The Book of Faces does not lie...it was seven years ago today that I mailed the very first community quilt to Othniel.
Othniel was a well beloved member of Street Prophets as well as Daily Kos. He was very, very sick with cellulitis in a leg, a deep seated infection that almost resulted in amputation. I put up a diary on Street Prophets asking for messages of love and support for him — and he saw it while he was in the hospital, awaiting surgery that was hoped to save his leg. He was so excited, he called for his partner and love of his life, austex54, to come to the hospital at 2am to read them together. The loving words, that were transcribed onto this quilt, were fresh in his mind when he went into surgery the next day. He believed it made a difference in his healing. Thereafter, whenever Othniel went into the hospital for care, the quilt went with him. When he had MRIs or CT scans, the quilt was draped over him. And when he passed away, rather suddenly from a virulent flu some years later, the quilt was featured prominently at his memorial service.
That’s how it all began! That was quilt 1 of 135 we have made since. And my sister, Ann, and I are still at work on them. Jen Hayden’s quilt is in progress (delayed by a plumbing failure in our house that resulted in water streaming into our sewing area). And quilts for gchaucer2 and Denise Oliver Velez are in the queue.
We love making these community quilts — and we love the way people come together to be kind to one another. We are also extremely grateful for the work — it has helped us to squeak by in a very hard economy. But in order to stabilize our economic lives so we can continue to make these quilts, my sister and I need to push our Pootie Pad business to the next level. We need a web site update, funds for advertising, and funds for materials and our labor to make the stock to satisfy increased demand. Thus we have started a Kickstarter!
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR KICKSTARTER!
If you have ever participated in a community quilt, either as a donor of messages and funds or as a recipient, or if you have ever bought or received a Pootie Pad (little quilts filled with herbs for pets and people) please support our Kickstarter with a pledge of any amount. And please leave a comment on the Kickstarter page if you pledge! There are regular donors on Kickstarter who do not know us and your comments will be our introduction to them! And please spread the word!
- Shout it to the rooftops to people who want to buy well-made, maker/artisan products, made in America.
- Tell people who will be delighted to help two mature women make a wonderful business in what has been a hard economy
- Know someone connected with an animal shelter or rescue organization? We would be especially glad for the introduction because Pootie Pads are very soothing to animals in transition from shelter to forever home — and where cats are concerned, Pootie Pads are a super effective attractant in a humane trap, too!
- Tell your family, friends, and neighbors! Tweet, Facebook, and share widely! Have them share with their networks!
- And remember, although the primary purpose of the Kickstarter is to Kickstart our business, there are rewards of Pootie Pads for different levels of giving. Think forward to the holidays! Pootie Pads make terrific gifts.
Ann and I extend a big thank you to Markos for founding this special place on the web where the magic of community quilts could happen. For seven wonderful years! We are grateful for the opportunity to start a small business out of the daily Pootie diary here on Daily Kos. Hugs and thank you for your long time support, Markos! We hope to make you very, very proud by succeeding in this!
HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE POOTIE PAD KICKSTARTER!
Namaste.