She’s made a fantastic recovery and is a remarkable little girl.

Get in touch

Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann.

Newsletter – May 2016

29th April 201629th April 2016 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

April is a busy month for me.

The Quilters’ Guild have made a space for us to have a sew-in at their AGM in Llandudno 15-17 April. They also had their Beginners workshop at Olympia Knitting and Stitching Show which was very successful with lots of people learning how to make a block and seeing how it is turned into a quilt for Linus. April 22-24 we will have a stand at Uttoxeter Quilt Village selling scraps and raffle tickets to raise funds. Ani Catt will be running a Quiltathon making Linus Quilts out of donated patchwork tops and showing visitors how the APQS long arm quilter works. Do come and see us if you can. A number of other Linus ladies have been taking stands at shows around the country so, wherever you are, look out for us.

It is not only quilts and blankets that are made by Linus groups around the country, although that is our official mission. There are quite a few specialised items for the hospitals as well as the usual teddies and premature baby clothes. Some of the other things we are asked to make are featured in this month’s newsletter.

Helen | East Staffordshire

The volunteers in East Staffordshire have been providing incubator covers and small quilts to a local special care baby unit for several years. The SCBU ward was very plain and the staff wanted to brighten it up to make it a more friendly and welcoming area.

The incubator covers are made to the requirements of the unit. (They do not have any wadding, flaps or curved edges.) The size required was given to us by the SCBU. Two rectangles of fabric are stitched together, the underneath fabrics being either dark navy or dark green cotton and the tops are made with cotton curtain fabric in bright colours. The dark backing is necessary to protect the babies’ eyes from the bright ward lighting. The small incubator quilts are generally used for the babies to lie on in the incubators.

Ed: Many hospitals have their own specification for incubator covers. A few patterns are available here but please do check with your local coordinator on which pattern is preferred in your area.

Susan | Norfolk

We run a sewing group, in Norfolk, called Bezalel (a man in the bible gifted in all crafts). At the end of last year, we were offered some material by a lady called Jeanne who was going back to the States, little did we know it was a LARGE curvier box FULL of beautiful big pieces of material.

In December, I got in touch with Heather, a Project Linus coordinator, and she offered us some free wadding from The Warm Company, which we were delighted to receive. We are given a lot of lovely girlie quilts, but we get fewer quilts which are really suitable for boys, so a decision was made to go with a black, grey, white theme and make as many as we could in larger sizes for older boys and brighten them with a few music notes. Some are finished and some are in the making.

We are also having fun making the Sun Bonnet Sue and animal appliqué quilts. We make little kits so that the members of our group can do a simple single block and when we have enough they are put together and the quilts are soon made. The quilts we are making will go to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for the children’s ward.

Pip | Edinburgh, Mid & East Lothian

Here are two lovely thank you letters:

“My baby boy received one of your wonderful quilts on his arrival at Sick Kids. It’s a fabulous blue with yellow trim and the material is tractors on one side and diggers on the other. He along with his identical twin brother were born at the Royal Edinburgh at 25 weeks on 4th November. They were transferred for ongoing care to SK at around their due date 17 February.

In amongst all the drama and upheaval of moving hospitals the quilt let us hang onto normal love and kindness as opposed to medical, sterile intervention. The simplest things are often the best. Thank you so much it will always be treasured.”

“I wish to pass on my thanks to the person who made the safari blanket which was given to my 2 year old, Jamie.

Jamie absolutely loves animals so to receive this after 3 days of being in hospital, he was one very happy little boy. Thank you once again”

Ann | Chesterfield & South Sheffield

At sew4others we were asked by Beryl (who works for P.A.C.T. at the Children’s Hospital in Sheffield) if we could make Beads of Courage bags as well as quilts. These drawstring bags with a lining are used for storing the beads patients receive after undergoing treatments. A few months ago we were asked if we could make some larger sized bags as some patients have so many treatments that the normal sized bead bags were not large enough.

There are obviously a lot of courageous youngsters out there who bravely undergo lots and lots of treatments – and for us to make a bag for their beads is the very least we can do.

