October? Again? Already? Time goes by so quickly sometimes...
Many of you are making items for the relief effort, and many more are preparing for winter. Quilters are hard at work making warm and comfortable quilts for this winter, which threatens to be a cold one. Garb makers are busy on their coronation and twelfth night clothing. Scrapbook and rubber stamp aficionados are in high gear preparing for the family gatherings this season. In general, everyone is busy, busy, busy.
So are you taking care of yourselves?
October is breast cancer awareness month. We have lost too many good people to breast cancer, and I don't want to lose any of you. So here is a list of things you can do this month, and all year long, to help find a cure, or at least treat people early, when it counts.
No one enjoys them, but they are one of the best ways to catch breast cancer early, when it is most easily treated.
There are many good WebPages with links for health information, and many articles will be in this month's women's magazines.
Most of these fabrics are best suited to quilting, but some of them would work in a skirt or dress, a doll, a placemat, or some other craft. Genuine Quiltfor-a-Cure fabrics are designed by Bonnie Benn Stratton, and part of the proceeds from their sale goes to fund breast cancer research.
There are quilting contests, bike rides, walks, runs, magazine contests, and any number of other fundraisers. You should be able to find one that you can get involved in.
You like them, right? You want them to stick around for a while, right?
If you don't know what else to do, give a ride to the hospital, or make dinner for a patient and their family.
Easily done. There are more WebPages, more stories, and more groups that will happily share information on this problem than any one person could read. Or talk to, all month.
There is more to this month than preparing for Samhain (Halloween), so take the time to take care of yourself, and be around for many seasons to come.
I am going to use the rest of this space for links, writings, and musings that you may find of interest or use at this time.
My basic list of ways you can help on the home front. Probably old news to most of you by now, so feel free to email me with suggestions.
Aiding and Comforting the Wounded and the Warriors
Some suggestions for what you can do and make to help the victims, rescuers, and our service people. I have included some "Dos and Don'ts" for quilts.
My ideas, and not mine alone apparently, on how to defuse a lot of problems in Afghanistan for our military forces. Feel free to print this out, add your signature, and mail it to the press, government, or whomever.
Craft Patterns (Coming soon)
Some very basic craft patterns, for things you can make to help comfort a child or an adult.
(These will open in a new webpage.)
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)