A raging debate opened up across Quiltland today as news leaked that a woman, who, for legal reasons can be identified only as a 'senior member of the Royal family' was arrested on suspicion of fabric abuse. The incident occurred after the Quilt Police in her Home State found suspicious stains in her bathroom. When it was established that she had been bathing with her fabric, an arrest was made. The woman has now been released and has fled back to Quiltland where the authorities have suggested that as there is no Quilt Police this could not have happened there.

Nonetheless, all over the land tongues have been wagging. Is it an entirely natural thing to do do bathe with your young fabric or is it indicative of a perversion?

The quilter in question has remained in embarrassed seclusion but did, through an agent give the following statement:

"The incident in question has I believe been taken out of all proportion. At no time did I actually plan with any malice or intention to harm my fabric to expose it to inappropriate behaviour. The fabric in question was mostly genuine west African batiks which I decided to pre-wash as they are thicker than the quilting cottons with which they were to be combined and I was concerned about shrinkage as they are very starchy. However, I decided that to use all the hot water to wash fabric was, on a freezing cold day, a waste so I decided - even though I was clean- to run a bath, have a quick delicious dip in hot water ( possibly my favourite place to be) then to wash the fabric in the bath rather than to heat water in the machine and so waste energy and water both.

However, once in the bath I realised that it would make sense time wise to wash my hair but did not want to wash the fabric in shampoo. So I though I'd just reach out and dunk the fabric in the water, wash out the sizing and then wash my hair. All worked well on the first three pieces until the nice black meter piece. Which was not actually black but was in fact indigo.

Almost immediately I found myself sitting, quite literally, in an indigo bath....... I admit that the bath also turned blue. I also admit that it was not smart to remove the blue fabric from the blue bath in a panic and place it in the cream sink which also turned blue. In hindsight it would have been better to use a container to remove the dripping fabric to the washing machine in the kitchen. I can however confirm that in no way was any trauma caused to the fabric. If anything I am the victim of this unfortunate incident and for the Quilting Police to take such over enthusiastic action is a farce. I am glad to say I was realised without charge upon my promise to scrub the bathroom fittings clean."