Project Linus.
 

Do many of you make Linus quilts?If so any chance of posting pics so as we can get ideas of what patterns you all use?

I have made dozens of quilts for Project Linus, sorry, don't have any pictures, but have made d9p, d4p, or just sewed squares of 5 or 6 inches together until I got the size of quilt I needed. I also have done appliqued Sunbonnet Sue, but mostly I try to make quilts that are more appropriate for little boys. Seems like everybody likes to make the cute "little girl" type quilts and the little fellas get left out.

i just made this one and it turned out darling! http://www.quiltmaker.com/content_do..._Ball_1335.pdf

quiltmaker and quilter's cache have many free patterns for PL. just google

QuiltnNan, that is adorable!

QuiltnNan - thanks for showing that pattern. Great way to use scraps and get a real kid-friendly quilt.

My quilt group of 14 presented 45 quilts to our local co- ordinator just before Christmas! Anything is acceptable! Suitable for babies to teenagers. Cot size to single bed size! They always need quilts suitable for boys!

You all do beautiful work. I make at least 21 Linus quilts each month. Half of them are fleece with a crocheted edge in a contrasting or decorative color yarn. The others are made from a 11/2 yard by 44" or whatever the width of the fabric is print layered with a flannel back that coordinates. I rarely do much piecing. I layer them pillowcase style and then "birth" them. I leave the one end open and tuck in the edges to finish it off. I machine quilt them with a decorative stitch and sometimes decorative thread vertically about every 4". I finish up by sewing about a half inch inside the outside seam. This creates a false binding and closes off the open end. I use childish prints, fun stuff like cowboys, trucks or other male related stuff. Preprinted panels sure beat having to piece and save a lot of time. As someone else mentioned we always need more quilts for boys. It just seems like they are the ones that end up in the ER the most often. I have gotten numerous thank you notes from families over the years telling me how much the blanket meant to the child and his family. For the little boys it gives them an excuse to have something to cuddle that doesn't threaten their so called "manliness" the hospitals also appreciate the small quilts that are just the right size to shade an isolate in the NECU.

Hilary, your quilt group make beautiful quilts. Wow.

Mpspeedy, my, what a blessing you are to soooo many! You have really inspired me in how I can more quickly use the fabric that I have. Thanks.

QuiltingNan, cute pattern. Thanks for sharing.

Thankyou so much for the ideas and pics, a great help. We have made many over the years, just wanted some fresh ideas.

Generally I just quilt up a preprinted panel. I like it fast and easy. Usually they need a border or two to make them a bit larger, that's all.

Sometimes for baby blankets for Project Linus I just chose an interesting 12" block and triple the size to make it a 36" square and add a border.

For great patterns and tips for Project Linus (patterns for quilts, knits, crochet, and crochet-edged fleece):

http://www.thelinusconnection.org/p/free-patterns-resources_9838.html



For a quick but pretty quilt, I really like this pattern:

http://www.maryquilts.com/quick-strippie/

I also try to make quilts especially for boys. So many bright colored fabrics have some sort of pink in them which makes it a bit more difficult!!

Although I love making the cutesy girl quilts for PL, I do try to make an effort to make 2 boy quilts for every girl quilt due to the need.

For those of you that do the fleece blankets with the crochet edging, do you use one or two layers of fleece? I prefer my fleece blankets to be two layers, but I usually have sewn them right sides together leaving an opening and then flip them right side out. Does PL care how you finish off the fleece blankets, or is my sewn method sufficient? I hate doing fringe on fleece.

All you quilters are wonderful. I don't know how you get so much done. I must be slow. Beautiful work and what a blessing you all are.

Here is a site giving Project Linus blanket specs: http://www.sjlinus.org/BlanketSpecifications.htm



And here is another helpful site: http://www.sjlinus.org/Links.htm

There are so many ways to make them. I do one layer of fleece with a single crochet border, and use the Skip Stitch tool to make the anchor holes for the crochet. ( http://www.skipstitch.com/ )