Some of you might have seen it back when it happened and others will just be reading about it now. But when the BBC picks up on a story about quilters in American acting badly you know that things have gotten very out of hand.
For those totally out of the loop I am providing two links. One to the Audio version of the story HERE and one to a written account HERE.
To say that these actions are disappointing is obvious, such hate (which I believe is little more than fear made manifest) has no place in the quilting world and honestly serves no real purpose in the wider world as well.
Here are BAQS we have a strong ethos of acceptance that flat out borders on being cheerleaders for those who happily fly their freak-flag high. We are built on the premise that “you do you” and screw someone who does not like the way you quilt or live your life. Love who you love, quilt what you quilt.
We welcome you to share our message of BadAss love and justice and invite your like-minded friends to join BAQS since the more we grow our online influence the more positive changes we can make in our wider quilting community. We can spend more time rescuing puppies and kitties, drinking fruity beverages out of tall glasses with umbrellas, quilting, sewing and rabble-rousing. Sounds good huh?
BadAss Quilters Society will always be positive force for good that takes shit from no one. It will always be better to be BadAss.
I had not heard this, but I enjoy my quilting sites, they are inspirational and so motivating. All the quilters I know are so encouraging and willing to help if you have a question or problem or if it’s one of those DUH moments.
There is no place on quilting sites for politics of any kind, it’s a quilting site. If you don’t like the person on the site, don’t go back, it’s your loss.
All the sites I have been on are so full of information, I’ve been quilting for a while and not a spring chicken, but age is all in the mind. I found I love the bright colors – not too much of a modern style fan but some really grab me. To all the haters out there – get a life and leave us alone.
A friend sent this ad from Canada to me yesterday and it totally fits with the mood/tone of this post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
https://youtu.be/0I6A0Z2y28g
This video is awesome! We’re all quilters and we’re free as &$%#!
The more this issue is made public, the more the nice, supportive, accepting quilters like us – who are most certainly the majority – will speak out , defend and support those who need it. As a LQS owner I would be out of business if I was a close minded, judgmental personal like these cowardly humans who are still unnamed. I LOVE all of the different people who come into my shop. My days are filled with (mostly) wonderful people. And we do get the conservative ones in now and again who want to talk politics. I put my dumb hat on and talk about the weather (not really but you know what I mean). And for those of you who think you are too old to be Bad Ass, let me tell you how many over-55 ladies I know rock rainbow colors of hair!!! Quilt on, everyone!
Unfortunately, haters in the quilting world are not new. In the early 1990’s, I made a quilt about a 60’s music group. When I brought it to my quilt guild, everyone was very positive except for this one lady named Laura who absolutely went off on me and my quilt for being 1) non-traditional and 2) about that particular group which she hated with a vengeance because her daughter had liked their music when she was a teenager. Please note that this was 23 years after the group broke up so obviously her daughter was no longer a teenager. She was so mean she made it uncomfortable for me to come to the meetings anymore. Fast forward to a few years ago and I joined a great guild and brought this same quilt for show and tell. I was a bit nervous. They mostly do traditional stuff but they are nice ladies. Anyway, they loved the quilt and I told this story and one of them said that she knew that woman and she was just a super negative, critical old lady who said lots of mean things to others and to keep following my star. So, follow your own quilting stars, all of you, and all of us Bad Ass Quilters will stick together and spread peace, goodwill, acceptance, and understanding throughout the land! Thank you.
This is just so sad. I would never had thought this would happen. I thought Quilter’s are friendly people?? I am just waiting for them to boycott me- I call myself the Black Hat Quilter. I am sure that title will ruffle a few of their feathers. Peace to all. Thank you for this Blog!
Wow! I had heard briefly of this but just now got the details. I have no patience for extremists on either end of the spectrum . I guess this is the quilting worlds version of masked ANTIFA thugs whacking people in the head with bike locks for daring to disagree. Fascism on the left and the right need to be shut down. I applaud you Maddie for raising the alarm. As a white Christian female, I have experienced hate for daring to be Republican. People make vast assumptions about me because of it. Just as with Christians, Republicans too run the gamut. Not all Christians are anti gay- I am a proud Episcopalian, not all Republicans worship at the altar of Rush Limbaugh, some of us just want to dial back federal spending and get our fiscal house in order but we get demonized just the same anyway. Frank I want you to know that there are quite a few of us Christians out there and Republicans too who get it. We love you as the precious child of God that you are. You are as God himself made you and if anyone tells you that you are not beloved by God, they are lying to you.
