Sweet Home Quilt Co.

I’m a day late with this post, but let me just say that it is proving very difficult to find the time and energy to write a post every day. The days begin with business classes/lectures at 8AM  and it has been after 11PM each night before I get back to the hotel room…aahhhh, but it is so much fun!

Market Thursday was Schoolhouse day, and it is truly exhausting. I didn’t count the number of sessions, but I would venture to say there are between 150 and 200 sessions from which to choose, every half hour. The schedule is made available one hour before the opening session, and then you must be prepared to move rapidly from one session to the next. The problem is that there are so many good sessions and it is difficult to choose between those that overlap; often the decision is made for you…some sessions are so popular you can’t even get in the door! The sessions range from presentations of new product, to business sessions, to ideas for marketing the products we buy, displays, etc. There is so much information to absorb and you want to take advantage of all of it…after all, that is a really big part of what Quilt Market is all about for a shop owner.

Here Celine Perkins of Perkins Dry Goods introduces a new block of the month program from her new book, Abundance.

A product display idea from Timeless Treasures featuring the new Tonga Treats pre-cut strips and squares (look for these at SHQC soon…hint, hint!)

Karen Montgomery, owner of The Quilt Company and fabric designer for Timeless Treasures, shows samples made with her new fabric line, Lauren.

After a full day of Schoolhouse, and a leisurely dinner back at the hotel, it was back to the convention center for the maddening frenzy known as Sample Spree, which is the suppliers’ opportunity to unveil their new introductions and offer Market Specials to shopowners. Many designers also offer pre-made models for their new designs, which gives shopowners a head start for being able to introduce the new products into their shops quickly without having to wait for a model to be made once they return from Market. People began lining up to get in at 4:30PM and it didn’t begin until 8PM!!! We (Julie, Noel and I) waited until the initial frenzied surge had ended before we went over, and we were able to walk right in without a wait!

Every year Moda has a new Market bag at Sample Spree…and I filled TWO of these with yummy stuff to bring back. So what did I buy?

Just look at all that Moda goodness! Just a sneak peek, though. You’ll have to wait for the Market Review Party when I get back to see it all up close and personal…SORRY!

Melisa

Tags: Moda, Perkins Dry Goods, Quilt Market Recap, Sample Spree, Schoolhouse, The Quilt Company, Timeless Treasures

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 12:16 AM and is filed under Quilt Market. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.