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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Missing Quilt Alert: CT Publishing Alert on missing quilts

My worst nightmares are those that are based on someone or something I love disappearing or being harmed.  I think most of us feel the same way about our family, friends and our quilts.  Thus, when a quilt that we've created turns up missing it is equally painful.  And, such a loss impacts our world wide quilting community.  Most obviously, it impacts the creator.   Show Exhibitors and Vendors work hard to ensure the safety and security of quilts on exhibit, as well as those in vendor booths.  But, when these things do happen, it is important to get the word out and be on alert for missing quilts and work to help find them and get them back in the hands of their respective owners.    Thus, SewCalGal wants to try to help track down missing quilts and will issue Missing Quilt Alerts as a public service announcement.

I hope you will help increase awareness of missing quilts and help in the effort to get missing quilts back into the hands of the creator and/or respective owners.

CT Publishing has recently announced that a few quilts, in their guardianship, disappeared "after" Spring Quilt Market 2011.  Hopefully it is just a matter that these items that were in CT Publishing's booth,  accidentally ended up in a box sent to someone else and the recipient hasn't opened them.  But, as CT Publishing has asked for help, I think it is good for all of us to familiarize ourselves with these quilts and be on the alert should we see them.  The items missing are 3 cover quilts and a table runner. 


CT Publishing is asking for help in finding these beautiful quilts.  They are offering a reward of $4,000 - no questions asked - for the return of these quilts.  If one quilt  is returned, the reward will be based upon the appraised value of the quilt.  Information and inquiries can be sent to  ctinfo@ctpub.com.

My personal hope is that these quilts are quickly returned to CT Publishing and ultimately to the creators of these quilts. 

While I recently found a non-quilting item, I enjoyed doing the "right thing" in returning a GPS I found while hiking in Zion National Park.  It took time to contact Garmin to see if they had any information on the owner of the GPS unit I found, but they did help connect us with the owner, whom we were able to ship the unit to.  It was rewarding to hear how the owner appreciated our honesty and getting their GPS unit back.  While this is a non-quilty experience, I share it in hope that we all work together to help find Missing Quilts and get them back into the possion of their respective owners.

Quilters that belong to quilt guilds, blog, have accounts on Facebook, or those with accounts on Twitters have the ability to help increase awareness on Mission Quilts and ultimately find them.  Please help increase awareness of missing quilts through any forum that you can.

Other sources to increase awareness of missing quilts, as well as quilters to use as a reference to be aware of missing quilts are:

Personally, I'd love to see every quilt store, quilt show, blogger, and quilter with Facebook and/or Twitter accounts take action to help increase awareness on lost quilts.  I believe if we actively help track down missing quilts, no questions asked, we will have more talented designers willing to share their works with us at shows and special events. 

If you have a Missing Quilt please email me a photo and details and I will gladly try to increase awareness in hopes that your quilt is also found.
On a positive side, lets all rejoyce in memory that Ricky Tims had beautiful quilts that were lost and eventually found.  Getting the word out can make a difference!

If you have recommendations on how to help find Missing Quilts, please let me know.  If you can help share insights on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Guild Meetings - Thank you for making a difference.



update:  CT Publishing has created a webpage that contains information for their original email message.  Click here if you wish to read their message.





24 comments:

Sunnybec said...

I have posted a link from my blog to yours. Linda

Melissa said...

Wow, this is the exact reason why I'm considering not submitting a quilt I designed to our local county fair. I just couldn't bear it if the quilt I made for my daughter were "lost". :( I hope these quilts are tracked down.

æble said...

Oh! I hope they show up soon. To spend that much time on something made with love to only have it lost.

Too bad you don't have the [like it] facebook button to press. I think that could increase the number of people putting it on facebook.

YankeeQuilter said...

I'll put this on my blog and facebook...how heartbreaking.

Barb said...

That would be someone's worst nightmare, being in charge of something and have it turn up gone. I do hope they get these items back for they truly are beautiful and someone put alot of work into them.

Mommarock said...

Oh my gosh! How horrible to do all that work.. and beautiful work and have it come up missing. I would be heartbroken. I sure hope they are able to find those beauties. I once found a wallet in Japan. Not being able to speak the language, I was still able to find a way to get that wallet and it's contents to it's owner.. (his entire paycheck).. they were extremely grateful. I was overjoyed with emotion at their kindness. It really feels great to do the right thing.

Cheryl said...

So sad! I had a miniature quilt stolen from the shoppe where I work. How can these people live with themselves!

Joanna said...

Those quilts are absolutely beautiful, and the work that went into them is obvious. Hopefully, their disappearance was an accident, and not intentional, and also hopefully, they are returned. I'm just going to put a link to your post on my blog, but if we all do something it might help. Very nice post.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

My son found a cell phone when camping in another state. My hubby had me call the 'home' number listed in the phone before the battery died. I'd contacted the owners wife to get the phone returned before her hubby's or my guys camping trips were over. Good lesson for my kids. I hope they find those quilts. Stealing is stealing, and its wrong!

Lynette said...

I just read about another amazing quilt that by all indications was stolen, not lost. It makes me very angry that this is a problem. :( What is WRONG with people?

Jocelyn said...

This is just so shocking. I've read about other quilts being stolen or "lost" in the mail. Very sad to think that people will steal a quilt that someone has put their heart and soul into. We had this happen locally as one designer was doing a truck show at a LQS and a quilt that was featured in one of her books turned up missing, stolen right under their noses.

Susanne Woods said...

Thank you so much for helping us get the word out!

Pokey said...

That is so sad! My sweet MIL had a best of show Cathedral Window quilt stolen in Nebraska. You never forget! Thanks for the heads up, Darlene ~
:-}pokey

Miss Hillbilly said...

It is very sad when a quilt get lost. One of the first quilts that I made got stolen off of my brothers body when he passed away in the Hospice. The nuns had checked on him and the quilt was on him..they came to call me on the phone to tell me that it was near the end...they went back in the room...and he had passed and the quilt was gone.

Anonymous said...

I'll put this on my blog, and try to put it on my Facebook page for OleFrogEyes (I'm new at this...bear with me!) I hope we can bring these quilts home!
Jacque in SC
quiltnsrep(at)yahoo(dot)com

Ann Marie @ 16 Muddy Feet said...

I hope that they are in someones trunk, and just forgot that they were there.

Katie M. said...

It would be nice if, before every quilt show, the guild sponsoring the show would have a central site to go to that lists all missing quilts. They could then, possibly, be of service in finding some of these quilts. Just a thought.

æble said...

Thanks for the heads up on my no email blogger status.

MJ said...

Great service to provide! I would be terribly sad to lose a beautiful quilt such as those.

DianeY said...

I truly can't imagine what kind of person would actually steal a quilt! Unreal!

The Vegetarian Hunter said...

That is awful. I am going to make a link to your post on my blog to try and help spread the word.

Thearica said...

I always cringe when I hear about this happening... and I am like the other poster... It makes me NOT want to enter a quilt... but we cannot let it keep us in fear like that....It might mean the entry fee would go up, but installing 24 hr. security cameras on every square foot of the convention area sounds like a necessity.

Sparky said...

YOu know Darlene...I never thought these things happen..first how does it even happen..how do you steal a quilt from a show..? Certainly not during a live show...must be when they are packing things away...? Sadly those who lost their quilts must feel devastated.... I guess I cannot imagine anyone every stealing anything except maybe our hearts when something like happens...a reminder some people must need something pretty desperately to do this...

Melissa @Lilac Lane said...

I put this up on my blog this morning.