ffq-lar Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 A guild-mate shared a story with me. Several years ago she learned at a quilting class that it's a good idea to place your owners info in a hidden spot on your quilts. She signs her name and address with indelible ink within the seam allowance of the backer where it will be hidden after the binding is applied. She puts the info near the same corner where she puts the label. This holiday she "lost" a quilt off the end of the guest bed and suspected a woman who had accompanied a relative to a holiday get-together. Chilling, huh? With some sleuthing with the relative they learned that the quilt was with the "friend" and suspected she might give it to someone for Christmas! Police were called and the "friend" told them her mom had made the quilt and of course the label was removed. While my friend had some "decor" photos of the quilt folded on the bed, she didn't have a full shot. So she told the police where to find her hidden signature. When the police asked the guilty party to show them the area on the quilt, she admitted she stole it. She was charged with theft and was stunned when she learned the market value of the quilt. I just thought I'd offered this tip to add to all the label tips recently shared. Happy New Year to my APQS family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Szymaszek Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Chilling yes, and sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delld Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW!!! Glad the quilt came home!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaC Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 You just think that kind of stuff will never happen to you but this shows you just how quickly it can happen! I need to start doing that myself - at least on my more valuable quilts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharonarooni Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 OMG!!! That is so sad. It's shameful that some think they can get away with that kind of deception. Thanks for sharing this. I is a great tip to remember and use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I can't even imagine somebody coming in and stealing a quilt off my bed. Chilling is one word for it but I'm thrilled that she got it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I was told one day that all thieves are liars. Every liar isn't a thief, just every thief is a liar. Makes total sense once I thought about it. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I’m a very trusting soul (too much so! as I’ve been told). I don’t know why it always shocks me when someone does something like this? I just don’t understand how some people can take something that doesn’t belong to them and not think twice about it?! The guilt would kill me! I guess I believe that everyone is like I am, someone who is honest and treats others as they want to be treated. This is one of my biggest fault! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggienoella Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Who would think that you'd have to do something like that to try to protect yourself from someone taking a quilt. Wonder how we can microchip our quilts like we do our pets? I thought about microchipping DH, then wondered, why? LOL Joan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I am like Liam. I just throw caution to the wind and give a total stranger a hug if they look like they might need one. I open my home to folks and let them go about their business like they own the place. One day something of mine will go missing and I will be stunned. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aleksich Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Good information to share. I had not thought of someone stealing the quilt right off a bed in my own home, I most likely would have given it to her it she had admired it and thought she could use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonbon Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 UNBELIEVABLE!! I think I'll start marking my quilts in this way. Thanks Linda for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy-ON Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I have been thinking of adding the info in a hidden place, your story reaffirms the need to. Thanks for sharing. I too am always shocked at what some people will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Whether the item was valued at $20 or $2,000, it is unbelievable that someone would would steal from the home they were a guest in !!!! How on earth did they think they would get away with it when the item went missing after they were there???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 This kind of thing (theft) has crossed my mind when I stay at Bed and Breakfasts while on vacation. When I go on vacation, I don't like to be frugal. It's my vacation, and I work hard for my $$ so I like to stay in higher end hotels, or I usually try to stay in nicer, higher end specialized B&Bs. When I do stay in the B&Bs, I am living in a home with very exquisite decor, many are filled with antiques and lovely stuff. I have often thought "Wow, someone could just pick this up, pack it in their bag and walk out with it." (not me, of course... I wouldn't dare do it... but I have wondered about how easy it would be for other less-than-morally-ethical people). Anyway, I have asked the owner of the B&B if they were ever worried about theft. They said "We can usually tell right away if something is missing, and if it goes missing, we can easily pinpoint and we know who did it." Crazy, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Whether the item was valued at $20 or $2,000, it is unbelievable that someone would would steal from the home they were a guest in !!!! How on earth did they think they would get away with it when the item went missing after they were there???? Honestly (IMHO) I truly think