The Linus Connection

January 2012 Show & Tell & Meeting Updates

2012-01-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Blanket Count for Taxes

The 2011 blanket count for each donor will be available at the February meeting. Make sure to ask for a signed receipt before completing your income tax. Please note that The Linus Connection can only provide you with your actual blanket count, we cannot put a value on your donation.

Email/Website Problems

We have been experiencing technical difficulties with both the Linus website and the @linusconnection.org email address. While we wait for the error to be corrected, please visit our blog or email one of the other Board Members.

Stephanie Sabatini
Director
Marge Lentricchia
Assistant Director
Anne Ellison
Director Liason, Yarn

Valerie Monnat
Fabric, Raffle Sales
Jennifer Ofenstein
Webmistress, Blog, Blanket Sorting
Margie Swearingen
Visitor Info, Batting

Network For Good

You can now make donations to The Linus Connection through Network For Good! Donations are tax deductible. Simply click the banner above, donating is simple and secure...and donations make a great gift!

New Mailing Address

Please use this address for all future deliveries and paper correspondence.

The Linus Connection

P.O. Box 29491

Austin, Texas 78755

If you have paper labels, brochures or receipts, you can help by updating the address. Download a printable version for Avery address labels.

2012 Raffle Quilt

All Raffle Quilt tickets are DUE at the beginning of the February meeting. Please make sure you return all tickets, sold and unsold to Valerie before Show & Tell in February! If you cannot make it to the meeting, please drop your tickets off at Honey Bee Quilt Store attn: Osie.

DemosCrayon Box was the January Demo
February Demo: 4 1/2" Strip Block with OsieMarch Demo: French Braid with Dee
We are looking for volunteers to present Demonstrations at the April and May 2012 meetings. If you have a tip or technique you'd like to share, please email Jennifer.

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on January 21, 2012. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them.

We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

2011 - A Year of Blankets

2012-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

December Show & Tell and Announcements

2011-12-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

Upcoming Work Days

Join us at upcoming work days at Honey Bee Quilt Store (December 30, 9-12) and The Stitching Studio (January 14, 9-4). Pre-cut kits will be provided. Click on the banners below for more information.

9308 Anderson Mill Road; Suite 300
Austin, Texas 78729
(512) 257-1269

12411 Hymeadow Dr.
Bldg 3 Suite C
Austin, TX 78750

Blanket Count for Taxes

The 2011 blanket count for each donor will be available at the January meeting. Make sure to ask for a signed receipt before completing your income tax. Please note that The Linus Connection can only provide you with your actual blanket count, we cannot put a value on your donation.

Temporary Email Problem

Stephanie Sabatini's Linus email address has become temporarily non-functional. While we wait for the error to be corrected, please email one of the other Board Members, who will either help you or pass your message along to the appropriate person.

Stephanie Sabatini
Director
Marge Lentricchia
Assistant Director
Anne Ellison
Director Liason, Yarn

Valerie Monnat
Fabric, Raffle Sales
Jennifer Ofenstein
Webmistress, Blog, Blanket Sorting
Margie Swearingen
Visitor Info, Batting

Network For Good

New Mailing Address

Please use this address for all future deliveries and paper correspondence.

The Linus Connection

P.O. Box 29491

Austin, Texas 78755

If you have paper labels, brochures or receipts, you can help by updating the address. Download a printable version for Avery address labels with the following numbers: 5160, 5260, 5520, 5620, 5630, 5660, 5810, 5960, 6241, 6460, 6461, 6498, 6560, 6970, 8160, 8250, 8460, 8620, 8660, 8810, 8860, 8920, 15510, 15520, 15660, 15970, 15971, 15972, 16460, 18160, 18260, 18460, 18660, 28660, 32660, 38260, 48160, 48360, 48460, 48860, 48960, 55160, 58160, 58660, 75160, 85560, 88560.

2012 Raffle Quilt

The 2012 fundraiser for The Linus Connection is the raffle of the gorgeous quilt shown below.

Ticket sales are through February 2012.

Tickets are $1 each OR $5 for 6 tickets. Tickets may be purchased from any Linus Connection volunteer, at monthly meetings through February, at Honey Bee Quilt Store (see below) or via email from Valerie.

It's showtime! See our 2012 Raffle Quilt and buy tickets at Honey Bee Quilt Store on the following dates:

Friday 1/6/2012; 9-11
Saturday 1/7/2012; 9-11
Sunday 2/5/2012; 1-5

Did you sign up to help? See the volunteer schedule here!

Demos

Crayon Box will be the January 2011 Demo
We are looking for volunteers to present Demonstrations at the February and March 2012 meetings. If you have a tip or technique you'd like to share, please email Jennifer.

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on December 17, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them.

We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

Members of the Gattis School Linus group
One of many great donations from Hennig House Quilts

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

November Meeting, Show and Tell

2011-11-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

Thank Yous

Kristina and her mom, Executive Director Stephanie Sabatini, share their own thank yous for the generosity of Linus volunteers as well as sharing letters from some of our recipient facilities.
Read a Thank You letter from the Sabatinis

Network For Good

You can now make donations to The Linus Connection through Network For Good! All donations are tax deductible. Simply click the banner above, donating is simple and secure.

New Mailing Address
After the Sabatini home was lost in the Steiner Ranch fires, it became necessary for our organization to acquire a new mailing address. Please use this address for all future deliveries and paper correspondence.

