Help find this bag

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The picture says it all.

This bag was possibly stolen by someone who went to the quilt show with the goal of stealing as much stuff as possible, rather than by a genuine quilt show visitor. The thief possibly does this often. I know the Northcote Kris Kringle market usually gets hit by thieves on the final night, stealing everything from little things on stalls to one stallholder's wallet holding $600 she'd made that night.

The thief will possibly either try to sell this bag (and the other things they stole), or give it to someone as a present, claiming they bought it. You might spot it anywhere. It could be at a trash-and-treasure stall or on the shoulder of an unsuspecting recipient of stolen goods.

I once worked in a boutique toyshop and it was only myself and a new teenage staff member on duty. A pair of experienced shoplifters came in and immediately made me suspicious. I tried to follow the one with the bag but her partner distracted me while she stole £100 of stuff from the shelves. I confronted her and got her to give one £20 item back but they ran off with the rest. Even beyond the expensive loss of stock while I was in charge of the shop I felt violated - these people had come into my space and brazenly stolen from me, even as I stood in front of them and said I could see what they were doing. Nikki's loss is so much worse because she made the bag herself and it features a beautiful button from her grandmother's stash.

The police told me the best thing to do in shoplifting situations, or if you see stolen goods later, is to call the police on your mobile while following the thieves at a discreet distance - preferably they won't know you're onto them - and wait for the police to arrive before approaching the person with the item. I worked with someone who got their stolen car back this way, months after it had been taken! I'm not sure exactly what you'd say to the emergency operator in the circumstance of tracking a stolen sample bag. In the era of camera phones it might be easier to take a few covert photos of the suspect and the bag and take the pictures into the cop shop.

Knowing me and my smart-arsery, I'd probably approach the person, start raving about the beautiful bag and asking loudly where they'd got it, and cause a massive scene. I'm not very appropriate (or necessarily safe) in these situations.

Share this image on Facebook, Twitter or wherever. The bag has probably moved beyond the craft community and the search needs to as well!