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The  Illini Country Stitcher’s have been making HeartStrings quilts for Project Linus.

Members come from Champaign, Illinois, and the surrounding communities.  Click here to visit their website and see more of their recent HeartStrings Quilts and what a difference changing the color of the center strip can make in these quilts.

Can you help? Alycia wrote on her blog:

In May of 2010 over 200 Wounded Warriors will come to Colorado Springs to Compete in the Inaugural Warrior Games. This is the first year they are holding the games, and they are inviting military from all service branches.

This is a great opportunity to show service members from all branches, wounded service members – that we, as a grateful nation, are appreciative of what they have done. That we are proud of them for the progress and accomplishments they have made, even through their injuries, and that we would like to offer them our thanks.

She needs the quilts  by May 1st and you can read more details on her blog.

(Quilt Size – Minimum 50 x 60, Maximum 72 x 90)

Many of us make Quilts of Valor but I was especially touched to get an email from Robin with a photo of this HeartString quilt she made for her niece to show support for her as a military wife.

Instructions for making your own HeartStrings quilt for a loved one or to donate to someone in need.

HeartStrings members made over 782 pillowcases to donate to a variety of charitable organizations in January and February. We’ll add those to the numbers of the One Million Pillowcases project at the All People Quilt Website.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Some of us will be making more throughout the year as they make great stashbusters!

Helen’s been working with the last of the Chinese Coins from one of our HeartStrings projects.

She wrote:

Thanks to everyone for the lovely comments about the hearts quilt. I posted a couple of weeks ago about where I got the inspiration for the quilt – Tallgrass Prairie Studio

The instruction on the blog page above are very detailed, but I used slightly different sizes and chose to do the large triangles with the Easy Angle ruler so that I didn’t have triangles left over.

I had the Chinese Coin units already and they measured 5.5″, so that was my starting point. I cut two 5.5″ squares and used an Easy Angle ruler to cut two triangles from both the coins and the background fabric, which when stitched together made 5.5″ half square triangles. The background squares to make the top of the heart shape started at 2″. My heart blocks are 10″ square finished size.

Other Chinese Coins Instructions – links are in the sidebar under Chinese Coins

Becky’s Funky Caterpillars using coins

Jackie made a RWB QAYG for Quilts of Valor.

Our QAYG project continues and you can make blocks to send to Jay for assembly or make your own as Jackie did.

Instructions for the blocks are  at the link below – make sure you check out the links at the bottom of the instructions to see how to assemble them.

Instructions for QAYG blocks

Our Australian coordinator, Stephanie, has been busy with both personal HeartStrings quilts and those from group blocks too. Click on thumbnails for a larger view of any of the tops or quilts.

Look at the gorgeous quilt Petra assembled from blocks she found “stuffed in a bag in the back of our quilt groups storage”.

Just to keep things interesting we have two special projects going on right now.

We started making pillowcases on the first of January and will continue them through February. You can donate them locally or consider making some for Alycia and the Quilts of Valor she collects and donates. They don’t have to be RWB but keep in mind that most of them should be somewhat manly!

These are the ones that Mary Hopkins has been working on.

Pillowcase Project information and links to instructions

We’re also doing a short-term Quilt as you GO project. Jay will be accepting and assembling String Quilt as you GO blocks into quilts for a nursing home project.  Pat already has blocks made and ready to ship.

Quilt as you GO guidelines and instructions.

As always, we continue to accept our regular HeartStrings blocks made according to the guidelines so jump in and make some pillowcases, make some QAYG blocks, or make some HeartStrings blocks.

We’re in the process of building a HeartStrings blog ring where you can visit the blogs of HeartStrings members to see what we’re up to with our personal and HearStrings quilting.

There’s a link on the left sidebar to view member blogs or If you’re a member of HeartStrings and have a blog you can click here to apply to join the blog ring.