The Linus Connection

P.O. Box 29491

2012 Raffle Quilt

The 2012 fundraiser for The Linus Connection is the raffle of the gorgeous quilt shown below.

Ticket sales are through February 2012.

It's showtime! See our 2012 Raffle Quilt and buy tickets at Honey Bee Quilt Store on the following dates:

Monday 11/21/2011; 9-5
Tuesday 11/22/2011; 9-7
Wednesday 11/23/2011; 9-5
Friday 12/2/2011; 9-11
Friday 1/6/2012; 9-11
Saturday 1/7/2012; 9-11
Sunday 2/5/2012; 1-5

December Meeting
We will celebrate the holiday season at our December meeting. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a sweet treat to share! There will be no demo in December as we socialize with our fellow Linus volunteers.

Demos
We are looking for volunteers to present Demonstrations at the January, February and March 2012 meetings. If you have a tip or technique you'd like to share, please email Jennifer.

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on November 19, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them.

We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

Scrappy Bricks Quilt
Stars For Linus
Inspired by Doorway To China

Demo: 6-Hour Quilt with Monica
Blanket Sorters, hard at work.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Thank You From The Sabatinis

2011-11-19T05:56:00.000-08:00

I really have no words to express how grateful my family and I are for the amazing generosity shown by everyone from the Linus Connection during our time of great loss. It is hard to believe that it has been two months since that awful day when we found out ours was one of the houses lost in the Austin wildfires. Since then our family has been on quite a rollercoaster ride – even after the initial shock, there were lows such as when we remembered that all of our Christmas ornaments and decorations from the last 20yrs were in the attic and highs when we found Greg's UT ring in the rubble. But the greatest ‘high’ of all was the outpouring of support, cards, emails, and prayers -- and especially the quilts from all of you at the Linus Connection.

We are now living what we are calling our ‘new normal’. We are in a rental home for a while which is close enough for our kids to go to the same school. We have began looking for a new home having decided not to rebuild on our lot. We are hoping to find a home quickly, but for now we are safe, happy and together and that is saying a lot.

Once again, thank you all so much for your generous gifts and for every positive thought you sent our way.

Sincerely,

Stephanie, Greg, Ryan and Kristina Sabatini

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Volunteers Needed

2011-11-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

Honey Bee Quilt Store has very generously agreed to let us display the 2012 Linus Connection Raffle Quilt on the days listed below in order to promote our fundraiser.

We need volunteers to sell tickets while the quilt is on display. Shifts are broken into four hours, but you are welcome to take an entire day. We need two volunteers for each shift.

If you would like to volunteer, please email Jennifer (please do not leave your request in comments) with the shift you are interested with as well as your phone number - linusconnection@gmail.com.

We will be filling the shifts first-come first-served basis. If you'd like to sign up with a friend, please make sure to send both of your names together.

You will receive an email confirmation for your shift.

The dates are:

Monday 11/21/2011

Shift One: 9-1

1. Marge L.

2. Becky R.

Shift Two: 1-5

1. Julia W.

Tuesday 11/22/2011

Shift One: 9-1

1. Kathleen F.

Shift Two: 1-5

1. Becky R.

Shift Three: 5 - 7

1. Maggie M.

Wednesday 11/23/2011

Shift One: 9-1

1. Valerie M.

Shift Two: 1-5

1. Becky R.

Friday 12/2/2011

Shift 9-11

1. Marge L.

Friday 1/6/2012

Shift 9-11

1. Georgia P.

Saturday 1/7/2012

Shift 9-11

1. Marge L.

Sunday 2/5/2012

Shift 1-5

1. Nancy N.

2. Becky R.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

2011 Blanket Challenge and Birthday Celebration

2011-10-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

October 2011 is The Linus Connection's 12th birthday!

Birthday Celebration

What an amazing day! The Linus Connection celebrated it's 12th birthday on October 15, 2011. We announced our 2012 Fundraiser and welcomed special visitors. We gave away tons of door prizes, gifted Stephanie with the quilts our volunteers made for she and her family, we broke our past record for quantity of Challenge blankets turned in and gave out Viewer's Choice awards! It was genuinely an amazing day.

Thank you to our amazing volunteers for all the wonderful food. We had plenty of leftovers, which were donated to the fire fighters stationed across the street from St. Phillips. They were very appreciative to receive not only cookies and cake...but chocolate cake!
Buttons and bookmarks for our visitors and volunteers; 2010 and 2011 medals, awarded by Hospice Austin.

Stars for Stephanie and Family

Stephanie Sabatini, founding member and Executive Director of The Linus Connection, lost her home and everything in it in the Steiner Ranch fire in September.

Our volunteers, doing what they do best, assembled Stars For Stephanie and her family. In just over a month, Linus volunteers designed, pieced, assembled, quilted, bound and labeled four quilts for Stephanie, her husband, and their two children. Today, we presented her with those quilts.

Special Guests & Gifts
We welcomed special guests Judy and Gerald, the generous donors of many miles of high quality quilting cotton, Cyndi, a visitor from Scott & White, who presented us with a special gift, and Marjorie, with a donation to Linus from her women's group for future supplies.
2012 Fundraiser AnnouncedThe Linus Connection will be raffling off a quilt to help buy supplies, fabric, batting, yarn, etc. for our volunteers to keep creating beautiful blankets for children in Crisis in Central Texas. Tickets will be available for sale at each monthly meeting through February.
Tickets are $1 each OR $5 for 6 tickets. Tickets may be purchased from any Linus Connection volunteer, at monthly meetings October - February or via email from Valerie.
Click the banner above or right here for more details. You can also download this printable flyer.