We make ‘wiggly bags’ for them too – and no, the bag isn’t wiggly! The ‘wiggly’ is the tube, usually, with two clips on the end. The tubes are used to give medicines and to take blood from children who are having treatments – instead of endless needles. These tubes are stored in the bags and tied around the neck of the patient using the tape – and as you can imagine the bags become contaminated fairly quickly, so they need lots! The bags may become a child’s best friend as it means an end to endless needles – and these bags only take a few minutes to make.

Sue | Buckinghamshire

I recently held a sewing day for Project Linus at a friend’s house in St Albans. I provided ready-cut packs of disappearing 4 patches and 9 patches, so everybody could start sewing straight away. Between breaks for coffee, lunch and tea, all generously supplied by the hostess, we completed 11 quilts with several more having been taken home to be finished.

Anne | Rye

I have had various health problems since Christmas and not been able to attend my embroidery group Rye Creative Stitchers. When I got there yesterday evening they presented me with a ‘Linusometer’ wall hanging which a few of them had made for me. It shows that we have reached nearly 600 quilts (we are quite a small group in a country area) and has its own bag with some extra red tape for me to add for future donations. I was so amazed at their kindness.

Caroline | Liverpool

A Ward Sister on the Intensive care unit at Alder Hey Hospital sent a letter to the Liverpool Echo asking for bright coloured sheets for the cots and incubators, saying it makes a big difference for families to see their seriously ill child on these rather than stark white sheets. The letter was posted on the Project Linus Facebook page asking if the Liverpool branch could help – and of course we could!

A great local charity – Team Tree – that raises funds for Alder Hey got in touch and offered to pay for the fabric, and Abakhan Fabrics, Liverpool agreed to us using their workshop for a sew-in. We had a productive day with 12 sewing machines in constant use and other people cutting and ironing fabrics, and produced 226 sheets for the Unit. We also donated quilts and blankets and received a thank you letter stating “you have no idea how appreciative we are with these donations that transform the place.” One of the quilts was given to a 7 year old girl who had been in the Unit for 50 days – when shown a daisy quilt she put her thumbs up and this then went with her when she transferred to Newcastle for a heart transplant.

Get in touch

Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann.

Newsletter – January 2016

7th January 201614th January 2016 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

Congratulations and thanks to all our coordinators and their supporters across the UK. With numbers still coming in we are already up to a record 28,758 quilts and blankets donated in 2015. This is over 1,000 more than last year. There were also countless premature baby hats, teddies, cushions, baby clothes, and other knitted or sewn items.

Several coordinators ran fundraising efforts (raffles, coffee mornings, stands at local show, talks to WI, Rotary groups etc). We also received money from Waitrose, a few local councils, and other grant making bodies. Some of this money was used locally and some came back to the centre. With that, we bought lots of fabric for local workshops, particularly fleece and backing. We do spend a bit on admin (postage, flyers etc) and also getting our accounts audited. However, almost all our work is done by volunteers at their own expense.

Jacki | Gloucestershire

Incubator cover being delivered

We have been making incubator covers for St Michaels Hospital in Bristol. This is the last of the 20 covers being delivered. Little Patrick was born in Southmead Hospital and quickly transferred to the special baby unit at St Michaels Hospital due to various problems. He’s now a very bonny eight month old and we all got a cuddle when his Mum brought him in for a visit. Gromit always gets in on the act around here!

We were asked recently for some sensory quilts with ‘feely bits’ that didn’t meet with our usual specification for no embellishments etc. We compromised with some ‘supervision only’ quilts which enabled more knobbly bits to be included. A workshop in North Nibley run by Ruth Kirkup provided many varied sensory quilts for Sense, Bristol. Some of final quilts were masterpieces, including an audio quilt made by Margaret Davie in Swindon. There are 10 animal sounds sewn into the quilt, and tabs to allow the quilt to be displayed on the wall when not in use.

Margaret | Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich

We’ve had a very successful year. In total we have donated 143 quilts. Some of these have been given to us by other local quilters as word of our presence is getting around! Several weeks ago we received a message from one of the other London coordinators about a young lady with a lot of fabric for us. Travelling by train and bus (and not sure what ‘a lot’ might be) Margaret took a not-too-big wheelie suitcase and a bag which ended up being stuffed to overflowing. Unpacking for the ladies in our group was like being in fabric heaven – we were all planning in our heads what we would be making and we won’t be shopping for a while!