While I whole-heatedly agree with your message, I have to object to your use of the word “conservative”. I feel a better, less judgmental word would be “close-minded”. I consider myself to be a “conservative”, in the old sense of the word. I believe in live and let live – if you are a good person, you are my friend. If you are a jerk, you are not. Regardless of race, religion, color, sexual orientation, etc. Good people and not good people are how I judge. No other way.
I agree Maggi, I just used the name they gave their group.. to my mind hate is hate… and that is what they turned into much to the shame of it all.
We as quilters stand united. Normally when ugly appears I hit the hide button it goes away.
But at some point a solution has to be found.
One site it’s not tolerated and they are banned.
Keep your hearts happy bad ass quilting and hope is out there.
Frank, I’m so sorry you were subjected to such unjustifiable appalling intolerance. It’s wrong no matter how you look at it. The personal is political and the political is personal so we can’t separate the political from quilting but we sure ought to be able to keep hate out.
What the actual hell. I figured there were fringe elements even in the needlework arts (note how ridiculous that sounds) but holy Hannah. Thank you for sharing this Maddie, I will be more diligent about quilting groups I join on Facebook. Even though this was a secret group, I bet other groups share some of the same blood.
Amen lady, amen. And thanks Charlotte, now I’ve got Maiden singing “IN-BE-TWEENS, the Number of the Beast” stuck in my head.
I wish I knew who these people are because I would never buy another book, attend another class or purchase anything they endorse. Why can’t we just enjoy the beauty of a quilt without worrying about the quilters sexuality. Seems to me they have a lot of pent up frustration going on, maybe they need to join BadAss and let lose
It went much deeper, got a lot worse, and far more sinister.
I got death threats, promises of eternal hellfire, and called some incredibly uncreative names.
I’ve pulled all my workshops and guild offerings, because it’s no longer safe for students or an audience.
I’m still enjoying quilting, but only here, and my work will only be seen on Facebook and Instagram, to keep it from being defaced.
That’s the world we live in now. AQS will continue to hire hateful teachers, and MQX will stay notably silent on the whole issue to avoid taking sides and offending the hateful.
So many have said they’ve never experienced hate, and I’ve heard “not all christians are like this” and “can’t we just quilt?” And to those things, I say, if you’ve never experienced hate, I bet you’re a straight white woman. I know it’s “not all christians” but it’s enough for me to doubt the sincerity of those who start a sentence with it. And as for “can we just quilt?”, that depends. If it’s to ignore the problem, sure, you “can”, but just know that there are many of us who cannot “just quilt” because we have to look over our shoulder 24/7.
Be vigilant and pay attention, and stop being worried about someone getting offended when you call them on their bigotry. Because, sure, someone will likely “put two” in my “fucking forehead” (as they promised), but they can’t kill all of us.
The hate is real. And it threatens all of us.
My eyesight isn’t great & so I wasn’t able to read many of the screenshots. But of the ones that I did read, they were people that I hadn’t heard of. Were they industry professionals?
They seemed to be like my BIL a socially deficient person that does not deserve a pedestal on which to have his screed spread.
(We all know them whether we know it or not. Some of them even smile to our faces, others make excuses for them.)
I am so sorry you had to endure such hate and stupidity
I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, Frank. I’m especially sorry that it is limiting your activities in the quilt world. If it helps at all, just know that this boring, straight, white mom would happily quilt with you, and be grateful to learn from you. We’re not all judgmental old poops!!!🌈
I’m so sorry about all of it, including the need to cancel workshops and classes. If you ever made it out to southern California, I would jump on the chance to be in one of your classes. You are a quilting master, and nothing else should matter. I wish these small minded people would just grow up. Hopefully this bigoted climate will change and you can resume your regular schedule.
Wow! That is crazy! Are you SURE they were threatening you?? That just sounds so…un-quilt-like. I’m just a home quilter, started out as a home grown garment sewist. I was thinking about taking some classes, but I surely don’t want to further their hate! Do you have some proof? Or some names? I just can’t believe all this would happen in such a world as quilters. Other than the occasional grumpy old lady (I can say that…I’m old. Tee-hee), I can’t say I’ve ever come upon such hate! Please…show me proof so I can avoid such haters!!
HI Anita, feel free to follow the links and do some poking around..not hard to find it all… start with the BBC news stories.
Will do!
Am I sure? I’ve received death threats via calls and emails, and law enforcement from five states have gotten involved, as well as the FBI, so yes, I’m sure. When someone says they will “come to your door and put two in your forehead”, it’s a good guess they aren’t talking about gummy bears.
I’m on team Frank Palmer ♡ The AQS & MQS can bite my bum. Muuuuaaah!