Challenge Quilts

Winning Quilts by Maureen Scheevel (quilts on the left) and Kathy Sellstrom (quilts on the right)

2011 saw a record number of quilts turned in for our annual Challenge. This year's Challengers were presented with a pack of batik samples. Many volunteers were able to get two or more quilts from one packet of fabric, create "A" and "B" versions (or more!).

Paula wins the random participation drawing for quilters.

All Challenge quilts - shown in no particular order:

Challenge Yarn Blankets
winning yarn blankets by Sue Sellstrom (blanket on the left) and Sharon Rasmusser (blanket on the right)
As usual, our crocheters and knitters met the Challenge and created beautiful afghans. Their challenge included a random skein of variegated yarn and a solid coordinate, to use how they chose.
Marilyn wins the random participation prize for Yarn.
All Challenge Yarn Blankets - shown in no particular order:

Previous Challenges:

2010 / 2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006 / 2005

A huge thank you to every volunteer, visitor and friend of Linus for making the last 12 years amazing. We continue on our mission to provide a handmade security blanket to every child in a crisis or at-risk situation in Central Texas.
Questions? Corrections? Leave a comment or email us!

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

2012 Raffle Quilt Fundraiser

2011-10-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

81” x 106”

Thanks to the joint efforts and generosity of several Linus volunteers, we are proud to present our 2012 fundraiser quilt!

Ticket Sales

October 2011 - February 2012

Tickets are $1 each OR $5 for 6 tickets. Tickets may be purchased from any Linus Connection volunteer, at monthly meetings October - February, at Honey Bee Quilt Store (see below) or via email from Valerie.

See Our Quilt!

The 2012 Raffle Quilt will be on display at Honey Bee Quilt Store and tickets will be available for purchase from our volunteers on the dates below.

Honey Bee Quilt Store
9308 Anderson Mill Road; Suite 300
Austin, Texas 78729
(512) 257-1269

Monday 11/21/2011

9-5

Tuesday 11/22/2011

9-7

Wednesday 11/23/2011

9-5

Friday 12/2/2011

9-11

Friday 1/6/2012

9-11

Saturday 1/7/2012

9-11

Sunday 2/5/2012

1-5

Drawing

February 18, 2011; you do not need to be present to win.

Printable Flyer

Share this on your website or blog!

All proceeds from this raffle benefit The Linus Connection, a Central Texas non-profit organization.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Work Day at Sew Something!

2011-10-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Linus Connection would like to thank our hostess, Terri, owner of Sew Something! in Leander for the use of her lovely work space on Saturday, October 8.
Our volunteers finished several quilt tops and had several more on the way to completion by the time our work day had ended!
REMINDER: The Linus Connection's Annual Challenge and Birthday Celebration is this coming Saturday, October 15 from 9 - 11:30 at St. Phillip's in Round Rock and everyone is invited! If you are a Linus volunteer, please consider bringing a tasty treat to share. We will have our Challenge blankets on display and voting will take place for viewer's favorites, there will be a Big Announcement and some special visitors, so make sure you don't miss it!
And now...fun pictures from Saturday's Work Day!
Terri, owner of Sew Something!

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

September Meeting and Show and Tell

2011-09-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Central Texas Fires
An extra special thanks to all of our volunteers for their hard work and generosity in helping us fill the needs of not only those facilities that we support on a regular basis, but by working extra hard to get Linus blankets into the hands of children affected by the Central Texas fires. We will continue to fill the needs of all of our recipient facilities, including those working with fire victims, so keep those blankets coming!

Stars For Stephanie

Thank you to everyone that has already brought in their Stars For Stephanie! If you have not yet printed your pattern, you can find it in the original post or just click here for the printable pattern. All Stars are due by Monday, September 26. Please click here for details.

2011 Challenge and Linus' Birthday Celebration
Challenge blankets will be shown during our 12th Birthday Celebration October 15, 2011 and there will be prizes for Viewer's Choice. Please remember, blankets are due no later than 9 o'clock so that the can be hung for display as quickly as possible. Volunteers, please bring a snack or tasty treat to share. We will have special guests and a very special announcement! Read more about the Challenge and how to participate.

Work Day at Sew SomethingWe will have our first Linus Work Day at Sew Something on Saturday October 8, 2011 to sew up some of the kits cut by our awesome volunteers at the August meeting. Terri, the owner of Sew Something has a lovely studio area for sewing, including sewing machines for those that need them. You are also welcome to bring your own sewing machine. Quilt Kits will be provided.

Sew Something
11880 Old 2243 West; Suite 200
Leander, TX 78641
512-694-5912

Blanket Guidelines ReminderIn order to maintain the high standards our recipient facilities and the children they represent have come to expect from Linus blankets, we ask that every volunteer occasionally re-read our Blanket Guidelines. Please remember, quilts must have batting, need to be either hand-tied or quilted (machine or hand) and need to be finished securely, preferably using Double Fold French Binding. Yarn blankets need to have all tails woven in. Quilt fabrics need to be 100% cotton, washable quilting fabric. Yarn blankets should be soft washable acrylic. Full Blanket Guidelines can be found here. If you have questions about the Blanket Guidelines, please feel free to contact us.

