MissJMac

I see many cute little pets roaming around sewing rooms, lounging on quilts and perched on machines. For personal and health reasons, pet and smoke free environments seem to be a big thing in the quilting community. If you sell your quilts, how do you address this concern - do you tell all your potential customers that you have smokers and pets? I see many members mentioning that they have received fabric with these orders. Just wondering how you handle this if you have pets/smokers.

Marion T

I wash all my quilts when they are finished. I don't sell my quilts. My pets are allowed anywhere they like, and there are worse things than a pet wandering around the sewing room. Anyone who doesn't like it is welcome to stay away.

ckcowl

we have never allowed smoking in our home but we do have pets- i try to keep our cat at a distance...but...
i always wash finished projects- if it is a quilt to be sold i then fold it and put it in a pillow case to keep it clean until it goes where it's going- I do let people know we have a cat-
normally the quilts i sell are special orders and it is known that we have a cat.
we have a niece who is very very allegic to our cat- when we make anything going to their home it is placed in a plastic garbage bag-labeled very well- they take it directly to their washer/dryer- even if i had just washed it----they know we have the cat and take no chances- we know this.

long & short-
you should always let it be known if selling (or even giving) that there were pets- or smoking- or anything else that tends to cause reactions--so customers can make decisions they can live with.

Rebecca VLQ

I think the person with the sensitivity is where the responsibility lies. I have a cat, and he *is* free to roam. However, he doesn't jump up in the fabric closet, "spray", claw, or otherwise defame my work.

I don't smoke, but I can see where people that do wouldn't advertise the fact that they do. Because I've received some VERY smelly, brand spanking new fabric that smells like a bar when I open it. For me, it's a difference between having to wash it right away versus tucking into my stash asap, like I would if I purchased from a store.

There's no way to know which buyer will be sensitive to what environmental allergen. There's a difference between being sensitive and just annoyed. And, if they're severely allergic, they have been that way for a period of time and know to advocate for themselves and what they introduce into their environment.

QuiltnNan

being allergic to lots of things, i agree in part with this statement. however, the person buying should know in advance of the potential for difficulties for them, and choose to buy/accept or not. if it is not revealed, then there is no choice available to them.

whinnytoo

my sewing room is in a finished basement and our two doxies cant maneuver the stairs , their legs are too short! Blessings come in many ways hahahah
We dont smoke either, never have.

redmadder

If its going to someone else, I let them know there are pets. As for smokers, sometimes my DH wanders in with a cigar. Does that count?

cattailsquilts

My animals have pretty much free reign in our house, though I do try my best to keep them off my fabrics. One of our male cats is a stinker, though, and has figured out how to get into one of the shelves to nap.

I have never had a problem with any of them spraying or marking, and I wash everything before it leaves my hands. I also take a lint roller to items before I package them.

My studio door is closed when I am not in there, and my websites all say 'not pet-free environment'. Noone is allowed to smoke in the house, ever. (I am a non-smoker, hubby is quitting, but we have friends who smoke, so they're relegated to the back porch for butt breaks).

amma

I have a lot of allergy issues, so I just make sure to launder anything that could stir them up when they come into my house :D
I think most of us that have problems like this are used to doing the same :D:D:D

Shelley

Most professional LA quiters operate in pet-free and smoke-free environments. If you are sensitive to either, make sure you ask.

If you smoke or have pets, please do your best to remove the odor and pet hair before sending your top to the quilter. Smells and pet hair can end up on the leaders and cause problems for the quilts that follow.