Hearts for Linus

A variety of quilts

2011-01-09T15:02:00.004-06:00

We get lots of adorable quilts made from a variety of patterns. This pattern came from a cowboy workshop at Project Linus National, but it's made from bear fabrics for a very different look.
This pattern was a Central Illinois chapter mystery quilt.
Occasionally we have guild members donate fleece blankets.
Here's a bright and lively one!
This is a snowball shaped pattern -- such bright and happy colors!
And this same pattern here uses racoons and outdoor fabrics for a Camp Coco quilt.

Strippie quilts

2011-01-09T14:54:00.002-06:00

We make lots of strippie quilt kits, and many members make their own strippie quilts to donate. Cute and fun! See the sidebar for a link to Mary's website where there are directions for this (and other) quilts.
Cute, isn't it? Here's a close-up of a bulldozer quilt.

Dinosaurs!
And doesn't it look like party time in this close up?

Fun with strings!

2011-01-09T14:47:00.005-06:00

We don't waste our scraps! Heartstring quilts (see sidebar for links to directions) make wonderful quilts and are lots of fun to make with groups of people. The quilts get unity through a consistent fabric in the center string. See how different they can look when you use different centers!

And here's another Fighting Illini quilt -- go Orange Crush!

Many ways to use squares!

2011-01-09T14:38:00.004-06:00

Quilts based on squares can be highly varied -- and they use scraps or big prints or anything you want! This is a buggy quilt destined for kids at Camp Coco.
This quilt has big squares set in two borders.
What a fun baby quilt -- squares with borders!

This one is a simple square alternated with a 4-patch. What little kid doesn't love Mickey?
This is a very sophisticated design based on squares and rectangles of marbled solids. Wow!
Winnie the Pooh squares are set into a more intricate design.
And here's another of our Easy Squares quilts, made from a kit.

Pinwheels!

2011-01-09T14:35:00.003-06:00

Same pattern, very different look! Pinwheels offer a wide variety.

More panel quilts

2011-01-09T14:29:00.003-06:00

There are lots of ways to make panel quilts. Here a big print of fish has been bordered with 3 different fabrics to make a quilt.
This quilt looks pieced, but really it's a cowboy panel.
We have received several Bob the Builder panels that make perfect quilts for preschoolers.
But panel quilts are easy to make for teens, too -- look at this flower power one!

Linus committee quilts

2011-01-09T14:17:00.002-06:00

Our committee cuts kits and guild members take them home to make them, or we make them up on a worknight. Lots of people contribute to each quilt, from fabric donation to sewing the label on the finished quilt! This Simple Strippie pattern is from Project Linus headquarters.
Here's a disappearing 9 patch with a dinosaur theme.
Here's a simple 9 patch using our "ugly" fabrics (that is, fabrics not really designed for children), but the addition of an appliqued puppy turns it into an adorable child's quilt.
This was made from donated blocks that used Sesame Street fabric. Cute!

Camp Coco Quilts

2011-01-09T09:57:00.005-06:00

Camp Coco is a summer camp for children with blood disorders and various cancers. The Central Illinois chapter of Project Linus donates quilts with an outdoor theme. We sorted all our bug fabrics and made some really cute quilts as part of a guild work night and some Project Linus work nights. Here's one:
This one was made by an individual and donated.
Here are a couple more with different outdoor themes.

This is a bird quilt using our standard easy squares pattern.
This disappearing 9-patch quilt has a bear theme. Sarah, a college student who comes to our worknights, helped with this one.
And here's a butterly themes Disappearing 9 Patch.
A guild member, Talese, framed outdoor prints for a fun quilt.

Camp Coco

2011-01-09T09:57:00.001-06:00

So many strippies!

2010-11-20T14:39:00.005-06:00

We have made so many wonderful Quick Strippie quilts using Mary's pattern (see sidebar). Here are the highlights from the many quilts of this type we donated over several months. A bright and happy fish quilt!

And for the rest, just closeups so you ca see the fabric choices. Here's a wild animal quilt.
Fun in the skies.
Let's go to the circus!
Meow!
And more circus fun.
Monkeys playing.
Dogs galore!
Lady bugs in the dandelions -- an outdoor quilt for Camp Coco.
Sponge Bob Squarepants.

More great quilts from panels

2010-11-20T14:11:00.003-06:00

This wonderful alphabet panel has been jazzed up with an amazing border -- easy to make with large half-square triangles.
Another very cute quilt cut from a panel.
For all the sports fans out there.
Old McDonald had a farm ... and a great quilt, too!
Another alphabet quilt featuring animals -- very cute!
Cat and dog chefs -- it doesn't get much cuter than that...
...though teddy bears and bunny rabbits are pretty adorable, too.
Love the old fashioned rag dolls.

Start with some squares

2010-11-20T14:03:00.002-06:00

So many fun ways to set squares in a quilt! A little sashing can set off sections.
A border print on either end adds something special to this squares quilt.
Great big novelty squares make a fun quilt.
Subtle pastel flowers on baby flannel make a snuggly quilt.

Try a new technique!

2010-11-20T10:42:00.003-06:00

Linus quilts provide a wonderful opportunity for you to expand your quilting skills! Try a new technique, work with a different set of colors, make something a little different and see how you like it. Stacking, slicing and rearranging blocks makes for a very fun quilt -- give it a try! This one uses sports fabrics.
If you've always wanted to try bargello or a trip around the world, a Linus quilt is a much-appreciated way to test out the technique.
Want to see how you feel about making wonky log cabins? Pull out your scraps and try! This is a great block to make when working with a group -- if things get a little off, it's ok, and all blocks can be trimmed to the exact same size without ruining the design.
One guild member took a quilting class from Ami Simms and decided to learn the technique using strings of animal fabrics that had been donated to Linus. A fun quilt was the result!

Trucks and cars

2010-11-20T10:12:00.003-06:00

Some kids are fascinated by trucks and cars, and these quilts are made for them.
Here's a closeup -- this one has lots of construction vehicles and also tools! A double winner!
Race cars!

And a closeup of the fabrics usedin another race car quilt.
And of course, a quilt with the king of trucks -- a fire engine!!

The Great Outdoors

2010-11-19T11:54:00.004-06:00

Kids love being outside! It's easy to celebrate the great outdoors in your quilts when you do what these quilters did and rely on printed panels.

Sometimes the outdoors means bears in the wilderness...
...or all sorts of woodland wildlife.
Sometimes these critters seem cute and whimsical. Imagine them by a pond...
...or in the flowers and grass.
Being outdoors means working in the garden...
...or enjoying the harvest!

A variety of patterns

2010-11-19T11:23:00.004-06:00

If there's a design you love, why not use it to make a quilt for Project Linus? Grandma Bunny made this lively zig zag quilt using a pattern she found on the Bee Square Blog. It's such an easy way to do zig-zags with NO TRIANGLES!! You can follow Bee Square's instructions to make one of these snazzy quilts for Project Linus by clicking HERE.
Here's a cute Stretched Stars quilt -- look at the clever way the stars were extended into the four-patch border.
Someone donated a Puzzle Quilt kit to Project Linus and one of our wonderful volunteers who had always wanted to make one put this quilt together.
This two-tone pattern looks complicated, but it's not -- you can strip piece some of the blocks and cut them into squares. Think of how many different ways this quilt could look using different fabrics!
Marge, who for years was our chief blanket labeler, also makes adorable quilts for Linus. She loved the balloon fabric, and used it to border a quilt feature brightly colored dogs...
... and then she gave equal time to cats in this quilt!