Blocks for Crayon Quilts

We are still collecting crayon blocks to provide to youth groups and school children. Blocks need to be made with an 8 1/2" square of muslin with 2 1/2" matching sashing. Please iron a piece of freezer paper on the back of the muslin to make it easier for the children to color. Finished blocks are collected at each monthly meeting.

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on September 17, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

Seeing double? These lovely donations from Girl Scout Troop 2084 came in pairs!


Did you miss our Timeless Treasures post? Here are those gorgeous quilts one more time!

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Follow our blog with Bloglovin.

Truly Timeless Treasures

2011-09-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

With the current crisis created by the wildfires in Central Texas, and the mission of The Linus Connection, to provide a handmade security blanket to every child who is in a crisis or at-risk situation in Central Texas, our volunteers have had their work cut out for them.

Fortunately for us, not only do we have volunteers that are brilliantly generous with their time, we have had some very special fabric and yarn donations over the years, including the fabric used to make each of the blankets shared in this post.

Each of these gorgeous quilts was made using sales samples donated to The Linus Connection by very generous salespersons. These particular quilts all feature fabrics by Timeless Treasures.

Sales samples are small pieces of fabrics that represent a fabric line. These are used to show to quilt store owners so they can, in turn, order fabric for their customers. As lines of fabric go in and out, so do the samples. Those small pieces of fabric, when worked on by the hands of our talented volunteers, can turn into glorious quilts for children in need.

A huge thank you goes out to all the fabric companies and salespersons that donate fabric to blanket making charities like The Linus Connection. New, high-quality quilting fabrics make gorgeous treasures to share with children that really need something special in their lives.

Visit the Timeless Treasures blog.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Follow our blog with Bloglovin.

Bed-Sized Quilt Collection for victims of Central Texas Fires

2011-09-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Modern Day Quilts has put out a call for bed-sized quilts for the child victims of the Central Texas fires. Quilts should be at least 45" x 60", but twin size quilts or larger are encouraged.

Quilts smaller than 45" x 60" will be donated as comfort quilts to child victims of the fires via The Linus Connection.

There are drop-offs all over Central Texas, which you can see here, or you can mail your quilts to:

Valli & Kim Quilt Shop

Attn: Wildfire Quilts

700 West Highway 290

Dripping Springs, TX 78620

USA

Visit this post for full details. You can contact Heather of Modern Day Quilts with any questions.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Stars For Stephanie and Family

2011-09-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

As many of our volunteers are already aware, Stephanie Sabatini, founding member and Executive Director of The Linus Connection, lost her home and everything in it in the Steiner Ranch fire.

We at The Linus Connection do not only create blankets for children in need in Central Texas, we also take care of our own.

To that end, we would like to invite every Linus volunteer to make blocks for quilts for Stephanie and her family. We will be creating four quilts from one simple pattern. One for each of Stephanie's children, and one for her husband and herself using the following pattern.

Stars For Stephanie
downloadable pattern

Volunteers are encouraged to make at least one block, and are more than welcomed to make one or more of each variety.

This pattern makes two different block sizes by simply changing the width of the block's border, 10" for the children's quilts, 12" for the adults. The above reference photos are suggestion colors and fabrics only. Please use your own fabric choices and the guidelines listed on the pattern to create unique blocks. As with all Linus quilts, fabrics need to be 100% quilting cotton.

Blocks can be turned in through September 26, 2011 at Honey Bee Quilt Store in Austin. Blocks can also be turned in at our regular monthly meeting on September 17, 2011. If you would like to participate, but do not have the appropriate fabrics, you can pick those up at the meeting. We will also have copies of the pattern available on that day.

Starting next week, Honey Bee will have sample blocks for reference.

Honey Bee Quilt Store
9308 Anderson Mill Rd #300
Austin, TX 78729

512.257.1269

The goal is to collect enough blocks for four quilts. Any extra blocks will be used to create Linus blankets that will then be distributed to children in need in our area, which, as you know, there are currently many more than usual.

A big thanks goes out to Marge and Osie for helping to coordinate this effort and to Honey Bee Quilt Store for being our drop-off location and for donating the batting we'll need for these four quilts.

We continue our mission to provide comfort to children in crisis in Central Texas through handmade blankets. Thank you for all you do to support our goals!

Please feel free to email Jennifer with any questions.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Central Texas Fires

2011-09-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Linus Connection will be distributing blankets to the child victims of the Central Texas fires as part of our mission to provide a handmade blanket for every child in a crisis situation in Central Texas.

Donations can be taken to one of our Drop-Off locations or to our September Meeting.

When donating blankets, please keep in mind our Blanket Guidelines, which include size, materials, etc.

Please attach your name, phone number and/or email address or use our Donation Labels when dropping off your blankets. Drop-Off Locations can provide receipts if needed. If your location is out of receipts, please write your address on your donation label and include "needs receipt" and you will receive one in the mail.

Drop-Off Locations:

Honey Bee Quilt Store
9308 Anderson Mill Road Suite 300,
Austin, TX 78729
(in the shopping center on the corner of Pond Springs & Anderson Mill)
The Quilt Store, Inc.
2700 W. Anderson Lane, #301
Austin, TX 78757
512-453-1145
Hill Country Book Store
719 S. Main St, Georgetown TX
512-869-4959
Dee Yetter
2204 Flaming Tree Ct.
Cedar Park, Tx.
512-331-5847
Please call ahead. Dee will leave a tote on her porch if she isn't available when you'd like to come by.
Sew Something - Fine Fabrics & Sewing Studio
11880 Old 2243 West Suite 200
Leander, TX 78641
512-694-5912

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.
Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

August 2011 Meeting and Show & Tell

2011-08-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

The Linus Connection would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to everyone that helped at our August 20 meeting. Attendance was wonderful for such a HOT day. There was so much accomplished; blankets were sorted and distributed, fabric and yarn was sorted and shared and, lots and lots of fabric was ironed and cut for kits for future Linus Work Days. Thank you, thank you for all your hard work! We'd also like to thank St. Phillips United Method Church for their continued support in allowing us room once a month for Linus Connection meetings.

