by Mary Sue Bizzari, from El Dorado Hills
According to the Craft Industry Alliance, there are now 85 million “active creatives” in the U.S. and Canada. This group — defined as people who have engaged in a creative project in the past year — spend over $35 billion annually on their chosen craft. My craft of choice is quilting. Nationwide, I am one of an estimated 9 to 11 million quilters. This popular national pastime, however, is now at risk due to President Donald Trump’s recently enacted tariffs.
Trump’s tariffs
For many Americans, quilting is more than a simple hobby — it’s part of a personal history and heritage. In my home, I have quilts made by my grandmother and my great-grandmother as well as many newer ones that I finished and several that are gifts from dear quilting friends.
Most of us quilters shop at local quilt stores, but in a community like Amador County, where I reside, the nearest quilt store is at least a one-hour drive. That means that I purchase most of my quilting supplies online.
Most designer fabrics used in quilting today are manufactured in Asia, specifically South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. This is an industry that has always been in Asia. Now, however, an additional cost as high as 20% will be added to the price of fabric — a significant cost for us crafters.
Suddenly, in the place of campaign promises of reduced prices on everyday goods, we are now having to pay more.
A favorite pastime
Despite the rise of technology and other hobbies, quilting remains a favorite pastime, and a large percentage of quilters are active in quilting communities or clubs. This hobby helps us relax, relieve stress, be creative and connect with family and friends through gift-giving and community donation drives for babies, cancer patients, seniors and others in need.
I started sewing almost as soon as I could walk. I never had an interest in quilting, but, growing up, whenever I visited my grandmother in the summertime, I always admired the quilt that resided in the designed “Cousins Bedroom” in a log cabin built by my great-grandfather. (It is now proudly displayed in my home, a gift from my cousins to me when my aunt died).
Gifts from the heart
In 2001, I found myself unemployed for the first time in my adult life. I needed something to do. I went into a quilt shop and created my first quilt: A piece in memory of 9/11, a terrible day in American History.
Now, I’ve been quilting for over two decades. Many years ago, I made a baby gift for a friend. Recently, I received a special note from that same “baby” when they graduated high school. I completed a collaborative project with a close friend living in Switzerland who learned to quilt at the very same quilt shop I did. I’ve made quilts for family members and shared fabric with the local quilt guild so they can make their own quilts or sell the fabric to raise money for charity projects
These are gifts to and from the heart. It would be heartbreaking if this craft became too expensive and no longer affordable for my fellow creatives. It would also be terrible if local specialty small businesses got priced out of the market. I do not support this unnecessary tariff, and I call on every elected official to call an end to this so-called “national emergency.”