21 August, 2012

Babes in Arms


Look closely. See the baby? Until today that little guy, carried there by husband was banned from Quilt Market. Just as he was there.

My husband travelled with me to Spring Quilt Market this past May. The baby was two months old so he came as support as a father and as a husband. But he spent his time wandering the streets of Kansas City and our hotel room because the baby was banned from the show floor at Market. So, every time the little guy needed to eat I had to stop what I was doing and head down the escalators at the convention center to feed him on some uncomfortable chairs in the lobby. It was frustrating for all of us.

You see, ALL children under 14 are banned from the show floor at Market. That is, until today. The folks at Quilts Inc. have modified their rules for Market to allow babes in arms/carriers to be allowed on the show floor. Not only that, they will set up a nursing friendly area for mothers to gather and feed their babies, right on the show floor.

As I've said before, being a quilter goes hand in hand with being a mother for me. In that I am not alone. The industry is changing as more and more younger women take up the craft and develop careers and businesses from their love of this textile world. I applaud Quilts Inc. for finally recognizing that with this change in policy.

21 comments:

liz said...

Progress! thanks for letting us know!

susan718 said...

I can't believe that an industry which is so dominated by women could have been so unfeeling as to separate nursing babies from their mothers. seems almost illegal to me.

Andrea said...

Yes!!!

Mary Marcotte said...

At least your husband was very supportive and cared for the little tyke while you were at Market but, definitely, it's time for a change! I guess I can understand the reasons for the rule, but it's too archaic and medieval for lives today! Thanks for letting us know,
Mary

Suzanne said...

Hip, hip, hooray!

Brenda said...

I'm glad the rule has changed. too late for you this time, but others will benefit.

Tara said...

You go, Cheryl. Thanks for making it better for mothers in the future! We chuckled at you taking on Pokey, but we knew you were right! I'm proud of you!!!

Katie @SwimBikeQuilt said...

Finally! One of the first things I noticed about quilt con was that the same rules were NOT in effect.

Trudi said...

Pardon the pun, baby steps! It's age 16 years here in the uk! Good news, hopefully things wil change here too!

Esch House Quilts said...

Congratulations to you for being the catalyst for this change. And congrats to Quilt, Inc for realizing that it needed to change.

Jessica said...

Such good news! Thanks for letting us know (and for raising hell on our behalf).

Vicki said...

Awesome. :)

Vicki said...

Awesome. :)

Holly said...

Obviously! From what I'm reading in the comments, you were a catalyst for this change. Congrats for making Quilt Market a better place for mothers and their babes!

Christina Lane | The Sometimes Crafter said...

Glad to hear it! I think it is crazy you weren't able to at least have your husband bring him to you on the floor for nursing and then whisk him away when he was done. Nice to see it's finally changed.

Lee said...

Great news! I'm glad they realized how ridiculous that rule was.

JennX said...

'Well, duh' is all that comes to mind after reading this post! Well done you for making it so!

jacquie said...

you rock! so many moms will benefit from this! cheers to being a force for change!

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited to read this news! I was wondering when they would update that rule to better accommodate the young moms and grandmoms who love to quilt. Yay! I so agree with you. Good for Quilts, Inc!

xo—Heather

nanann said...

Huh, I never even realized that. I've gone to Houston Quilt Fest & Market when I've had infants before but I live in the area and was happy to have kid-free time.

And they did very nicely accommodate me with a space for pumping about, oh, 7 years ago. (cannot believe it has been so long!)

Glady said...

Good for you for helping to change an outdated policy.