If you would like to contribute pre-cut pieces for Linus kits, you can use your 100% cotton quilting fabric and these directions. Please sort fabrics by size and turn them in at our monthly meeting.

Linus Volunteers, Hard At Work

2011 Challenge & Linus' Birthday Celebration
Challenge blankets will be shown during our 12th Birthday Celebration October 15, 2011 and there will be prizes for Viewer's Choice. Read all about the Challenge and how to participate here.

New Linus SponsorThe Linus Connection has a brand new Drop-Off Location and Work Day sponsor! In addition to our other Drop-Off Locations, blankets can also be left at Sew Something in Leander.

We will have our first Linus Work Day at Sew Something on Saturday October 8, 2011 to sew up some of the kits cut by our awesome volunteers at the August meeting. Terri, the owner of Sew Something has a lovely studio area for sewing, including sewing machines for those that need them. You are also welcome to bring your own sewing machine. Quilt Kits will be provided.

Sew Something
11880 Old 2243 West; Suite 200
Leander, TX 78641
512-694-5912

Jelly Roll Races Video

Jelly Roll Races - A fun idea for making Linus quilts, as seen during Show & Tell.

Library ReminderThe Linus Connection Library of donated books has been operational since January of this year. There are select books available to check out at month meetings or you can request a book online. Please be sure to read the library guidelines before requesting a book online. This information is available both on the Library book list page and on the request form page. When you request a book, please contact Valerie at the next monthly meeting to pick up your selection.
Blanket Guidelines ReminderIn order to maintain the high standards our recipient facilities and the children they represent have come to expect from Linus blankets, we ask that every volunteer occasionally re-read our Blanket Guidelines. Please remember, quilts must have batting, need to be either hand-tied or quilted (machine or hand) and need to be finished securely, preferably using Double Fold French Binding. Yarn blankets need to have all tails woven in. Quilt fabrics need to be 100% cotton, washable quilting fabric. Yarn blankets should be soft washable acrylic. Full Blanket Guidelines can be found here. If you have questions about the Blanket Guidelines, please feel free to contact us.

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on August 20, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

August is Recycle Your Fabric and Yarn Month

2011-07-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

We've all done it...we have more fabric and yarn than we can ever use. Linus is here to help!

During the August meeting, bring back unused Linus kits, fabric and yarn to swap with other volunteers. You are also welcome to bring fabric, orphan blocks, kits and yarn from your own stash. We will not be bringing yarn or fabric from storage, so we're counting on you to clean out your Linus stash for this very special meeting!

We have made arrangements to stay in our usual meeting location at St. Phillips until 4 pm to give us plenty of time to sort fabric and make kits for future meetings and sew-ins.

Please bring your lunch! If you'd like to help cut kits, bring your cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter. Easy-to-cut instructions for favorite Linus patterns will be provided. Will will also have at least one yarn winder available to help clean up those messy skeins of yarn. If you own a yarn winder and don't mind sharing, please bring yours, too.

We will have Show & Tell as usual, but there will be no Demo in August.

Challenge kits are still available for anyone that needs them. Please email with questions.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information. Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

July 2011 Meeting & Show and Tell

2011-07-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

2011 Challenge
We hope you're all working on your 2011 Challenge entries! Challenge blankets will be shown during our 12th Birthday Celebration October 15, 2011 and there will be prizes for Viewer's Choice. There's still time to pick up yarn or fabric and make your Challenge blanket: Read all about the Challenge and how to participate here.

June Work Day
Thank you once again to the volunteers that participated in the June Work Day at Honey Bee Quilt Store. You can see photos from the work day and all the great quilt tops that were made here.

Library Reminder
The Linus Connection Library of donated books has been operational since January of this year. There are select books available to check out at month meetings or you can request a book online. Please be sure to read the library guidelines before requesting a book online. This information is available both on the Library book list page and on the request form page. When you request a book, please contact Valerie at the next monthly meeting to pick up your selection.

Blanket Guidelines Reminder
In order to maintain the high standards our recipient facilities and the children they represent have come to expect from Linus blankets, we ask that every volunteer occasionally re-read our Blanket Guidelines. Please remember, quilts must have batting, need to be either hand-tied or quilted (machine or hand) and need to be finished securely, preferably using Double Fold French Binding. Yarn blankets need to have all tails woven in. Quilt fabrics need to be 100% cotton, washable quilting fabric. Yarn blankets should be soft washable acrylic. Full Blanket Guidelines can be found here. If you have questions about the Blanket Guidelines, please feel free to contact us.

