QR Code for Tom Russell Quilts Blog
Do You Know What This Is? No, it’s not a new quilt design—although it could be. It’s a bar code, but it’s so much more than your standard straight-line bar code. This new bar code is called a QR Code. It is a 2D bar code and it is the newest, latest, greatest, whiz-bang technological advancement coming our way.
This new bar code is very unique and it’s popping up everywhere—and because we are so close—I thought you should know about it, and why I think it’s so special.
What Makes This Code So Special? Well, I’m glad you asked. This code is special because it can be read by any smart or android phone. This QR Code can hold all sorts of information, from email and web addresses, to youtube video links and phone numbers. This little code will allow you to promote your work or your business with very little effort. It is so versatile that you can customize it to fit your needs. Beyond being infinitely customizable, it is also free. That’s right. I said it. FREE! Anyone can make a QR Code and use it in any way they wish.
Does QR Mean It’s Quilt Related? In this case, yes it does. I recently read a great blog post from a quilter who is using this code to help promote her business. I thought this was a very clever use of the technology, but I also thought it could be used to address a concern I have with my quilts.
Lost And Found One of the big issues with shipping and exhibiting quilts is the potential for theft. When a quilt is lost or stolen, it has a very small chance of being recovered, especially if the label has been removed.
Sure, there are web sites devoted to recovering quilts such as Lost Quilt Come Home, Missing Quilts and you’ll even find some in the Lost Quilts section of The Applique Society’s web site, but the success of these sites are dependent on everyone knowing that a particular quilt, made by a particular maker—is missing—and I mean EVERYONE. Everyone not only has to know that particular quilt is missing, they have to be able to identify that exact quilt when they see it. You can imagine how difficult this task is, even for the most devoted quilt rescuer.
I think these sites are great and I appreciate what they are trying to do—I REALLY DO—but I have to be honest, I don’t visit them very often, nor do I know anyone who does. So, if I’m not going . . . and they’re not going . . . and you may not be going, just how successful can these sites be?
I know a few police officers who are very good at what they do—but as good as they are—I seriously doubt that any of them would go look on any of these web sites, should they run across a pile of quilts in the trunk of a car, or in a house filled with other stolen merchandise.
Binding Proposition I have investigated other methods of labeling or IDing my quilts to help facilitate in their recovery (beyond the standard label), such as placing my contact information inside the binding and micro chipping them. Both of these methods are used by other quilters—and they do have some merit—but very little in my opinion. Placing important contact information in the binding is great, but no police officer will—EVER—undo a binding to search for it. Come to think of it, I seriously doubt if any concerned quilter would do so either. Placing your contact information in the binding is like putting a message in a bottle. Yes, it could be found, but your chances are pretty slim.
Chipping Away At It Micro chipping a quilt sounds really cool and high-tech, but I think you have to ask yourself, who would even consider looking for the chip if it were there? I know veterinarians have micro chip readers and they use them all the time, but do police officers? Do police officers know to look for micro chips in quilts?
Another question to ask yourself is, who is responsible for keeping the database for micro chipped quilts? Is this database open to everyone, or is it accessible to only a select few? I’m sure that if a group of chipped quilts were reported stolen—and the authorities are made aware—they would have a better chance for recovery—but seriously—do you think a micro chip search is gonna happen for every quilt found? Micro chips may be a viable option in the future, but they don’t seem like a reasonable choice at the moment—at least for not me. Selling for around $30 per chip, the expense alone necessitates another solution.
Code-Dependent After reading the QR Code blog post and doing a little investigating, I have decided that this QR Code would be the perfect solution to my identity crisis. With this free software, I can create a QR Code and attach it to the back of each of my quilts. I can place this code in an area separate from the label. The benefit to this, is that if the regular label is taken off, my quilt still has a chance of being identified.
I know that the “dirty, rotten” quilt thieves could take the QR Code off too. I watch Law & Order and Leverage, so I know what “dirty, rotten, no-account” quilt thieves are capable of. I figure, that if my quilt has a busy backing, and the QR Code is small, that there is a chance that the “dirty, rotten, no-account, too lazy to make your own” quilt thieves may not see it. Since I make scrappy quilts, I could even hide the code on the front of my quilt if I chose to. Hmmmm . . . (visualize wheels turning)
Code Of Silence Oh yeah, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking . . . that Tom is pret-ty clever. (I just had another idea about what I could do with this code, but I’ll tell you more about that later—or maybe I won’t. I might just let it be a surprise for those who find it.) Nope, don’t need no . . . “dirty, rotten, no-account, too lazy to make your own, didn’t your momma raise you better?“ quilt thieves . . . knowin what I’m thinkin.
Breaking the Code The reason I think this technology is so revolutionary is because practically anyone with a phone will have the ability to find me—without expending any effort at all. They can use their phone to scan the code—and BAM!—there I am. Another really nice thing about this code, is that you can print it onto fabric without interfering with its ability to be read. That isn’t the case with standard bar codes.
I’m very excited about adding the QR Code to the back of my quilts and I suggest you do the same, especially if you exhibit and sell your work. Because this is such a wonderful and useful technology, I hope that quilt shows in the future will make it a mandatory element for the back of each entrant.
Codex I could continue going on and on about why I think everyone should use this new technology, but I’ll stop here and provide you a few links, so you can do your own research. They appear in no particular order. Some sites offer more QR Code options than others, so I recommend you investigate each site before you make your final decision, or go to several and share the love.
http://keremerkan.net/qr-code-and-2d-code-generator/
http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-generator/
Creating a QR Code takes less than a minute to do, so don’t put it off. If you don’t like the code, you don’t have to use it. Remember it’s FREE! If you have any questions, just let me know and I’ll try to answer them.
IMPORTANT NEWS! I just got an email from the US Ambassador to Nigeria. He’s coming to the US this Friday—and you are not going to believe this—he says he’s got a check for $3.5 million dollars with my name on it. Yippeee! I’m so excited! He doesn’t appear to actually know my name—or where I live—but I don’t think that’s a problem . . . do you?
Tom Russell Quilts 