White woman here who has experienced alot of hate. Quiltung ia therapy
To assume a white woman is immune to hate is silly at best. This is a big world and full of many circumstamnces. As a white child in south we had crosses burned in our yard because our family worked in black schools. As adult, mentally illness caused brunt of bullying,prejudice and pain. Hate is just ignorance. We can all understand ignorance and in so doing take its power away. We are all doing best we can and we can all do better.
I never said white women are immune from hate. I said if you’ve never experienced hate in the quilting world, chances are, you’re a straight white woman. Nobody is immune from hate but some are far more susceptible to it. Words matter, so I choose mine carefully. And I did not say what you just ascribed to me.
When I retired I tried quilting but decided Making clothing was much more fun. I keep following you because I love your attitude. Keep it up!
Never ever ever gonna make everyone happy. But you can irritate them more by ignoring them and being happier and better than them! And then pbbbbttt at them!😜😜😜😜
It’s not helpful to ignore people who are trying to ruin your way of making a living.
Surely you’ve been kicked out of and blocked from quilt groups before? I was kicked out of one for “not having enough quilting things on my page”. My daughter who doesn’t sew at all was allowed in. As guild president I just made a statement that we weren’t going to talk politics. I do think that the silent majority needs to start standing up for what is right and quit letting the extremist determine our course.
How can the silent majority stand up, when the guild president silences/censors them?
“As guild president I just made a statement that we weren’t going to talk politics. I do think that the silent majority needs to start standing up for what is right and quit letting the extremist determine our course.”
I left a weekly quilting group because it got too political. I usually would sew with headphones on, but when they started to surround me and talk over me, I decided to leave the group. Ah well! I feel at home with other bad asses in this group, so thank you from the bottom of my radical, badass heart!
How very sad that people have nothing better to do with their lives than attack others who don’t follow their rules or look and behave like they do! I would hope that in the Art/Crafting world we would be more accepting of everyone but I guess that is not happening anytime soon without wonderful people like you Maddie and all the great members of The Badass Quilters Society. Keep up the great work and I will keep spreading the word about you all as far as I can!
Seriously, groups scrutinize your FB page to judge if you are worthy of joining their quilt group? We used to joke about the “quilt police”. We also were appalled by the “war” between the hand quilters and the machine quilters. It sounds as though some of our quilters have truly derailed this time and there is no where else to go but up. Ready, set and kick butt!
Wow, thank you for sharing and spreading a message of acceptance.
Thank you for writing this. I had a bad experience this week with a group like that. I had sent a request to join an on-line machine quilting group. I had honestly forgotten about it until I received a rejection via messaging. The message stated that my facebook page had been scrutinized and I was deemed “Someone whom their members needed protection from.”
Seriously, I am a 62 year old woman who just enjoys looking at other people’s work and getting inspiration in many places. I am outspoken about my liberal leanings and really like people. I enjoy your posts and humor. Thanks for letting me be a part of your group. This is where I belong.
Yeah, heaven forbid that their members not be protected from views and opinions that differ from their own. *eyeroll*
Was it Groucho who said he wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would accept him? Same goes for those guys – you would really want to be in their group. Hang with us – I’m ancient and a hippie, leftie, vegetarian nutcase who can’t keep her mouth shut when unfairness and injustice is happening. BUT, I quilt like a demon! Well, I try and I love all the people who hang out here.
Obviously I meant “WOULDN’T want to be in their group” !! Oops!
Ugh. Are they afraid you will run at them with scissors? So crazy.
I’m sorry to hear about all this.
I started quilting a year ago after I retired. I’m a sponge wanting to learn all kinds of stuff and am more modern and colorful than traditional. Consequently, I’m checking out a large number of quilting websites, YouTube videos, magazines, books, etc. I discovered today that a large quilting society that runs several shows throughout the year at different locations in across the country will no longer have vendors and teachers at their show that aren’t Christians and reflect their conservative views. Seriously??? I’m a Christian, but I believe we can accomplish more when we work together and share diverse ideas. Needless to say, I will NOT be joining that particular quilting society nor will I ever attend one of their shows. Way, way, WAY too conservative and narrow minded for this Bad Ass Quilter. Thank you, Maddie for being bold enough and comfortable enough in your own skin to lead our merry band of Bad Assers.
And, because of their homophobia and censorship, they won’t get another penny from me…I’ve canceled my membership (of over 30 years) and, regardless of how close I live to one of the venues, I won’t set foot in there again until they actually demonstrate REAL Christian values….and follow what Jesus said was THE single most important thing to do to follow him “love each other even as I have loved you.”
