{in the know} Get “Quilts of Valor” on Your TV

“Quilts of Valor,” a 73-minute documentary starring national quilters Eleanor Burns, Alex Anderson, and Mark Lipinski and hosted by Marianne Fons, has just been made available to all public television stations nationwide by its producer, Iowa Public Television. To make sure this unique and compelling program is aired on your local station, contact your station’s programming department and ask it to schedule the show.

For help in finding your local station, go to http://www.pbs.org. Contact your station via email, phone message, or personal note to let them know you want to watch “Quilts of Valor.” It will be available May 22, 2012.

{in the know} Quilting Treasures + Project Linus

Quilting Treasures is launching a new collection from Peanuts, designed exclusively, to support the Project Linus Organization. Project Linus is a non–profit organization, with nearly 400 chapters, that has delivered over four million blankets to children for security and comfort.

“As soon as we acquired the Peanuts license we saw it as a natural fit for us to design a line for Project Linus,” says Jodi Beckett, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Quilting Treasures. “We are honored to begin a long relationship with such a worthy organization.”

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Quilting Treasures and are very grateful for their generosity and support of our mission to bring comfort and security to children”, adds Carol Babbitt, President and Executive Director of Project Linus. “It is a perfect fit and we are certain that this partnership will enable us to bring a smile and a hug to more children.”

This bright and cheerful 16 piece collection reflects the same happy theme and feeling from the Peanuts gang but this time the focus is on our favorite philosopher Linus along with the loveable Snoopy and Woodstock. This fabric collection will be sold exclusively at Independent Quilt Shops and Quilting Treasures will donate of portion of sales directly to Project Linus.

The Project Linus collection will debut at the Spring International Quilt Market in Kansas City, MO. – May 18 – 20, 2012. The fabric will be available at Independent Quilt Shops, throughout the U.S. and Canada, July 2012! Multiple projects for children as well as support for the Project Linus Chapters are planned.

Project Comfort – Help for Joplin Tornado Victims

Quilters have a unique opportunity to help people whose lives have been affected by the tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri. Two quilt shops in that community, Bittersweet Quilts and Block by Block, are coordinating the effort to gather quilts (and other bedding) for families who have lost everything in this disaster. The following is a message from the shops with details about how you can help.

A near term need that quilters may respond to is the donatinon of quilts as the tornado victims start to rebuild their lives.  All quilt sizes are needed.  The preference for donations is the following:  nice, new, home made quilts of 100% cotton.  Please send only those quilts you would be happy to receive yourself.  If possible, send a new, matching, solid sheet set equal to size of quilt folded together with each quilt, placed in a large Ziplock bag and labeled as to size, ie queen quilt, queen sheet set.  If quilts are sent in labeled bags with sheets they will be easily sorted and disseminated to those in need.  These quilts may be sent to the following stores:

Bittersweet Quilts
attn: Tornado Relief Effort
8133 W Hwy 86 Joplin, MO 64804

Block By Block
attn: Tornado Relief Effort
530 W Fir Road
Carthage, MO 64836

Thank you for your generosity.

Member in the News: Bella Fabrics Supports Afghan Widows

Photo Credit: The Daily News

Bella Fabrics (Carrollton, Virginia) owner Lisa Steele was recently featured in The Daily Press for her work supporting widows in Afghanistan.  Lisa and the team at Bella Fabrics have shipped over a half-ton of fabric and other sewing supplies donated by customers to Afghanistan, where they will be used by American troops to teach Afghan women how to sew. This has also been a wonderful community collaboration, beyond just the donations of supplies–the Carrollton community has helped fund the shipment of the supplies,

The Hampton Roads community stepped forward with cash donations that covered about $2,000 in shipping expenses, Steele said. A Newport News man whose wife had recently died dropped off several boxes of sewing materials and an envelope stuffed with $1,000 in cash in his wife’s memory, she said.

Read the rest of the story, including the involvement of Checker Distributor and FabShop in this incredible effort on the Daily Press website.

The Teacher’s Pet Announces New Series of Quilt & Accesesory Patterns

The Teacher’s Pet is debuting "Simple Pleasures," a new series of quilt and accessory patterns at Spring Quilt Market. Here’s an excerpt from the press release.

The Teacher’s Pet announces the release of “Simple Pleasures” – a new and exciting series of quilt and accessory patterns. Scheduled for release at International Quilt Market this May, this series of fast, fun and ever-so-easy patterns is being introduced by Kathy Brown, designer of the popular “Take 5” series of quilt patterns. “Simple Pleasures” patterns hold true to the belief that simple pleasures bring some of life’s most lasting treasures. This pattern series helps to eliminate your customers’ fabric choosing jitters with the use of pre-cuts such as fat quarters, charm squares, layer cakes, jelly rolls, honey buns, sushi rolls, fat sixteenths and so on! While each pattern features pre-cuts, the materials list also details the exact number of squares or strips used so that each project can be kitted from shop stashes. Great for make and take classes, each pattern features projects that result in fast, fun and functional accessories for the heart and home. Similar to the “Take 5” patterns, each “Simple Pleasures” pattern is expertly diagrammed and written with clear, concise instructions that beginners and experienced quilters alike have come to know and expect from The Teacher’s Pet.

Download the full press release, including images, here.