Project Linus of East TN Fall Meeting October 24

Don't forget this Saturday is the Fall Meeting:
October 24th (10 AM – Noon)
Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church at 6900 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919

JoAnne's Discount Cards

Project Linus National Office has worked out an agreement with JoAnne's for 10% discount cards for our volunteers. These are good through August 2010 for items used in the making of Project Linus blankets. Please keep in mind that items are NOT sales tax exempt. If you would like a card, please send a self addressed stamped envelope to:

Annhara Henderson
110 Danbury Dr.
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

I will also have these cards with me at the Fall Meeting on October 24th.

Congrats to Mara Eckhardt

Congrats to Mara on winning the Threaded Pear Charming Baby Log Cabin quilt kit. It’s a beautiful baby boy cowboy themed pattern! Mara won by checking out the PL Blog and registering for the drawing!

Fall Meeting Update October 24

Our Fall Meeting is planned for October 24th from 10 AM to approximately Noon. It will be at the Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church at 6900 Kingston Pike in Knoxville. This is a different location than past meetings - please note the location. The following are the directions:

From the east come through Knoxville on I-40 west:
Take Exit 383 the Papermill Dr./Weisgarber Rd. Exit using the Weisgarber Rd. ramp.
Turn left on N. Weisgarber and go 1/10th of a mile; Turn right on Papermill Dr. NW and go 6/10th of a mile; Turn right on Kingston Pike and go 2/10th of a mile. ; The church will be on your left.

From the west going east on I-40 into Knoxville:
Take Exit 380 West Hills and go off to the right. You’ll be on Montvue Rd. for 1/10th mile and then be at Kingston Pike. Turn Left on Kingston Pike and go 1.3 miles. The church will be on your right.

Great Article from Orange County, CA

Thought you'd enjoy this article about a 106 year old blanketeer!
http://headlines.ocregister.com/news/blankets-43801-orange-wheeler.html

Project Linus Fabric

Thanks to Judy Dowker for letting us know the new Project Linus fabric is available at Loose Threads quilt shop in Harriman. Going west out of Knoxville on I-40, go to the Harriman exit 347, turn right off the exit and it's in a shopping center about one mile up on your right.

Address: 1211 S. Roane Street #5 Harriman, TN
Phone #: (865) 882-5588

If you are aware of shops carrying this fabric, please let me know.

Fall Meeting 2009

Our Fall Meeting is Saturday, October 24th in the morning. More details to follow! Mark your calendars. I hope to see you there!

First Project Linus Fabric Blanket in East TN

Dianna Mraz just finished the first blanket in East TN made with the new Project Linus fabric. Isn't it beautiful!!!! I brought the fabric back from conference. Don't forget if you see this fabric anywhere to let me know. For details on buying the fabric, scoll down to the posting about the Avyln fabric. You'll have to click on "older posts" to get to it. Thanks Dianna!

Project Linus Conference

I just got the pictures posted from conference. See the Smilebox to the right. Just click once (don't click on the advertisement) and let the pictures play!

Charming Baby Log Cabin Kit Contest

This is the first of "surprise" prizes that will be available to Project Linus of East TN volunteers that visit the blog. If you are a quilter and want to make a quilt for Project Linus, let me know by July 31st. I will enter all entries in a random drawing. The winner will receive a beautiful Charming Baby Log Cabin quilt kit (pattern and fabric) from Threaded Pear. To enter you can either leave a comment on this posting on the blog (be sure to include your full name) or send me (miller1219@aol.com) an email titled "blog contest" with your full name in it. I will email the winner back after July 31st.

Resources and Info

Quilters: Be sure to check out the Quilters Buzz blog at http://www.quiltersbuzz.com/ . They have a lot of good info and exciting things going on.

NixieChicks.com Superstore is a friend of Project Linus. Project Linus Members, email me (miller1219@aol.com) for more information on how to order fabric from this online vendor at a discount. Check out their fabrics at https://nixiechicks.com

Project Linus is going to a biannual (every other year) format for the national conference for coordinators. There will be regional meetings in the off years and volunteers will often be invited. We are planning a regional meeting in Asheville, NC in April 2010. Volunteers will be invited on Saturday. As soon as details and date is confirmed, I'll let you know.