August is Recycle Your Fabric and Yarn Month

Join us for the August 20 Meeting and recycle your fabric and yarn as we stash-bust together! Bring in any Linus fabric or yarn that you've got leftover from previous meetings or decided not to use and swap it out for something else. We also welcome anything from your own collection of 100% cotton fabric or washable synthetic yarns (no wool, fun fur, etc.). We'll be sorting and sharing all those leftovers and the "I'm never gonna do that" projects! Have orphan blocks? Bring them so they can be adopted! If you're a knitter or crocheter and have a skein winder you can share during the meeting, please bring it along. Please note: we will not be bringing yarn or fabric from Linus storage, so we're depending on you to help us make this day a success!

Fabric Cutting Day

The fabric cutting day scheduled for September has been tentatively changed to after the August 20 meeting. Please watch the Yahoo! Group for updates. Bring your rotary cutter, ruler and mat and help us cut kits for future sewing days! Cutting instructions will be provided.

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on July 16, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

Suzanne Cooper's 1000th Linus quiltdonated Saturday, July 16, 2011

Demo

July Demo - Squares and Prairie Points, by Osie. Printable Handout

Thank Yous

Thank you notes received. One of our favorite things!

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

Join The Linus Connection on these sites:

Work Day at Honey Bee

2011-06-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great day making quilts and being social at Honey Bee Quilt Store today! Thanks to everyone that came out an volunteered, we have 11 more quilt tops on their way to being quilts!

Working Hard!
Finishing up our quilts.
Dee's clever storage for her bobbins.




Almost quilts... made from our very own Scrappy Brick Quilt pattern!
Thanks once again to Honey Bee Quilt Store for donating their classroom for our volunteers to use.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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June 2011 Meeting and Show & Tell

2011-06-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

2011 Challenge
The 2011 Challenge was announced at the June meeting! It's a little different this year and there was a lot of excitement surrounding this year's theme.

Volunteers wishing to participate in the challenge can pick up a kit at monthly meetings between now and September. Challenge guidelines and information accompany each kit (also shown below).

See the 2010 Challenge Photos

Challenge Rules:
Quilters will be provided with a grouping of batik fabrics. At least 80% of the fabric in your kit must be included in your quilt(s)*. You chose the pattern/design and how many coordinating cotton fabrics to add for borders, accents, etc. to the challenge fabric. Coordinating fabrics can be found at monthly meetings or at local quilt stores.

*This year's quilt kits include a lot of fabric. Optional: Use the extra to create a Mom & Me set or a separate Challenge Entry. Additional entry numbers are available if needed.

Crocheters and knitters will be provided with one skein of variegated yarn. At least one skein of Challenge yarn must be included in your finished blanket. Supplemental Challenge yarn will be available if needed. Add the coordinating colors of your choice, available at each monthly meeting leading up to the Challenge. Yarn can also be purchased at any local shop that sells yarn.

All standard Linus blanket requirements apply. All blankets must be complete, including quilting, binding and Linus labels attached (to the back of the blanket) to be displayed (ie, not turned in as a quilt top). All blankets (quilt and yarn) must be a minimum of 36" x 36" or larger. Please visit this link for a complete list of blanket guidelines.

The blankets will be displayed at the October Linus meeting for members, visitors and special guests to enjoy. Voting will take place to choose Viewer's Choice Yarn blanket and favorite Quilt. Prizes to be announced.

After the Challenge is over, all Challenge entries will belong to The Linus Connection and will be distributed to one or more of our recipient facilities.

The deadline for turning in your Challenge entry is 9:30 am on October 15, 2011. Blankets may be, and are encouraged to be, turned in early.

Camp Quilts

Thanks to the effort and dedication of our blanket making volunteers, The Linus Connection has successfully completed our Camp Quilt collection for 2011. Thank you for donating your time and talents to help us reach our goal and get quilts to kids in both Camp Braveheart and Royal Family Camp.

Donations

Donations were made June 18 in memory of Evelyn Covell, mother of Osie Lebowitz, long-time Linus volunteer,by The Circle of Five plus One, The Dirty Dozen and by Honey Bee Quilt Store.

Work Day Next Saturday*

*please note the change in time

9308 Anderson Mill Road; Suite 300

Austin, Texas 78729

(512) 257-1269

Blankets made from Honey Bee Quilt Store's Linus Challenge blocks.

August is Recycle Your Fabric & Yarn Month

September Cutting Day

Immediately following the September 17 meeting, we will be hosting a cutting day at our usual meeting area. Bring your rotary cutter, ruler and mat and help us cut kits for future sewing days! Cutting instructions will be provided. UPDATE: THE CUTTING DAY HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 20.

Hobbs UPC Codes

Save your Hobbs batting bag UPC labels (including Thermore and other Hobbs battings) and either bring them to the monthly meeting or mail them to us at The Linus Connection, 4007 Varner Court, Austin, TX, 78732. We need 5 UPC labels per roll of charity batting that we purchase, so saving these labels are extremely important in order to have completed quilts for monthly deliveries. Please spread the word among your quilting friends, guilds, etc. and help us collect Hobbs UPC labels for Linus!

Show And Tell

Blankets were shown and donated on June 18, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

Pattern for Sunny Spread

Demos
Each month, The Linus Connection offers a free short demonstration to our members. If you have a technique or pattern you'd like to share or you have a question about presenting a demo, please contact Jennifer. We're currently scheduling demos for September, November and December.

June Demo,10-Minute Blocks

presented by Jennifer

Demo Resources
Books:

10- Minute Blocks by Suzanne McNeill
10-Minute Blocks 2 by Suzanne McNeill

Video Tutorials for the 10 Minute Block:

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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Linus Work Day at Honey Bee Quilt Store

2011-06-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

9308 Anderson Mill Road; Suite 300

Austin, Texas 78729

(512) 257-1269

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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10 Minute Block Variation

2011-05-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

We love Suzanne McNeill's 10 minute blocks. Here's a new variation!

