The quilting community is at its best during the worst times.
49 dead in the Pulse nightclub shooting. Orlando Modern Quilt Guild organizes the insane #quiltsforpulse project.
5 Dallas police officers killed. Dallas Modern Quilt Guild and the Fort Worth Modern Quilt Guild follows with the amazing #quiltsforpeace drive.
And now, a trailer filled with one quilter’s business inventory and priceless quilts has been stolen out of a Houston hotel parking lot during International Quilt Festival Houston.
Jamie Wallen owns an Indiana-based business called Quilters Apothecary, and was in Houston to teach and have a booth selling products. The morning of Halloween, he posted this heartbreaking video to his personal Facebook page:
Later, he also posted this message to the Quilters Apothecary business page:
“For those attending Houston Quilt Festival….
Last night our trailer containing everything for the show was stolen from our hotel.
In it was all of our product and worst of all Jamie’s quilts including customer quilts he was bring to customers in Houston.
Unless a miracle happens we will not be at booth 1821 as we had planned.
If you are in the Houston area.. please keep a look out for our White 6X12 Haulmark V nose trailer with Indiana Plates.
Thank You”
Wallen later wrote that police told him security cameras at the hotel he was staying at were not operational, apparently because they were only two weeks old.
Several Houston and Indiana media outlets picked up Jamie’s story of loss, this spread through the quilting world like wildfire in that epic Game of Thrones episode. ABC13 Houston’s Facebook post about Wallen was shared over 1,600 times!
UPDATE: While the stolen trailer has been recovered by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Wallen posted another update on Facebook Thursday:
“Trailer found but badly Damaged. Quilts Gone! Pile of grid walls and remaining partial product damaged or destroyed…”
http://abc13.com/news/stolen-quilts-worth-$125k-found-by-sheriffs-office/1588081/
http://www.khou.com/news/crime/deputies-find-stolen-quilts-worth-over-100000/347324146
Nearly every single quilter I follow on social media has talked about it, and over $25,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe page in just two days.
Quilters are fiercely loyal to other quilters, and always step up when they see an opportunity to help others in need.
We cannot prevent tragedy, but we can respond with love.
I am proud to be part of this world.
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