Daryl recently gave a talk to the members of the Emmanuel Quilters in Dartford. it went well despite the lack of heating and we were set home with 19 quilts and the proceeds of their entry charge, sale of goods, and raffle.

Lately we’ve been experimenting with preprinted panels. Kim contacted an eBay seller to see if we could get some more and mentioned what we’re doing. The outcome was that they are putting another panel in for free and are going to look into sending any scraps that we can use. They are very willing to help as they said it’s nice to know that we’re out there volunteering to try to make children’s lives more comfortable.

The most moving request we’ve had was for a quilt for a stillborn baby. The mother was going to order one from the US but heard about our group so were able to get one to her within a few days. We also made a tiny matching square for the mother to keep with her.

We used to keep an album of photos of our quilts but Chris has now set up a Pinterest board to act as online storage. Our New Year’s resolution is to finish off some UFOs we have sitting in the cupboard – with all the donation of fabric and unfinished patchwork pieces we need to make some space!

Joan | Dumfries and Galloway

A while back the local branch of MIND contacted me. Their therapeutic craft group has made quilts for Alzheimers and had heard about Project Linus and wanted me to visit. Their work was good; they had had a good tutor. One problem – our council had slashed their craft budget severely – however I was able to let them have fabric, fleece, and wadding from donations made to me. I didn’t hear from them for a while as their tutor had moved, but this month they presented me with six lovely quilts.

I feel this is a real circle of care, donations to our group being put to good use, the ladies making quilts benefit and the quilts are produced for various outlets.

Get in touch

Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann.

Newsletter – July 2015

19th July 201514th January 2016 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

The early summer is a relatively quiet time for me. The year starts with the Linus annual accounts. March is the Guild stand at Olympia where we show beginners how to make a simple block and how it gets turned into a Linus quilt. April is the Guild AGM and the Linus stand at Uttoxeter. Now I can actually do some sewing. The current project is to make 18 larger quilts to go on the bunks at an adventure camp for inner city kids who would not otherwise get a holiday. I am privileged to live in the beautiful South Shropshire hills at the bottom of the Long Mynd. This is prime country for schools in the West Midlands and Birmingham to send pupils to do their Duke of Edinburgh awards. Pontesbuy Deanery, based near us, has been organising these holidays for many years and I was delighted to get involved because I know from my own children how important it is for City children to be able to run around in open country.

Now that I have the Lucey long arm quilter, donated by APQS, it is really easy to make a top into a quilt. I made two tops, each approx 42inches square. The Warm company have donated quite a few rolls of wadding 90″ so I put both tops on one piece of wadding with a length of 60″ lightweight cotton for the backing. It took less than one hour to do the quilting on the two tops using a random meandering pattern. This is worked from the needle side of the machine so you can see what you are doing which makes it much easier than trying to follow a pantograph. How many of you took part in ‘Knit in Public’ day? We had a little group knitting in our local library and chatting – libraries have changed since my youth. It was just as well that we met indoors as it rained all day. It’s good to show people what we do. Apparently the NHS is even considering prescribing knitting as therapy for depression and dementia. How boring life would be if we didn’t keep making things.

Happy quilting – and knitting too

Ann | Chesterfield & South Sheffield

Hilary Jackson and Sarah Humphreys are a Mum and Daughter team who have recently started to organise quilting retreats in Kegworth, Derbyshire. The first retreat, in October 2014, proved so popular that in May of this year they held two retreats – attended by a total of 52 ladies from all over the country. Hilary and Sarah have been supporters of Project Linus UK for many years, having made and donated several quilts through their local quilt groups. They were sure that many of the quilters attending the retreat would love to support Project Linus as well so set a little ‘preretreat challenge’. They circulated the instructions for a simple 10” quilt block and asked each quilter to make one block in bright colours, suitable for a child, and bring it with them to the retreat.