And here's the original technique that we had so much fun with a few months back:

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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Also check out this fantastic One Seam Flying Geese tutorial by Jenn of Quiddity Quilts. It's a similar technique and makes fabulous flying geese!

May 2011 Meeting Show and Tell

2011-05-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

2011 Challenge
Make sure you join us for the June meeting to pick up your 2011 Challenge kits! Kits will be available for both quilts and yarn blankets June - September, with the Challenge taking place at our annual Challenge and Birthday Celebration in October.

Hobbs UPC Codes

Save your Hobbs batting bag UPC labels and either bring them to the monthly meeting or mail them to us at The Linus Connection, 4007 Varner Court, Austin, TX, 78732. We need 5 UPC labels per roll of charity batting that we purchase, so saving these labels are extremely important in order to have completed quilts for monthly deliveries. Please spread the word among your quilting friends, guilds, etc. and help us collect Hobbs UPC labels for Linus!

Camp Quilts

We have one more month to collect camp quilts in addition to our normal monthly blanket collection. Please remember that the camp facilities can only accept quilts. Yarn and fleece blankets like leaves and twigs a bit too much for distribution at camp. We will, of course, continue to collect yarn and fleece blankets for distribution to other facilities. Camp quilts need to be made in larger sizes for school-aged children, ages 7 - 17. Thank you to everyone that donates every month and for helping to make camp quilt donations possible!

IKEA Bags

This is just a reminder that blue IKEA bags used for blanket delivery (the ones with Linus stenciled on the side), need to be returned to the sorters during each monthly meeting. Having plenty of bags makes packing up the blankets much, much easier!

A big thanks goes out to all of our delivery volunteers for keeping up with our reusable bags and an extra big thank you to Shirley for donating additional IKEA bags for deliveries!

Show And Tell; Demo

Blankets were shown and donated on May 21, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m. A free demo follows.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

  Volunteers from Gattis School's Linus group visits and donates quilts they made.


May DemoMaggie and her lovely assistant, Marge!

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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April 2011 Meeting, Show and Tell

2011-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hobbs UPC Codes
As many of you know, each month we travel to Waco to purchase Hobbs batting at a greatly reduced charity rate. In the past they have required 5 UPC labels per batting roll purchased in order to be eligible for this program. They are now requiring this again and prior to the April meeting we found ourselves completely out of labels.

If you are a quilter or know any quilters, please save your Hobbs batting bags or UPC labels and either bring them to the monthly meeting or mail them to us at The Linus Connection, 4007 Varner Court, Austin, TX, 78732. Please also ask any quilting friends you know to do this as well. We really depend on this batting to fulfill our deliveries each month.

Camp Quilts

We are continuing to collect camp quilts in addition to our normal monthly blanket collection. Please remember that the camp facilities can only accept quilts. Yarn and fleece blankets like leaves and twigs a bit too much for distribution at camp. We will, of course, continue to collect yarn and fleece blankets for distribution to other facilities. Camp quilts need to be made in larger sizes for school-aged children, ages 7 - 17. Thank you to everyone that donates every month and for helping to make camp quilt donations possible!

Publicity

Thanks to Ellie Brady for giving Linus a little publicity by submitting an article she wrote about or organization to her neighborhood newsletter! We need all the help we can get to fulfill the needs of our recipient facilities. Please consider following Ellie's example and submitting an article about The Linus Connection to your own neighborhood or church newsletter.

Show And Tell; Demo

Blankets were shown and donated on April 16, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m. A free demo follows.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

April Demo: Tumbling Blocks with Becky

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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March 2011 Monthly Meeting Updates and Show & Tell

2011-03-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Camp Quilts

We are collecting camp quilts again! Please remember that the camp facilities can only accept quilts. Yarn and fleece blankets like leaves and twigs a bit too much for distribution at camp! Camp quilts need to be made in larger sizes for school-aged children, ages 7 - 17. Thank you to everyone that donates every month and for helping to make camp quilt donations possible!

Patterns Online

Thanks to your suggestions, we are constantly adding to our list of online resources. You can find lots of free patterns, ideas and helpful hints linked right from the Linus website! Boxy Stars was a favorite this month. You can find that and many more free patterns at Quiltville, Bonnie Hunter's website.

Show And Tell; Demo

Blankets were shown and donated on March 19, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m. A free demo follows.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

March Demo - Weed Whacker, presented by Dee

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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February 2011 Monthly Meeting, Show & Tell and Sew-In

2011-02-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

What Linus Means To Me

As we try to build awareness about The Linus Connection and our volunteers' contributions to Central Texas, we'd like you to think about what Linus means to you. We encourage you to talk about Linus and share your story. If talking about your volunteerism inspires one person to make one blanket to donate, that is one child that can feel a little less scared, a little less hurt or a little less alone.

Do you use Facebook or Twitter? Do you have a blog or a YouTube page? Please talk about Linus! Do you have a friend or group that you think might be interested in volunteering? Bring them to the next meeting! Do you know a student that needs volunteer hours? The Linus Connection is a great way to give time to a charity and earn those hours! Whether you can make one blanket or many, the children of Central Texas need you.

At the March 19 meeting, you will have the opportunity to share your own Linus experience. We will be interviewing anyone that wishes to share and putting those videos into a documentary-style movie that will be posted to our YouTube channel.

