Tragedy Assistance Program

TAPS http://www.taps.org/) is a wonderful organization endorsed by the U.S. Dept. of Defense. Project Linus is pleased to support this organization by sending red, white and blue blankets to be given to children/grandchildren/siblings of fallen soldiers that attend the Good Grief Camps. These are pictures of some of the 70 blankets we sent this year.

New Project Linus of East TN Website

The new website is up and running thanks to Tom Eckhardt. Check it out: www.projectlinuseasttn.org .

Share 5 Project Linus and Disney

A great blog about the Disney Give a Day, Get a Disney Day initiative with Project Linus - http://www.share5.org/2010/02/project-linus/

Knit 1, Bless 2 - From Debbie Macomber

Note: Debbie Macomber is an author that supports Project Linus. http://debbiemacomber.com/

Debbie write:

My Dear Friends: I always say I have the most caring, generous readers in the world, and now's the time for all of you who knit or crochet to prove I'm right! I invite you to pick up your needles and join me in helping infants and children in need across the country in an initiative worthy of our time, talent and yarn. That initiative is KNIT1, BLESS2, a Mother's Day outreach that will provide our hand-knitted and crocheted baby blankets and garments to three national charities that help these precious, needy children. The three organizations are: Newborns in Need, Project Linus and The Binky Patrol. Mother's Day is a very special time for me. I'm usually on tour in May promoting my new book, but I always make it a point to be home on that special Sunday to celebrate with my children and grandchildren and honor the memory of my own mother. This year, I thought about the babies born into this world who may not have all of the advantages that my own children and I enjoyed. I wanted to find a way to help—and knitting for charity has always been one of my passions. I realized that, working together, we could make an extraordinary difference in many children's lives. KNIT1, BLESS2 was created as a focus for the effort. Please choose a project—no matter how small or large—and sign up below. Use a pattern you have on-hand—or check out the websites for the three charities—some patterns are posted there. Recommended items: blankets, preemie caps, sweaters, and bibs. As part of KNIT1, BLESS2, Leisure Arts, which publishes my pattern booklets, is making Knit Along With Debbie Macomber, A Charity Guide For Knitters available from March 1 to May 1, 2010, at LeisureArts.com at a special price of $12.50 ($4.45 off the regular retail price of $16.95. Enter Coupon Code DMACB.) The collection includes patterns and information for a variety of organizations. All of my proceeds from my licensed products, including the Leisure Arts Knit Along series, go to charity.Thank you in advance for being a part of KNIT1, BLESS2 and I hope to see you on tour for my new book!

Truckers Pick Up Quilting and Knitting

Interesting article: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704896104575139990857438962-lMyQjAxMTAwMDAwMjEwNDIyWj.html
Thanks to blanketeer Donna Miller for sharing!

News from the Great Falls, MT, PL Chapter

In the midst of all the Disney and Haiti blanket collections, we celebrated National Make A Blanket Day with a Quilt Challenge rather than another blanket day (we had already had 4 in the previous month or so with lots of press.) The challenge is being sponsored by one of our local quilt shops, and the Komfort Kids fabric line was the challenge fabric. The entries are hanging in our public library, with our PL banner, all of March and April. Kids are the judges - there are some tickets and a voting box for them to vote for the one they like the most.We had a few entries, and I've put photos on our website. If you'd like to see them, the address is...http://projectlinusgreatfalls.giving.officelive.com/MABDQuiltChallenge.aspx-- *Gina Loss - Coordinator*Project Linus - Great Falls, MT

Attention PLET Blanketeers - Quilt Patterns Needed

Project Linus – Coming to Your Favorite Bookstore?
From Carol Babbitt, PL National President

A few weeks ago, Mary and I were contacted by a well known literary agent in New York. I don't think she realized that she would be making a dream of ours come true, but she did! For years, we have planned, dreamed, hoped to write a book about the Project Linus story. Well, this was our invitation to do just that and we couldn't be more excited. Preliminary plans are for a book with stories, beautiful pictures and of course, blanket patterns. If all goes well, this will be just the first of a series. Our first book will be about quilts, but we hope that additional books about knitting, crocheting and other blanket methods will follow.
What we would really like to do is include a lot of patterns from Project Linus volunteers and chapter coordinators. We need your help! If you would like to submit a pattern idea, we would love to hear from you. It could be your pattern idea or a volunteer, but it has to be ORIGINAL, and UNPUBLISHED. It doesn't have to be in a pattern format for now. You can include drawings, pictures, and just a description, or if you already have it in pattern format that is great too. Email to Mary at mary@projectlinus.org. We need your ideas by April 15, 2010, and remember this is just quilting patterns for now. We'll ask for additional pattern ideas for other techniques later. If your pattern is chosen we will contact you to discuss details.