Two for Teal Almost Here!

And now there's even a cute blog button!

 It's almost here....Two For Teal Mug Rug Swap 2014! Because the Teal Toes people have graciously offered to highlight the swap and new FB open group tomorrow on their own facebook page, I figured now might be a good time to send out a little info via blog post, in frequently asked questions format. After answering about seventy-five thousand questions a day from my three daughters since June 20, this format seems only appropriate.

What is Two for Teal?

Two for Teal Mug Rug Swap and OCRF fundraiser is a way for EvaPaige Quilt Designs to help raise awareness of this ridiculous disease during the month of September, which is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The basic premise is formulated around the What We Know of All Quilters Trifecta:

• They love to sew
• They like fun gifts in the mail
• They are mostly women and/or have women in their lives and would like to prevent women from dying from ovarian cancer if at all possible.

Participants are asked to pay a nominal fee when registering. They are then sent the name of their swap partner along with a small piece of the focus fabric, to be used somewhere in the mug rug the are to make for their partner, which they are responsible for making and sending by 9/30/14.

What is the focus fabric? What if I hate the focus fabric?
This year's focus fabric, a 6" x 9" piece of which will be sent to each participant, will be one of four hand-dyed teals from Cherrywood Fabrics, who have agreed to be our sponsor. They are extraordinarily soft and yummy and I will be shocked if you hate the piece I will send you. However, if you do hate it, you can always use it on the back. That is totally legal.

Why OCRF?
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is amazing. They've funded over 200 new clinical research grants since 1998. Directly from their website, OCRF researchers are conducting all types of research, including:

• Developing innovative strategies for early detection
• Discovering genetic polymorphisms that increase risk for ovarian cancer
• Understanding the underlying genetics and molecular biology of ovarian cancer
• Identifying new, better targets for treatment
• Determining how to super-charge a woman’s immune response to better fight ovarian cancer
• Deciphering how and why ovarian cancer spreads, and how to stop it

If you've dealt in any way in your life with OC, you know all of these areas are incredibly important in finding ways to kill this thing dead. I receive and read their quarterly newsletters and I am inspired by the accomplishments they are helping to create in this fight. That is why I choose to make them the recipients of the fundraiser.

Why not wait til October and pink it up?
Breast cancer sucks. I hate it as much as anyone else does, and even more than I ever did at this point as I have a dear friend fighting the bastard right now. However, teal is important to me as my mother died of a rogue and awful form of ovarian cancer (as if there could ever be a good and sweet form) in August of 2002, so I've chosen to raise awareness and funds for this cause instead of jumping in the pink piles of fabric in October. I know many other designers and fabric companies will have ample opportunities for us then, and I will be finding something to join in to raise funds for breast cancer in October. If you hear of a good quilty fundraiser, let me know!






How much will the fundraiser cost me?
I've been hinting that the registration fee will be higher this year. I've also come flat out and said that everyone participating will receive a $10 gift certificate from Cherrywood Fabrics, so you know you'll at least get that part back. So now is the reveal of the real price: The fee this year will be $15.

Whoa! That's a 300% increase over last year? ARE YOU CRAZY? How much do you plan to profit from this?
No, and nothing. Here's the breakdown:

• $10 from every participant will go directly to OCRF, and will be "refunded" to participants in the form of the coupon for Cherrywood
• Approximately $3 per participant will go toward postage
• Approximately $2 per participant will cover miscellaneous expenses such as envelopes, extra fabric, and paypal fees.

As much as I wish I could absorb all of those extra costs, EPQD is not rich. At. All. I've learned the hard way that I can't give stuff away or expect to work at a loss most of the time with my events. So I have no choice but to pass those costs on and hope the Cherrywood carrot is enough to attract participants!

They have a blog button too!

 Okay. I'm convinced you aren't trying to get rich off a cause. When can I sign up?
Sign ups will be open via a PayPal link, available on the sidebar of this blog, starting August 15 and will stay open until August 29.

Great. Then what?
The timeline will be as follows:
August 15-29, signups
August 30-31, I prep the packets for mailing on September 2
September 2, I mail packets and make donation to OCRF
September 3 - 5, race to your mailbox to get your packets
September 5- 30, create your mug rug for your partner and mail it off
September 5-30, watch your own mail for your own mug rug!
Whenever you receive your mug rug, post a photo of it to the Facebook Open Group. 
That way we can all admire it!

This all sounds fantastic. But how am I supposed to remember to sign up?
 Put an alert on your phone. Or you could go all old school and write it on your calendar, your hand, or put a note on the fridge. Better yet, check out the Facebook Open Group now as all the details and announcements will be available there the second I think of them.

Here's how you know you landed in the right place.

I hope that answers some of the more frequently asked questions. Please contact me and let me know if you have any further ones. The only question I refuse to answer at this point is "Mom, where are my shoes?" I swear I've answered that a million times this summer already.