Dear Blogspot: You are not FB. Stop acting like it.

Today started out with a few rounds of me dancing through the house singing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" after three straight weeks of general life disruption due to real and school vacations culminated in that glorious moment when everyone returned to work and school and left me with a quiet home for the morning. All that was missing in my Staples commercial reinactment was the shopping cart.

We had a fabulous few weeks and a great vacation to DC (travelogue to follow), but I'm raring to accomplish stuff again.

I'd have loved to get right into writing this blog post, but sadly Blogspot had decided in my absence to go all FB rogue on me and changed my layout, fonts, colors, etc when I wasn't looking. Really, Blogspot? Are you trying to live up the the initials I could give you, which would be BS? Anyway, I have no idea what the heck happened but I think I have it mostly back to normal after a quick 20 minute session of swearing at the website. The only thing I don't know how to fix is the red post titles, but maybe we can all just get used to them.

So I know you are all dying to know what I did during Endless Spring Break 2012. The big excitement was our trip to Virginia and DC, and if you read my previous post you already know the actual car ride with three youngish children went about as could be expected. Needless to say, it wasn't always this joyous.

To be honest, that there was probably the only moment there was no fighting, so thank God it was captured for all eternity. Overall we had a great time, though. Who knew quilt pattern inspiration might come from places such as the Governor's Palace at Colonial Williamsburg?

Or from some other random house there I forgot to note the name of?

I managed to stop myself from whipping out a tape measure, mainly because I do not travel with one, and sketching up a few design ideas, but I do love both of those as inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, I plan to tape this one to the frige for dishwashing inspiration for P and E. Why is it so much fun to do dishes in the 1770s but not so much fun in 2012?

Eva found some jewel tones she'd like to see in a quilt at the Natural History Museum.

Greta and Paige would have helped me find some inspiration, but they were too busy being eaten by sharks and dinosaurs.

Once we returned and between playdates and girl scout activities and drama presentations and dance makeups and another mind blowing day trip to Wegmans I had to get some quilting done. I can't show the entire project, but here is a little fun I was having last week with prairie points, something I have never really used in designs before but I think I may use more frequently because I just had way too much fun.

Now, let's see what happens when I hit publish. Will Blogspot let the post look normal, or do they have other things in store?

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!

Sightings of UFOs less frequent

Please join me as I welcome Nan Baker, from Purrfect Spots blog and pattern design, as my guest blogger today. Nan is talented in many areas of fiber arts and is apparently on a UFO cleanup extravaganza! Come see how she's doing!

"Don't you just love it when you finish a UFO – (Unfinished
Object)? Well I am in the process of doing just that as I am working on 2 quilt
designs and just needed to step back for a day or two. Being a little frazzled,
I decided it was time to clean the C.A.T. House –




that stands for Creative Arts & Textiles now although it
used to be where the kitties lived until they got their own condo! But that's
another story….

Well, in clearing the cutting table, folding fabrics, putting
books up, and straightening shelves, I stumbled upon several UFOs. They were
neatly folded and tucked away for safe keeping. That's no good. I worked hard
on those. What are they doing on the shelf? I decided their shelf life was over
and quickly got to work.

Now these UFOs are not my designs – they are what I call my
"Fun Stitching"! I can just get lost in someone else's pattern and not try to create all the time. It gives my brain a rest and I usually keep one of these going all the time for a
breather, so to speak. I can just chill!

Now these particular items were from my embroidery, cross stitch
and needlepoint days! Ok – I've got to stop here and just let it be known. I LOVE
HANDWORK! I also love sewing on the sewing machine as well and the many hours I
have spent on my old reliable Singer is like spending quality time with a very
good friend. The whirr of the motor, the turn of the wheel – it just feels right
and when you have been away too long it feels so good to get reacquainted! I
know you stitchers know exactly what I am talking about!

But then there is HANDWORK. There is just something about
feeling those threads in your fabric creating beautiful and intricate designs plus
painting pictures with floss. You can sit curled up in your comfortable chair
(with a kitty sleeping near by) and have a "purrfect" little world
all to yourself – thanks to fabric, needle, thread & scissors (plus
glasses). For me it is the one place that I am "in control" of my
life. But as the years have gone by I discovered that embroidery, cross stitch,
needlepoint, knitting and crocheting are not the only forms of handwork for me.
I discovered Hand Quilting! Never
thought I would and said many times – no way would I quilt by hand. Lesson
learned – never say never! Everytime I see small squares I want to sew them
together and just keep going. Here is one of my hand quilts (I've given the
others away).



But I digress.


So to return to the UFOs - I guess at one point I thought I
was going to get them framed so put them aside until I could do that. However
now that quilting has entered the picture there are endless possibilities for
these projects. They were just waiting for me to discover the right finish for
them! The first project completed was a traditional British wool embroidery kit
from Phillipa Turnbull of The Crewel Work Company. It is called
"Elizabethan Snails" (You know I have to have some form of wildlife).
I won't tell you how many years it took me to stitch the 2 snails (I mean they
are snails and not big) but it took awhile! Anyway, I thought a lovely forestry
fabric was just the right thing for a lovely woodland pillow. You can just
imagine these snails on the forest floor. Don't you agree?




