Come On and Get Your Teal On

As advertised in the previous post, the Teal Mini Swap is upon us!

Who can resist a fun little gift in the mail, am I right?

Every year I do my darnedest to kick ovarian cancer to the curb and pounce on it with my stiletto thigh high boots. Mr Quilting Hottie wishes. That was supposed to read adorable sandals. But either way, if we make it a little more dead, it's good. If we make it a little more in the public eye through awareness, also really good. If we get a fun gift in the mail too? That's just the trifecta of awesomeness right there.

All the info you could ever need along with the sign up form is all to be found over HERE; just read and scroll and hit the button that says register now and you will be directed exactly what to do. It really is that simple. Along about August 29 I will start mailing out swap partners and the lovely Blank Fabrics focus fabric you are to use in your mini, and then it's all you and your creativity and stamping out ovarian cancer.

Registrations are open and I'm thrilled to report that I already have just about exceeded the number of registrants in all of last year, and we still have 2 weeks to go before they close. My other, sillier goal is always to try to get at least one participant from each state. To me that just seems a great indication that we are getting the word out not only about the swap, but about ovarian cancer awareness. I'm thrilled to say that so far we are at 31 states, and are a long way to turning the map teal!

Looking good! Who knows quilters who hate cancer in AK and HI? There must be some!

So,  are you a sewist? Do you hate ovarian cancer? Do you want to meet new people and get a cool gift? Wait no more....head on over to the Teal Mini Swap group on FB, and if I haven't convinced you to sign up, that group of enthusiastic teal lovers will!

The Toesies Knowsies - Update on OCRF promotion

Be it my fabulously Trophy Wife-ish teal toes or my rapier wit or even my cute haircut that is often the subject of one or more questions during the Q and A section of my lecture, the bottom line is my "Toe and Sew" promotion for OCRF is racking up the bucks this month.

I'd love to think my talent as a designer is part of it too, but I don't want to be greedy. I'll take whatever it is that will help us stamp out OC, and I am humbled to be able to do a small part to fund the fight.

Fun story regarding the big reason I am doing this promotion: my mom. Last week I had the pleasure of stopping off in Waterford CT (don't look for it on the map) on the way home from my family's trip to Washington DC to give my lecture to Clamshell Quilt Guild and spend the evening with a group of grown women, not one of whom interrupted me to say "She's touching me!" or "Mom! She's breathing too loud!" It was bliss. Anyway, during the social hour, a lovely woman came up to me to ask if I knew that someone in the guild knew me. I resisted the urge to think I had a stalker and asked what she meant; it turns out, her husband went to high school with my parents. Shout out for Griswold High School class of 1961!

She was quick to point out (needlessly, I might add, as she was youthful and stunning) that her husband was 8 years older than her. This meant two things: my mom had been one of her teachers when she was in high school and mom was student teaching, and a few years later when she (Sandy) began dating her dashing older man of a future husband (I've seen the yearbook. He was a hottie.), my mom had actually told him that he should stop dating Sandy and find someone closer to his own age. I had heard this story from my dad last summer as Sandy and John and Dad had all reunited at the 50 year reunion, but it is such a Grace Kerr story that I had to love it all over again.

Anyone wondering where I get my directness from can just refer to that story all you need to.

In the end, Clamshell did me good, and we raised well over $100 for OCRF in that evening alone. Other sales are pumping along (Kickin' Stash especially is kicking some butt, proving that it was aptly named), and I really am hoping to be able to send $300 to OCRF if possible. We shall see! If you are on the fence about that new pattern, hopefully knowing that 25% of the price will go directly to OCRF will help you jump off and start sewing!

Toe and Sew

Yes, that is pretty bad punnery, especially considering I tend to cringe at the use of "sew" for "so" in casual written conversation. But this time I have a reason so I will make myself an exception.

As many of you know, my mother lost her battle with Ovarian Cancer ten years ago. I
capitalize it not because it deserves to exist, let alone to look important, but to
get your attention. Just like I'm going to give some attention to OC awareness
this month, since my mom would have turned 69 next week.

I've recently become acquainted with "teal toes", an organization that looks to raise
awareness of OC through the simple act of painting one's toenails teal. You can
check them out at http://www.tealtoes.org/ where they have a website as cute and as simple as their premise: by wearing an unusual toenail polish color which inspires conversation, which also just so happens to be the color of the OC ribbon, we can raise awareness for this silent killer
of amazing women.

So this month I will be painting my toes teal, and I hope a few of you might join
me and help spread the word. The color that my daughters and I are
sporting is by Essie and is called "Trophy Wife" which just cracked me up. Too
late for me, but don't say I never gave my daughters any career aspirations.

In addition, I will be donating 25% ($1.15 to $2.25 per pattern) of all
direct pattern sales which I can track in any form (downloaded, retail,
wholesale, sold out of the trunk of my car, at a lecture or quilt show,
whatever) to Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. If you have a pattern you've enjoyed
of mine or have been wanting to try, please spread the word, because this month
you can help save lives just by sewing. My patterns can be found at Quiltwoman.com or patternspot.com (http://patternspot.com/designers/127-evapaige-quilt-designs) for instant download, and shops may contact myself or Quiltwoman.com,
Patterns Gone Digital or PatternPeddlers for wholesale terms. In addition, I will donate $1 for every pattern purchased at a shop if I am provided with a copy of the receipt for
purchase. I have no other way of tracking those patterns, but would like to
include them too.

Thank you for your support, and may we find a cure for this devastating disease.