Kittie tie blanket

During my illness I have received a TON of blankets, shawls, & quilts. I am also a blanket person so i have afghans everywhere. I have 4 on my couch alone. So when someone saw this kittie blanket the thought of me and even though I am grateful for the blanket, I simple did not have room for another blanket.

I also had a brand new blue fleece blanket put away that had also been a gift from a caring friend who brought it too me at the beginning of my illness. So I put them both together and converted both of thenm into one beautiful tie fleece blanket that will be INCREDIBLY warm. and I will donate this blanket to Project Linus so that someone who is still sick make have it and use it and be comforted by it.

I thank the two women who gave these to me and I hope they are not offended by the way I am choosing to put their gifts to use, after all they wished to comfort me I wish to comfort someone else with them.

Quilt binding tutorial Part 2

Now that you have your binding all sewn to your quilt, we can move this to the living room, waiting room, or just anywhere you have to sit for a while becaue this part is sewn by hand.

Yes I know if you could do it on the machine it would be so much faster. But this really will Look better and seem more "professional" and not sloppy or "slacker-ish"


Something I have found that Really helps are these, Kiddie snap hair barrettes. (yes this tidbit came from my sister as well) they hold everything in place. if you dont ahve daughters that have grown out of using them like I have, then you can get them at Joannes or even hobby lobby if you are lucky enough to have one close. if you dont have one close you can check walmart if anything you can get actual barrettes, it may cost a bit more but when you figure a drive to get to the other stores that extra buck goes into your gas tank or into the barrettes right?


So what we are going to do is fold your binding over to the back side and clip it with your barrette. Do this right along the side.


Now we are going to do a "blind hem stitch" (thank you Suzie for teaching me this!) I used to do a whip stitch and it looked just awful! and took forever!

Blind hem stitch goes like this....

start off by catching both the quilt and the binding.

"skip over" some of the material by running your needle THROUGH the fold in the binding so the thread is inside. about 1/4 inch. Where you needle comes out, make a tiny stitch just like your first one where you catch the quilt and the binding.

You may find it easier to have your thread run through your quilt instead of your binding.

This is fine as well, but a word of caution! if you go THROUGH to the other side it will show on the FRONT! so be very careful NOT to do it this way!



Now at a corner, that pain in the but corner miter I made you do? Here is where it pays off!

you can see the corner is going to want to "fold" into a corner.

Tack it down with those tiny stitches.
Continue with your blind hem stitch around

When you are done, or you need to get a new peice of thread, make several small stitches to "lock" it then bury your thread inside the quilt. See how far my needle point is to the center?

See now its all done. Part 2 only took me 2 1/2 hours of steady sewing Didn't this go faster than you thought?

Now that its done that's a UFO done, you know how to do it too, and Project Linus gets another blanket. I was just told today our local hospital is accepting Project Linus blankets as well! so my blanket will go to someone that lives right here in my community!

Quilt binding tutorial Part 1

In this first post I am going to show you the easiest way to get the binding on your quilt, I will post the next part tomorrow.

My sister taught me how to do this OVER THE PHONE. Yea I know shes amazing! But since I had this UFO sitting around I thought I would do a tutorial about it just in case anyone thinks this part of quilting is the hard part. This part is probably the easiest.

This is a quilted panel I had laying around that needed binding.


First Measure your quilt to see how many inches of binding you are going to need.

Mine measure 156 inches, so I have to put two strips together to make it 160 inches long. I always used more just in case I cant add that day :)

Lay your ends together like this.
sew it diagonal like this

trim it

and it will lay like this,
so when you fold it it wont bunch up all in one place

Then you fold it in half and press it.
Yes PRESS IT! I know I hate to iron too but DO IT!

Put your raw edge of your binding to the raw edge of your quilt top. Leave a "tail" of about two inches. Start at the bottom of the quilt, but not at a corner. That will just be a big pain in the butt.

Sew to the corner and take your quilt off the machine. So that you can "Miter" the corner. Fold your binding up like this.

