What a beautiful model!

A few months ago, before FEEL GOOD GOWNS was a "real" business, I was contacted by a reporter with the Chicago Tribune who was doing an article on the growing trend of home made hospital gowns. The story was fun to do and ran both in the Chicago Tribune and some of their affiliates. (You can read it here.)

I got a few emails from the article, and also a some posts in my guestbook on my AVM website. It was all very positive and just helped to really cement my intention to make this business happen.

And then I received an email from a very nice lady Mary, who's dear friend Mimi was undergoing chemo. She asked if I could make a special gown for Mimi in purple which is the color for Pancreatic Cancer. Of course I can!!! We conspired on some possible fabric options and Mary let her daughter (Mimi's daughter in law) pick the final print for the gown.

This was my first gown for a complete stranger. I'll admit I was a little nervous! All of my other creations had been requests or gifts for people that I knew through my AVM journey and other friends. So I was very interested to know what Mimi thought of this and to see if the gown and the general idea for FEEL GOOD GOWNS was as viable as me and my little bubble thought. And I received a wonderful response from Mary and later Mimi. I was so happy to have been able to do this for them and so touched by Mary's desire to help her friend. It was just a confirmation to me that this was needed and was GOOD!

Mimi has since been kind enough to send me a couple of pictures modeling her gown. I'm going to add these to the website under the "One of a Kind" category and also, of course, in "Share the Love!"



Thanks Mimi for being such a gorgeous model and for letting me use your pics :) And of course, thank you for your support and your willingness to spread the word about FEEL GOOD GOWNS! I wish you the best in your treatment and recovery!



Shalon

On Fire!

Totally loving the first completed gown featuring the "On Fire!" pattern from Alexander Henry Fabrics. Super Cute and reminds me of Hot Wheels.

LaVonne Edition Specials!

That's right people my mommy is here this weekend! And she is all ready to get her SEW on! We have a couple orders to fill today and these customers are super lucky to get "LaVonne Edition" items.
My mom taught my sister and I to sew when we were kids. And we both hated it. I didn't have the patience to pin the material much less spend the time to cut it and sew it. I guess it is a reflection of me being part of the "now" generation and needing instant gratification.
So imagine my mom's surprise when I launched this little business years later! "I'm shocked! Absolutely Shocked..." she says when she thinks about having to force us to sew as kids and my willingness to do it now.
I guess we can all thank my mom for torturing me as a child and at least giving me the background and skill set to make FEEL GOOD GOWNS a reality now!

Shalon

Gown Options

Yes, we can make shoulder snaps or a telemetry pocket! And if you have some other special requirement let us know and we will try our very best to accommodate you.

Got an email this morning from a very nice lady Karen who was asking whether or not we include shoulder snaps in our gowns. And the answer is...that depends! :)

Many patients do indeed need metal snaps at the shoulders. This allows the gowns to have wires and tubes easily routed through the arms without having to actually remove the gown and get all tangled or untangled. It's very convenient for the hospital staff.

Another reason for snaps is the convenience provided for chemo patients who have a port located by their shoulder. Unsnapping a few or the entire row, access to the port will be no problem.

But not everyone needs or should have snaps. If the patient is going to be in Radiology or an MRI, metal can interfere with the images that they are having taken. Nobody wants to mess up those pretty pictures! If you are in for an outpatient procedure, the amount of time you have to deal with the IV may not be enough to worry about snaps!

So be sure to check with your doctor or hospital facility to find out if you need your gown to accommodate anything special before you buy. They will easily be able to tell you what is allowed and recommended.

Shalon

First News Article!

Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw an email from my friend Kim about a google alert she had just received for FEEL GOOD GOWNS! What?!?!? I was super excited and totally needed to check it out. Problem was I was already in my car on the way to work. I'll admit it...I broke the rules and was on my cell phone when I shouldn't have been. And the universe was conspiring against me at that point with the pitch black sky combined with a bright red line to indicate a virtually dead cell phone battery. So like a good little girl I put the phone down and patiently waited until I actually arrived at work to look it up. And totally drove the speed limit the entire way. :)

As the website was loading all I could see was the title "AVM Survivor Creates Feel Good Gowns." Yes! That is true! That is me! I did that! My mind was racing trying to figure out how this possibly could have happened so quickly. It was really only two days ago that I officially launched the site (and by launch I mean I announced it on FB. That counts right?) How did I already make it into the news? I mean I know I'm cool, but even the coolest people don't have things happen this fast. ;) Or maybe they do?

And then I saw it. "by Louisa Singh" was written under the title of this article. My heart just melted and I wanted to cry with happiness. How have I become so lucky in life to be surrounded by such wonderful people? I don't know the answer to that but I believe it whole heartedly.

Louisa is a fellow AVMer whom I met just shortly after becoming involved with AVM Survivors Network, an online support community for people affected by AVM. She has the same condition as I do and we were able to connect right away. Young and absolutely beautiful, a wife and brand new mother...Louisa has such a happiness about life and a positive outlook about her AVM. She is exactly what FEEL GOOD GOWNS is all about! Bringing love and happiness to those that need it. Being cheerful despite the lemons that life throws your way. Loving those around you and helping them when you can. And did I mention she is gorgeous?

And so here is the proof of the kind of FEEL GOOD friend that Louisa is. Only a day after being official, she has given us such an awesome gift with this news article!

Check it out! and be one of the cool kids to read FEEL GOOD GOWNS very first news article!

Louisa- you're the best! Thank you from the bottom, top, sides, and every other place in my heart.

Shalon

And we are OPEN for business!

The idea for FEEL GOOD GOWNS was not originally intended to become a business. I just wanted to avoid the unsightly, ugly, gray, grody, (you get the picture) gowns for my monthly trips to Swedish Medical Center in Colorado. It was purely selfish!

But with the debut of my first gown I knew that this was something that was needed, something good, and something that I was going to make happen!

I continued to revise the pattern of the gown, figured out the best material for the ties, played with beautiful fabric, designed a matching belongings bag and of course the caps! All the while creating some great gowns for myself and some super cute gifts for friends that I met on my medical journey. If I wasn't already convinced to do this, the amount of joy that I saw my gifts bring to people certainly sealed the deal. Such a simple thing...a little cotton and some sewing...but it made so many people smile and brought such love and happiness to an otherwise unfotunate day at the hospital.

And so one day while camping in Hope Valley with my husband and our pup, FEEL GOOD GOWNS was born!

It was a wonderful day, the sun was shining and we were enjoying a peaceful day in a green meadow surrounded by mother nature and enjoying the beauty of the Sierra Nevada's. THIS is where a person wants to be, not in a cold and sterile white hospital room. And while I knew I couldn't transport people to this magical spot, I did know that custom hospital attire with wonderful fabrics and patters could make them FEEL like they were somewhere else. It could help them to FEEL GOOD on a day that is otherwise scary, cold, and dreaded. It could do GOOD. And afterall, the human spirit wants to be happy, wants to be healthy, and wants to be helpful. And on that day in that beautiful meadow MY spirit wanted to find a way to make that happen.

It's been months in the making, but FEEL GOOD GOWNS is finally open for business. And I couldn't be more excited!

I hope that you will see the simple goodness in having your own custom hospital attire. Whether for yourself or for a loved one, our products will help to make you FEEL GOOD during your hospial stay. So get all decked out in our Fabulous and Fashionable products!

Shalon Whitgob