The response to the challenge was fantastic. In all, 160 blocks were donated – enough for ten quilts. During the retreat weekend, Sarah and Hilary sorted and stitched the blocks. Hilary then took them away to quilt and bind. Everyone was delighted with how the quilts turned out and commented on how – with the same instructions – quilters can end up making such diverse blocks. It is amazing though that the blocks still go together so easily to make a wide range of quilts which will hopefully appeal to children of different ages. These quilts have now been given to Home Start in Sheffield for the families to enjoy A big thank you from Sarah and Hilary to everyone who donated a block. They’ll certainly have another challenge ready for quilters at the next retreat!

Janet | Caithness

We had a very productive day’s workshop at Caithness Quilters and made enough blocks for about 5 quilts. This idea came about as some of the ladies had heard that they could make a foundation pieced house block for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in August which would go to make Linus Quilts.

Jacki | Gloucester

I have been asked to provide 20 incubator covers – quite a task! The first of these have now been delivered to SCBU at St Michaels Hospital Bristol. The only stipulation was that they should have dark backs to minimise the light. Apparently the babies are then able to open their eyes without the glare of the lights and the mothers say that bonding begins properly at this point. I have been able to use up ‘ugly’ on the back and also light damaged dark fabrics so it is proving quite useful. Only the centre is quilted – 40 x 20 – which I do free motion quilting to ensure it can’t come adrift anywhere. When folded back it folds exactly on the wadding line so stays put.

Pip | Edinburgh, Mid & East Lothian

A few of the Thank You letters received:

“I’ve attached some pictures of your beautiful handmade quilts. Feedback from the families has been great and they all are so thankful of the gift. In one picture the little boy is unwell and is lying in bed with his quilt on top. Another child voiced her excitement of receiving the princess quilt as princesses are her favourite thing. I just want to thank you for you continued support and donations of the quilts; they really mean so much to our families living in our refuge.” Family Support Worker

“We received a beautiful quilt last week when our little boy was in the sick children’s hospital in Edinburgh. I don’t know if it is possible to thank the person who made it. It has a cockerel weather vane in the middle and is edged in deep red and green and is fleece backed. The background colour is yellow. It kept Finn, 16 months, warm and reassured during his time in intensive care and recuperating on the wards after a terrifying episode of septicaemia and toxic shock. We are very grateful for your kindness.”

“Our son has just recently come out of the Sick Kids hospital. The day we were leaving we were giving a beautiful blue/cream teddy bear and balloons patchwork quilt which is now keeping our 1 year old very cosy. Thanks so much for giving us such a lovely gift. It put a smile on our faces after having such a worrying time in hospital with our son. We really appreciate it and it will take pride and place in our son’s bedroom”.

Get in touch

Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann.

Newsletter – May 2015

6th May 20157th January 2016 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

March and April were busy months. We had a presence on the Quilters’ Guild stand at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia. They were running beginners workshops showing people how to make a simple block and then how different colour schemes and arrangements produced different quilts from the same basic shape. Liz Powderham from Surrey provided a display of Linus quilts so that visitors could see just how effective a simple block can be and how much pleasure it can bring to a sick or distressed child.

In April there were two events taking place on the same weekend. There was the Quilt Village at Uttoxeter and also the Quilters’ Guild AGM in Harrogate. Celia Wright, Helen Scales and Heather Russell manned the stand at Uttoxeter and sold scraps, bags and old magazines to raise funds as well as telling people about our work. I went to Harrogate where we had some sewing machines at the AGM – helpers put together 13 tops from the blocks made at Olympia, and started on some more packs.

Now I just need to catch up with the paperwork that has been piling up while I was preparing for the shows and driving across the country to go to them!

Betty | Londonderry

At the Creative Crafts Belfast we raffled quilts and made £320.00 as well as giving out 400 leaflets about Project Linus and 700 free knitting patterns. We had a great response and met a lot of ladies who had never heard of Linus and also met one potential coordinator. I was given 30 little knitted blankets which I have passed on to Craigavon Area Hospital and met a lot of nurses who want us to make incubator covers etc. I was also given a donation of £500 from Northern Ireland Children’s Cancer fund to make quilts for them. I am also doing a banner for them to put up in the hospital. So we are keeping busy over here!