Now fold the binding back down. This I had to really mess with to learn but once i got the concept it was second nature. Do not try to miter without taking it off the machine. I tried to do that and it just made it harder. oh and if you are a lock stitch freak? don't do that either its just not needed.

once you get all the way around your quilt and you have mitered all of your corners you are going to be here, and wow what now?

Well we need this to have that diagonal type seam like we did when we sewed the two pieces of binding together. and this is how we do it.

Fold the end to the side, it will make a "triangle"
(I think these last two pic will make you understand how to fold it)

Tuck the "beginning" of the binding inside of the triangle.

Lay it down and sew it down

That has your binding attached to your quilt. you have sewn through all three layers the top the batting and the backing. Now this becomes a "take along" project. or a TV project. you aren't confined to do this in your sewing room any longer.

Make a blanket Day!

Drop Your blankets Off at the pick up center if you haven't already!!!

Red and Black

This is my Grandmother, and her favorite colors were Red and Black. She had them together all over the place. Pillows and blankets of her own were all red and black crochet. One of her favorite Ceramic paints was a black with a red crystal. Notice even her dress is red and black in this picture!

I wonder if this is where I get my color obsession from????

So I couldn't help but think of grandma as I crochet this red and black Linus blanket. I used a black yarn along with black eyelash.

Pink Skip Stitch

Isnt this pretty? Cant you just see a little girl hugging this?

this pattern is so simple R1 sc, c,sc repeat R2 c2,4hdc in chain repeat

I have had so many people ask about my Skip stitch blade... I have to say i just love it. already worth the ten dollars I paid for it.

This is where I got it

Wanna see the post that tells about it? its here

Pink & Purple Baby yarn

I used up the last of my pink Baby yarn with this one. Consequently I had to do the ruffle twice. Normally I do a shell that is 4 double crochets or sometiems five. Lately I have been doing 4 half double crochets, and that is what i had done around this one. I got to the last 4 inches of this blanket and ran out of pink yarn. So I pulled it all out and started over on row 2. 3 half double crochets with a chain in between make a teeny tiny shell but so pretty ! and no more left over baby yarn!

What blankets...

What Kind of blankets Does Project Linus accept???

Any size, of fleece, quilted, sewn, crochet, knitted. But they must be hand made. oh and smoke free (due to allergies, lets not make sick kids sicker)

IF you need a pattern or even a push to get started making a blanket for make a blanket day, there are just tons of free patterns and links to designs and more patterns.

PLEASE DO NOT THINK you are so UN-crafty that you can help the wonderful cause! Tie fleece is SOOO easy. as is a simple single crochet blanket. They dont have to be huge just loveable.

If you have been CONSIDERING this cause please check out this page of free ideas!

Brown Stripy

This is the second half of the striped fleece I bought. Notice how when I used the blue year it looked like a blue blanket and now it looks more brown? Isnt that cool?

R1 sc1 , ch1 .. R2 hdc2, ch 1

Unacceptable Project Linus Blankets

There are requirements to Project Linus blankets, and I have taken this directly off the Project Linus website.

Project Linus chapter coordinators are instructed to NOT accept blankets that are not of excellent quality. In addition they must be free from contaminants. Special care should be taken to insure that blankets are free of smoky smells or any chemicals which could cause problems for a child. Hospitals will not accept these blankets, and they will most likely be discarded. Recent studies show that laundering these blankets does not remove contamination, and in some cases can even make it worse. Again, if unusually strong smells due to chemicals used in detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets, mold and mildew or smoking products are apparent, most hospitals will discard the blanket rather than jeopardize the health of a patient. Always check blankets carefully for pins, and remove any embellishments such as buttons that could be swallowed. Thank you for helping to make sure that Project Linus blankets are safe and healthy, and will bring only comfort and security to a child in need.

Monkey blanket # 2

This is my second monkey blanket for Project Linus. I used a strand of tan baby yarn and a strand of white baby yarn. R1 sc 1 ch1 around. R2 slip stitch chain five, slip stitch into sc.

