Special Edition: The Joyful and Merry Quilting Newsletter

Today’s Newsletter is a “Special Edition” focused on our National Fundraiser for Project Linus! 

Merry Moment 🥳 

Welcome to this special edition of the Joyful and Merry Quilting newsletter! This week, for our Merry Moment, we're thrilled to shine a spotlight on a cause close to our hearts: Project Linus. Known for its dedication to providing comfort to children through handmade blankets, Project Linus has touched countless lives with the warmth and care of quilters like you.

I have been a volunteer with Project Linus since 1999 as the Central IL Chapter Coordinator and then as the National Vice-president since 2001. I cannot tell you how much my life has been enriched, working with dedicated, kind, and loving volunteers as we serve children and families throughout our community.

As a quilting community that thrives on creativity and compassion, we are excited to announce our upcoming fundraiser in collaboration with Project Linus: “Sam’s Creative Space Adventure”. This unique event offers a chance to contribute to a wonderful cause while indulging in the joy of quilting. Participants will receive two exclusive quilt patterns, "easy" and "easier," along with step-by-step video tutorials to guide you through the creative process.

Our fundraiser is more than just an opportunity to craft beautiful quilts; it's a chance to make a tangible difference in the lives of seriously ill and traumatized children. By joining this initiative, you become part of a nationwide effort to spread love and comfort, one stitch at a time.

Registration opens today, August 8th, and we invite you to join us for a LIVE Zoom meeting on August 9th and 10th to reveal the quilts and details about the challenge (links are below!). Of course, there will be a random drawing for our “Early Bird Registrants” and another for those attending the Zoom meetings. You won’t want to miss out!

This quilting course is available to Project Linus participants for a special price of $25, with $10 being donated to your local Project Linus chapter or to National HQ. Go to https://www.joyfulandmerryquilting.com/projectlinus to learn more and to register.

Here are the available Zoom session times for the big reveal and drawings, listed in Central Daylight Time (CDT):
Be sure to check what time that is in YOUR time zone!

OPTION 1: Friday, Aug 9, 2024
7:00 PM Central Daylight Time (CDT)  
[CLICK HERE to Register for the Friday, Aug 9 Zoom Session at 7:00pm CDT]

OPTION 2: Saturday, Aug 10, 2024 
11:00 AM Central Daylight Time (CDT)  
[CLICK HERE to Register for the Saturday, Aug 10 Zoom Session at 11:00am CDT]

Let's come together as a community to support this incredible cause and celebrate the heartwarming impact of our craft. Thank you for your generosity and enthusiasm as we embark on this meaningful journey with Project Linus. 

Patchwork Puzzlers 🤔

How much Project Linus trivia do you know?  Answers to the questions are listed at the end of the newsletter!

1. When was Project Linus founded?
   A. 1985
   B. 1995
   C. 2000
   D. 2010
2. What is the primary mission of Project Linus?
   A. To provide educational resources to children
   B. To offer handmade blankets to seriously ill and traumatized children
   C. To promote quilting as an art form
   D. To sell quilts and blankets for charity
3. Each year Project Linus has a Quilt Challenge Fundraiser. How many years has this been going on?
   A. This year will be the 7th year.
   B. This year will be the 8th year.
   C. This year will be the 9th year.
   D. This year will be the 10th year.
4. Approximately how many handmade blankets has Project Linus donated since its inception?
   A. 1 million
   B. 5 million
   C. 10 million
   D. 15 million
5. What is the name of this year’s Quilt Challenge Fundraiser?
   A. Spaceman Sam
   B. Sam’s Creative Space Adventure
   C. Sam’s Space Quilt
   D. Sew a Quilt with Sam
   
   

JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY QUILT GUILD MEMBERSHIP OFFICIALLY OPENS AUGUST 28TH

Would you like to join a wonderful community of quilters from all over the world? We would LOVE to have you as a member of our Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild. 

The vision of our community quilt guild is: "To create a warm and inclusive virtual space where every member feels valued. We believe in fostering a positive and supportive community, free of judgment, where quilters of all levels can come together to learn, to share, and to grow.” We have two meetings each month, special speakers, a block library, a chat forum, training videos, free patterns, sew-alongs, live Zoom quilt chats and more! 

The Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild will officially open registration again on August 28th and we would LOVE to have you join our guild. www.joyfulandmerryquilting.com/guildwaitinglist
 

A Joyful and Merry Thank You 🥰

• Thank you to Deb Dietz for her generous donation of $10 at our Daytime Quilting Hangout this week! It is truly appreciated and we are grateful to have Deb as one of our subscribers.
  If you haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channel – please go to https://www.youtube.com/@joyfulandmerryquilting and take a look around. You’ll find LIVE chats, Quilting Tips videos, Tutorials, and podcasts on a variety of quilting subjects. 

Product Picks 👍

Many of our Project Linus chapters host events that include children making Project Linus blankets for children. Many of our volunteers have children who would like to make blankets for other children but may not have the skills to make a blanket start to finish. It is very special for a child to receive a blanket that was made by another child, and in our most recent YouTube Live, I have a quilt hanging behind me with blocks that were made by children.

One question we had was what type of markers were used to make the blocks? I actually purchased Crayola Fabric Markers through Amazon. They come in a variety of colors and we found these to be very durable and long-lasting. They are available in large and small quantities depending on the size or your group, and are relatively inexpensive.

Merry Musings Mailbag 💌

This section of our newsletter is a comment by one of our subscribers to one of our YouTube videos.

Comment from Sandy:
"Spray sounds great to use! What is cost for a spray can of Odif in figuring if more cost effective than freezer paper? Advantage would probably be less frustration in using spray than freezer paper :). I really think it [the spray] is a great option. As for price, a can of the Odif 808 is currently $9.99. When purchasing one package of freezer paper it's about 0.25 - 0.30 per page which means you can buy about 1 1/2 cans of the Odif Spray for the same price as one package of 50 sheets of freezer paper. I know I could spray more than 50 sheets using 1 1/2 cans of the spray AND the wear and tear on my printer is worth it all by itself."
CLICK HERE to Watch the Video
Thanks for commenting and for watching!

Joyful and Merry Quilting Course News, Previous Hangout Topics and Links, Night Owl and Daytime Quilting Hangouts Schedule

QUILTING COURSE NEWS

Beginning Quilting: From Novice to Confident Beginner: Open registration is NOW AVAILABLE! If you are a beginning quilter or a self-taught quilter and are curious about this course, please go to joyfulandmerryquilting.com/beginner and watch the video. I would LOVE to share my quilting knowledge and expertise with you. I have been quilting for 30+ years and “trial and error” was the primary way I learned how to quilt. With this course, you can skip the “trial and error” part and join with me as we explore the world of quilting together. Click on the link above for information about the course as well as instructions on how to register!

More courses are coming, including our next round of Aim for the Stars participants and our upcoming foundation piecing course “The Cutest Apple in the Orchard,” and I would love to have you join me! Keep watching the newsletter for details.

Night Owl Quilting Hangout and Daytime Quilting Hangout Schedules with links to previous hangouts:

Previous Hangout Links:
Watch the Daytime Hangout from Wednesday, August 7 Here:
Project Linus Quilt Challenge and the Exploding Pineapple Block--A New Twist

Upcoming Hangouts: 
Monday, August 12 at 10pmCDT
Wednesday, August 21 at 11amCDT
Monday, August 26 at 10pmCDT

Shop Hops, Quilt Shows, and More

If you have a local shop hop, quilt show, or another quilting-related event that you would like to share, please email [email protected] one month prior to the event and we will include it in this section of our newsletter.

THE MID-ATLANTIC SHOP HOP: July 1-August 31 States included: Pa, Va, WVa, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Click on the link for details: https://allmidatlanticshophop.com

THE GREAT WISCONSIN QUILT SHOW: September 5-7, 2024. Alliant Energy Center
Thursday and Friday, 9am-6pm; Saturday 9am-5pm
https://quiltshow.com/

SEW YOUR HEART OUT
2024 Jacksonville Florida Quiltfest
September 19-21, 2024
https://www.visitjacksonville.com/events/jacksonville-quiltfest-quiltfestjax/

STAR STRUCK QUILT SHOW presented by Keystone Quilters
NACQA Judged Show
Quilt Registration is open to the public. Deadline is September 3, 2024
Finland Mennonite Church
1750 Ziegler Rd.
Pennsburgh, PA
October 11-12, 2024
www.keystonequilters.org
or call 610-282-0651

Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild Corner ✨

WELCOME to our newest guild members who took advantage of our (very brief) Early Bird Offer last week! We're so happy to have you!