More Easy Squares Quilts

2010-11-19T10:18:00.004-06:00

The Easy Squares quilts are one of our standbys. They are just squares with an inner border strip -- sometimes we put an outer border,too, like in the one below.
This one doesn't have the outer border, but the binding uses the same fabric as the inner border.
This Easy Squares quilt has a musical theme in the print fabric ...

... but to keep the solid blocks from being outdone, our wonderful quilter Joe used a contrasting thread to quilt some musical symbols.
And a couple more Easy Squares quilts.

Rainbow strings & the Fighting Illini

2010-11-19T09:51:00.003-06:00

Heartstring quilts (see links in sidebar) are fun and easy to make -- beginning quilters at our worknights love to work on these. They can be totally scrappy, or you can play around with your scraps and come up with all sorts of different effects. Here we sorted our strings by color and made a rainbow quilt.
The individual blocks positively glow!

Living so close to the University of Illinois, many Linus recipients are big fans of the Fighting Illini. We combined some orange fabric with our blue strings and cut up some Illini fabrics to add to the mix -- wow! A Fighting Illini quilt! Let's hear it for the Orange Crush!

Cowboys!

2010-11-19T09:37:00.002-06:00

A recent National Project Linus conference had a cowboy theme, where Talese made this adorable cowboy quilt. You could adapt this idea to any theme.
We used some donated cowboy fabric to make this strippy quilt for some young cowhand.

Rainbow Bright Strippies

2010-11-19T09:16:00.003-06:00

Guild members donate lots of wonderful fabric for us to use in Project Linus quilts. We were given two different rainbow stripe prints, and those are wonderful at making bright prints pop! They're ideal accents in strippy quilts.
Here's a close-up. The dots play well with the stripes -- the kitty cats seem to love them!
Here's another quilt using the rainbow stripes.
This stripe pattern was much bolder.
It really picks up the colors of the elephants!
As always, we're so grateful for Mary's Quick Strippie pattern! (See link in sidebar.)

Bold panels for the youngest kids

2010-11-19T08:55:00.003-06:00

There are many bold panels designed with toddlers and pre-schoolers in mind. They make great Linus quilts when you add just a simple binding!
Some have borders as part of the design.

Or you can add your own simple border.

These are a quick way to make a wonderful quilt for a small child.

Nothing square about squares!

2010-11-17T20:06:00.003-06:00

Bright pink squares with some pastel accents make a very girly quilt. How cute!
Changing the colors and using themed cat and dog fabrics gives a very different look to this "square" quilt.
Here's another version that gets a little excitement from an inner border.
Alternating neutral squares with various fish fabrics makes a neat undersea squares quilt. The zig-zag effect on the border comes from the print on the fabric.

Chain quilts

2010-11-17T19:58:00.002-06:00

Chains can create some interesting designs! You can try a colorful chain from your scraps, like this one:
Or make a more complicated version if you wish. A child will love either!

Easy I Spy quilts

2010-11-17T19:53:00.004-06:00

Lots of novelty scraps? Kids love I Spy quilts! There are so many ways to make them, too. Here's one cute layout:
This I Spy quilt uses large squares with narrow borders around each, alternating blue and yellow.
And of course, the simplest I Spy of all comes from a cheater panel!

Crayon quilts

2010-11-17T19:41:00.002-06:00

One of our guild members, Diane D., coordinated a service project at work to get co-workers to color squares that she then assembled into Project Linus quilts.
Here's a close-up of the transportation quilt above. The designs are all copyright free drawings from the web.
Joe, one of our quilters, made a fabulous design with glow-in-the-dark thread. Here's a photo of the glowing thread.
This squares in this quilt were colored by children and various community members at one of our guild's quilt shows.

Panel quilts

2010-11-15T12:22:00.003-06:00

Panel quilts are so quick and easy to make! One adorable panel with some cute borders:
This panel looks like it has pieced squares, but it's cheater fabric -- all one piece with a printed design.
This one is also a cheater panel.
And so is this!
A complicated look, an easily made quilt -- such a wonderful way to make a quilt for a very appreciative child.

Camp Coco Quilts

2010-11-15T11:56:00.003-06:00

Here are photos of 3 quilts the Illini Country Stitchers donated to Camp Coco this summer. Camp Coco is a camp for children suffering from cancer and various blood disorders. The quilts all have an outdoor theme.
If you click on the photo of the quilt above, you'll see all the bugs in the green and the flowers in the multicolored squares. We used a simple pattern, Streak of Sunshine from Quiltville.
The other two quilts in this post are from Mary's strippy pattern (see sidebar). The two closeups below show the fabrics more clearly.

Coin quilts

2010-11-15T11:46:00.003-06:00

Coin quilts are a wonderful way to use up scraps!
As you can see from these three quilts, you can get some very different quilts by chosing different colors and sizes of sashing.
Have fun with these -- they are great to work on with other people. Let everyone pool their scraps and make a great quilt to donate! Check out Mary's pattern (link in the sidebar) for good instructions on how to make a Coin quilt.

Animal strippy quilts

2010-11-11T11:03:00.003-06:00

Rainbow zebras and lots of jungle animals.
Grandma Bunny made a strippy with this adorable dogs.
Duckies love the rain!

Cowboy strippies

2010-03-25T15:25:00.003-06:00

Giddyup! We used Mary's strippie quilt pattern to turn our cowboy fabrics into adorable quilts. (There's a link to Mary's patterns in the sidebar.)
Look at the great quilting Joe did on this one -- you can see it in the closeup below.

Noah's ark strippie quilts

2010-03-25T15:05:00.003-06:00

We've been making lots of strippie quilts using Mary's great pattern (you can download a PDF with instructions for the Quick Strippie here). We had several Noah's ark prints donated and used them this way.

Here's a close-up so you can see the fabrics in the one above:
And here's a closeup of another made from yet other ark fabric.

Purples, oh my!

2010-03-16T18:26:00.003-06:00

Someone had lots of fabric and blocks in various purples, and creatively put them together into 4 Linus quilts.

Thank you, anonymous donor!

Froggy Camp Coco quilts (ribbit!)

2010-03-16T17:53:00.005-06:00

Every summer Camp Coco hosts children with cancer and blood disorders. The Central Illinois Chapter of Project Linus gives each child a summer, outdoor-themed quilt to keep. Here are a few of the donations so far this year -- as you can see, frogs are a popular choice!
Don't you love these colorful, tessellating frogs?
Look closely at the center squares and you can see some froggies peeking out at you!
These squares are also jumping with frogs.
This bordered strippie quilt has some cheerful frogs --
--as does this one! Thanks to Bunny, who made the last two. (Often we don't know who made which quilt, but we do know that all are made with plenty of love!)

Heartstring quilts

2010-03-16T14:00:00.003-06:00

These quilts are wonderful for using up scraps! Keep the center strip of each block the same color to provide a little unity to the quilt, and then use whatever else you have! The link to instructions for these is on the sidebar under "Mary Quilts" and "string quilt primer." Have fun!

Easy Squares quilt

2010-03-16T13:51:00.002-06:00

The "Easy Squares" pattern is one we have made many kits of -- and some guild members use their own fabrics to make up the pattern.
You can have a constant solid square with varied patterns in the alternate squares, like the one above, or ...
...you can use only two fabrics for all the squares, like the one above and the one below.
This next quilt keeps the patterned squares the same, and uses different colored solids to make a secondary pattern on the diagonal. Very versatile pattern!

Wish Upon a Star

2010-03-15T18:57:00.002-06:00

We had three strip quilts donated that used the same "wish upon a star" fabric but different solid colors.

