Trendology: That Crazy Box Thing

Once only territory for fancy beer, wine and flowers, the monthly subscription craze is booming. Big-time.

- Melissa Thompson Maher

For a fee, you can order nearly any kind of boxed treat to come to your mailbox, including dog toys, stickers, infant photo props, schedule planners, geek stuff, spices and sex toys. (Hey, a treat’s a treat, right?) You can also pay for the postman to feed your quilty urges, too. As many as 10 fabric- and sewing-themed boxes are already vying for your discretionary dollar—including some in the United Kingdom and Australia-- and new ones are in the planning stages.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

What’s the appeal? It’s happy mail. In an era of digital communication, the mailbox often just holds bills. A box of quilting treats? Oh, baby!

“People just like getting presents, getting something in the mail you can look forward to,” says Ebony Love, whose new limited edition Spark! Quilting Box was due to ship right about press-time.

“And if a box’s contents are a mystery or something new a quilter might not pick up for themselves, that just deepens the enjoyment,” says Cheryl Sleboda of muppin.com, whose signature skull-and-crossedneedle products were in a box curated by Christopher Thompson (The Tattooed Quilter) for Patrick Claytor’s Quilty Box.

“I think it’s a bit like the Cracker Jack surprise in the box. You don’t know what it is, but you can’t wait to get to it,” she says.

Whether the strategy is stash enhancement, product sampling, project-building or exposure to a new technique, if you’ve got the cash and desire, subscription boxes are like a shop hop with no windshield time. Whether you try it once, or sign up for a 3-, 6- or 12-month run, it’s definitely quilty gain without any travel pain.