Being an international teacher in the quilting industry has provided me the unique and exciting opportunity to meet some of the most gifted, creative, and down-right wonderful people from all walks of life, all over the world. You’ve heard me say it before, but it is one of the best perks this “career” has to offer!
So it always astonishes me when I hear something truly awful has happened to another quilting professional, such as the loss (i.e. THEFT) of quilt(s) or other items. I admit, hearing of this situation has been a rare occurrance up to now but honestly, I have heard of this happening on two occassions recently. In the first instance, a treasured family heirloom quilt was stolen during a trunk show being given by a national teacher at a national venue. Naturally, this gal was just crushed to think that someone attending her presentation would be so dishonest (and gutsy!) as to steal a precious quilt right from under her nose!
In the second instance, my dear friend, Kay Capps Cross, of Cross Cuts, had her beautiful quilts and the entire contents of her booth stolen while the boxes were in the process of being shipped back to her home after Quilt Market in Houston, Texas. The worst part was (as if losing the quilts was not awful enough!) that she lost all the orders she had taken from customers and clients at Quilt Market, with no way to contact them to replace or duplicate the orders!
I find it unfathomable someone could and would do such a thing as to steal boxes of merchandise, including tables, drapes, Kay’s really cool black-and-white foam puzzle flooring, quilts, patterns, and more. Other than just to try and make a buck selling this stolen merchadise, what other motivation could there have been? Call me naive, but are there really people out there who are so dishonest and so malicious they could do this and then turn around and sleep soundly at night?
Needless to say, Kay is heartbroken and furious at the same time. I don’t blame her. She is not getting any assistance from the authorities, including the Houston police department, as she tries to file reports and find the person or people who have done this thing. I offered to do anything I could to help, and one way I can help is to publish photos of some of the items that have been stolen in the hopes someone out there in cyberspace might spot these missing items (they are quite distinctive!) and report it to Kay or the proper authorities immediately. So, please keep your eyes open for the following quilts and products from Cross Cuts. You just never know where or when they might turn up, and you could become the next good Samaratin by helping to put a stop to quilt theft!
Were any of these ever recovered?
Good question, Pat. I’ll have to send an email to Kay and inquire about the status of her beautiful quilts. She is such a sweet, generous and talented lady. I can’t imagine how anyone could have done this.
Thanks for checking, and I’ll keep you all posted!