Joan | Dumfries & Galloway

Yesterday, the “Sorbie Stitchers”, a wee group in a nearby village, who meet weekly in someone’s kitchen, and who are giving so many quilts, held a wonderful soup and sweet lunch (with raffle) and raised £465 for their own funds to buy fabric, fleece etc. The room was decorated with quilts, and as well as leaflets on the tables, their leader spoke to all to thank them for coming and spoke of the work of Project Linus. As a WPC she has first-hand knowledge of how much the quilts mean to the children – and the families. There was one wee girl there, enjoying lunch who had received a quilt. I was just there as a question/answer-er, and dogs body!

Marion | Barnsley and North Sheffield

We delivered 64 quilts to Barnsley Hospital’s neonatal unit yesterday that had been made by a group of women doing a quilt-a-thon for red nose day. In addition to making the quilts for Linus they raised £2000 for children in need. An excellent result all round.

Pip | Edinburgh

A couple of thank you letters:
“Ladies: my son was in the sick kids in October, and he received a lovely quilt from your project. It is lovely and we use it often. Many people admire it. My son is doing well and is now 9 months. I am sorry it took me so long to get in touch to say Thank You – Many thanks, you are all very talented and very kind.”

“I would like to say a huge thank you for the beautiful blanket my son received when he was in hospital in January. My son Alexander (aged 3) came down with Scarlet Fever and pneumonia and had to stay in hospital for twelve days. It was a horrible experience but the hospital were amazing and Alexander was really brave. He got his blanket about five days into his stay and has held onto it ever since. He loves the planets that glow in the dark and the soft furry side. He has been using it to wrap up his favourite soft toy ‘Little Doggy’ ever since and has it on his bed at night.

Alex has fully recovered now and you would not know he had been dangerously ill. Thank you for such a beautiful and kind gift. The blanket has become a symbol for me of all the kindness, goodness and love people have. Many thanks and all the best with all your future blanket making.”

Ann | Chesterfield & South Sheffield

Don’t you just love a challenge! The sister of a member of sew4others in Dronfield runs a printing business selling personalised pillowcases made from 100% soft cotton and just the right size for baby quilts and gives us the surplus. We enjoyed planning, designing and cutting up the pillowcases to make baby quilts. The finished quilts have now been donated to Chesterfield Neo-Natal unit.

Jacki | Gloucester

My first sensory quilt! Corduroy, fur, fleece and towelling. All washable. Of course. I only sent it to show off as I’m really pleased with it. I made my husband close his eyes to ‘see it’ and he thought the different textures and shapes worked well. Mind you, what does he know? The odd crazy pieces are surprisingly good as the texture of the seams is great. I think other branches of SENSE would be interested too.

Ingrid | Pembrokeshire

A lovely letter from Nora, a former coordinator in Pembrokeshire:

“I first heard about Project Linus in the autumn of 2002. As there was no local coordinator I became a volunteer and set about making quilts and enlisting friends to make some too. I handed over the coordinating side of things after about four years and concentrated on making more quilts.

After a few years I realised what a splendid excuse it was to try out yet another idea. Amish designs in wild colours, or how many different layouts were possible using just nine-patch blocks or friendship stars. My local group were very good at supporting me by buying wadding: other people gave me fabric for piecing and backing. I have always tried to keep photos of all the quilts I made and recently I realised that not only was I averaging 40 a year but must be approaching a total of 500! Having recently moved into a much smaller house with a very small workroom it seemed like a good time to wind down once that total was reached.

Nora Squibbs”

Caroline | Liverpool

Last year Liverpool Project Linus put out an appeal via Radio Merseyside for shirts to make into quilts. We were contacted by Joan, whose late husband loved buying shirts: she’d been loathe to part with them until she heard about Project Linus, and liked the idea of them being used to cheer up children.

Two volunteers cut the shirts into squares and we held a sew-in at The Button Boutique where quilts were created. In April 2015 these were displayed at Liverpool Central Library in an exhibition entitled “62 shirts – in memory of Pat” and Joan was our guest of honour.

Get in touch

Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann.