Our longarm quilter, Joe, did a wonderful job with the quilting, filling the solid spaces with interesting designs. He even used glow in the dark thread!

Alphabet panel quilts

2010-03-15T18:40:00.003-06:00

One alphabet panel, three very different quilts!

In the first one, the panel is surrounded by a wide border with yellow cornerstones, and then a narrow outer border.
The next one has the same panel with a solid, narrow, inner border and wide outer border.
And the panel was cut in horizontal rows for this quilt, with narrow sashing and a checkerboard border. All the quilts are easy to make because the panel does most of the work, and all of them are adorable!

Strip quilts

2009-09-19T14:04:00.002-06:00

We've been making lots of quilts using the Quick Strippie pattern (see the pattern by following the link to Mary's quilts in the sidebar).
This closeup shows the fabrics used in this one. So lively! The pattern goes together quickly and is a great way to showcase a fun novelty print.
Here's another quilt that looks like a strippie -- but it's not, it's a cheater panel! If you want an ultra-quick donation quilt, let the fabric do the work for you. :)

Quilts donated in late July

2009-09-19T13:55:00.004-06:00

This fish quilt was such a fun project! Guild members appliqued fish onto a background ocean block, and the Linus committee put them together into a fish quilt (we actually have enough for 2 or 3 quilts). This one was finally quilted and bound. Yay!
We completed another string quilt with red center strips.
And this sweet quilt was donated. A child who likes purple will love it for sure!
This simple brick quilt is a great way to use up scraps!
This trip-around-the-world top was donated. What an interesting border!
If you click the photo for a closeup, you'll see that this is a whole-cloth train quilt -- on both sides! The side shown most in the photo would be fun for a young child to use with his or her toy trains.

A variety of quilts donated in early July

2009-09-19T13:28:00.003-06:00

Look at this gorgeous batik top! Isn't it a stunner? This sophisticated top is a little larger than most we receive, making it ideal for a teenager. Thank you so much to the quilter who donated it!
The Linus committee also completed another string quilt at our worknight. Check for the heartstrings pattern link in the sidebar if you want to make one of these yourself. They are fun to make with your scraps.
The next two quilts are from easy squares kits. Judy G. has been cutting kits for us -- thank you, Judy! Collen J. put this kit together and quilted it, too.
I don't know who assembled this top, but thank you!
This top was pieced by a local quilter and donated to Project Linus to finish.
Here it is (the color is better in this photo) with the red dotted fabric and blue star binding showing.
Here's a photo of one of FOUR (!!!!) completed tops made from our guild block. Each one looks different, as every block uses different fabrics. These are very fun I Spy quilts for little kids.
And many thanks to Joe F., who is learning to use his longarm machine by quilting many of our donated tops.

Machine embroidered quilts

2009-09-19T13:17:00.004-06:00

Marion R. has done it again! She's donated 3 adorable quilts with machine embroidery. So cute! Thanks, Marion!

Central Illinois Mystery Quilts!

2009-07-08T18:32:00.003-06:00

Mary B., coordinator of the Central Illinois Project Linus Chapter, posted a mystery quilt pattern. A number of people in our guild participated. The first three are finished!

If you are interested in making this mystery quilt, the directions can be found if you click HERE. This will take you to the FIRST (of 5) steps for construction. Continue to scroll forward through the blog for each of the next 4 posts for the complete set of instructions for the mystery quilt.

Quilts received at July business meeting

2009-07-08T18:22:00.004-06:00

Several people turned in quilts that they had made for Linus at the last meeting. Many were made entirely by one person, but some were made by several people -- one (or many) pieced the top, someone else quilted it, someone put on the binding. Here's a lovely pastel log cabin.
This is a great quilt of shining stars! It's big enough to be used by a teenager.
This red, white and blue quilt -- featuring nautical fabrics -- has squares of a few different sizes. Very cute!
This soccer quilt was started at the February Make-A-Blanket day and is finally ready for donation. This is a Project Linus pattern.
Diane M. at Sew Sassy made this quilt and had it hanging in the shop for a few months before donating it. Love that Laurel Burch border fabric!
We received 3 fleece quilts with car appliques, all in different colors. The cars are actually pockets that a child can put something into.
Thank you EVERYONE who donated a blanket to Project Linus!

Quilts from kits

2009-07-08T16:49:00.002-06:00

Recently we've been making Quick Strippie quilts using donated fabrics and Mary's pattern. Cute aren't they? And SO EASY AND FAST!! This one has racing cars as the focus fabric.
And here are two more quilts made from blocks made by guild members. These are like I Spy quilts for little kids. Thanks to everyone who donated blocks and helped put these quilts together.

This is an animal themed kit using the Easy Attic Windows pattern -- instead of a y-seam in the window blocks, there's a half-square triangle in the corner. Easy, cute, fun!

Machine embroidered quilts

2009-07-08T16:43:00.003-06:00

Marian R. once again donated some very cute quilts with machine embroidery -- one quilted by Tom and one by Joe. Thanks so much, Marian!
Here's a close-up of one of the blocks. Each one has a child from a different part of the world.
Here a few blocks are mixed with coordinated squares. Very cute! Click the photo to zoom in for a closer look.

Even kids can help!

2009-06-15T09:21:00.003-06:00

At our last guild quilt show, Jennifer R. set up a Children's Corner where kids (and even grownups!) could color a block for Project Linus quilts. Here is the first quilt we've put together using those blocks. Thanks so much to Jennifer for doing this, and to Diane D. for piecing the top.
Here are two more quilts put together using our guild block. They are like I Spy quilts for kids. The blocks are simple to put together, and one of our guild members had her 7-yr-old granddaughter helping. Way to go, Debbie L.!

More quilts donated!

2009-06-12T14:23:00.003-06:00

Some months ago we asked guild members to contribute a particular style of block made from their child-friendly scraps, and the response was tremendous! (Click here for the pattern.)
You'll see more blankets made from these blocks as they are finished being quilted and bound. Stitchers who participated in our February Make A Blanket Day pieced 9 or 10 tops using this pattern.

We just completed another heartstrings quilt. Because we piece them on muslin, we back them only with flannel or they get very heavy. This one has some wonderful quilting by Joe -- click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see it better. You could spend a long time checking out all the different fabrics, too.
Marion R. has made another embroidered block quilt. The overall photo didn't come out well, but here's a closeup of one of the blocks. Each block featured a child from another part of the world wearing traditional dress. As always, it's great quilt!
We also received several quilts based on squares (what a wonderful way to use up scraps!). This is an Easy Squares quilt made from one of the kits the Linus committee makes.
Here's another squares quilt.
And this is a rail fence made from donated fabric. It's a very cuddly quilt!
Thank you to all the guild and community members who have helped make these quilts. Often so many people contribute to making a single quilt that I don't know who all was involved and cannot thank them individually -- but know that they are very much appreciated!

June Linus worknight

2009-06-08T18:10:00.000-06:00

My car sat a little lower on the drive home from the worknight. Sew Sassy is a drop-off location for Project Linus and there were several bags of blankets, mostly crocheted, to pick up. But there were also several cute quilts from Gramma Bunny and Joe. Bunny pieces the quilts and Joe quilts them.
As always, this cheery quilt had one of Bunny's trademark labels. Adorable!
Bunny made this quilt from a panel donated to Linus.
This John Deere one will be very much loved!
This one uses squares of a cowboy fabric.
Bunny used up lots of scraps in this Chinese Coins quilt.
This squares quilt is almost an I Spy.
Bridgie C. also brought some quilts with her. Here's a fun sky quilt.

