Suzzett’s Fabric, Quilts and More, LLC in Italy, TX to host Worldwide Quilting Day celebrations, sales, giveaways, and the 7 Summits Strip-Quilt Challenge!

Italy, Texas, March 2013— This March 16, 2013 is Worldwide Quilting Day, a day for people around the globe to celebrate the art of quilt making. Coinciding with National Quilting Day in the United States, an event that has been commemorated on the third Saturday in March since 1991, Worldwide Quilting Day (Twitter #WWQuiltDay) is being celebrated by consumers and the quilt industry——storefronts, online retailers, manufacturers, designers, authors, official quilting guilds, and quilting associations.

“The idea for this celebration started last year when so many international quilt and fabric shops contacted me after hearing about National Quilting Day and said we need to make this a worldwide event,” says Laurie Harsh, president of The Fabric Shop Network. “We know that the passion for quilting is far and wide and we’re out to prove it!”

Today there are more than 21 million quilters in the United States, according to the 2010 Quilting in America study. There are thousands of quilting guilds across the U.S. and Canada, and more quilt guilds throughout the world—from Australia to Europe, Africa to the Middle East (see QuiltGuilds.com for listings). Even in the increasingly rapid pace of life in the 21st century, people everywhere are taking time out of their busy schedules to create quilts with fabric and thread.

“Quilting has experienced a revolution over the last ten years,” says WebCents Editor Teresa Coates. “There are growing numbers of men and younger people in their teens, 20s, and 30s discovering the art of quilting. With the gorgeous fabrics, non-traditional patterns, and the ease of online videos, classes, and tutorials, it’s reaching a whole new audience. Traditional quilting is still alive and well," she adds, "but there is an exciting new energy with the modern quilters and art quilters. It’s definitely making an impact on the quilting community.”

In its inaugural year, Worldwide Quilting Day will be raising awareness for the art and craft of quilting and bringing together shops, online retailers, quilting groups and consumers for a variety of celebrations, special classes, charity drives, demonstrations, and a special quilting marathon: 7 Summits Strip Quilt Challenge.

Worldwide Quilting Day and the 7 Summits Strip Quilt Challenge are designed to drive quilters to come together on March 16 to make as many strip quilts as they can in a single day. Quilt shops around the globe will be attempting to piece together strips of fabric to make strip-quilt tops. They’ll be counting every inch of fabric sewn together in their shop or by their customers, with the goal of piecing together enough fabric to reach the peak of one of the 7 Summits.

“Maybe a shop will only be able to summit Mount McKinley (creating 152 quilts), but we’d love to see every shop make it to the top of Mount Everest (218 quilts),” says Harsh.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT Suzzett’s Fabric, Quilts and More ON WORLDWIDE QUILTING DAY

Open to the public, individuals and families are invited to visit Suzzett’s Fabric, Quilts and More LLC on March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 200 Hamrock Rd., Italy TX to celebrate Worldwide Quilting Day and help the shop achieve its goal in the 7 Summits Strip Quilt Challenge. Customers can come into the shop, buy their precut, strip-quilt fabrics, and piece together their quilt tops right in the shop classroom, with the assistance of their fellow quilters and shop staff.

“It’ll be a quilting marathon of non-stop sewing as we race to the top of the 7 Summits!,” says Suzzy Crowell owner of Suzzett’s Fabric, Quilts and More LLC in Italy. “We’ll be sewing and putting together strip quilts from the time we open our doors until we close on March 16. This is the first time we’ve done a marathon of this kind and our goal is to summit Mount Everest with 218 quilts!”

Some customers will be taking their quilts home, but the store will be encouraging customers to donate them to the local retirement center, the VA Hospital or the charity of your choice. For people who can’t make it into the shop on March 16, Suzzett’s Fabric will serve as a drop-off point for VA Quilts donated through the Ellis County Creative Quilters Guild and anyone with a complete quilt or quilt top can donate it at the store.

In addition to the quilting marathon, on Worldwide Quilting Day, Suzzett’s Fabric will be holding an hourly drawing for those present for quilting related products such as Charm Packs, fabric yardage, batting, and quilt patterns. Come join the fun sewing our way to the top of Mount Everest. All purchase made on Saturday, March 16th will receive a 10% discount off already low prices.

Worldwide Quilting Day is organized by The Fabric Shop Network and is sponsored by leading sewing and quilting companies including Aurifil USA, Checker Distributors and Creative Grids, Clothworks, Coats & Clark, Cut Loose Press Patterns, Euro-notions, F. A. Edmunds & Co., Hoffman Fabrics, Island Batik, La Todera, Laurie Tigner Designs, Marcus Fabrics, Martingale, Nothcott, Paradiso Designs by Cheryl Kuczek, PRYM Consumer USA, Riley Blake Designs, Quilt with Marci Baker, Quilting Treasures, Rockland Industries, Inc., Studio e Fabrics, Timeless Treasures, and Westminster Fabrics.

ABOUT Suzzett’s Fabric, Quilts and More, LLC
Suzzett’s quilt shop is located just outside of Italy on Hamrock Road and is open to the public Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The shop has been open for over five years and has over 2000 bolts of quilt shop quality fabric offered at 5 to 20% below the manufactures suggested retail price. Our specialty is fun bright fabric with a huge supply of precut fabric such as Charm Packs, Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and Fat Quarters.

ABOUT THE FABRIC SHOP NETWORK
The Fabric Shop Network is the trade organization for independent quilt and fabric shop owners and design studios. Founded in 1997 by Laurie Harsh, its mission is to be a leading source of information to help quilt and fabric shop business owners grow, succeed, prosper, and enjoy business to the fullest. The company strives to provide the most complete, comprehensive, and detailed source of business information available within the fabric retailing industry. The Fabric Shop Network publishes two bimonthly magazines, FabShop News and WebCents; three consumer websites—fabshophop.com, fabsearch.net, and fabtalk.net; three unique fabric campaigns—Project 95/FabricShoppersUnite, QuiltRed, and Clara’s Calling; and numerous marketing programs and events for retailers.
SOCIAL MEDIA

Website: www.worldwidequiltingday.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/worldwidequiltingday
Twitter @FabShop

Public contact for information: Suzzy Crowell, 214-797-0393, email [email protected] and website www.SuzzettsFabric.com

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Local
Suzzy Crowell
Suzzett’s Fabric, Quilts and More, LLC
214-797-0393 email [email protected]

National
Laurie Harsh, President & Founder
The Fabric Shop Network, Inc.
(360) 892-6500 office
[email protected]