In this video:
Share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in April and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Quilts From 100 Blocks, Fall 2013 (includes a pattern designed by me!) as well as copies of my patterns Poppies from the Past and My Kitchen Window!
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It’s been a crazy Linus Connection-filled week for me! While our actual meeting isn’t until next weekend, I have spearheaded a yarn drive to help my favorite blanket charity. We have been in serious need of yarn donations and what better place to ask for help than my online friends?
Everyone that knits or crochets will, possibly grudgingly admit that we all have balls, skeins and hanks of yarn that we are never going to use. That yarn taking up space? We can use it! The Linus Connection needs 100% acrylic washable yarn to make our child-friendly hypo-allergenic blankets for kids in need in Central Texas.
Have yarn? Drop me an email and I’ll send you my mailing address!
My basting mojo was high yesterday! I paired five orphan block quilt with backs and batting and then basted them all! One is quilted with four more to go! Each and every one of these will go to The Linus Connection when complete and a couple of these will be great big check marks on my 2014 UFO completion list!
A special shout out to Sarah from Houston. All of the batting used for these quilts came from her donation!
Yarn donations are coming in! Yarny goodness from Sarah in Houston!
Pretties from my dear friend Amber. This is the second box of yarn she’s sent!
Here’s another wonderful donation from Liza! Yarn and blankets and granny squares, oh my!
There’s a VERY special Project (of Doom!) going on over on Fandom In Stitches. It’s this week only, so if you’re a quilter, please be sure to check it out!
Rose came out of hiding to visit us downstairs earlier this week. She’s coming out of her shell little by little. The poor sweetie lived a long time in a shelter’s kennel, and all the space she has access to now is a bit overwhelming. We’ve been using a Feliway diffuser, which seems to be making all the difference!
Surprise! Craftsy has just announced a Spring Flash Sale for this weekend only! Discover huge savings on select online Craftsy classes, but for a very limited time .Visit Craftsy to reveal what classes are on sale, but hurry, this offer expires at 11:59 MT on Sunday, April 13, 2014!
Share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in April and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Quilts From 100 Blocks, Fall 2013 (includes a pattern designed by me!) as well as copies of my patterns Poppies from the Past and My Kitchen Window!
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Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!
It’s been quite some time since I talked about Stars for Linus here on Sewhooked.
For my new visitors, Stars for Linus is a small thing I do for my favorite blanket making charity, The Linus Connection.
You, my quilting friends, have an open invitation to create 12″ (12 1/2″ unfinished) stars of bright colors on a light background and mail them to me. I turn them into quilts that are donated to The Linus Connection and from there go to children in crisis in Central Texas.
Not up for making stars? I also accept orphan blocks in any size!
It doesn’t get easier to help brighten the life of a child than that!
Want more information? I have an entire page on Stars For Linus linked from my top menu.
Use one of the patterns linked from the Stars for Linus page or any other 12″ star block of your choosing!
Looking for a chance to win a fun prize? Just share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in February and you’ve got a chance to win the fabulous prize above! Winner to be announced Monday, March 3, 2014.Be sure to stop back by on Saturday, March 1 for Paper Piecing Vintage!
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Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!
Yesterday morning, I headed out for a day of charity sewing with my favorite blanket charity, The Linus Connection. There were about sixteen of us, all told, stitching binding and quilt tops for kids in crisis in central Texas.
For this venture, I used my handy Singer 301A, which I made in to my “to-go” machine last fall. It has it’s own bag filled with all my duplicate sewing tools so that I don’t have to pack up my home machine every time I want to go sew with friends. I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier that has made events like this!
My first order of business was to stitching binding on two quilts donated by Kristel from Work-In-Progress Girl. Marie happily modeled the pre-bound versions of Kristel’s lovely quilts! I’ll be showing the finished version on TTMT this Tuesday.
After binding Kristel’s two quilts (which were quilted by my friend Marge on the Linus long arm machine), I moved on to piecing a simple top made of bright and cheerful 6″ squares.
After the sweet squares were complete, I moved on to a large tumble block quilt. For sewing days, volunteers pre-cut fabrics that have been donated in to kits to make quilt tops. We try to keep it pretty simple, but use beautiful, fun fabrics that will make a very happy quilt.