Friends of Project Linus

Project Linus also has a group of businesses they depend upon who provide monetary and/or product donations to aid us on our mission. They are their “Friends of Project Linus.”

You can also help project Linus by shoping at these locations.

Please click here to see all of the sponsors.

Blue Stripy Skip Stitch

Here is a blue striped Skip stitch blanket! One more to throw on the pile for Make a blanket Day 2010! I had a lot of complements of the colors of this fleece and you know I really like it myself.

Get your stuff together! Feb 20th is coming right up!!!

How to find a local chapter

If you want to donate to your local chapter and you don't know who is in charge of your area here is what you do....

First go to the "chapter listings"
then click on your state and then you will find your county/ town

If by chance your area is not listed simply call the area closest to you and ask that person who covers your area. They will also know more about where you can drop your blanket off at.

Please keep in mind that everyone at Project Linus is a volunteer. Personal issues, travel, work, and family all take priority at times over chapter duties. Please be patient in waiting for your reply.

Trip to Joannes

My sister and I will Stop off at the Joanne's Fabrics that is near to where I get my Radiation done.

When I was there last they had no sew fleece blanket kits on sale 50% off.

Since I started skip stitching, I don't really like to tie my blankets for Project Linus. At the cost of the fleece, and 5 inches cut to tie on both sides, that's a lot of fleece that could be blanket!

So I Bought a kit with colors of yarn I had at home for ~ get this ~$10! Then when I got it home I took off the selvages and cut the pieces in half. It's a great size for a child to cuddle up with.

so 4 new blankets to make at almost no cost per blanket.

How you can help

I Have told you the mission statement of Project Linus. And you now know the reason I do this and not another blanket charity.

And Possibly you are thinking I would love to help with that, but how can I help?

There are lots of things you can do to help this cause.

1. Become a "blanketeer" basically thats what I do. I make blankets
2. You can Give your time. you can contact your chapter and help distribute them
3. If you cant find a chapter in your area, you can start one!
4. Of course there is always donate cash if you have it.
5. If you cant do any of these things you can earn $$ for Project Linus though your search engine. here is a link for that click

Thanks for checking out my favorite charity. any help you can provide is useful.

OH one other thing you can do is donate supplies to a blanketeer. your local chapter could put you in touch with someone who could use the supplies. yarn, fleece, quilt-able fabric.

Finished UFO!!!

One more Project Linus blanket done! and one more UFO out of my ceadar chest!

WHY Project Linus

To get ready for "Make a Blanket Day" I thought it would be beneficial to learn WHY I make these blankets.

When I started making blankets it was merely to have something to do. Then My sister introduced me to this project. Well it was something to do with my blankets when i was done with them.

Then I got sick. In the beginning of my illness I was hospitalized. it was in a hospital an hour away from home. people i didn't know, in a town i didn't recognize. barely knowing how sick I was. I was lonesome and I was VERY afraid. I was also nearly 39 years old. Late one night (i had trouble sleeping) I got to thinking about Kids that had cancer. Kids that had Hodgkins disease just like me. Little kids. How scared were they? I mean if I were that scared, how terrified would a five year old be?

That moment is when i realized How important this charity is.

Linus blankets are only distributed to kids 18 and under. So my sister Who is also a blanketeer Stopped making Linus blankets to make one just for me. (I had a special Blanket since i was what BORN?) to see my blanket look here And even though i did not get my blanket in the hospital like a linus child would, I still knew the impact of what it could do.

I Make Linus blankets for all the scared little kids.... because I know

Monkeying Around

My GF Amy took me to Radiation Wednesday. On the way there I finished up this adorable monkey Linus Blanket.

It has been so great to have all of my friends taking me to these appointments. Its been fun to monkey around with my friends. OH i know that joke was bad! sorry!

The Project Linus Mission

For those of you who do not know much about the cause I thought I would tell a bit about it.

Here is the Project Linus mission statement.

The Project Linus Mission

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

Together we have distributed over three million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

To Learn more about Project Linus please go to their website

http://www.projectlinus.org