Would you like to join a wonderful community of quilters from all over the world? We would LOVE to have you as a member of our Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild! Registration officially opens again on August 28th.

The vision of our community quilt guild is: "To create a warm and inclusive virtual space where every member feels valued. We believe in fostering a positive and supportive community, free of judgment, where quilters of all levels can come together to learn, to share, and to grow.”

We have two meetings each month, special speakers, a block library, a chat forum, training videos, free patterns, sew-alongs, live Zoom quilt chats and more!
The Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild will open registration again on August 1st and we would LOVE to have you join our guild.
www.joyfulandmerryquilting.com/guildwaitinglist

NEW GUILD NEWS

GUILD MEETING SHOW AND TELL: If you have something to “Show and/or Tell” at our August 15th Guild Meeting, please send a good quality photo(s) to [email protected] before August 12th and I will add you to the schedule. It’s difficult to show our quilts at our live Guild Zoom meeting, due to lighting, space, etc., so we will screen share the photos and then call on the guild member submitting the photos to give us the details during the meeting. Don’t be shy! We would love to share in your joy as you show share your creativity with the guild! Photos must be submitted in advance just to make sure we have enough time allotted for those members who will be sharing. I’m sure we all agree that being able to show our quilts “up close and personal” via Zoom is something unique to our guild. I will look forward to receiving your entries for our next meeting!

AUGUST SCHEDULE: Since August has 5 Thursdays, we’re scheduling the August meetings as follows. There will be no meeting the last week of August. Don’t forget to register for the Zoom, as always. Links will be available on our Guild Resource Page as soon as they are scheduled. You will also be emailed with the links as well.

• August 8 – Training Videos Released (5pm CDT)
• August 15 – Guild Meeting 11amCT
• August 22 – Extra Guild Meeting Sew-a-Long
• August 28 – Guild Membership officially re-opens with a limited number of slots available. Please invite your friends to join us! Here is the link to the waiting list.

SAMPLER BLOCKS OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE: 
The Sampler Block of the month - Block #6: “Jewel Box” has been added to our Guild Block Library. The training videos for blocks 6 and 7 will be available on the Guild Resource Page by 5pm on August 8th! You are welcome to make the block using the PDF, but if you would life step-by-step instruction, you will need to wait until the 2nd Thursday of the month when the training is available.


*GUILD REMINDERS*
 The following is general information that is posted in each newsletter as a helpful guide and resource for our guild members.

CALENDAR:
Just a reminder – all of the Joyful and Merry Quilting Community Guild Meeting Zoom Links are available on the Guild Resource Page of the joyfulandmerryquilting.com website. You MUST register ahead of time in order to participate in the meeting, by clicking on the link.

EXTRA GUILD MEETINGS:
Our next “EXTRA” guild meeting will be held at 7pmCT on August 22nd. Chat opens at 6:30pmCT.

JOYFUL AND MERRY QUILTING COMMUNITY CARE CORNER: 
This will be a spot in our newsletter for members to share their needs and concerns, whether they're related to health, personal challenges, celebrations, etc. It will be a place where we can support and care for one another, share joys and struggles, and provide encouragement to each other regardless of our beliefs or backgrounds. We want it to remain a place of inclusivity while still fostering a sense of community and support within the guild. In this spirit, let’s turn our attention to those in our community in need of some extra support right now:

We don't have any submissions for our Care Corner this week. If you would like to post in our Community Care Corner, simply send your "Community Care Corner Request" (on sentence) to [email protected] and I will post it in the newsletter. You can post it anonymously or add your name - totally up to you.


