Maggie's First Dance BOM #3

We're back! And guess who is not only your blogger of the moment today, but also the prize sponsor this month? OMG......IT'S ME! And my Mod-ified Trees kit! 

 So crazy, right? And here you all thought I was just hanging out behind the scenes, putting together my blocks and blogging wittily about the process. But as with all of us, in reality I'm so much more. This post should prove that by the end!

Let's get started on Block #3!

As you can see, mine continues in that blue/yellow/purple/green scrappy theme, and this time adds a touch of whimsy in the form of "I threw this thing together the night before I left for 10 days in Vancouver and Alaska and I didn't even bother to trim it before snapping the photo." But you get the idea. It's (basically) done and awaits only some machine applique thread work and trimming.

I'm going to show you in a second how I went about using the Transdoodle by Mistyfuse with my applique pieces because it might just be my most favorite new notion, but first let's point one thing out....remember my fancy little tip last month about flipping your fabric over and using the "wrong" side if it is just a little "too"? Well, this month my grey fabric was just a little too dark and features that little trick..and if you compare the photo above of the pieced grey pieces with the photo below of the grey piece I used for applique, you can totally see it. It's like two fabrics in one! Who wouldn't love that?

But yeah, on to the Transdoodle! Mistyfuse Iris is one of my sponsors for my Teal Mini Swap (more below) and in addition to sponsoring a blog giveaway, she also was kind enough to throw a Transdoodle in for me because I said I was a little bit fascinated with the idea of it. And then I used it for this block and man, I'm even  more so! It's a packet of tracing papers of different colors and tones (dark to light) with a powdery substance (not anthrax) (I'm assuming) on one side which you use to trace your applique shapes onto your fabrics prepared with Mistyfuse. No more #2 pencils and parchment! 

So here's what you do. First, rough cut your applique pieces (NOT THE SHAPES!) and fit them together as best you can on a piece of Mistyfuse. I used one about 10" square(ish).

It works much better if you can place the Mistyfuse on parchment first, but it is hard to see the Mistyfuse in the photo when I did that. So here's what it really looks like. I promise the Mistyfuse is there.

Then you are going to want to put a second layer of parchment over the top of the whole thing and press well. The Mistyfuse just kind of melts right into the fabric.

You can either cut your pieces apart once they are all fused, or just leave them together. I opted to leave them together and just line up my shapes with the fabrics I was going to use for them, but either way will work. Do what works best for you.

 To transfer the markings, I layered the Transdoodle sheet (I'm using white here, since I started with the flower, which is a dark color) on top of the WRONG SIDE of the fabric (ie the Mistyfuse side)

 Then all you have to do is trace with some sort of sharpish/bluntish object that won't make a mark, like a hera tool, a dry ballpoint pen, or raid the "weird tools" slot of your notions box and grab the kabob stick you use for turning tubes. That's what I used.

 I of course forgot to take a photo of the flower, but here you can see how the leaf shape turned out when I used the Transdoodle. Pretty cool, huh? Then all you have to do is cut it out and place it!

 Thanks Jacquelynne for another lovely little flower block.

Along with Maggie's BOM, I'd like to take a moment to talk about my current project, one that Jacquelynne was kind enough to help me out with by being a blogger and giveaway spot herself last week - My annual Teal Mini Swap. It's a mini swap (natch) and fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and I'm running it for the fifth year to coincide with September being Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Each year, I've been blessed to have quilters come together from all over the USA to join me in this event. Participants pay $15 to register, $10 of which is donated to Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The rest goes to my expenses, which thanks to the USPS are not insubstantial. Why OCRF? Simply put, they are leading the way in both research and awareness for this deadly horrible disease, and have been doing so ever since my mom was first in treatment 16 years ago. Even 14 years after her death I still receive their newsletters and am amazed by the advances, most of which might have kept her alive long enough to meet her first grandchildren in 2002 had they been available then....but it's still never enough. I don't want more women to be affected. I don't want quilters to have this disease happen to them. I can't prevent it, but I can use my  internet presence to make a difference each year. To date, my fundraiser has raised over 7000 dollars (including this year's registrations so far) for OCRF. Sure, it's not millions. But it's a start.