that there are a lot of people running loose who are not 100% completely healthy in the mind. Seriously. I am not giving excuses for mentally ill people, but I think there are a lot of crazy people out there. I am not saying this lightly. Mental illness in our population is much more prevalent than we think it is. Just read the newspaper or the police blotter. Or drive down the highway. Get my point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qltnbe Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Like the value of this quilt should make a difference for this woman! Geesh. Unbelievable. When I had my quilts quilted by a machine quilter, she would stitch my name and year somewhere in the quilt. In fact, I have one right now that I still haven't found it, but that would be another way to label it. As for micro chips....I do believe those are available for quilts. I remember a gal from our guild who was selling them. They weren't cheap. She no longer attends, but I bet if you googled it, you could find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage Keepsakes Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Thanks for the reminder Linda, of taking extra care when trying to protect our quilts. I have a friend that does this exact thing with signing her show quilts, for this very reason. Its a shame that the quilt making, giving, showing process has to be connected with security and preventative measures in the event of loss or theft. Thank goodness the people we are protecting our quilts from, are in the very minority in the quilting arena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaSteller Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 What an absolutely horrible thing to steal someone's quilt and claim a family member made it, but such good advice about how to prove it's yours. Thanks for sharing the story Linda. I'm glad it had a good outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 I'm still wondering how she managed to get it out the door. Perhaps it was cold and she was wearing a long coat? I keep thinking and can't figure it out. It's sad that there are people who think they are entitled to others belongings and no thought of what the owner put into it, or how badly they need it (like a stolen wallet or purse.) or what their intended use is. Those people need prayers. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamu Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 It really is sad that these things happen. Thank goodness she got her quilt back and the lady was charged. Who knows how many times she has done this to others?? We have a small quilt show put on by the guild every year, maybe 100 quilts in the show. I was walking through it and noticed a table runner that looked just like one I had made and sold. When I turned it over, there was my signature written in black marker on the back close to a seam! I looked at the entry form information and this woman had entered it as her own work!! She had gotten First place, blue ribbon which included a small prize. I told the guild president and she was horrified that this had happened. Evidently, this lady thought she could claim the runner as her own work because she purchased it from me. Interesting how people's minds work when they want to win something. Our small county fair always has some very lovely quilts entered. They do try to have people in the 'craft' section to make sure things are not fondled or disturbed. A friend of mine was there looking at the quilts when she noticed a lady take a quilt off of display, fold it over her arm and walk out of the building with it. She happened to know who the maker of this quilt was and it was NOT the lady taking the quilt. Also, there was two more days left in the fair and she knew that entries were not to be removed until the fair was over. She immediately told the security and fortunately they were able to locate the lady. This woman told them that the quilt belonged to a friend of hers and this 'friend' had told her to retrieve the quilt. Security asked her the name of the 'friend' which she couldn't tell them the correct name as the label on the quilt had the true owners name on it. This thief was surprised that there even was a label on the quilt! So, the quilt was returned and this thief was escorted off the property...yes, no charges as she had not stepped off the property and so they said they couldn't charge her with theft. Really??? anyway, it was a great lesson for me ... I have never entered another quilt in the local fair. These horrid things do happen and just like the Master Artist's of the world...we need to protect our creations. There have been times when I wrote my name in black marker under the label. So if someone does take the label off, my name is still on the quilt. The black marker I use is the kind that will never wash out...like what we use to use putting names on gym clothes. Works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Shana, down south we call crazy people (not mentally ill people cause that might be me) "One bubble off the middle!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted December 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Several friends won't enter any of their quilts in any show because of the fear they will disappear. And many of them have show-worthy quilts. Most shows have diligent security in the aisles. I'm amazed when I hear of quilts being taken from vendor booths! The vendors can't watch everything when they're busy--it's a shame. As for how the quilt was taken off the bed--suspicions are that this thief picked it up and headed out a sliding door in the master bedroom that led to the deck and then to the trunk of her car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Shana, down south we call crazy people (not mentally ill people cause that might be me) "One bubble off the middle!" Or.........."a few bricks short of a load"..............:>) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.