Quilter Says CPSIA Will Bankrupt Her Business
[This is another in a series of posts by Susan Maphis covering the impact of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). For more information about the CPSIA, read Susan's previous article: The End Of Handmade and sign up for her CPSIA Alerts Mailing List ]
Jen Arey made her first quilted project when she was 18, under the tutelage of her mother. Later, Arey took that love of quilting passed down by her mother and created Baby’s Breath Quilts, a business she runs from home. She has built up her business over the last 2 1/2 years, selling quilts online, in galleries, and at craft fairs. This could all come to a screeching halt, however, on February 10, when the CPSIA goes into effect.
“This law, in a nutshell, will bankrupt me,” Arey says. “I have been spending hours writing articles and making phone calls to anyone I can think of and, while sympathetic, no one seems to have a solution. My state Representative even told me I needed to get a lawyer because it was out of Washington’s hands!”
Arey, who also works as a substitute teacher, says that she cannot afford the $13,000 that it would cost to test her existing line of quilts, let alone any new quilts she would make. “I have a ton of fabric waiting to be made into quilts, but I don’t want to start any new projects if I am not going to be able to sell them,” she says. “I feel really limited with my business and all of my focus is on trying to get this issue resolved.”
Arey’s quilts feature original designs, such as the Black and White Ladybug Quilt, pictured above. She also specializes in custom-made quilts. Arey spends an average of 12 hours making each quilt, and she never uses embellishments on them that could possibly be harmful to babies. You can view and purchase Arey’s quilts at BabysBreathQuilts.com.
[ For more information about the CPSIA, read Susan's previous article: The End Of Handmade]
hi - you might want to contact the manufactures of the fabric you use to get the “ok” that the fabric doesn’t contain lead. We have a quilt shop and understand this will cover it. the fabric manufactures are ready to supply this information.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:46 pm