Girls,

I am posting the letter to Threadmakers here on the blog. Please read it & see if it includes all of the necessary points we need to address. If you want to make any changes, feel free to leave a comment or email me. I hope to deliver 3 copies to Jean by Friday, get them all signed & in the mail over the weekend. Let me know what you think, please.

Piecefully, Pam

31 October, 2007

Geri Wolf
Threadmakers
(her address)

Dear Ms. Wolf,

We are writing to express our sincere disappointment and utter dissatisfaction with the Mystery Quilt Weekend we recently experienced with you. Our Mystery Quilt Weekend took place on October 5, 6, and 7 of this year.

A member of our Bee attended a Mystery Quilt Weekend run by Threadmakers in the past. She had thoroughly enjoyed her entire experience, and recommended doing this as a group would be that much more fun. She had participated nearly five years ago when Melanie Normann was the organizer and hostess of the weekend event.

According to the current Threadmakers website, the Mystery Quilt Weekend is “…a great way to spend quality time with other quilters, improve your quilting skills, and enjoy beautiful Lancaster County.” The B & B is “…a converted Amish Farmhouse…in the heart of Amish Farm Country.” And, meals are described as, “…most of which are prepared by Amish neighbors.” This entire description, as advertised on your website, is exactly what our Bee member experienced with Melanie. As listed on the website, we were looking forward to meeting new quilting friends during the “wine and cheese social.” After a long day of travel, sitting down to an Amish dinner on Friday evening seemed just right. It sounded too good to be true…

We are dismayed to inform you, our weekend experience could not have been less bucolic, Amish or gracious! Your website is filled with false advertisement, and the whole weekend was a complete sham.

Friday evening’s wine and cheese social equated to a tub of port wine cheese spread that came from the grocery store, complete with a plastic knife and cellophane wrapped Town House crackers. Instead of wine, you provided tequila. Our “…mostly Amish made dinner…” consisted of one ladle of lukewarm soup served in a paper bowl with a plastic spoon. One of our new quilting friends said, “This must be prison rations.”

We had no cows or horses grazing in nearby pastures. Instead, our weekend accommodations were on a busy, noisy, dirty road. Following our Friday evening fare, two women walked down that road to a nearby convenience store to purchase coffee, tea and snacks. You told us, “I don’t know how to use the coffee maker.” Apparently, you do not know how to boil water for tea either. I know very few 40-60 year old quilters who prefer tequila over tea.

The Threadmakers website did not mention cats. One of the women in our group is allergic to cats. Another has asthma which is exacerbated by cats. While an effort was made to keep the cats out of the dining room & living room, there were more than 4 cats, and they were seen on the kitchen counters (where their food bowls were kept), windowsills and table. This made eating unappetizing food even less appealing. The cats also ran up the stairs to our suite, had to be caught and returned to the kitchen. Two of the women in our group were sneezing, coughing and wheezing by Friday evening. This is medically unsafe. Had we known cats were living here, we would never have chosen this Mystery Quilt Weekend venue.

Not being ones to despair nor let the weekend be a flop, we all persevered and began sewing on Friday evening in the dimly lit dining room. When Saturday morning arrived and we returned to our sewing, it was discovered the Mystery Quilt clues we had followed were incorrect. What we sewed Friday evening had to be un-sewed Saturday morning. When asked if you had made this quilt, you simply said, “Yes.” By Saturday afternoon we learned every other page of Mystery Quilt clues had errors. Frustration was growing as there was more un-sewing, and we were discovering there was no pattern or design to the quilt clues we were following. You challenged us when together we said the directions for the Mystery Quilt were incorrect. Finally, you grabbed your completed quilt top and showed it to nine frustrated women.

We have contacted you for completed and corrected directions. Perhaps a photo would be helpful too? You responded with an email saying you had a “Hell week and would follow up when time permits.” Two days ago corrected directions arrived. Portions of the original directions are crossed out and hand written corrections have been added to the margins.

As quilter’s, we are happy to share tips and information with fellow quilters. Let it be known, we will likewise share the unpleasant stories of our experiences with Geri Wolf of Threadmakers and her Mystery Quilt Weekend. You should be ashamed of yourself and your shoddy run business. You owe each one of us an apology and a $225 refund. You have disgraced and dishonored Melanie and her memory with your business practices. Your lack of professionalism resonated through the entire Mystery Quilt Weekend and remains with each of us.

It is with this in mind, that a copy of this letter is being shared with two organizations with which you are involved, the National Quilt Association, Inc. and the State Quilt Guild of New Jersey. You talked of your process to become an NQA certified quilt judge, and of your role as a board member for SQGNJ. These are two upstanding organizations with integrity. Are they aware of your misrepresentation, false advertisement and unprofessional business manner? I certainly would not want someone of your reputation representing a professional quilting organization. If the National Quilting Association, Inc. or the State Quilt Guild of New Jersey would like to contact us, we are each providing an email address where we can be reached.

Sincerely,


CC:

National Quilting Association, Inc.
PO Box 12190
Columbus, OH 43212-0190

ATTN: Connie Davidson, President


Merry May
(her address)

ATTN: State Quilt Guild of New Jersey
Merry May, President