More stolen quilts!
 

A couple of weeks ago Patsy Thompson had quilts stolen out of her car.
NOW Karen Combs had them stolen out of her rental car in New Braunfels, TX!
Makes you wonder how the thieves KNOW it is a high profile quilter's car!
Karen hopes to be able to post the pix of the stolen quilts soon!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR, do the thieves not think we'll all be on the look out?

How heartbreaking.

People will steal almost anything. Please lock your car when you leave your precious quilts inside. Also, check E Bay and Craigs list for the stolen quilts.

Even with locked doors they get in! My son and I was at a meeting in Dallas one year- he'd won a set of golf clubs!!! Now that is not a small piece of change - and we came out the next morning to find they'd smashed almost every window out of the car - it had to be a lucky hit - and the golf clubs were not to be seen in the car so they did not know when they broke the windows out that there was a thing worth breaking in for. He not only had to pay his deductible for the broken windows, he lost his golf clubs and on top of it because it was his homeowners policy that covered it - his home owners insurance went up the following billing period!!! So, talk about getting hit hard by a bunch of theives; I actually vowed to never return there ever again in my life! it is not worth the risk, and we were in a very nice hotel, and parking ramp etc... who would have thought?

Unfortunately there are people that target people at shows. They watch fro them when they leave and follow them. My husband is into an expensive hobby and this has happened to several of the dealers from the shows he attends. Some have even gone to the extreme of attaching a tracking device on the car they target so they are sure to be able to follow. They wait for the person to stop for food or the night on their way home and break into the car and steal everything. Some have even been beaten up. One they followed home and when he went into the house they cleaned out his car. Just be aware and keep your eyes open. They have caught some but items were long gone.

That is just terrible!!!

that is terrible..however vowing to never go back...sort of makes the thieves winners again! You can have that happen in any city/town across our great land...so either you stay home in your cozy prison and pray nobody ever breaks in there, or you go out and LIVE....I choose to live..what will be will be....

at the OKcity show in Jan two of the vendors from out of state had their trailers stolen! The thieves use them for portable meth labs!

Please tell me that the thieves dumped the contents where they could be found,.

Can the tables be turned and some sort of tracking device be attached to a sewing machine or slipped inside a hem or somehow hidden from site?

I'm guessing an unknowing thief would most likely try to fence a sewing machine rather than a quilt. On the other hand if the thief dumps the quilt, the quilt could be tracked, too.

Don't know what size or weight the tracking devices are.

actually MANY quilt/fiber artists are now Microchipping their works for this very reason!

uuummm...no! I felt so bad for the vendor who came from Minnesota...it was their first time to OKcity...some welcome mat...

So I guess I should wonder about how decent a quilter I am. Hubby left the car unlocked in the driveway. I had a quilt in the car. All they took was the ashtray that contained about $2. 64 in change. The ashtray will go unreplaced because I don't smoke and it will cost about $50 for a new one. They left my quilt in the car! Guess they weren't too pleased with the pattern or fabric.

On the other hand the quilt might not have fit in the coke machine! tee hee

A microchip won't help unless the item is scanned with a reader. Very unlikely unless the police find it and know the stolen item has the chip and then very few police dept have readers anyway. I have learned by pass experience having my car window broken out at motels to park right in front of the lobby. If I have to wait for a spot I will. I never park in the back or at the end. Anything left in the car goes in the trunk. I bought a battery door alarm that is easy to put in the trunk when I leave anything in there. It's loud! I bought it from one of the gadget catalogs a few years ago.
I don't trust not having a low life somewhere close by where ever I am. It has cost me too much money and heartache to know that low lifes are everywhere. Even in my own driveway.

Your suggestions are good ones. Unexpected loud noises makes most people uncomfortable ... maybe thieves too. With everyone parking at the lobby maybe hotels/motels will take additional measures to protect customers.

I never leave things in plain view. Everything is in the trunk, and I put it ion there before I park the car. So sad we have to do that

Sad angry to hear this, again! Jacquie - please post the link when it goes up so we can see the quilts & keep an eye out for them. I'm far away from where this happened but spend lots of time online surfing...

That is so sad. I hope all of these quilts are found. Anymore if I am doing a trunk show and staying over at a motel, I bring all my quilts inside and then reload in the morning. Lots of extra work, but just hurts my heart when quilts are stolen.

I hate to admit this, but I leave my doors unlocked for this very reason. I drive a soft top convertible and there's always that nagging feeling that someone would rather cut my top than bother open the unlocked doors. I don't keep anything important in my car, but I figure if someone wants my baseball cap badly enough, they can have it. Just don't vandalize my car too!
We had a car stolen right out of our driveway last year! My husband (and all our mighty watch dogs) were in the house. He was between errands, no less so he could narrow down when it happened! We have a nice truck in the driveway that needs a new transmission and has a flat tire. I'm sure some dummy will get the bright idea to put fix-a-flat in the tire and think s/he can drive away in it! Of course, now the big thing is stealing the catalytic converter so we might be in a shock when we start it up!!

