R-rated book on stitching? THE HEADLINES

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Hunkered down because of the pandemic, craft activists have recently drawn inspiration from challenges to equality, social justice and gender rights. But last month, Michaels, the large U.S. crafts retailer, became an unlikely source of controversy when it ordered stores to trash a book of cross-stitch patterns with feminist messages, some of which contained salty language.

As Michaels locations were stocking the book, titled “Feminist Cross-stitch,” for Women’s History Month this month, at least two employees noticed that four of the 40 patterns contained a specific obscenity, according to the company.

They told their managers. The corporation’s headquarters took action, ordering Michaels U.S. stores to remove the books, which were tossed in the trash, the company said.

“It is our policy not to sell products with the ‘F’ word in or on it in our stores,” Michaels said in an emailed statement. “It is not in line with our brand and that policy will not change.”

The removal quickly led to backlash in online craft forums. Some called for a boycott of the store or said they would purchase the book to support its author, Stephanie Rohr. A photograph posted on Reddit by a woman who said her mother worked at a Michaels store showed the book plastered with a sticker that said it was headed for the trash.

“There is something very … apt about throwing feminism in the trash because you realize some of the words make you uncomfortable,” one person wrote on the site.

But Michaels said it objected only to the swear words, pointing to concerns

that a customer could pick up a copy without realizing it contained curses.

The retailer apologized for throwing the books in the trash and said it had ordered additional copies to sell on its website with the disclaimer “Warning: Contains adult language.” means and the desire to keep exotic fish as pets.

Seguine was arrested in July 2017 in Georgia on charges of driving without a license and possessing five small sharks in a tank in the back of his truck, according to the New York attorney general’s office.

Seguine could not be reached for comment. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.

Copies of “Feminist Crossstitch” were removed from Michaels stores.