patchwork

Quick scrappy quilt

/ Project Linus UK

Quick scrappy quilt

This is a very quick quilt to make, and can easily be made in a day.

Requirements
Cut 9 x 6½” squares of novelty fabric or similar
Cut 9 x 6½” squares of plain fabric
Cut 2 strips 36 x 6½” of contrasting plain fabric

Construction (use ¼ inch seam allowance throughout)
Make 3 strips from the 6½” squares. For each strip join 3 novelty and 3 plain squares, alternating them as you go. Press each strip.

Join the long strips in between the 6½” square strips so they are alternating. Press the top.

Sandwich together and quilt in your preferred quilt pattern. Add a binding.

Scrappy quilt

/ Project Linus UK

Scrappy quilt

This is a good way of using up larger pieces, left over from making a quilt, that you don’t know what to do with and is very quick and easy to put together.

Requirements
Selection of fabrics (can be novelty or various patterned fabric)
Plain fabric for the dividers.

Construction
Cut your chosen fabrics to the same length. Widths may vary as you can see below. You can use as many as you please. Cut your plain fabric 2½” by the same length.

Starting with a plain fabric join all the strips together, alternating between the plain and your chosen fabric. End with a plain strip. Press.

Cut a plain strip 2½” by the finished length of your joined strips and join them to the top and bottom.

Depending on the length of your strips you can add a border. In the picture below the length of the quilt was 35” so a border was only joined at the top and bottom to increase the width.

Sandwich, quilt and add a binding.

Adaptable quilt

/ Project Linus UK

Adaptable quilt

You can use as many different fabrics as you want. This pattern is for a quilt roughly 32” square. For larger quilts increase the number of 18” squares.

  • It is made up of 4 units
  • Start with 4 x 18” square pieces of fabric (use contrasting fabrics)
  • Stack the 4 pieces on top of each other
  • Cut through all layers as shown in the diagram below

Adaptable quilt diagram

Reassemble the squares with the colours as evenly distributed as possible.

  • Sew 4 rectangles together and 3 squares together
  • Sew the 4 joined rectangles to the sewn 3 squares.
  • Sew the 4” x 18” oblong to the sewn 3 squares.
  • Sew 2 reassembled squares together so they are the opposite way up. Repeat with the other 2 squares. Join the 2 sets together.
  • If you wish to rearrange the squares in a different way they may need to be trimmed.

Scrap value

/ Project Linus UK

This pattern is taken from ‘Successful Scrap Quilts from Simple Rectangles’ by Judy Turner & Margaret Rolfe.

Sort out scrap fabrics into lights and darks. You can have a colour theme: e.g. autumn colours, pastels, brights.

Cut fabric pieces to measure 3 1/2” x 2”. This was a collection of mostly blues. Accurate cutting and stitching is essential.

Using 1/4” inch seams hand or machine stitch pieces together into threes as follows: 2 lights joined along the long side, then a dark piece joined across the top. Then two darks and a light. Join the 3’s into strips as in the photograph and then join the strips together. Finish with a border in a plain dark colour to match.foq-block-2012

60 degree quilt

/ Project Linus UK

60 degree quilt by Magnolia Bay Quilts

This stunning quilt was made by Kim Brackett of Magnolia Bay Quilts. Although it initially looks like a fiendish triangle quilt, in fact this is a more flexible quilt. The important thing to remember is that every seam is a 60 degree angle, and that your strips should be a consistent width. (click the photo to view larger image)

NB: To create this quilt you’ll need a ruler with a 60 degree marking.

View the full tutorial and lots of helpful tips, visit the Magnolia Bay Quilts website.

Simple weighted quilt

/ Project Linus UK

This is to comfort children with severe sleeping problem such as those caused by autism or various conditions where the sensory system is disturbed. A smaller version can also be used as a lap quilt for children who cannot sit still.

The use of a weighted quilt and the size and weight should be at the recommendation of a doctor or medical social worker. Three typical sizes are given but they can be adjusted to suit the needs of the child. A false back is sewn on to a quilt with the result being a cross between a quilt and duvet stitched to its cover. The weight is provided by sandbags stitched into pockets which are velcro’d to the back of the quilt and covered by the false back. These can be removed when the quilt is washed.

Materials
Economy mattress protector or similar ready quilted base. 2’ x 3’, 3’ x 4’6” or 4’6” x 6’. Good quality sheeting or lightweight curtain fabric – two pieces slightly larger than the finished size. Velcro type fastening – approx 3m, 6m or 10m. Old sheeting or offcuts. Kiln dried sand – 2kg, 4kg or 7kg approx.

Method
Sew strips of the smooth Velcro across the better side of the mattress protector, 3-6” in from the edge and about 9” apart. Lay the bottom piece of fabric face up and the top piece of fabric face down with the mattress protector Velcro side up on top. Line them up and pin. Stitch the layers together along the sides and top and part way in from the bottom corners, leaving enough open to turn right sides out once the seams have been trimmed. Once it is right side out, stitch again ½” in from the edge to hold the layers firmly in place. Sew Velcro across the open end, taking care to stitch both the mattress protector and the top fabric to one piece of Velcro and turn in the edges of the bottom fabric under the other piece. This is to close the quilt in use.

Cut strips of sheeting 9” deep and a little wider than the Velcro strips. Make a small hem along the long edges. Sew a strip of the rough Velcro 2” from one long edge. Fold with the Velcro inside and stitch the short ends. Turn right side out and sew across at intervals to make pockets roughly 4-6” wide. Cut sheeting, or offcuts, into rectangles 8” x 3.5”, fold widthways and stitch the two sides to make a bag. Turn right side out. Spoon in enough sand to nearly fill it. Turn the top over and hand stitch to close. Put a sandbag into each pocket and sew across the top of the pockets. Use the Velcro to attach the filled pockets to the inside of the quilt.

A video showing a similar method of making the quilts is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndwjSkVfV1g

Newsletter – May 2015

/ 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.

Festival of Quilts 2015

/ 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. Our theme this year is Homes and Gardens.

Houses, trees, flowers, gardens, beach huts, anything you’d like. Any style of patchwork or just squares of fabric. Blocks should be 12 1/2″ square and unquilted ready to be pieced together.

Download our PDF containing a simple house block (To view PDFs you’ll need to install a free copy of Adobe Reader).

For more patterns and inspiration take a look at our latest Pinterest board.

Bring them along to our stand at the NEC in August (6th-9th) or send them to:
FoQ Blocks, 18 Alison Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire SY6 7AT.