Unfortunately I am getting the feeling someone on the circuit of quilters is stealing these.
Has to be someone who knows where and when they are going to be checking in. Anyone
can call and ask if they have checked in a hotel or motel then they know where they are and
when to hit.

Todays world is in a sad shape. Money is the issue here and they need to go public with law
enforcement to stop this from happening.
Be vigilant out there ans stay safe.

Did she post them to the Lost Quilts Come home website?

OMG these stories are terrible. Oh well, the judicial system will give them a slap on the wrist IF they ever get caught anyway. So we all lose!!

It is a shame to see things going this way. Where is the security at such places?

I live in the St. Louis area and parking downtown St. Louis is very risky. My DH and I take the Metro. Thieves break into the cars and steal anything they can find. Our economy is so bad, thieves are stealing anything. Our old church had their A/C stolen two weeks ago. I am very careful what I store in my car and will remember this post in the future.

There is obviously some very well planned heists going on. Organized theives!
I have a beautiful original 1930's feedsack quilt that was passed down to me from famlily. My girlfriend buggs me to hang it in our local show. I won't do it, can't insure it enough IMHO. I do belive these thieves follow the shows.

That is so terrible.

Dishonesty is everywhere in our daily life. It includes keeping something that was not paid for left in the shopping cart to taking or incorrect change from a store clerk. I don't leave anything of value in my car when I go to appointments, but what about when you're out shopping for the day? I try to cover items with an old blanket but there is no guarantee even with this method. There are anti theft devices available on the market that attract attention of passerby something is amiss and maybe, just maybe someone will use their cell phone to call 911. Everything gets blamed on the hard economy. In every economy thieves are thieves from penny-anny to high profile. Quilts are high profile art objects. I hope they all are found and returned to their rightful owner.

Unfortunately we now live in a society where people just don't care and feel they are owed a living so they take others precious possessions. I'm an adventurer and traveler by nature and have been all my life however how things are in society anymore I am even more aware of my surroundings especially when I travel and yes even where I live more so now than in the pass.

People will steal anything they can from you. Because I do travel alone for the most part I now make sure to give my travel routes to a family member when I did not do so years ago.

It does not surprise me that at such shows folks are marked and tracked down and ou can bet it is from others like those visiting those places. They know the value of such things and will steal it right from under you.

Saying I'd never go to a particular place again would mean I'm allowing myself to remain a victim and allow such folks control over me the rest of my life. CRIME unfortunately prevails in every part of our society, yes even small towns where supposedly everyone knows everyone.

We just have to be MORE aware of our surroundings anymore and be on the alert. Of course this does not mean a bad thing won't happen to us. We hope it won't but it could.

Unfortunately it is part of life in todays society which we must learn to deal with. A life is alot more precious than materials things we may lose.

Thats a shame what is this world coming to

When my daughter had to leave her house(foreclosure) and move into an apartment someone stole the catalytic converter off her truck and the battery and battery charger. Of course we thought we had friends in the neighbor hood who would watch the house. Lots of things were stolen and the house vandelize. well Wells Fargo is the one losing money now.

this goes without saying, but I hope you are looking for people trying to resell these quilts. I have seen quite a few people steal things just so they could turn around and make a quick buck.

That sounds like neighborhood kids. In our neighborhood, which is very quiet and typically crime free, every once in a while all unlocked vehicles in driveways get canvased for change and whatever. Unfortunately, one neighbor left his truck unlocked with a loaded gun in it. That worried us for a long time.
I'm grateful they left your quilt!

take them inside!
 

We've started doing this also, taking everything of value inside with us, cameras, laptops, clothing that's important to us. gives us peace of mind to sleep! Also, parking right out front is great if you can. Under a light at least. Of course, parking garages aren't the best place to leave anything! I do hope and pray she finds them. So much work and really part of her life! sad! and maddening!!

People are just so desparate with the economy so bad!!! They'll steal anything they can sell just to make some $$$ -- It's truly sad :(

Don't know the details of Ms. Combs theft, but I was warned by a cop when I was in New Braunfels in 2005 to store EVERYTHING in the trunk. Also, to hide maps and stuff. Thieves do focus on tourists, but if they see something that they can sell, they'll break in to get it.

Simply put....DISGUSTING!

So sorry to hear about another artist losing her work.
People do watch to see where you are going. Last Christmas, there were a pack of theives that watched people come from the Apple store with their large purchases. They were followed and items were stolen from their cars.

One went from Apple to Best Buy and they were hit at the parking lot and the other in their driveway. I've also heard of people being followed into the parking lot and items stolen there.

our mall has outside security but thieves are thieves good luck on getting your quilts back