For more information on When and Where we need volunteers, please visit our website.

Camp Quilts

It's time for Linus to start collecting camp quilts again! Please remember that the camp facilities can only accept quilts. Yarn and fleece blankets like leaves and twigs a bit too much for distribution at camp! Camp quilts need to be made in larger sizes for school-aged children, ages 7 - 17. Thank you to everyone that donates every month and for helping to make camp quilt donations possible!

Linus Library
The Linus Connection Library of donated books is open for business! There are select books available for check out at monthly meetings or you can request a book online. Please be sure to read the library guidelines before requesting a book online. For March 2011 only - requests need to be in by March 10 in order to receive books for the March 19 meeting.

Donations of easy quilt, knit and crochet books are still being accepted. Please make sure books are at least

80% quilts or afghans that are appropriate for Linus blankets. And remember, the easier, the better!

Patterns Online

Thanks to your suggestions, we are constantly adding to our list of online resources. You can find lots of free patterns, ideas and helpful hints linked right from the Linus website!

Of special interest this month are the Blanket of Many Colors afghan as seen during Show & Tell and Scrappy Bricks Quilt, a favorite Linus Connection pattern!

We're Searchable
Can't find what you're looking for on the Linus website? Fear no more, we now have a search option available on every page! The search feature searches through all pages of linusconnection.org. Still can't find what you're looking for? Try the search feature on our blog, which will search all entries on linusconnection.blogspot.com.

Show And Tell & Demo

Blankets were shown and donated on February 19, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m. A free demo follows.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

February Demo Quilt by Sharon K.

Fleece blankets donated by Girl Scout Troop 2151
Work Day / Sew-InWe had a great work day after our regular monthly meeting. There was crocheting, quilters making quilt tops, sorting fabric and cutting kits! It was a great, productive day, thank you to everyone that stayed and helped out.
This was a bit of an experiment to see how much interest there would be and we hope to have many more "Sew-In" days!

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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Join our Yahoo! Group!

Linus Sew-In

2011-01-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

Sew-In/Blanket Making Day

St. Phillips United Methodist Church

Round Rock, Texas 78681

Sat. February 19, 2011

11a-3p

immediately after the monthly meeting
Quilters, knitters, crocheters

and anyone willing to lend a hand - you are invited!

Please bring a sack lunch and a drink for yourself.

Desert will be provided.

Quilters will need: sewing machine and supplies (thread, needles, etc.); rotary mat/cutter and an extension cord

Quilt kits and fabric will be provided. We will also be cutting kits during the Sew-In.

Knitters/Crocheters are welcome to join our yarn circle! Please bring a project or your needles/hooks and pick up yarn at the meeting.

Those that don't wish to sew, knit or crochet can help cut/iron.

January 2011 Show & Tell & Meeting Updates

2011-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

2010 Year in Numbers
These numbers do not include blankets collected and distributed at the January meeting.

Blankets Collected in 2010 - 4,771
Blankets Distributed in 2010 - 4,713
Blankets Collected since 1999 - 39,441
Blankets Distributed since 1999 - 39,377

Thank you to everyone that donated time, talent, resources and supplies in 2010! Our blanket collection/distribution goal for 2011 is 5,000 blankets.

Tax Time

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible. If you made blankets for Linus in 2010 and need a receipt, please contact a Board Member or stop by Honey Bee Quilt Store Monday, January 17 or later and ask for Osie or Jennifer. They will have a list at the store of everyone that donated in 2010 and can give you a receipt.

The Linus Connection cannot put a value your donations for you, but there are some good resources available that can help. Learn more about charity donations on about.com or visit itsdeductible.com as an easy way to keep track of your donations throughout the year. When calculating the value of your donation, please remember that volunteer labor is not tax-deductible.

Spread The Word

During tough economic times, requests for blankets go up and we want to fill that need. Please consider helping us reach our goal of providing a handmade blanket to every child in Central Texas that finds him or herself in a crisis situation. The Linus Connection is need of quilters, knitters and crocheters.

If you have a friend or group that you think might be interested in volunteering either short or long-term, please point them to The Linus Connection. Whether you can make just one blanket or many, Linus needs your talents! Do you know a student that needs volunteer hours? The Linus Connection is a great way to give time to a charity and earn those hours! For more information on When and Where we need volunteers, please visit our website.

Linus Library
The Linus Connection Library of donated books is now open! There will be select books available to check out at month meetings or you can request a book online. Please be sure to read the library guidelines before requesting a book online. This information is available both on the Library book list page and on the request form page. Donations of easy quilt, knit and crochet books are still being accepted. Please make sure books are at least 80% quilts or afghans that are appropriate for Linus blankets. And remember, the easier, the better!

Do you have lots of fabric squares, but feel uninspired to use them? Try this simple but fun technique explained in this short video tutorial starring Suzanne McNeill of Design Originals and turn your simple squares into a fabulous quilt for Linus!

Show And Tell & Demo

Blankets were shown and donated on January 15, 2011. They are not necessarily being shown by the person that made them. We encourage you to join us at our monthly meeting and participate in Show and Tell at 10 a.m. A free demo follows.

The January demo was a quilt called Wickedly Easy (free pattern) from byAnnie as demonstrated by Sharon Weaver.

Click on any photo to enlarge. Opens in a new window or tab.

The Linus Connection is a Federal 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit our website for more information.

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