Children's quilts and Project Linus

It's the last day of January, have you joined us this month in making a HeartStrings quilt for Project Linus or another children's charity? If so, please let us know - we'd love to see photos of your quilt.

If not, there's still time to finish one up before Project Linus' National Make a Blanket Day on February 16th. To find information about your local Project Linus chapter, click here.

Here are just a few of the ones made by HeartStrings quilters this month (notice that they're not all string quilts!)

By Lori

By May

By Mary

Remember this group?

In September, I received a top to quilt from Nancy in CT. At that time, she and the Peace by Piece Quilters at St Mary's Episcopal Church in Manchester, CT had just finished their first HeartString top.

Look what they're up to now!



St Marys Peace by Piece Quilters

Let's make some quilts for kids!

I mentioned last month that with Project Linus' Make a Blanket Day coming up in February, we want to encourage people to make a quilt in January to donate to their local Project Linus chapter. Of course, if you have a local children's charity you support, feel free to join in and donate the quilt where ever you choose.

These quilts can be string quilts or you may use any pattern you choose. Barb, one of our members and a coordinator here in the Minneapolis area for Project Linus has said that she'll also accept completed tops. If you prefer to only make the top, you can check with the chapter in your area to see if they accept them, send them to Barb, or contact me and we'll see if we can find a HeartStrings volunteer to quilt them.

I've got one quilted and ready for binding....my Lizard quilt and I'm going to cut out and piece another one using my Quick Strippie instructions. These are fun, fast, and cute!

Mary's Quick Strippie

Another fun quilt can be found at Annie's blog. I've been using kids prints for years making donation quilts and have lots of leftover bits and pieces, wouldn't this quilt be great for using them?

Annie's Happy Quilt

A string quilt like we made for our Purple Project last year would be great too....here's an instruction sheet for one I made using just 24 string blocks.

Purple Project Quilt

Whatever pattern you decide to use, please join us in making a quilt for a child in January.

Mary
mmcjohnson@gmail.com

Happy Anniversary

A year ago, a group of quilters banded together to form the HeartStrings Quilt Project in order to make and donate quilts. Initially, we thought it would be a short term project but the interest was strong and we decided to expand it though the year. Now it's 2008 and the interest and enthusiasm for making quilts for those in need remains steadfast.

As a group, we made and donated 281 quilts and have many more in progress. We worked on these quilts as individuals, as groups, and spread the word through our guilds and the other quilting groups in our lives.

Please take a few minutes and look through the photo albums of quilts made and donated this year by HeartStrings quilters.

HeartStrings Quilt Project Photo Albums.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved in the project. I look forward to seeing the quilts we'll make and donate in 2008.

Mary Johnson