We will defeat this only by calling out hatred by name. Can you name this organization so we can all choose to boycott it’s show?
Humm. I would like to know who they are
Totally agree with you Maddie!! I LOVE BAQS….you can absolutely be yourself without any worries…why does a person’s beliefs or sexuality have to do with quilting??? This World is only getting worse…when will things ever change?? You go Maddie…keep on being your badass self 👍❤❤ We at BAQS love ya 😀❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
OMG! I had not heard about this until now. I thought I had heard and seen it all in my prior career as a child welfare worker. But this is rediculous. I have no words that can add to what has been said and you have said it all perfectly. There is no room in this world for this kind of thinking, speaking or prejudice. Is no place safe from hate?
You have my 100% support.
Holy smokes! Why must there be so much hate?! So. When I owned a small quilting fabric store, I received an anonymous letter from a group of “church ladies” shortly after I opened the business. The letter proceeded to tell me in depth what a horrible person I was and that I worshiped Satan. Why? Because the name of the store was “Sacred Moondance”. I was further told they would never step foot into the store. Cowards hiding behind pens and keyboards! Wonder what lovely church they belonged to 😂
And here I had the awesome idea to open a quilt shop in a local church building that was for sale and call it either “Holy Scrap” or “Piece be With You” – can you imagine the backlash I would have gotten??
Alas I will never know – as a brick and mortar shop is not in my budget. I still have my “Holy Scrap” tee shirt that I wear nearly every quilt retreat.
LOL, I’d love to set up right next to you….wearing my “Don’t Piss off the Voices” shirt….
What a great t-shirt! My daughter wears one that says ” just let that shit go! “
I experienced this first hand back in the early 90’s. Rocker chick with visible tattoos (before it was popular) I would go into quilt and needlework shops in the northeast (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts) and get not only the cold shoulder, but on occasion, asked to leave. Having been a lifelong quilter, and master needle worker, I found this the most offensive thing ever. This general fear followed me back to Arizona in the mid 90’s, where I was often hired to teach classes at local needlework shops. I show up as me, Iron Maiden t-shirt, ripped up jeans, and Dr. Martens, and people cringe in fear that I am there to rob the place. Why can’t we all just look past the visage, and accept people for who they are? (I have since had the visible tattoos on my arms removed – they were small, old, and faded – at great pain, and expense, but I still dress the same, so there, HA!) Never change who you are or try to be someone you are not, for others.
I heard about it a while back and although I didn’t want to join in…. I felt slighted at having not heard about it…. Darn it anyway…. left out again in RT field….
You remind me so much of my daughter. Maybe that’s why I follow you even though I’m pretty much too old to hang with you guys. You’re one of those who dare to walk their own path. Keep on speaking the truth.
Diana, you are never too old to be a BadAss Quilter!!!! You belong here!
Totally agree with you Maddie…age doesn’t matter at all….welcome to BAQS Diana!!! You do belong here…maybe you could share some of your quilting knowledge with the rest of us!!! 😀
Diana, you aren’t “too old to hang” with us. You’re welcome here.
You’re never too old! I’m older than the average quilter here, but I have two BAQS tumblers, one of which I proudly use at my desk and I work in a quilt shop!
Age is a state of mind. We want you here. You can hang with us anytime.
I saw something somewhere about this happening but to hear what they were trying to do, just sickens me. With a child that is in the LGBT community, I just don’t get their fear of different people. I choose to love all people, different colors, religions, etc. and weren’t we all made unique? Thanks Maddie. I love that this group will not be ruled by fear or judgement.
I listened to the BBC podcast. Very saddened by it. I had read about the f’book group earlier. I know that quilters have always quilted about politics, as seen in some amazing antique quilts. BUT why get so nasty about it? I have many friends with politics and lives that are very different from mine. But we are still friends and treat each other with kindness.
If we were all the same, how boring would that be?
Long live the BadAss Quilters!
Because they are jealous of people who are different, yet more talented than they are.
Sounds great!
I would hope the companies that were approached, did NOT cave in to such insanity.
Wow – it is like the mean girls in High School that made fun of me for wearing home made clothes to school. In the first place my Mom could only afford a limited wardrobe for each of us and in the second place – I REALLY LIKE TO SEW. Plus, the clothes I made were well made and if I do say so myself, quite attractive. And now my shops are thriving and I still love to sew and am happy. Mean people don’t get it – they never will.
AMEN to that sister!
Thank you! Politics seems to be inserting itself into so many areas of our lives. I really need my quilting space to be a respite from the rest of the world. Why can’t people just mind their own business?