And Bridgie's pretty-in-pink quilt will make someone very happy.
At the worknight Dixie and her daughter joined heartstring blocks to make this top.
Most people there worked on piecing strippie tops, and several people took strippie kits home to complete there. Wow, thanks! The pattern for these easy, fast, and delightful tops can be found under "Quick Strippie" at Mary Quilts. Why not check it out and make a quilt for Project Linus?

Quilts donated recently

2009-06-06T14:26:00.005-06:00

Mary M. started with a panel to make this quilt that is sure to please a toddler or preschool child. She used her embroidery machine to stitch some choo-choo trains along the border. Thanks, Mary!
This is a committee Easy Squares kit completed by a guild member -- sorry, I don't know who made it.
Here's a cute squares kit donated by Bunny and quilted by Joe.
Nancy M. made this fleece blanket with a young girl she mentors through the local school. What a wonderful project to do together. Nancy said the student enjoyed it very much and wants to do another when school starts next year.
This checkerboard is one of the standard patterns we use for Linus quilts. Judy G., who makes many of our guild kits, completed both the following quilts. Thanks so much, Judy!

Amazing embroidery!

2009-06-06T14:09:00.004-06:00

Marion R. has been having a great time using her embroidery machine to make quilts for her grandchildren, but she still finds time to make quite a few quilts for Project Linus. Since it's a little hard to see the detail in photos that show the whole quilt, here's a close-up of one of the blocks. Isn't it pretty?
Here's the entire quilt.
And here's another one with all sorts of vehicles.
Here's an adorable animal one.
And here's a pretty-in-purple quilt. (Sorry, the photo is really washed out.)
Thank you so much, Marion!

Quilt by committee

2009-06-06T14:02:00.004-06:00

This beautiful rainbow quilt was made in large part at a Linus committee worknight at Sew Sassy a couple months ago.
Talese donated the kit and got the pieces organized, then several stitchers at the worknight stitched the blocks. Talese finished what was left and joined the blocks; Connie L. did her usual magnificent job of quilting. The quilt is so large that I couldn't hang it on my design wall to photograph! I hope it will be given to a teenager who needs a larger quilt. Thank you Talese for donating the kit, and of course your time and talent, and thanks to everyone else who helped make this gorgeous quilt!

Catch Up 12 -- and caught up!!

2009-06-06T06:04:00.004-06:00

This post should catch us up on photos of quilts donated by the Illini Country Stitchers to Project Linus.
This is a "Fungly" quilt made from scrap fabrics. You can read about Fungly quilts here.
A checkboard quilt feature a car panel.
Bright and cheery squares and four patches!
A lizard whole cloth quilt.
A tropical paradise whole cloth quilt.
Another soft and cuddly whole cloth. These were made by Bunny, whose husband is practicing longarm quilting on Project Linus quilts.
Flowers!
And more flowers!

Catch Up 11

2009-06-06T05:57:00.003-06:00

Getting close to being caught up!
Here's a lovely Chinese coins quilt that makes a great I Spy for a child.
Here's another Easy Squares quilt.
This quilt is put together from blocks donated by guild members. It's amazing what fun quilts can be made from scraps of fabric!
A fringed fleece quilt made using the pattern on the Project Linus website.
Cute hearts being pulled from the pockets on a quilt.
And here's the quilt with all those heart-filled pockets.
Lots of squares wiht a bright backing.
Butterflies!

Catch Up 10

2009-06-06T05:51:00.005-06:00

Still catching up!
A cheery 9 patch with bright yellow sashing.
And another cheery nine patch.
An Easy Squares quilt with lots of different novelty fabrics.
Embroidered squares with a 1930's style pieced background and borders.
A stack, cut, and rearrange quilt with sports fabrics.
An Easy Squares quilt in Illini colors.
A red-stripe heartstrings quilt.
Made from a pattern in a book, this cute color quilt was worked on by several guild members.

Catch Up 9

2009-06-06T05:44:00.003-06:00

More catch up!
What a cute zig-zag border!
An Easy Squares quilt with a cute novelty print.
Here's a personalized label for one of the Here's A Hug quilts (see post in Catch Up 5).
And here's the quilt that had that label.
Bears!!
The orange really makes this black with brights zing!
A checkerboard panel quilt.
Novelty prints featured in a star pattern.

Catch Up 8

2009-06-06T05:35:00.004-06:00

Still playing catch up!
Here's a cheery nine patch.
What a cute quilt for a child who likes trucks!
And here's another featuring airplanes.
A checkerboard surrounding a fun panel.
A pastel attic windows quilt.
A sports quilt in Fighting Illini colors.
A framed four patch.
Here's a rail fence quilt made with fabric that isn't traditionally child friendly -- but the Linus committee appliqued a puppy on it, and suddenly any child would love it!

Catch Up 7

2009-06-06T05:28:00.004-06:00

Still catching up!
A cute row quilt.
Lovely diamonds with shaded half-square triangles.
Hearts!
A bright and cheery crazy patch quilt.
Heartstring quilt with bright blue centers.
Another flannel qult pieced from donated squares.
This is a cute Linus pattern that really showcases novelty prints.
A hot pink mix-up quilt!

Catch Up 6

2009-06-06T05:20:00.004-06:00

Still catching up!
Here's a beautiful patchwork design for Here's A Hug (see explanation in Catch Up 5).
A colorful square-in-a-square made of soft flannel.
The sample block for a Fighting Illini string quilt the Linus Committee is making.
A Here's a Hug quilt.
A fleece quilt for a Here's A Hug child who loves dogs.
Marion donated a sample she made for our local quilt shop, Sew Sassy.
Another Here's a Hug quilt.
And another Here's a Hug.

Catch Up 5

2009-06-06T05:02:00.006-06:00

More blog catch up!
For the holidays last year, the Central Illinois chapter of Project Linus had a Here's A Hug program to make over 800 blankets for the children of women incarcerated in a regional prison. The inmates met with the chapter coordinators and specified their children's interests and favorite colors. Blanketeers in the area made blankets (quilts, fleece, knit or crochet) to specification for each child and delivered them in time for the holidays. Here are 800 blankets stacked up in the coordinator's house!
As you can imagine, these gifts were very much appreciated. Quilts with a visible tag are for that program. Here's one for a child whose favorite color is pink and wholikes hearts and butterflies.

Another Here's a Hug quilt.
A Here's A Hug with novelty prints that feature the child's interests.
Here's a Here's A Hug blanket for a child who likes cars, trucks, and fire engines.
A quilt from a guild kit.
A Heart Strings quilt made at a worknight.
A quilt with cute dog fabric and dalmatian border donated by a guild member.
A flannel quilt made from donated squares.

Catch Up 4

2009-06-05T19:21:00.003-06:00

Continuing to catch up with little or no commentary.
A scrappy 16 patch.
This was made from donated squares of flannel.
Quick and easy -- but still charming -- rail fence quilt.
A trompe l'oeil design -- each block is a square.
A cuddly whole cloth quilt.
A cute panel for a little boy.
A Clifford alphabet panel.
A string quilt made by college student volunteers at a Project Linus worknight.

Catch Up 3

2009-06-05T18:51:00.003-06:00

Continuing to catch up with little or no commentary.
Love this one -- zingy with brights set off by black and white.
Easy Squares kit.
Heartstrings quilt with green center stripes.
Whole cloth quilt with bandana fabric on the back.
Cheery red, white and blue sampler.
A panel with a soft blue border.
Another scrappy Trip Around the World with a piano key border.

