Quilters, Anniversaries, and a Goal

As I write our Anniversary newsletter on Saturday afternoon, Sophie and I have just flown home from Ohio this morning.

Yesterday we taped 2 segments of Quilting Arts TV with Pokey Bolton which was a lot of fun, but perhaps the best part was seeing what the other artists brought to the studio. I did a segment on Fabric and Color Trends, and Sophie did a segment with a Japanese theme. (These will air on PBS later this year – and we will post clips on the eQuilter video page when available.)

Sophie's favorite part was watching the 2 other artists ( Ana Buzzalino and Marcia Derse) prepare in the Green Room, and then we got to watch their live demos on a TV monitor while they were being taped. Ana's precise freemotion quilting (and lilting Argentinean accent) were mesmerizing, while Marcia's innovative fabric painting made us want to run out and get our rubber gloves! (and paint!)

On the way back on the plane, I was musing over how far this industry has come, and how much incredibly creative and innovative artwork has been generated by this "movement" we call Quilting. There is room for everyone here. I include everyone from patchwork aficionados, to those who splatter paint on PFD greige goods. We are all Fabric Nuts, and the two factions of quilting (traditional vs. contemporary) get along better than the two political parties in the US. Ha! As we move into the thick pea soup of election year, I'll hang with the quilters, thank you very much.

This week we are celebrating our 13th anniversary here at eQuilter, which means if eQuilter were a kid, we'd be entering the teen years. How did that happen?

It is also the year that we reach a long dreamt-of goal…. reaching a total of $1 million raised for charity. We made a commitment, our first year of business, to give a percentage of SALES, not a percentage of profits, and our commitment has racked up $100K a year for the last several years, but has also earned us a fiercely loyal following of like-minded friends and customers who share in our mutual accomplishment. We estimate that we will reach this goal around July 1st, and that will be a celebration in itself!

Last night I had dinner with Kathy and Bob Price, from Mission of Love. Kathy was our partner last year, in shipping and distributing your 2155 donated quilts to a devastated community on the Northeast shore of Japan. The colonel who has worked with us on this project, was sent to Afghanistan, made a captain, and will be returning to the US later this year. Kathy asked Sophie for ideas about our next project together, and we had a lively conversation about sending quilts to orphans in various poverty-bound countries. One thing we can agree upon: this has been a productive partnership over the last 13 years. (quilts gathered and distributed to victims and survivors of 9/11, Katrina and Rita hurricanes, Haiti earthquake, and Japan tsunami.)

I bring this up because tomorrow, March 11, is the one year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. If you follow my travel newsletters, you know they are still dealing with the devastating consequences of this unfathomably massive disaster. We'd like to send out our thoughts and prayers to those still struggling with the aftermath there in Japan, but also to those who have suffered loss here in the US, and around the world, from natural disasters. The quilting community is incredibly generous and where there's a need, you'll find quilters lining up to help in any way they can. Bless you.

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13 Years ago this weekend, we opened our little online fabric business in the basement of our home.

Today we have 22,000 products online,
in stock and ready to ship all over the world.

With over 1200 new products per month,
we've got our finger on the pulse of the hottest trends in the industry.

In a few months our total raised for charity will hit $1 million – thanks to your support.

It's time for our *famous*
ANNUAL eQUILTER ANNIVERSARY SALE!

1800 products from 40% to 70% Off
– as our "thank you" for your friendship and support.