My 50th birthday is approaching. I saw a tiktok where a woman donated 60 “cake kits” to a food kitchen for her 60th birthday. I loved the idea, but wanted to put my own spin on it. So to celebrate my 50th, I’ve decided to quilt and crochet 50 blankets to donate to Project Linus. I’m blogging it for a few reasons. To hopefully inspire someone else like the tiktok I saw inspired me. To share the process of making 50 blankets (and so I remember the process in the future). And to bring awareness to Project Linus.
“Project Linus provides handmade blankets to children 0-18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.” https://www.projectlinus.org/
I figured I have plenty of yarn, loads of fabric, and far too many WIPs (works in progress) that need a reason to be finished.
While reading up on Project Linus, I’ve read comments in quilting and crocheting subreddits from people that were recipients of a Project Linus, or their child was, and how much it meant to them. It’s incredibly motivating to finish off those WIPs.
Blanket #1:
This was actually a blanket I made a couple of years ago, but never wove in the ends. I had intended to auction it off for charity. It’s a corner to corner blanket. My “test” of the technique before trying something more difficult. The yarn is Red Heart Soft Essentials, so it’s quite thick and warm. It’s 50″ x 54″ I did take this cute photo with my cat, which I now know is a no-no. Spent some time lint rolling off any stray cat hairs. Wove in the ends. I don’t recall how long the original blanket took to do, but the weaving in ends and lint rolling was only a couple of hours. Blanket 1 done.
Blanket #2
I had leftover Bernat blanket yarn in cream, dark grey, and light grey, so thought this would be a quick one. I chained across, then did single crochet across in the same direction. Aka, I didn’t turn for the next row, but went back to the beginning for each row and tied off the ends. About halfway, I ran out of the greys, but never fear, I had a dark green and light green in the same Bernat blanket yarn. (Seriously, my basement is like a Jo-ann Fabrics). Finished size is 39″ x 42″. This took me a couple of hours over a couple of evenings. Again, I took this pic before I realized I should keep the cat away. More lint rolling, and blanket #2 was done.
Blanket #3 (in real life the reds aren’t quite so…vivid)
I had sewn together log cabin squares for a Christmas quilt so long ago I a) had forgotten they existed and b) forgotten why I never finished it. As I assembled the squares, some of which had already been attached to other squares, I realized I must have put them together incorrectly the first time, and couldn’t be bothered to fix it in order to finish. I also had some half-pieced squares as it was meant to be a larger quilt. No matter, I could now use them for both the front and the back as this would be a lap sized quilt.
However, I ran into my first problem. While I have loads of yarn and fabric and half finished quilts, I had NO batting. So I ordered 10 yards of 90″ batting ($48 on sale). I sewed together the squares, sandwiched them with batting, and quilted the blanket. Including two little hearts in two of the square centers. I then realized my second problem. I didn’t have any binding (or thread) that would match and there is no way I’m making binding for each of these quilts. Off to the store and lucky me, another sale. Six spools of thread, and hopefully binding for at least three more quilts purchased ($35). I’m really hoping that’s the last actual money I’ll need to spend. I spent some extra time trimming any stray threads and no cat for size this time. No recollection of how long the squares originally took to piece, but ironing, sewing them together, quilting, and binding took most of a Sunday. Blanket #3 done.
Blanket #4 (again, I’m apparently terrible at capturing the true colors in a photograph, it’s lovely teal, purple, navy, and a bit of green-ish/yellow)
This was actually the FIRST blanket that I started. I had previously made a sweater with this yarn that I ultimately didn’t like and frogged it. (“Frogging” is the act of unraveling something, “rip it rip it”). I’ve seen waffle stitch before and love how nice it looks. It looks modern, not like an old aphgan from the 70s. So I wanted to do try it out on this blanket. The only problem is that waffle stitch takes FOR-EVER. So despite being the first blanket I started, it’s taken until now (#4) to complete it. Waffle stitch is also a yarn eater, so this one is on the smaller side. Finished size 27″ x 39″. However, it’s so nice and thick, and I do really love how waffle stitch looks. Blanket #4 done.