Newsletter – November 2014

1st December 201419th July 2015 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ

Ani Catt, APQS importer and South Devon coordinator recently handed over the Lucey long arm quilting machine donated by the American manufacturers. They are great supporters of Linus in the US and have decided to support us as well. The machine is currently set up in my studio/Linus office. This will mean that I can quilt the backlog of tops that I have been given.

Many people enjoy piecing but don’t have the space to layer larger quilts. My husband helped me to set it up, but Ani says that she can set one up on her own when she takes it to shows. Obviously I am not yet an expert on it, but it is surprisingly easy and quick to quilt a top.

The Warm Company have also been supporting us by providing wadding for use at Linus workshops. So far, 11 coordinators have received packs of wadding with some more on the way. I expect that many groups will be busy making and delivering quilts for Christmas as this is a popular time for giving them out to brighten the dark days and keep everyone warm and cosy.

Caroline | Liverpool

Pupils at The Hawthorne’s Free School, Bootle made a selection of great quilts for Project Linus in their art and textile after-school club. They are making more this term and we look forward to seeing them.

We had a stall at Bridge Quilters exhibition in September – we were in the same room as the refreshments (including great cakes!) and had a lot of interest shown in the Project. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Halton attended the exhibition and took an interest in our work.

Philippa | Edinburgh

When someone has died, Richmond’s Hope is a place where children and young people can explore their feelings and find ways of coping. This is a small Edinburgh charity that has been supporting bereaved families since 2003 and is now expanding. Members of Edinburgh Linus Group worked together to produce this special quilt to be hung on a wall at their new centre at Carricknowe. A similar quilt had been made by another group for their first centre some years ago, and it has been much valued. Linus Group member Isabel Alexander designed this new quilt. Each block has a light self-coloured applique shape on which children can write messages. This quilt has animal shapes to appeal to younger children and geometric ones for older ones and was fairly easy but creatively appealing to make.

Jacki | Bristol

The Severnside Stitchers at their Quilt and Stitch Show in Minsterworth, Gloucestershire made 20 quilts for Project Linus, which are all going to the new intake at a special school in South Gloucestershire.

Ann | Chesterfield and South Sheffield

At sew4others our monthly meeting coincided with the Macmillan’s Coffee Morning day – so we held a coffee morning and mini quilt exhibition to highlight to our visitors the kind of quilts and blankets we make and give away on behalf of Project Linus. We raised £280 for MacMillan Nurses, had numerous visitors who expressed a lot of interest in the quilts and knitted blankets, ate a lot of buns and cakes – and these two nurses (from Walton Hospital in Chesterfield and Jessop Baby Hospital in Sheffield) took 75 baby quilts, no-sew blankets and shawls back to their respective hospitals.

Mary Ann | Derby

I recently collected quilts from The Derby Quilters – as always a wonderful variety for all ages, some of these have also gone to Rainbows Hospice. A big thank you to all our stitchers and volunteers

The Stitching, Knitting and Natter ladies from Darley Dale in Derbyshire have made 15 quilts for Project Linus. They all include shirt fabric. Some of the blocks have colour detail such as a yellow patch in each. They started with large squares of shirt fabric and as the pieces got smaller ended making crazy patchwork blocks. What a great idea!

45 quilts were taken to the Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young Adults. To celebrate their 20th Birthday they had an Open Day so we were able to see what fantastic facilities they have for the youngsters. They were thrilled with the quilts which will be a great comfort for the children and also the teenagers, who often get overlooked.

Sally | Fife

Three of us attended the Kidz Scotland (Disabled Living) Event which took place at Ingliston near Edinburgh on the 11th September – it was a wonderful and humbling day. The event is described as a free UK event for children and young adults with disabilities and special needs, for their families, carers, and support professionals. There are other ‘Kidz’ events in Manchester, Coventry and the south of England during 2014-2015.

The three Linus reps were Elspeth (Lanarkshire/Glasgow East) who organized us all, Marion (Glasgow South/Renfrewshire), and Sally (Fife). Elspeth had prepared a batch of leaflets describing Linus, which we handed out to many of the other charities and organisations that had stands, in addition to the families who attended.

