Hancock Fabric Stores made quilting a social cause when they presented patients at St. Jude's hospital with lap quilts hand-made by volunteers across the county as part of the 2004 Quilt of Dreams promotion. The warm, cozy, and original quilts used as its centerpiece the ideas and artwork of some of the patients at St. Jude's Hospital. Hancock Fabric Stores sold 37 one-of-a-kind fabric patterns inspired by the dreams of these patients. Thousands of the quilts were showcased by The BancorpSouth Center in Tupelo, Mississippi during a month-long exhibit. Over 3,400 quilts were made during this fund-raiser. After the exhibit, they could enter the hand-made quilts in the Quilt of Dreams contest where originality and the best use of theme were part of the rubrics. After the event, all quilts were given to St. Jude for either patients gifts or for additional fund raising purposes. "Seeing a little one with a quilt pulled up under the chin really strikes home about what it means to have something to hold on to," said Larry Kirk, CEO of the Hancock Fabric Store. Refer to our "Hancock Fabric Resources" section for more information on the Quilt of Dreams event.

The Hancock Fabric Store has become the #2 US fabric chain (behind Joann Fabric, also reviewed on our site). With fewer people sewing clothes, the company now emphasizes home decorating projects, including the popular craft, quilting. Hancock Fabric Stores, originally opened in 1952, has a large selection of high quality fabrics for beginning or professional quilters. Since 1992, the store has emphasized its mail order business as an Internet retailer. They publish at least 4 full color catalogs (of approximately 100 pages each) a year.