Update:
The latest update is not a finished blanket. While I’ve been working on my blankets, I’ve found several thank you notes, stories, etc about people who have received a Project Linus blanket and what it means to them. People who have had their blankets for YEARS and it is a treasured item to them. I mistakenly thought Project Linus only gave blankets to babies in hospitals. Project Linus donates blankets to hospitals, yes, but also to foster homes, therapists, fire stations, and so much more, to babies, and toddlers, and tweens, and teens.
Reading about so many kids who have loved their blankets is heartwarming and motivating me to complete my blankets. BUT it also makes me want to create a quality blanket, rather than rushing to just get them done. The above heart in the photo is from a quilt top that a family member had made, but never finished the quilt. There are loads of shaped cut out and fused onto the top, but not stitched on. I attempted to machine stitch them on, but it just didn’t look good, even though it would be much faster. So now I’m here, hand stitching them on. I’m also part way through a crocheted blanket. Again, it isn’t fast, but it’s lovely (I almost want to keep it!). I definitely won’t be getting 50 blankets complete BY my birthday (which is tomorrow), but again I said it was FOR my birthday. My challenge, my rules. 🙂
This is 100% a labor of love that makes me feel good whenever I’m working on them. Finishing a quilt top from a family member. Using two different sewing machines for some of the tops, one that very same family member bought me 30 years ago, and another that my boyfriend researched for me when mine broke during the pandemic. Using up leftover yarns from other loved projects. Ultimately (hopefully) bringing some happiness to someone else.
Blanket #5:
I adore this blanket. It’s incredibly soft and thick. The moss stitch gives such a nice drape. I adore the colors (the photo on the right shows the colors more accurately). Finished size 46 x 54″. Made with Caron Anniversary cakes (Purple fog), moss stitch, 11.5mm hook.
Three other blankets are currently in progress besides this one, but I managed to finish this one first. Now that I’m five blankets in, I realize what SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS, switching yarns slows me down. The entire blanket was one and a third skeins (the yarn changes colors rather than ME changing colors). So I only had to switch yarn ONCE. I was able to complete it within a couple of days. As opposed to another blanket I’m working on which is taking much longer as I switch yarn every row. It also helps the anniversary cakes are HUGE at 1,061 yards per skein and super bulky weight.
I also said I was going to use my stash, but Black Friday was here and I definitely won’t have enough stash for all 50 blankets, so I bought enough of this yarn for two blankets, plus enough of another yarn for a different blanket for $120.
Blanket #6:
I saw this pattern in the Facebook Project Linus group and it seemed like a fun one. I used Caron Cakes yarn in Blueberry Cheesecake. I used a size H (5mm) hook. The finished blanket is 50″ x 50″ and took six of the cakes. As I found in blanket number 5, it’s much faster to use yarn that changes colors rather than ME changing colors. Of course then you’re at the mercy of when the yarn changes colors (note what looks like a mistake in the center dark square was just due to when the colors changed in the yarn). This was pretty “quick” to create, probably 50-70 hours.
Blanket #7
This one is the same yarn and stitch as blanket number 5 (Caron anniversary cakes in Purple fog, moss stitch, with 11.5mm hook). Despite my best effort, it was narrower than I intended, so I gave this one a border of half crochets. Final size 43″ x 64″.
Blanket #8
I love this one! Scrap blanket in ripple stitch. These were all leftover yarns from other projects. Mostly worsted weight, though a couple were lesser weight, so I doubled them up. I just started each color where the prior one ran out and joined with a “russian join”. While it’s certainly easier to do the larger chunks with less color changes, I really like the areas with small amounts of yarn and lots of color changes. I used a 5.5mm hook throughout, even when yarn weights varied. Finished size: 47″ x 57″.
Blanket #9
Way back in an update after blanket #4, I mentioned a blanket I had started. That is this blanket. It was very slow going, and so I kept putting it down to work on other blankets. I finally finished it. Moss stitch with alternating light and dark scrap yarns. A size 4.0mm hook and changing yarns on every row contributed to the slow speed. Finished size 41″x46″. I love this blanket so much.
Blanket #10
This one is a combo. The same yarn as number 7 and number 5, with the ripple pattern from number 8. It’s smaller than the others because it’s all I had left of the Caron Anniversary Purple Fog (which has been discontinued and that makes me so sad). I used a 11.5mm hook as before with this yarn. Finished size 35″ x 35″.
Kathy Eager Creative 