Project Linus - Great Falls & Helena, MT

05/06/2026

Thank you, Walmart Helena... Thank you so very much! You have blessed the Great Falls & Helena Chapter of Project Linus with a very generous grant, and we could not be more grateful! It is only with the support of our community that we can continue our mission... and you have shown up so many times for us. Words cannot begin to express our gratitude. Our hearts are full. Truly... thank you!!!

03/23/2026

It's time! Scrappy Sewing with Patty registration is open! It opened a week ago, actually... but I knew there would be a crush of sign-ups at the start so delayed my reminder. Still plenty of time before the first pattern release on April 4...the rest of the patterns are release one at a time, every other week.
So... let's do this!
Go to www.projectlinus.org/scrappy.php
Scroll down a bit until you see the blue Register button... click that.
Fill in all the requested information. Remember to put Great Falls & Helena, MT as the chapter recipient of your donation. You will be charged an extra 3%-ish to cover the credit card costs... it came to $20.62 for me.
In return for this donation, you will receive at least 7 fun quilt patterns perfect for Project Linus! There is also a potential for up to 3 bonus patterns! There are already over 900 people signed up, so that first bonus pattern milestone is close!
I hope you'll be joining us in this fun adventure!
Remember... it is the Great Falls & Helena, MT Chapter!

03/12/2026

Do you have bins of scrap fabric, and you don’t know what to do with them? You hate to throw it away, thinking you’ll find a use for it “someday.” Scrappy Sewing with Patty (SSWP) is here to help! For our 2026 fundraiser we have 7 brand-new patterns that will help you make good use of those scraps. These scrappy patterns are beginner‑friendly and adaptable to all the fabrics and scraps you already have on hand. Scrappy patterns will be released to all registrants, one every other week, beginning on Saturday, April 4, 2026. The seventh pattern will be released on Saturday, June 27, 2026. And who knows? We may even include some bonus patterns over the course of our regular releases, too!
To gain access to this year’s patterns, you will need to register with us beginning on Monday, March 16, 2026. To register, you will need to make a donation of at least $20 (+ 3.093% credit card processing fee). Your donation can be designated for a specific Chapter... ours is the Great Falls & Helena, MT Chapter... or it can be used to benefit all Project Linus Chapters.

This was great fun last year! So many quilts created because these are fast and easy patterns! And every registration helps us financially.

So, join us... won't you? It's a win-win for you and us!
And don't forget to designate your donation to the Great Falls & Helena, MT Chapter!

01/14/2026

The Project Linus Virtual Blanket Contest starts on Saturday, January 17. That is this Saturday! Are you ready???

We are very excited about this brand-new, national, Virtual Blanket Contest! You can enter any homemade quilt or afghan, subject to Contest Rules. To enter the contest, you submit a picture of your completed blanket on the contest registration form that will appear on the projectlinus.org website.

Then the fun really begins! The contest involves contest participants soliciting family and friends to cast “votes.” Votes are $1 each and are considered a donation to Project Linus which benefits all Chapters. See Voting Rules for details.

Please see the website for the COMPLETE list of Contest Rules at projectlinus.org

01/08/2026

Today, I realized that one of my Thank You posts for one of our loyal supporters was missing! So, let's try it again...

We offer a huge 'Thank You!' to our Walmart Helena for their very generous grant in support of our chapter of Project Linus! Financial gifts enable us to buy the supplies we need to create our handmade blankets, and we are so blessed to have the trust and help from our community. Our hearts are full, Helena Walmart. You have long been there for us, and we are gratefful beyond words. ❤️

12/24/2025

Today, Project Linus celebrates 30 years of providing blankets to children in need of a hug! In that 30 years, over 10 million handmade blankets have been gifted, providing comfort and love to children in need of a hug. To every volunteer who has made a blanket, everyone who has made a financial donation, everyone who has allowed us use of their space to work or for blankets to be dropped-off, everyone and anyone who has helped smooth our path forward, we say 'Thank You!' Thank you so much for all you've done to make Project Linus a huge success! YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

12/02/2025

Project Linus: A Season of Giving Event!
On December 24, 2025, Project Linus will celebrate 30 years of providing comfort and security to over 10 million children. We are asking you to please help us to continue for 30 more years.
It is that time of year, the holidays are approaching, and we are reminded that there are thousands of children across the country... and children right here in Montana, who are going through difficult circumstances... children in need of comfort. Project Linus provides handmade blankets as gifts to children who are ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. They may be suffering from illness, a family crisis, homelessness, abuse, or have lost everything in a natural disaster. Economic hardship has hit so many families. We want to help these children. This is and will be an ongoing process for us.
But we need your help to continue our mission.