Catch Up 2

2009-06-05T18:36:00.003-06:00

Continuing to catch up with little or no commentary.
We have a number of whole cloth quilts, some with a flannel backing.

A scrappy Trip Around the World.
This is made from one of the kits we give to guild members -- a center panel with a checkerboard around it.
Very fun piecing around a panel.
Night and day fabrics go together for something fun and different.

Catch Up 1

2009-06-05T18:31:00.004-06:00

I am so far behind! I am going to post photos with very little commentary just so you can see all the wonderful quilts we've made this past year.

Girl Scouts donate to PL!

2008-06-27T09:34:00.006-06:00

Marilyn N's teenage daughter Amanda's Girl Scout troop wanted to do a service project, so Marilyn volunteered to work with them to make quilts for Project Linus. Marilyn helped them "shop" the guild's Project Linus stash, and the girls chose wonderful fabrics for three quilts.
Marilyn chose simple patterns because the girls were just learning to sew. The one above is a crazy four-patch. It's so much fun in the fabrics they chose!

They also made a quilt of squares, but it's lively and fun with all the polkadots and bright colors!

This quilt alternates rail fence blocks with squares for an easy but complicated-looking pattern. A Brownie troop helped with tying the quilts, and Marilyn finished the edges. The girls did a fabulous job, and had a blast doing it! Thanks, Scouts, and thank you Marilyn for putting in the time and energy to make this happen. There are three children out there who will very much appreciate all your efforts.

Project Linus National Conference

2008-06-26T09:58:00.005-06:00

Last week was the Project Linus National Conference in Decatur! Chapter coordinators from around the country came to learn new skills and exchange ideas. It was awesome! Mary Balagna and the other organizers did a fabulous job.
Debbi D and Marge P (shown below) and Cheri S volunteered at one of the booths. We taught people to make Happy Houses (see pattern link in sidebar). It was so gratifying to see how much the conference attendees enjoyed making the blocks, and to hear their plans for using them. Several mentioned that they would feature this at their next Make A Blanket Day.
The Conference was held in Bloomington. Here's a photo of one of the exhibit aisles -- BEFORE it became crowded with conference-goers!
Here's our Happy Houses quilt, made by the Linus Committee at a worknight and quilted by Donna R. It has now been donated to Project Linus and soon will be wrapped around some child who really needs it.

June quilts!

2008-06-26T09:15:00.011-06:00

Here's a wonderful quilt from Elaine G. It's a simple pattern of 6 rectangles arranged 3x2 per block, then set in alternating directions, but the fabrics really give it some punch! The back is a bright yellow. Thanks so much!

Dorothy B made a sampler quilt that is child-friendly and fabulous! Thank you, Dorothy!

I'm so sorry that I don't know who donated this quilt, but it's a wonderful use of scraps! Those strings will provide hours of fun for a child trying to find all the little designs and prints.
Grammabunny made this simple quilt of squares. Many of the blocks feature a variety of adorable dog prints. Cute!
And she also made two whole cloth quilts. This one is for a child who dreams of being an astronaut...
...and here's one for a cowboy! Thanks so much!
Charlene B did a wonderful job making this Linus kit of Easy Squares. Thank you -- it's certain to be well loved!

Remember, you can bring a finished quilt to guild or Sew Sassy at any time, and there are usually kits available for pick up. Thanks for all your donations!

Quilts from Grammabunny

2008-05-07T16:32:00.010-06:00

Grammabunny donates so many quilts to Project Linus -- several each month! All of them are made with obvious love and care, and the finish touch is her personalized label. She always signs them, and either puts them in a cute label, like the one below, or writes a cute little saying. It must be an extra-special treat to receive a Grammabunny quilt!
Her summer quilts have an outdoors theme. There are lots of lizards and bugs and other creepy-crawlies on this quilt to delight a child.
This lovely quilt is made of butterfly fabrics -- and even the squares are put together to look like butterflies flitting over the quilt.
This great string quilt uses lots of outdoors fabrics in the design, and the border and back are full of lizards.
What is more outdoorsy than bears in the woods and by the lake?
On behalf of the many, many children whose lives you have brightened, thank you, Grammabunny!

Quilts received in April

2008-05-07T16:05:00.007-06:00

This great heartstrings quilt was made primarily by Talese and also at various worknights and Make A Blanket Day. Talese put it together and Connie L. quilted it -- beautifully, as always. It's lovely!
Cheri made this quilt from a guild kit. For a little extra something in the solid squares, she used cookie cutters as applique patterns. The Needle & I in Rantoul kindly offered their services and quilted it for us.
Two Lion King panels were donated, and Tom (Elaine G's husband) quilted them for us. He did a very elaborate job and it really made the details in the design pop. Thank you!
Tom also did a great job quilting this donated panel. Some child will love this fun quilt.
This 9-patch design is a great way to feature a fun novelty print.
This quilt is lovely -- soft but cheery colors!
And here's another donated panel quilt -- perfect for a preschooler or toddler!
Many thanks to everyone who donated a quilt or the fabric to make one.

Instructions for the Guild Block

2008-04-11T13:17:00.004-06:00

Now it's really quick and easy to make something for Project Linus! Guild members can use this pattern to whip up the following block in no time using leftover bits of fabric from your projects. It's based on 2 1/2" strips (jelly roll size). Bring the blocks to any guild meeting, and Linus Committee members will assemble them into quilts. Thanks so much!

Unfinished block size: 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”

Cut the following
Outside color:
cut 2 rectangles: 9-1/2” x 2-1/2”
cut 2 squares: 2-1/2” x 2-1/2”

Contrast color:
cut 1 rectangle: 5-1/2” x 2-1/2”

Sew one 2-1/2” square to each end of the small rectangle.
Next sew one large rectangle to the top and one large rectangle to the bottom. You’re finished!

You can also make 4 blocks at once if you prefer. Here are the instructions:

Cut the following
Outside color (A):
Cut 2 2-1/2” strips by width of fabric (WOF)
Cut 1 20” x 2-1/2” strip
Subcut this 20” strip into 2 2-1/2” squares and 3 5”x2-1/2” rectangles
Contrast color (B):
Cut 1 22” x 2-1/2” strip and subcut this into 4 5-1/2” x 2-1/2” rectangles

Assemble into a long strip starting with 2-1/2” A, next alternate 5-1/2”B pieces and 5”A pieces, ending with a 2 1/2” A. See picture below:
Next sew the 2 WOF strips to the top and to the bottom of the long strip you just made.
Subcut into 4 9-1/2” blocks. Be sure to even the ends and check your ruler as you go to keep the blocks squared up to the right measurements.
You're finished! Don't they look great?
A word on fabric choices
We ask that you use bright, kid-friendly fabrics. The kids who receive these quilts need love and cheer. Not everything has to be for little children, however, as teens also receive blankets from Project Linus. We will try to match the tone of blocks we receive to make blankets for different ages. But please, be sure the blocks are cheerful!

Fun quilts!

2008-04-07T06:43:00.005-06:00

This attic window quilt looks complicated, but it's very simple to make -- we use a half-square triangle in the corner of the block so there are no Y seams. This cute quilt was put together by a guild member from one of our kits that uses donated fabrics. Every window has an animal print. This quilter also did a great job and the two-tone binding is fun! (Sorry, the following 2 photos are sideways -- for the past couple days I have not been able to load a rotated photo.)
This baseball themed quilt was put together with some already-cut fabrics.
The next two quilts were dropped off at Sew Sassy for Project Linus. Both of them have soft, fuzzy minkee in some of the squares -- what a delight for a child to touch! This one has a puppy dog theme.
This dinosaur quilt is bright and really cute! It's just a panel with squares and an inner border, but it's a fabulous quilt!
Thank you to these anonymous quiltmakers! Your work is very much appreciated.