This pre-cut is made from a layer cake (10″ pre-cut squares) using a large tumble block template. Because the piecing are so big, the top stitches up super fast.
Lastly, I just have to share this amazing extension table that my friend’s husband made for her Singer 301A. It’s pegboard, an old broom handle, a few screws and felt pads for feet! Total cost, approximately $5! Isn’t it fantastic?!
There are still chances for prizes! Just share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with theSewhooked flickr group in February and you’ve got a chance to win the fabulous prize above! There’s a new prize each month during 2014, so be sure to stop back by!
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Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!
Big Linus Heart Quilt via LinusConnection, free on Craftsy
There’s not a whole lot for a crafty sick girl like me to do besides hang out in bed with her laptop, drawing quilts.
In this case, the quilt was already drawn, it just needed a little bit of instruction added.
This Big Linus Heart quilt is free for you to download and make oodles of gloriously scrappy heart quilts for your favorite blanket charity!
Inspired by heart logo used by my own favorite blanket making charity, The Linus Connection, Big Linus Heart is the second variation of this patchy heart I’ve created.
The Linus Connection Heart via LinusConnection, free on Craftsy.
Do you sense a theme going on here? 😉
While the paper pieced version above is a mere 5″ finished, the patchwork quilt version makes a respectable 44″ x 49″ quilt, a great lap size quilt for a kid’s blanket!
So go, dig out your scraps and make a patchwork quilt for a charity (or kiddo) you love, with my compliments.
Stay well, and I’ll see you again when I’m back to my usual, bouncy self!
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Waiting for Rain, companion pattern for my STITCHED Workshop.
Just $4 on Craftsy!
The Linus Banner & Me in 2006
Yesterday’s Linus Connection meeting was just lovely. You should stop by and see some of the GORGEOUS show & tell photos.
This meeting was a little extra special for me because it was my 11th anniversary as a Linus volunteer.
I didn’t make a thing of it while I was there, but I thought about it all day.
Eleven years ago, I remember walking into my first meeting with my heart pounding. Another mom, who was to become my good friend, invited me after she found out that I crocheted.
The first blanket I donated, November 2002.
We’d lived in Austin almost four years at the time and I still didn’t feel really connected. Believe it or not, I was shy and more than a bit introverted and I was so nervous to walk in that first day because I had no idea what to expect. I was welcomed with open arms, despite obviously being the youngest volunteer there.
By March the next year, I’d taken over the website. Six months after that, I was nominated to be a board member and had started learning to quilt. Linus became a very important part of my life, one that I could not now imagine living without. My longest local friendships all started at Linus meetings. Sucking up that courage to walk into that first meeting literally changed my life and I am a better person for it.
2011, Stars for Linus is born
In December 2010, I participated in The Project for Awesome and talked about The Linus Connection
I’ve chronicled my years at Linus through photography. The following are Flickr albums for each year I’ve volunteered. Most of the years before 2010 are pictures of my blankets. Eventually, I invited the online community to contribute to my favorite charity and began sharing photos of the blankets and quilt blocks you all shared, too. I’ve lost count of how many blankets I’ve personally donated since those first few!
This is not by any stretch of imagination all the photos I’ve taken for Linus. With a few exceptions, every photo taken and posted on the Linus website since 2002 was taken by me!
Or, you can click to see an epic mishmash of Linus photos I’ve taken!
At each month’s meeting, I help sort blankets for distribution. We use a lot of IKEA bags for this!
The Linus Heart, a free paper pieced pattern by yours truly.
Thank you for indulging me as I think back over my years with Linus. There aren’t enough words to explain how important this organization is to me. Being part of this extraordinary group of volunteers has given me more by far than I could have ever anticipated.
Do you volunteer? I’d love to hear about it in comments!
Join me later this week for the Blog Hop Party with Give-Aways hosted by The Quilting Gallery!
REMINDER! I’ll donate $1 to Movember for every Mustachio! pattern set sold during November!
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Learn to Paper Piece Sweet Skating Sue, just $3 on Craftsy
I have two IKEA bags stuffed with donations for The Linus Connection thanks to many wonderful online friends and participants in Stars for Linus.
Because I can’t keep the quilty goodness to myself, how about some fabulous Friday fiber before I turn all these gorgeous blankets in for distribution tomorrow?