Many people visited our stand – most had not heard about us, so we put that right! Quite a number told us that their child had received a blanket/quilt from us at some time and thanked us, which was very gratifying. We gave out several quilts which we had brought along. There were visitors from many areas of Scotland and Northern England, so be prepared for some calls requesting quilts!

Lesley | Lancashire

I recently had an e-mail from a lady asking if we could provide a quilt to a young lady now so poorly she has had to use a wheelchair. I wasn’t sure we covered where she lived but set about making the quilt. Purple was her favourite colour. After several lovely communications to and fro, quilt made, I set out to deliver it. No-one at home. Back to the email. She and her mum had gone to Anglesey for respite. So the quilt was delivered the following week to a lovely young girl and her super mum. When I got back from my trip collecting donated fabrics and delivering the quilt another email from Switzerland thanking me and Project Linus for making a difference. I had no idea I was international!

Get in touch
Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann.

Newsletter – July 2014

7th July 201419th February 2015 / Project Linus UK

Lyn | News from HQ
April was a busy month. Traplet Publications kindly donated a stand for us at the Uttoxeter Quilt Village. We sold more raffle tickets and also sold scrap packs and fabric remnants which had been donated but were either not in child friendly colours or not of patchwork fabric. The scrap packs in particular were very popular. We raised enough money that way to supply wadding for Linus days across the country and to produce more publicity material. We have had posters and flyers with simple patterns for quilts and blankets printed to give out to anyone who is interested in supporting us.

The Quilters Guild gave us some workshop space at their AGM in Portsmouth. Jane Lambert and Lourdes Ball brought lots of ready cut pieces for attendees to piece together. We put up posters and gave out leaflets. Of course most Guild members know about Project Linus and many are regular supporters but it is good to keep them up to date with what is happening.

It seems that there are a number of knitting and crafting magazines who are interested in charity knitting so our blanket patterns have been requested by several magazines along with information about our organisation and where our quilts and blankets go. They don’t always tell me what they have published though, so it’s hard to keep track!

Preparations are already under way for the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August. There will be another quilt to raffle and local Linus coordinators will be selling tickets. We hope to see you there, or you could take part in our Block Challenge.

Elspeth Russell in Falkirk has reported that Asda offer free use of meeting rooms in some of their premises. She has booked one for a Linus event and will report back on how it goes.

Sandra | East Kent

I thought you would like to see how my banners turned out. I am very pleased with them and had several good comments about them. I think you can just about make out the dog quilt which is the one I have all my ladies making for The Kent Association for The Blind. It has been very popular, so if there is any wadding going it would be much appreciated!

We certainly had a good fundraiser, organised by our local coffee lounge Mackaris. He said he would arrange a celebrity but I didn’t expect Stephanie Beecham and Russ Abbot, I felt so honoured. Russ Abbot was lovely and certainly made everyone laugh.

Jane | North Cornwall

These children at their kindergarten in Romania live in a very poor community, where most adults live on the few pounds doled out by the government for families, eked out by their own very small scale farming efforts and charities such as Rora Christian Centre, Devon. My cousin Christine and her husband (both in their late seventies now) travel out three or four times a year with a lorry of goods that have been donated in this country to help the community at Vulcan and other local communities. Their support isn’t just practical in goods and the provision of a school and canteen. They also help the children’s parents fill out government forms and try to access what little they are entitled to. If you want to know more, I can send you Rora’s latest newsletter from Romania. These often make heartrending reading, so I’m very pleased indeed we’ve been able to cheer the children up with quilts.

Ed – Many of us made quilts for Romania before Linus got started in the UK. There was some anxiety that they weren’t always reaching the orphanages they were aimed at but Jane Anstey has a direct link and her makers were happy to send these to the children. I know this stretches the Linus remit and I would always insist that makers know and are happy with where their quilts were going, but I would hate to think that we ignored need that we knew we could meet – Lyn.

Sylvia | Warrington

We had a wonderful coffee morning on 12th April. The ladies worked hard both before and during the event making craft items, cakes, jams and marmalade etc but it was well worth the effort as it gave a big boost to our funds and will allow us to buy more fabric and wool to keep us out of mischief!