Donations from March 2008

2008-03-25T04:13:00.004-06:00

We've gotten some lovely quilts recently! This one from Karen P. is really bright and fun! (The photo colors do not do it justice.) It's a very clever pattern -- the blocks are all the same, but some are turned so the side stripes are vertical and some are turned so they are horizontal. Thanks, Karen!

Debbie D-W is learning the intricacies of her new quilting machine by quilting Linus quilts. She did a great job on this adorable panel quilt.
This was pieced from a committee Easy Squares kit. Looks adorable! I think Charlene B made this one, and I apologize if it was someone else. Charlene regularly pieces our kits and we very much appreciate it!
Diane M made this sweet baby quilt. It's bright and geometric to catch a baby's eye, and the ducks in the border are really cute. Thank you, Diane!
Grandma Bunny made the next 3 wonderful quilts! She donates many quilts each year, all very lovingly made. This is a simple squares pattern, but her border fabrics make it very lively and fun!
This is an outdoors themes quilt, perfect for camp.
Bunny kept the blocks and sashing the same in this fun quilt, but used lots of different, cheery cornerstones. There are lots of kids out there who very much love their Grandma Bunny quilts.
This simple baseball themed quilt is perfect for a sports fan! It has whole cloth on both sides, each with a different baseball design. If you want to contribute to Linus but don't have the time for lots of piecing, consider a donation like this. Let the fabric do the work!
The next two are fringed fleece blankets, very soft and snuggly! The kids love fleece, but please remember if you donate them that SINGLE layer fleece is preferred. The double layer ones look cute, but are quite warm and bulky, so many receiving agencies prefer not to take them. So get TWICE as many blankets by using single layer!

A HUGE thank-you to everyone who donated their fabrics, time, skills, money, and love to make these wonderful blankets!

Pattern links!

2008-03-12T06:20:00.002-06:00

Scroll down the sidebar on the right and you'll see a new addition -- Easy Patterns for Linus Quilts! This is a link to patterns for quick and easy quilts for Linus. Many are scrap quilts, so you can just dig into your stash. A few are larger in size than you need to make for Linus, but just make fewer blocks (there's nothing complicated about making these smaller). Linus will accept quilts of almost any size, but their biggest need is for quilts about 40" x 60".

If you know of any easy, free patterns available online that you think would make a good Linus quilt, please send me the link!

And always remember, we give these quilts to children in need to show how much we care, so make them with as much care as you would make a quilt for your own child or grandchild. Always use new fabrics in bright, child-friendly, washable fabrics. And be sure to remove ALL pins!

Two more Boo-Boo Kids quilts

2008-02-19T20:05:00.002-06:00

We got two more wonderful Boo-Boo Kids quilts on the theme Lyrics for Linus. This adorable quilt was made by Debbi D.
Her mother, Marge P, who sews the labels on all our blanket donations, created this very cute quilt with a musical theme. Thank you!

Make A Blanket Day at Sew Sassy

2008-02-19T19:47:00.002-06:00

Make A Blanket Day was so much fun! The back room at Sew Sasy was full all day long with guild and community members who were busy making blankets for Project Linus. We made enough blocks to make several heartstrings quilts, like the one below, which we recently made at a worknight. We worked on lots of other projects, too.

Here you can see some guild members busy stitching away. In this photo are Diane M, Mary M, Glennys M, Diane D, and Alma M.
At 2:00 we had the drawing for the raffle quilt, which raised $1024 for Project Linus. We are so pleased! Pictured below is the lucky winner with the raffle quilt.

Lots more quilts!

2008-02-19T19:29:00.004-06:00

In the last week or so we've received many Linus donations from guild members. Here's a very cute panel that was bordered with a bright green fabric.
This cuddly flannel quilt was tied rather than quilted, always an option. It was very cleverly tied, too -- red yarn was tied over the red bowties the frogs are wearing!
Here's a colorful quilt with lots of color and movement to hold a child's interest.
Becky G. quilted this bright orange quilt. The back has a cheery "make a wish" print. Becky also put the binding on one of the prequilted Barbie panels that we've already shown. Thanks, Becky!
Sorry, I can't get this photo to turn upright. Use those neck muscles to turn your head and take a look at this cute panel quilt.
We received two more jar quilts from Stephanie -- so much fun to look at! Click the photo to enlarge it and see what's in each jar. Thanks, Stephanie, and thanks to Tom for quilting these and Martha for binding them.

This fun sports quilt is from a project Donna R put together for guild members. Squares are stacked and cut, then reassembled using pieces from the various stacked squares. Cute!
If I did not mention your name and you contributed to any of these quilts, please let me know. Often I pick up quilts that have been left with others and I just don't know everyone who put time, effort, and love into making this wonderful blankets.

Mumbo Gumbo and a Worknight WIP

2008-02-08T15:10:00.001-06:00

Here it is -- the wild and crazy Mumbo Gumbo quilt that so many of you contributed to!

The committee put together the string blocks pieced by guild members, and someone from the Needle and I in Rantoul quilted it for us. It's such a fun quilt -- thank you everyone for your efforts!

And here's a work-in-progress from last night's worknight at Sew Sassy.

Diane D designed this quilt with the help of Debbi D and Michelle G, and took it home to start on the layout -- you can see it's not done yet!. If you recognize the border, it's because it uses the extras (the quick corner remnants) from the zig zag blocks made by guild members. Waste not, want not! It's so exciting to see the creativity that quilters have when they just have bits and pieces to work with.

Diane L's great quilts

2008-02-08T15:02:00.001-06:00

Diane L. donated two serged fleece preemie blankets (not shown) and 3 adorable quilts. Thank you so much, Diane! This I Spy/Jar quilt will provide lots of entertainment for a child checking out the contents of each jar.
This colorful quilt features a fish fabric and a very snazzy border.
Lots of wild animals and fun fabrics will keep a child cozy and happy under this quilt.

Grandma Bunny donates 7 quilts!

2008-02-08T12:55:00.000-06:00

Grandma Bunny donates many quilts to Project Linus -- all very bright and child friendly, and each one personalized with a cheery saying and her signature on the label. This year Grandma Bunny donated a Boo Boo Kids quilt (part of a fundraising project for the Central Illinois Chapter) on the Lyrics for Linus theme.
Here's a quilt for a cat lover!

And a King Kong quilt for a lucky child.

This animal quilt makes great use of zebra fabric in the borders.
The athletic shoes in this quilt will inspire some child to get up and go!
This whole cloth quilt uses delightful fabric and is, as always, beautifully quilted.

The next two quilts Grandma Bunny donated make use of star blocks that she combined with children's fabric -- they are winners! Don't forget to put your own orphan blocks to good use.

Thank you so much, Grandma Bunny! Your loving donations are bringing comfort to many children.

Four from Fran

2008-02-06T14:26:00.000-06:00

Fran H. donated four fabulous children's quilts, all made with bright, child-friendly fabrics. This one is a puzzle quilt.This pattern looks complicated, but Fran says it's easy to piece. There's lots of interest in the design as well s in the novelty fabrics.
This cute quilt is made from a pattern in the book Sunshine Quilts. It makes great use of a novelty fabric that has several areas of interest because different sections of the fabric are fussy cut and put into frames. Click the photo for a closer look.
This quilt provides a wonderful way to use up scrap fabrics. Solid blocks of novelty prints are alternated with blocks pieced from strips. It's a great I Spy for a child!
Thanks so much, Fran, the quilts are terrific!