This year's fabric sponsor (I'm big enough for a fabric sponsor, anyway! Woo Hoo!) is Moda, and swappers all receive a piece of this fabric, modeled by me, to be used in the mini they will make for their partner.

 Registration began last week, and will continue until August 29. We've already got participants from 44 states and I'd love to turn the whole map teal!

Here's a few of the cool minis swappers received last year. You can see even more by scrolling through our Teal Mini Swap Facebook group. The talent in this group amazes me more every year.

Jacquelynne was lovely to help me out with the kickoff, so please check out her blog too! She just might inspire you. And if you want to register to join the swap, I certainly won't stop you! Let's kick ovarian cancer to the curb and run it over with the car for good measure.

But now back to this month's BOM giveaway, my cute little Mod-ified Trees kit. This silly little pattern is way fun to whip together and takes just an afternoon - FOR REAL! It's almost as much fun to pick out the fabrics, so I love putting together the kits!

It's even a really great pattern when done in country colors, like one customer made!

To enter to win the kit, please leave me a comment telling me if you like the color teal, or if you think teal is the color of gangrene. Or both. I suppose they don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive options! If you don't like teal, do tell me a color or palette you prefer to use instead when you create. We all have our favorites!

Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to Block #4 with you!

Three years later....my new website is here!

You just can't rush greatness. Or in my case, passable okayness. However I am thrilled beyond words to officially announce here on the blog that I am breaking up with my current website (www.evapaigequiltdesigns.com) in favor of a new and improved website experience (www.evapaigequilts.com) that for you features a clean look, easy to access info about my lecture and teaching schedule, and cool new products and for me features a way to update it that doesn't involve balding myself as I try to write code. Yes. Code. Me. There are oh so many reasons that was a disaster.

I'd love to know what you think, if you haven't already told me. Those on my FB page and newsletter already know all about it, but the blog suffers in summer. One more week! Until October, both sites will be live, so you can compare, contrast, and tell me how much better the new one is all you wish.

Anyway, to celebrate, I've been running a YAYNEWSITE sale on the products portion. When I lecture, I bring along all sorts of patterns and kits of my own, but I also like to include a few items for sale that I just couldn't live without for whatever reason, and neither should you. 20% off all purchases over $10 with code YAYNEWSITE through 8/31.

"Finally" doesn't even begin to express the feeling.

You have no idea how happy I am to have that checked off my summer list. Sadly a few other things didn't go as planned, but for the most part it's been okay. Number 8 certainly was accomplished, anyway.

Sigh. I used to have such nice nails before children.

One thing I totally forgot to add to the list was prepping for Teal Mini Swap, which of course takes a lot of time and energy, but the fabulousness of everyone helping to market this year has made the prep so much easier. With a week to go, we have almost the entire map teal! So exciting! If you are in a grey state, please join and help me meet my goal of all 50 states! If you are in a teal, please join and help fight ovarian cancer, which is way more important! The more the merrier - registration form HERE!

We see you, North and South Dakota. We know you have quilters.

With one more week to go before school is back in session, I'm losing my Quilt Vannas. But a second session of photography of "A Snowball's Chance" yesterday I think finally led to something my photo guru chick can use. God willing we are finally days away from the pattern release.

A Snowball's Chance, copyright 2015, pre photo fixer guru.

And as fall approaches, I'm looking at my schedule and hoping I survive the busy, but I can't stress enough how exciting it is to be booked solid for lectures and events this fall. I thank you for trusting your guild's entertainment and quilty inspiration to me for an evening. I'm especially excited to head to Wisconsin in a few weeks to give my "Give it a Scrap Slap" lecture at 10am every day, so if you are a midwestie, I expect to see you there!

Enjoy the final days of summer!

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!