Ann | Chesterfield and South Sheffield

Beryl is a PACT nurse at Sheffield Childrens’ Hospital, and she wanted to visit sew4others and personally thank the ladies who make the quilts (this includes quilts made by Quilt Time in Stannington) and to express just how much the children love their quilts – which they bring back with them for subsequent treatments at the hospital. She also told us a little bit about what PACT is, and does (Parent’s Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia).

The PACT nurses work with the children and supervise all their treatments but they also care about the whole family too. The quilts also help to liven up the house that the parents can stay in to be close to their child whilst they are undergoing treatment in hospital. Beryl has been nursing patients with cancers for a number of years and her devotion and passion for her work shone through so much so that when we had a ‘show and tell’ of the quilts she was mentally matching up the different quilts with her patients.

Sylvia | Warrington

In February we did a presentation to a team from Warrington Youth Club about “Crazy Quilters for Linus” and Project Linus UK, explaining about the history of Project Linus, the work we do and a little about the recipients. We had a display of quilts and blankets we had made and an incubator cover and some vent bonnets. The four teams within the youth club had each chosen three local charities that they were to consider and then set about fundraising. We were fortunate enough to be chosen as our team’s charity. This was for their personal development and team work over the next six weeks as part of their “National Citizen Service” (NCS). The NCS help young people discover the value of volunteering, make new friends, challenging activities and learn life lessons that can’t be taught in the classroom. They felt we were a small local charity who did our own fundraising for a worthwhile cause.

They had agreed that our talents were best used knitting and sewing and they would use their talents in their own ways. They did various activities including sponsored bike rides, dress down days, coffee mornings, cake making and making posies to sell for Mother’s day. We had been told that any money they raised would have to buy goods rather than be given directly to us. We had a meeting to discuss the type of fabrics and wools we use and where to shop for it. A few of them set off to choose things to buy. We were then invited to their graduation. The youth club leaders said they like to make this a special occasion for them and they certainly did. Five of our committee members were able to attend. The youths, their leaders, some parents and family, the Lord Mayor and representatives from the other three successful charities were there. The tables were full of food and drinks and looking very festive with party poppers and balloons. The youths too were all dressed up and looking very smart. I had the opportunity to tell everybody about Project Linus UK and our group in particular, the work we do and the recipients before thanking them for all their efforts. I was then presented with £440 worth of fabrics and wools, tied up with coloured ribbons. My four friends had to come a give me a hand. I thanked them again and said our ladies would think it was birthdays and Christmas all rolled into one. Alex, one of their leaders, then introduced a video they had made whilst they were having fun, dancing and singing around Warrington Town Centre. This can be seen on NCS undefeatable crazy quilters. (If that is not successful try NCS Warrington) They couldn’t thank us enough for the experience, how much fun they had during the fundraising and the shopping, very evident if you manage to see the video. We are so grateful to them for ourselves and for the children and young people who will get the ultimate benefit. They have promised to keep in touch and a few of them helped us at our own coffee morning the following week. As my daughter said after watching the video, it is good to see the youth of today getting so involved and doing some really good work.

Get in touch
Please send any articles or photographs for inclusion in the next newsletter to Ann by 15th August 2014.

Newsletter – January 2014

20th January 2014 / Project Linus UK

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.

Festival of Quilts 2014

20th November 2013 / Project Linus UK

Every year at the Festival of Quilts we set a challenge. How many blocks can our visitors make on a given theme? These blocks are then made into packs to give to our volunteers across the UK who make them into quilts for sick, disabled or disadvantaged children to provide cheer and comfort. 2014’s theme is “In the Jungle”

Exotic animals and birds, foliage and flowers or characters from cartoons. Any style of patchwork or just squares of fabric. Blocks should be 8 1/2″ square and unquilted ready to be pieced together.

Bring them to our stand next year or send them to:

FoQ Blocks, 18 Alison Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire SY6 7AT

We will also be having a quilt raffle and a sale of fabric remnants. Last year our ‘pot luck’ scrap bags were amazingly popular. These funds enable us to buy fabric, wadding and fleece for our volunteers to use