Boo Boo Kids quilts

2008-02-03T13:15:00.000-06:00

Boo Boo Kids quilts are a major fundraiser for Project Linus. Each year the entries are displayed at Hickory Point Mall in Forsythe for the week before Make A Blanket Day and visitors pay to vote for their favorites. There are so many wonderful ones that it's hard not to vote for them all! So far, we have 3 donations from our guild (more are coming). This year's theme is "Lyrics for Linus" and the black print with bright instruments is the required fabric.

Donna R. donated this "When You Wish Upon A Star" quilt. Two of the stars use the theme fabric, and the black and yellow background fabrics have star sayings swirled throughout. (As always, click on a photo to enlarge it for a closer look.) It's a great quilt, Donna!

Kim Ly. always donates creative quilts to Linus. She says this was easy to piece, but the finished look is dynamite. Thanks so much, Kim!
Mary S. used her embroidery machine to make some crazy frogs playing musical instruments. A close-up look at this is definitely worth it. The theme fabric is in the inner border. Nice quilt, Mary!

A new quilter!

2008-02-03T13:10:00.001-06:00

We always have more people who like to piece quilts than who like to quilt them, but we now have a new quilter who much prefers quilting! Hoorah! Tom, Elaine G.'s husband, recently took up quilting and has volunteered to quilt some Project Linus quilts. Here's his first donation, a printed panel that he quilted so beautifully that it actually looks pieced! Thank you so much, Tom! We look forward to your help in the future!

January donations

2008-02-03T11:29:00.000-06:00

We had some great quilts come in this January! Here's a simple flannel panel that was bordered and quilted, made from a committee kit.
This cute panel was not big enough, but the addition of borders, sashing, and some four-patches did the trick! The back was made using a donated map, a perfect match for the front. Kathy from the Needle and I generously donated her talents to quilt this (and two other Linus quilts). Thank you!

This kit quilt was pieced by Marilyn N's daughter Rosemary and quilted by Marilyn. It's a great quilt for a teenage boy -- we don't get enough of those. Thanks, Rosemary and Marilyn!
This raggedy patch fleece quilt was made during a Linus worknight at Sew Sassy. Karen O. did the piecing and Tina J. provided the kit.
This string quilt is also from our worknights. Donna R. provided the green strips and muslin foundations, and everyone stripped piece using donated fabrics from our stash. Whenever we have little bits of fabric leftover, they go into our strip bin and get added to one of these quilts.
Here's another quilt from a committee kit, a cheery flannel rail fence for a baby.
Here's a bright and cheery squares quilt that soon will be well-loved by a child.
Here's another favorite that has become a committee stand-by. We make 9-patches from donated fabric that isn't children's fabric, and then turn it into a child's quilt by appliqueing a dog or cat on it.
This quilt is from a kit -- a center panel bordered by a 9-patch checkerboard.
Marion R. made this quilt from zingy, bright fabrics -- wow! It was on display in Sew Sassy, and then she donated it to Linus. Thanks, Marion!
Here's a very cute, scrappy quilt with an adorable animal-print border.
This attic windows kit, put together by Charlene B, has a different group of animals in each window -- everything from a sunbathing hippo to creepy crawly bugs. The back is a bright animal print. Thanks, Charlene!
Hancock's in Champaign gave Mary B. a large amount of pre-quilted fabric to donate to Linus. At our recent workday, we cut up the fabric into 6 quilts and cut binding for them all. Donna finished off this one. Thanks!

More quilts from fall 2007

2008-02-03T10:09:00.000-06:00

Fun, crazy lizards and bright colors make this a great Linus quilt! If you have enough leftover kids' print from a project to make a few squares, consider combining it with other fabrics in your stash to make a quick, cute quilt to donate.
Here's a bright four-patch alternating with an adorable children's fabric.
This adorable quilt has a sports theme and Illini colors -- a real treasure for some Illinois child. Go team! And thank you Marge P. for making this quilt for Linus.
Dorothy B. donated this squares-on-point quilt. The border is a star fabric, and the back is pieced from a couple red star fabrics. Thanks!
This is an awesome quilt and I don't know who donated it. It's a great I Spy that uses scraps of lots of children's prints. Wonderful!
Here's a very cheery strip quilt with some hot-colored stripes and animal prints. Very nice!

This absolutely charming quilt is made from 30's prints -- such a lovely quilt!
What a cute watering can quilt, with bright cans in a garden of bright flowers.
And here's a crazy cut quilt with whacky violets (or are they pansies?). What a fun quilt to make, and what a wonderful quilt to receive!
A squares quilt based on a child-friend fabric with coordinating plain squares. This quilt is tied rather than quilted. If you don't have the time to quilt, or don't want or like that part of the process, please consider donating a tied quilt. They are every bit as much appreciated!
A great big THANK YOU to everyone who donated a quilt!

Quilt Catch-Up

2008-02-03T09:37:00.000-06:00

We have had some wonderful quilts donated by guild members and I've gotten behind in posting them. Here are some from this past fall. Thank you! A few are made from kits, but others were lovingly made from scratch.

Here's a cute panel quilt:
And two fleece quilts:

Some music-loving child will adore this piano-key quilt:
This strip quilt has lots of kid-friendly colors and favorite characters -- quick and easy to make, and very much appreciated!

Our Easy Squares kits use donated fabrics. The variety of prints provides lots of interest -- a child can spend a long time discovering just what all is on his quilt.
This squre baby quilt uses a sophisticated star block -- you might consider looking through your own orphan blocks to see whether you can make a Linus quilt.
Nine-patches alternating with plain squares can make so many different quilts. This one has a unity brought about by similar colors, yet all the scrappy fabrics make it fun to examine each block.
This lovely, scrappy quilt is made from rows of off-set squares in coordinating colors. Just beautiful!

And here are two rail frence quilts -- so different because of fabric choices!

And here's a sweet and simple baby quilt.

Guild quilt show!

2007-10-28T10:26:00.000-06:00

The Illini Country Stitchers held their bi-annual quilt show last weekend. It was great! We had wonderful attendance, and visitors were treated not only to the beautiful quilts entered by members, but to a sampling of guild quilts being donated to Project Linus. We passed out information on making quilts for Linus and a couple simple patterns.

More quilts!

2007-10-28T10:16:00.001-06:00

We received some very cute quilts last month that I'm just getting on the blog now. Here's a fun one that really pops with the sports print.
Here's a traditional star pattern with each star from a different fabric. Beautiful!
Here's an easy-to-piece but bright and very child-friendly quilt. If you're looking for an idea for a quick Linus quilt, why not try one like this?
Thank you! Your donations are very much appreciated.

Quilts from Sue K

2007-09-08T13:57:00.000-06:00

Sue K donated 3 quilts for Project Linus. She has cute coordinating fabric on the back of each one, too. Here's a sailboat quilt:

and a cowboy quilt:
and a rail fence for a baby or toddler.
Thanks so much, Sue!

Quilts & afghans & blankets ... oh my!

2007-08-29T10:56:00.000-06:00

We received some lovely donations recently! This bright quilt of old-fashioned transportation is certain to we appealing to a young child.

And here's a simple panel with some very huggable animals on the front ...
...and on the back!
You may recognize this lively top from when it was hanging in Sew Sassy. Marion donated it to be quilted and bound for Project Linus.
Joan F brought in two baby-soft knit afghans.
And Tina made a toddler blanket -- quick and easy and cute! One side is cotton with all sorts of animals, and the other side is soft flannel with little monkeys. So much fun!

