Mistress Hemlock's Threaded Tales

Dearest Readers,   It is with no great shock—but perhaps a touch of schadenfreude—that we gather today to mourn the long, slow demise of Joann’s, that once-great fabric behemoth, now shuffling its way toward a second bankruptcy and, dare we say, its final curtain call. The news of store closures spreads faster than a bias-cut binding, leaving many to wonder: Where shall we turn for our quilting sustenance?   To that, this humble scribe declares—fret not! For this is not a tragedy, but a renaissance. A grand revival of independent quilt shops, bustling vendor halls, and the return of fabric shopping to those who actually care about the craft, rather than corporate overlords who see cotton bolts as mere SKU numbers in an inventory spreadsheet.   Joann’s, for all its deep discount temptations and perpetual “50% off” sales (which, let us be honest, were never truly half off anything), has long since lost touch with the very community it sought to serve. For years, quilters ha...

Dearest Readers,   The American Quilter’s Society has once again fumbled their thread, and the quilting community is, quite rightfully, in no mood to let it slide. With each passing day, the voices calling for a boycott grow louder, and after their latest display of cowardice, one must wonder—does AQS truly believe it can ignore the very people who have supported it for decades?   Let us not forget, my dears, that this is not the first time AQS has cowered in the face of controversy. From their censorship of Jonathan Shannon’s *Amigos Muertos* to their infamous banning of Kathy Nida’s art quilts, they have repeatedly demonstrated a preference for sanitized, risk-free displays over the raw and powerful storytelling that defines quilting as an art form. And now, with their refusal to display *Color in Context: Red* in its entirety, they have once again drawn a line in the sand—one that excludes quilters whose work does not conform to their ever-narrowing definition of "acceptabl...

Dearest Readers, In the grand tapestry of quilting events, one anticipates the inaugural Road to Virginia Quilters' Conference & Showcase to be a seamless addition. Yet, today's registration launch was anything but. ager quilters, poised to secure their spots for the June 26-28, 2025 event in Richmond, VA, were met with a cascade of technical glitches, frozen screens, error messages, and vanishing sessions turned anticipation into exasperation. The event's Facebook page, which had been abuzz with excitement over class previews and teacher announcements, remained conspicuously silent on the unfolding debacle. However, before we cast too many stones, let us recall that even the venerable QuiltCon has stumbled in this arena. he 2025 registration was marred by a "catastrophic software failure," leading to system crashes and a complete pause in registration activities. The Modern Quilt Guild had to undertake extensive data reviews, resulting in overbooked workshops...

Dearest Readers, Once again, the quilting community converged upon the Ontario Convention Center for the much-anticipated  Road to California Quilters Conference and Showcase 2025 . The event, held from January 22 to 25, promised a tapestry of creativity, innovation, and camaraderie. And, for the most part, it delivered—though not without a few loose threads. The exhibition halls were nothing short of a spectacle, featuring some of the most breathtaking quilts to ever grace a show floor. The  Best of Show  winner left attendees speechless, while the themed exhibits transported us through stories told in fabric, each stitch whispering its own tale. Attendees took full advantage of hands-on workshops and lectures from some of the industry's most revered instructors, ensuring that the love of quilting continues to thrive in future generations. The energy was electric, the inspiration boundless, and the passion of the quilting world was on full display. However, amidst the sp...