The number of children that need blankets continues to grow. Our need to create blankets continues to grow. This year, we lost Joann Fabric, one of our biggest sources of the products we use. This loss has resulted in a significant increase in our supplies costs.

We encourage you to go to https://www.projectlinus.org/donate.php and make a “Season of Giving” donation! You can designate our local Great Falls & Helena, MT Chapter as the recipient of your donation.

A donation of $20 will make a single layer fleece blanket.

A donation of $25 will purchase two packages of baby blanket batting.

A donation of $40 will purchase yarn for an knitted or crocheted afghan.

A donation of $50 will purchase fabric for a quilt top.

A donation of $65 will pay to send a box of blankets to children impacted by a natural disaster.

A donation of $75 will pay for a complete quilt.

A donation of $100 provides up to 5 children with a blanket.

A donation of $150 will purchase a large roll of batting (the middle of quilts).

As always, a huge 'Thank You!' to our volunteers who work so hard to turn these donations into warm and comforting blankets for kids. Without you, there would be no Project Linus.

Please take a moment right now to go online to https://www.projectlinus.org/donate.php and make a donation. Remember to designate the Great Falls & Helena, MT Chapter to receive it.
Thank you. We are beyond grateful for your support!

10/23/2025

Today, the Great Falls Chapter of Project Linus is brimming with gratefulness! Our local Sam's Club has awarded us a very generous grant! We are so blessed to have this support from our community. It is only with these financial gifts we are able to continue our mission of creating blankets for area kids facing some life crisis. Thank you, Sam's Club. You have long been there for us, and we appreciate it more than words can express.

10/07/2025

My heart is filled with gratitude! Our chapter of Project Linus has been blessed with an extremely generous donation from our local Walmart Supercenter Great Falls - 10th Ave S! It is only with the support of our local community that we are able to continue to provide blankets to kids in crisis. Receiving this support is appreciated beyond words. Thank you so very much Walmart #7199!!! We could not be more grateful!

03/03/2025

Friends.... I cannot say this with enough emphasis.... do not, Do Not, DO NOT click on a link or go to a site you see on Facebook, or in an email, advertising amazing discount sales at Joann!!! These are SCAMS. You will in effect give some miscreant your bank info, credit card info, whatever ... and they will CLEAN YOU OUT!!!! From our president, Patty... "I was at the bank on Friday and a sweet lady was in there, she had “purchased” from on of these scam places and they wiped out her entire account!"
Joann is not doing anything online right now. The time to use up gift cards has passed. Shop in your stores or don't shop.

02/24/2025

Well, sad news to share.... Joann Stores are closing. All of their stores. And their website. For a few days it seemed some stores and the website might survive. It now appears that won't happen after all.

What does that mean for our chapter?
Primarily, while Joann stores will be open for a couple more months as they go through their clearance sales, they are no longer a drop-off for our blankets. We have always had other drop-off sites. In Helena, The Sewing Palace-Bernina is a designated drop-off. You can also leave them at Montana Longarm Quilting & Supplies. In Great Falls, Bernina Silver Thimble and Big Sky Quilts will both take your blankets.
Joann Stores are closing. Sad news, indeed.

In other news.....
Registration for Scrappy Sewing with Patty is still ongoing. For a $20 donation to Project Linus, you will get 7.... yes, SEVEN quilt patterns.... one every other week starting Saturday, March 8. But wait... there's more! If there are 1000 registrants, they will release an 8th pattern! What a deal! These patterns are all created with the idea of using scraps, but, of course, coordinated yardage can be used if you prefer. And you can designate that donation go directly to our Great Falls & Helena, MT chapter when you register. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a cutting guide that addresses what you will need for all the patterns. You can start cutting now and be ready to sew on March 8 when that first pattern is released.
To sign up, go to https://www.projectlinus.org/scrappy.php

Lastly, I will soon be dropping this particular page for our chapter. When I started this one, it was much simpler, but over time it has become very strongly geared for a business... and we aren't that. Some time back I started a group page for us... https://www.facebook.com/groups/983602326405069/
These pages are different in many ways, each with pros and cons.... and I've continued to carry both until I decided which would work better. About a half dozen spam messages for this page over the last few days helped make that decision. So, please go to the new page and ask to join.

That's all for today... I hope.

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