Thank you all for your wonderful donations!

Fish blocks!

2007-08-29T10:46:00.001-06:00

There are some very cute fish swimming in this sea!Thanks, everyone, for all your fish block contributions! These are just a few that we have received from you. Tina is going to be able to make several tops from these.

Cute quilts

2007-08-08T19:14:00.000-06:00

We've received lots of cute quilts! Here's a fun strip quilt with Snoopy characters.
Diane M made this very sweet quilt with blocks of old-fashioned children.
This flannel quilt with a fuzzy fleece backing has hearts hand-quilted in the squares. It was very lovingly made!
Karen M and Dorothy B made this 9-patch quilt. There are beetles in the border fabric and the backing is bright, jumping frogs!
Diane L made this delightful quilt of jars filled will all sorts of things!

The next 3 quilts did not load properly and I can't fix them! So sorry -- you'll have to turn your head to the left to see them the right way round. There's a plane and train quilt:
And a checkerboard panel quilt from a committee kit. This quilting on this one haslots of flowers, very nice!
Theresa L made this heart quilt from an adaptation of a Billie Lauter pattern. Dorothy E quilted it with hearts all over!
Here's another Easy Squares quilt made from a variety of prints. It's a very adaptable pattern!
We received a panel quilt, which is easy to put together but very well loved by the recipient! If you want to make a donation and don't have much time, please consider finishing a pre-quilted panel.
This cozy bear flannel kit was nicely quilted by Dorothy E.

Thank you everyone!

More 2007 Camp Coco quilts

2007-08-03T18:31:00.000-06:00

We have such a generous membership in our guild! Lots more Camp Coco quilts were turned in for this summer's campers. I can't always match the name to the quilt in the photo, so many of these do not have a quilter's name. If you know who made one of the quilters whose name was omitted, please let me know and I will update this post. Thanks to everyone for these wonderful quilts!

This S'mores quilt was made by Debbi D.

Kim L made the dog quilt.

Linus Committee doings

2007-08-03T17:41:00.000-06:00

Our raffle quilt is coming along! Since this photo was taken, all three missing blocks have been finished. Dixie is busy completing the top and then Connie L will quilt it. Cute, isn't it? Ami Simms graciously gave us her written permission to use her Dog-Yeared quilt pattern to raise money for Project Linus. You can see her pattern on her website -- check it out! Sew Sassy will display the quilt in their window starting in January. Be sure to buy a raffle ticket!
The Committee also put together a bunch of Happy House blocks at the June worknight. Soon we'll make these into a quilt.
The house blocks have some quick corners, so we stitched the leftovers together to make some half square triangles. Waste not, want not!

Three more Camp Coco quilts

2007-06-04T13:30:00.000-06:00

We're so pleased to see the Camp Coco quilts come in! There's a need for all kinds of quilts all the time, but at this time of year the Central Illinois region is also collecting outdoorsy quilts to give to the children at Camp Coco. Thank you to everyone who has donated a Coco quilt. We will be collecting them through the business meeting on June 14.

Lorraine G made this very creative quilt! Do click on the photo to get a closer look at the frogs and trees and other delightful things she stitched into this quilt. It's a real treasure. Thank you, Lorraine!
Debbie D-W chose a lizard fabric as the focus for this Camp Coco quilt. It's bright and lively and lots of fun!
Here's a close-up of one of the red stripes she has on the back. Her quilting outlined the leaves and lizards on the front of the fabric and it makes for a very interesting back. I'm sure the child who receives this quilt will enjoy the back as well as the front. Thank you, Debbie.

Donna R made this adorable quilt with crazy trees and cute bears.

The back is woodsy, too -- she pieced it from several fabrics featuring different kinds of woodland animals. Thank you so much, Donna!

Camp Coco quilts from Marge P

2007-06-04T13:23:00.001-06:00

Marge has been really busy lately! Not only does she label all the guild's Linus quilts (plus other Linus quilts donated by others who aren't in the guild), but she has made FOUR quilts for Camp Coco! Each one is different, too. You can click on the photos to enlarge them so you can take a closer look at the outdoorsy fabrics. Thanks so much, Marge. There will be four very happy kids this summer!

Strippy quilt

2007-06-04T13:13:00.000-06:00

Martha A quilted pieced some cut animal strips together for this charming quilt.

Thanks, Martha!

Happy Houses for June 7 work night

2007-05-13T09:03:00.000-06:00

Lately we've been working on group projects at Sew Sassy work nights and it's been great fun! I thought I'd give you a preview of coming attractions in case you'd like to join us!

We're going to be making house blocks on June 7. The idea came from the quilts Barbara J. Eikmeier sews with kids. She demonstrated butterfly and house blocks on Simply Quilts and put the instructions on the HGTV website. The only difference in these blocks is that we're putting a person or animal in the doorway of each house instead of making a door out of the roof fabric. I love the ballons in the sky in this block -- do you suppose this guy is happy because it's his birthday?

Every block will be different. We have some nighttime skies, some with sun, some with fluffy clouds. The grasses are a variety of greens, and the houses are, well, wild! If you'd like to make some blocks to contribute, click the HGTV link above for directions. The cutting directions are a little confusing because the pieces are labeled A,B,C, etc., instead of "house," "sky," or "grass," so I'll give you my notes to help you get started:

Fabric A - Roof and Door*
one 4-1/2" x 12-1/2" rectangle (roof)
one 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangle (*door -- but we're fussy cutting people or animals)

Fabric B - Sky
two 4-1/2" squares

Fabric C - House
two 5-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles
one 2-1/2" square

Fabric D - Grass
one 2-1/2" x 12-1/2" rectangle

The block finishes at 12" square (12-1/2" with seam allowances).

Have fun! We hope to see you at the work night. We'll also have string blocks to make and you can always work on one of our kits or bring your own project if you prefer. See you there!

Coco quilts from Gramma Bunny

2007-05-13T08:49:00.000-06:00

Gramma Bunny made four more quilts for Camp Coco! Each one is unique, and she puts a little note on the label of each quilt. This is a very colorful one with outdoorsy-themed fabrics. Remember, if you want to look closely at the fabrics, you can always click on a photo to enlarge it.This one ... ribbitt! ... has lots of frogs.
This one is outdoors surfing style.
And this one is bears in the woods.
Thank you, Gramma Bunny!

Camp Coco Quilts

2007-05-12T13:40:00.000-06:00

Talese S and Connie L made this Camp Coco quilt, called "Butterflies in My Window," together. Talese did the piecing and Connie did the quilting. The colors positively glow! Talese also wrote a lovely note on the quilt label.Charlene B made this Frogs Fishing quilt from a guild kit. She added that extra touch by piecing a multi-fabric binding.
Thanks to all three ladies for taking the time and effort to donate to the kids at Camp Coco!

Two kits completed

2007-05-12T13:37:00.000-06:00

Thanks, Dorothy E, for quilting this balloon panel kit! Talese S. put on the binding. I don't know who pieced it. It's a fun quilt -- such bright colors. Thanks to all involved. Kim L made this baseball easy squares kit. If you click to enlarge the photo, you'll see a few squares of St. Louis Cardinals fabric -- a big deal since they won the 2006 World Series! Thanks, Kim.

4 more preemie blankets

2007-05-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

Martha O made four more preemie blankets from the really cute fleece you see below. Thanks, Martha!Preemie blankets are an ongoing need. They are quick and easy to make if you have a serger. Detailed instructions on how to make them can be found here.