OK, so I think I’m mostly recovered from the Quilt Market experience – amazing what a good night’s sleep in your own bed can do! Although this market was probably the smallest I’ve attended in terms of the number of vendors and attendees, it was still filled with loads of new patterns, fabrics and other quilty must-haves! I’ll be sharing many new fall collections over the next few months, as well as new books and patterns that I purchased. Some of our favorite designers had new things to share, including local favorite Silver Thimble Quilt Co., Miss Rosie’s, Abbey Lane Quilts, Minick & Simpson, and Fig Tree Quilts. There were loads more, far too many to mention here! You’ll be seeing some of them show up soon at Sweet Home Quilt Co., though, I promise!Â
Trends? I noticed lots of texture and embellishments – hand embroidery, specialty threads, wool, pin-tucks, rick rack and ruffles, and fabric textures like satin and linen blends were hot, too. Fabric collections seemed to be really bright and funky or reproduction-type lines, not much in between. Purses/bags/totes were in abundance and children’s clothing was every where! I even noticed a number of booths featuring floor cloths and quilts as rugs – definately home dec is a trend that is here to stay.
I didn’t get as many pictures as I usually do because my camera battery died out pretty early, but I did manage a few booth shots as well as some from the actual quilts on display which I’ll share in another post. Trust me when I say that the techno-gods were not kind to me during this Quilt Market, but I persevered!
This is a view of the Convention Center from the parking lot of my hotel. I was really lucky to get a room at the Hampton Inn, which was only a block from the show. I walked to and from every day, except Friday night after Sample Spree when Karen and her hubby, Ken, insisted that I let them drive me back to the hotel. It was only a block, but it was nearly 10PM so common sense overruled! It is great to have good friends watching your back, especially when I have a tendency to be stubborn about stuff like that!
This is the view from my hotel room. If you know me well, you know that I am afraid of water(!) so this is as close as I wanted to get. If I remember my geography correctly, there are three rivers that come together in Pittsburgh – the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio – someone correct me if I’m wrong! There were several cruises during Market, including one sponsored by Moda, but I didn’t go anywhere near them!
The actual Market was on the second floor of the convention center, with classrooms on the third floor. The two wings of the center are connected by a glass-enclosed walkway allowing a birdseye view of the many vendor booths. These next photos will give you an idea of the enormity of the market floor and the many, many vendor booths! It is no wonder we were all exhausted!
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Remember I mentioned Sample Spree on Friday night? I don’t usually participate because in addition to being afraid of water, I also don’t handle extreme crowds very well – I’m prone to panic attacks. I always purchase a Sample Spree ticket just in case I might work up the nerve to go, though, and this time I decided to check it out. I’ve renamed this event “Sample Free-For-All” because it was a ZOO! At this event, many of the vendors offer “samples” of their new offerings, meaning that you can buy just one of a book, pattern, fabric bundle, kit, etc. and sometimes even an actual pre-made sample to use as a store display without having to place a minimum order. Moda is always the largest draw in the room, and this time was no exception! I know there were people 10 and 15 deep at the Moda tables – I didn’t even bother! There is no jelly roll or fat quarter bundle worth the pushing and shoving and grabbing that was going on! I did manage to snag a couple of fat quarter bundles from Lecien, a Japanese fabric manufacturer, along with some wool and several new books and patterns that I had on my list. I was only in the room for about 30 minutes, and that was pretty much my limit.
Sample Spree Waiting Line
- Crushing Crowds
Here’s Pat doing some last minute “fluffing” in her
Silver Thimble Quilt Co. booth. You can see her three newest patterns behind her (l to r) Scrappy Nines, Tic Tac, and My Sunny Garden. Look for these at Sweet Home very soon!
One of my favorite booths, which I kept returning to over and over, was
Buttermilk Basin - total yummy eye candy every where you looked! And really terrific display ideas, too.
Maywood Studios had a really bright and cheerful booth display, too. You can’t help but fall in love with these fun designs – you know I love black with anything!
The
LizzieBCre8ive booth won the Creativity Award for the second time in a row. These girls are so much fun, and their booth certainly reflects that, too. They baked dozens and dozens of chocolate chip cookies (in their hotel room!!) Â for us to sample at their booth. They were promoting their new book, Whimsyland, which has the recipe included. See what I mean about creative!
There’s lots more to share with you, but I’m out of time and out of space on this post! Watch for my next post where I’ll share photos from the quilt show that was on display during Market. As always, Quilt Market is inspiring and exhausting and fun – one of the best things I get to do as a quilt shop owner! I’m glad to be home, though – it’s always good to come home.
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