A Stars for Linus quilt, made from blocks donated by Sewhooked readers as well as two blocks from my orphan block bag.
Click here to find out how you can help.
Another beautiful Stars for Linus made from donated blocks and as well as one of my own.
Won’t you make a star block for a good cause?
Simple crochet afghan made using DC across working in the back loops only. Made by me!
Gorgeous afghan made and donated by sweet friend Margie.
Afghan made from blocks donated by Marissa. Bonus points if you can spot the ones made from my patterns!
EIGHT beautiful afghans made with blocks donated by Mary.
Assembled by my wonderful friend and Linus volunteer, Linda.
REMINDER! I’ll donate $1 to Movember for every Mustachio! pattern set sold during November!
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Learn to Paper Piece Sweet Skating Sue, just $3 on Craftsy
Well hi there! I am OFFICIALLY back from family vacation! Before we get back to business, I want to share something very important from the Sewhooked sister-site, Fandom In Stitches!
This is the LAST DAY to get your chance to win the very special Harry Potter quilt created by readers of Fandom In Stitches!
Haven’t donated yet? Don’t despair, there is still time to get your name in the hat to win this Project of Doom quilt made by Fandom In Stitches readers!
This very special quilt is being quilted by Shannon Shaw, the award winning quilter of the original Project of Doom made by Jennifer Ofenstein!
See the original with awards here.
How do you win? Just make a donation to The Linus Connection and forward your receipt to ofenjen@fandominstitches.com! Easy, peasy. You will receive one entry for every dollar donated.
Donations accepted until 8 am Tuesday, June 18.
Winner to be announced Tuesday, June 18 on TTMT!
Safe, secure online donations.
Donations will be used to purchase blanket making supplies to create handmade blankets for children in crisis situations in Central Texas.
The Linus Connection is a Central Texas 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to make and deliver handmade security blankets for children in crisis situations in Austin, Texas and the surrounding area. The blankets go to children in hospital emergency rooms, in crisis centers, in foster care, battered women’s shelters, to any child who is in need of a little extra security in their lives.
Winner will receive a finished quilt. Only the quilt top is shown. The winner will receive the finished quilt no later than July 31, 2013…Harry’s birthday!
BIG THANKS to the following FiSers for sharing their time and talent for this special project: Aalia Z, Terri J, Dawn F, Lotte K, Cheryl P, Liza, Wendy N, Joy C, Donna K, Nicole B, Abbie D, Alida P, Elizabeth M, Roxanne M, AC, Red Letter Quilts, Teresa C, unnamed donor from Asheville, NC & Laura W! All of your names will be included on the quilt label!
Designed and pieced by me!
Disclaimer: This event was organized by me to support The Linus Connection. The Linus Connection is not associated with Sewhooked or Fandom In Stitches, but is my favorite charity and I have been an active volunteer for the non-profit for over ten years.
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Banded Star, a pattern to paper piece!
Both patterns also available on Craftsy
Inspired by the recent blog hop, I am rebooting Stars for Linus! Make and donate any 12″ (12 1/2″ unfinished) star block by sending it to me and I’ll make them into quilt tops for The Linus Connection!
Check out this page for all the free star patterns from Marie’s blog hop. Want to send a star? Click here for mailing information!
Check back for the winners of my Marie Bostwick Between Heaven & Texas Blog Hop Giveaway later this week. I’m just waiting to hear back on some final details before the announcement. Sorry for the wait! 🙂
Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!
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Featured Pattern Texas Twofer: Set 1 (Paper Pieced), just $2 on Craftsy
Tomorrow is the monthly Linus Connection meeting…this is what I’ll be turning in!
Made from a kit at the last Linus work day. Quilted by my friend Marge.
Made from flannel fabrics in my stash, mostly stuff that I used to make pjs with when my kids were little! Quilted by me. Part of my 2013 To Do List.
Made from misc blocks received in online swaps. Quilted by me. Part of my 2013 To Do List.
Made from misc. 4″ half square triangles and stash fabric. Quilted by a Linus volunteer. Part of my 2013 To Do List.
Made with orphan blocks. Quilted by a Linus volunteer. Part of my 2013 To Do List.
Have a great weekend!
Stop back April 29 for my newest Quiltmaker contribution!
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Featured Pattern: Cross My Heart , just $2 on Craftsy!
Sewhooked 