RECORDED MEETINGS:
Please keep in mind that our recorded meetings will only be available for 3 months or until we run out of room on our Zoom Account, whichever comes first. So, if you missed a meeting, be sure to watch the recorded version ASAP, so you don’t miss out.

WEBSITE MONTHLY TABS:
Once we move into a new month, we will have a tab that will take you to the archived files from previous months…just in case there’s something you want to review. Depending on how often our members access this feature will decide the length of time the previous months will be available. We hope you enjoy this feature!

GUILD MEETING TIMES AND MISSED MEETINGS:
We want to make sure you take note of this information. We are still having members access the meetings at the wrong time, and accidentally missing out on the guild and quilting fun.

TIME ZONES: Please keep in mind that our Guild Meeting Times are listed in CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. If you live in another time zone, make sure you double check (and triple check) the guild time and then adjust it to accommodate for your time zone. We continue to have members join our guild meetings an hour or two early or an hour or two late and in the process, miss the actual meeting. The meetings are recorded, but if you want to join the meeting LIVE, please make sure you have the guild time adjusted to YOUR particular time zone. 

CHAT SESSIONS: If you have time, please join us half an hour before our guild meetings for our Guild's Community Chat sessions: 6:30pm CDT for evenings and 10:30am CDT for daytime meetings. This is such a fun time getting to know each other and I hope you’ll join us when you can. Please note that entering before the designated time strains our recording time allotment, so we have instituted a waiting room where members will be admitted to the meeting once the host is there and the chat session opens.

JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY GUILD FOUNDING MEMBER CHAT FORUM: 

We have been enjoying our Community Chat Forum! It's a great alternative to Facebook, where all guild members are included in the chat. Here's how to get to the Chat Forum (or you can click here):

1.   Go to the joyfulandmerryquilting.com website
2.   Click on your “LIBRARY”
3.   Click on the “JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY QUILT GUILD FOUNDING MEMBER”
4.   Click on “FEED” and you will be taken to the Chat.  You can post pictures, questions, comments, etc.  It’s a great place to get to know our Founding Members and share our love of quilting!

EMAIL PREFERENCES: 

Important: Guild Membership is Non-Refundable
Please do not mark any guild emails as SPAM or unsubscribe from them. Since this is a virtual group, email, Zoom, and our website are the primary ways to stay involved. Unsubscribing or marking emails as SPAM removes you from the email list, and by law, we cannot reverse this action. 

Some members who have marked our emails as SPAM or unsubscribed have requested a refund, which we cannot provide. All information sent via email is also available on our website's resource page. If you prefer not to receive emails, you can still access all guild information, links, patterns, etc., by visiting joyfulandmerryquilting.com and clicking on “Library,” then the Guild tab. 

Some members still experience issues with not receiving emails. The most common problems are unsubscribing, your email provider sending our emails to your spam folder, recipients marking emails as SPAM, or using different email addresses for the guild and newsletter subscriptions. Please email [email protected] if you continue to have issues with email and we will do our best to help you remedy the situation. 

Please be very careful with emails from joyfulandmerryquilting.com through our Kajabi email service. If you no longer wish to receive them, simply delete them. Do not unsubscribe unless you intend to. By law, we cannot re-add you to our email list, and you will no longer receive any correspondence from us. If you label our emails as SPAM, your email address will be permanently removed from our list. 

Additionally, if you forward our emails and the new recipient clicks Unsubscribe or marks them as Spam, your email address (not theirs) will be removed from our list. We understand mistakes happen, but some cannot be corrected. Please be careful. Thank you!
 

That's it for this newsletter! Have a joyful and merry week of quilting!

All of our archived Joyful and Merry Quilting Newsletters can now be found in the Blog Section of our website! Many have requested a place to access all previous newsletter releases. Head over to https://www.joyfulandmerryquilting.com/blog and you'll find them all as they're released! The weekly newsletter is released on Thursdays.

ANSWERS to this week’s PATCHWORK PUZZLERS:

1. Answer: B) 1995
2. Answer: B) To provide handmade blankets to seriously ill and traumatized children
3. Answer: D) This will be the 10th year
4. Answer: C) 10 million
5. Answer: B) Sam’s Creative Space Adventure