I then turned to my needlepoint piece. Yes it is a Dalmatian
dog. I do love "spots". It is from the Ansley
Needlepoint Collection. Isn't he great? I added the red
strips to the sides and used polka dots for the back.







And last but not least there is the cross stitch piece.
Isn't this fun? It is by Dimples Designs and it is called The Mushroom
Tabernacle Choir. I did the Christmas version which features the red and green
floss and
beads. I found an earthy fabric that matches the mushrooms
and used strips on the side and back.



It is such a good feeling to finish projects and be able to
display them in your house rather than have them on a shelf or tucked away in a
drawer. And the best part of all, I have been able to combine all my favorite
forms of stitching together so to speak. It just doesn't get much better than
that! Would love to hear your thoughts or see your projects!

Thank you Beth for letting me share my thoughts and projects
on your blog!

Nan Baker – PURRFECT SPOTS – http://www.purrfectspots.blogspot.com/
and
The Quilt Pattern Magazine – Marketing – http://www.quiltpatternmagazine.com

Thank you, Nan! I love the idea of having another designer's project going as "fun stitching" at all times. We all need to get away from our own ideas now and then, especially when they aren't working out as planned. Not that that ever happens to me of course. But there are just so many fun patterns out there I want to try; I must make time to do so.

Strippin' in Pepperell - and beyond? Maybe?

I just this morning created an album on my EPQD facebook page of the four quilts I know of that have been made from my Quite Contrary pattern. As I lamented in the album description, it is so rare that quilters send photos to pattern designers of their own interpretations of the designers' patterns, and believe me, most of us would love to see what you are creating and get extremely excited when we get the chance, so when I got to see these others it was a rare but gratifying moment. I refuse to let the fact that the two other quilters featured are both good friends of mine and live in my town and one was actually paid to make one for me as a test pattern dampen my feeling of excitement over the fact that SOMEONE ELSE made this pattern.

All four quilts shown were quilted by Melissa Heys of The Completed Quilt, not coincidentally located in Pepperell MA. We take "Shop Local" to heart around here. A close up of some of the lovely quilting:



And maybe by posting the photos and my thrill, more people will come forward and show me their QC quilts. Here's hoping, because I would truly love to see them and add them to the album! So if you've made one, or plan to, get going, send me a photo, and join our QC strip club!

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.

It's Guest Blogger Tuesday (aka A Day Off For Me) and we're going to kick it all off with a post from Meg Murray of The Works of Our Hands, whom I met when she helped created my KS cover quilt (she made the yellow block with the bees which is the favorite of everyone) and participated in my DaGMT challenge in February. Her blog is full of musings about quilting and sewing and contains just enough dry humor to make me love her. It's also where I found this fabulous button and while I don't know if she created it or not, it always makes me think of her.

Meg is a girl after my own heart and a choir to whom I can preach, as you will see. Enjoy!

"There are a million lists to think about at three in the morning. In my head there's a housework list, a schoolwork list, a sewing project list. There's a list of Shakespeare's Hamlet characters and potential costumes for each one that I have to design and create in the next few weeks. There's a list of places I should stop by and see if they'll hire me for a 'real' job since we've been unemployed for a while now and things are uncertain.There's even a list of places I want to run away to when I think about trying to do everything on all the lists.

Of course, when I get up in the actual morning, the lists go *poof*! My day doesn't have an organized checklist that I smugly check off, item by item, as I serenely accomplish each task. My days are a frenzy of "What's next?" , "Can it wait?" and "Really? I said I'd do that?"

The only constant in my day, besides eating and sweetened iced tea, is sewing. I have to sew something. If I don't actually sew it I have to at least organize it. Cut something out, lay out a pattern, read a quilting magazine, fold some fabric--- anything that gets me in touch with my sanctuary.

I can joke about my stash or being a fabricholic but really it's no different than one who curls up with a book or takes a walk or watches Lifetime movies to escape for a little while. We all need a refuge. We need to think about something else besides work, school projects, what's for dinner. But quilters/crafters need something more to break the routine of everyday life. We need an outlet. We see beauty in scraps and love in a finished project. It doesn't take much. We get a feeling of accomplishment in the small things--- we can take just as much pride in a quilt block as we do the completed quilt--- because it's not the product; it's the journey where we find joy.

A perfect day is one when I can sew all I want and what I want without the nagging feeling that I'm supposed to be doing something else. For years I put off sewing because there was housework to do and I felt I shouldn't be sewing unless everything else was "perfect". Guess what I finally figured out? It's never going to be perfect! It's amazing what I can accomplish now that I let go of perfect. I am a happy person. Everyone around me is happier too! I often don't want to leave my sewing 'cave' but when I have to I can face my tasks at peace because I've grounded myself. I fed ME.

Sew something everyday, even if it's just a few minutes to feed your seamster soul. Your peace of mind will thank you."

Thank you, Meg!