Project Linus Patterns

I got to see and picked up lots of new patterns at the PL Institute (conference). These include:

1. Cat Walk Quilt
2. Instructions on English Paper Piecing
3. 5 Panel Fleece blanket (that is crocheted together)
4. Mystery Quilt Flowers and Hearts (this is designed to be sent out in 5 weeks so you don't really know what you are making until you are done - I'm sending it all at once!)
5. Boe Tie Quilt
6. Lotsa Pops Quilt
7. Fleece Square blanket (that is crocheted together)

If you are interested in any of these, send me an email (miller1219@aol.com) with "PL Patterns" in the title and then in the body of email indicate which patterns you want emailed to you. If you'd prefer to have them U.S. mailed, then send me a self addressed stamped envelope with a note indicating which patterns you want.

Project Linus Conference - I'm Home

I got home from the national conference about 12:30 PM. I had a fabulous time. Honestly, the best time I've had in a long time. The Project Linus coordinators and headquarters staff are a great group of people. The conference was informative and lots of fun. We had LOTS of chocolate and lots of fun in our classes and demos. I learned many new ideas for making blankets and in running and growing the chapter.

Ellen Knoefel (Asheville NC) coordinator had emailed me last year not long after my husband died and offered to pick me up and take me to this year's conference. She is a wonderful lady. Her assistant Sharon drove her car and we had a great "road trip" both coming and going. It's a ways to Bloomington, IL but it felt like the old "homeland" in Ohio with all the FLAT cornfields. However, there were a "few more" windmills than what we have on Windrock - there were fields and fields of them. I was told the one field we saw had over 200 windmills. They were beautiful. Of course, we all ate too much, but we had sooooooo much fun and learned soooo much.

You'll be seeing more over the next few months from the information I learned at the conference. Thanks so much for allowing me to be your coordinator - it is truly a blessing in my life.

Still At Conference and It Just Keeps Getting Better

I'm still at the Project Linus national conference. I'm having an absolutely great time. They are going to an every other year conference format so the next one won't be until 2011. BUT, the good news is that next year there will be regional meetings and volunteers are invited, too. I am probably going to work with the North Carolina Coordinators and we will do one in Asheville, NC. More details to follow. While I'm not a quilter, I am so IMPRESSED by all the wonderful quilts. I've learned a lot of new techniques in working with fleece, good sources for fabrics, wonderful patterns and much more. I'll be sharing these with you as time permits and I dig thru all this stuff I'm bringing back with me! I'm missing the pups and friends, but this has been a wonderful experience.

Avlyn Fabrics WOW

Many of you have seen the flyers I sent about the new Komfort Kids fabrics put out by Avlyn Fabrics. These are a special line of Project Linus fabrics. PL makes approximately 36.5 cents per yard on all fabric sold. Fabric is available through www.quilterswarehouse.com and local fabric and quilting stores. It is NOT available through chain stores like JoAnn's or Walmart. I got to see the Komfort Kids fabrics at the national conference including the first quilt ever made from the fabric. They are absolutely darling. They should be available at Quilters Warehouse and at local shops on July 1. If you see it in any of our local stores, please let me know so I can pass the word. You can view this fabric and other Avlyn Fabrics at http://www.avlyn.com/collections/latest/ Be sure to watch the video when you click on the Komfort Kids fabric. Also, the Space Rangers fabric is beautiful and it glows in the dark for approximatly 10 minutes after a child is tucked in bed and the lights are turned out. It's totally child friendly - no harmful chemicals, etc. The dinosauer fabric is also great. They have dog fabric that helps support dog rescue and is darling. Also, be sure to check out the July/August issue of Fons and Porter magazine about the new contest using the Komfort Kids fabric - timing is short on this contest so if you are interested you need to move quickly.

Project Linus National Conference

I'm at the Project Linus National Conference. It's the first time I've ever attended. I'm learning so much and have so many exciting ideas to share with you. First of all, I've learned to create this blog. Like I said before, you can check it regularly or you can click on the subscribe button and you will automatically get information on your email when it is updated. When I post time sensitive or real important information, I will send you an email reminding you to check the blog. We will also soon have a new website. This is out of necessity since Geocities is no longer going to offer "free" websites. If you are not on the Project Linus of East TN email list, please just send me an email and I'll gladly add you to the list. I can add you to receive updates only or to receive both updates and the monthly newsletter. Just let me know.

Project Linus of East Tennessee New Blog

Blanketeers, Recipient Organizations, Family and Friends:
Project Linus of East Tennessee now has a blog. Check back here regularly for updates about our chapter. I'll be sending you an email with information about how to be notified when the blog is updated or you can just make yourself a note to check back on a regular basis.
Deb