Jennifer, Neva & I are back from Houston Quilt Market and our Special Hopes &. Dreams exhibit at Quilt Festival- and we had a wonderful time!
Yes ...we worked really hard (its not all glamour!). We arrive in Houston the day before the show, rushing from our 6am east-coast flight straight to the 'non-air-conditioned' convention center, going right to work to build our exhibit booth. We lift heavy boxes, unpack....
......move pallets, climb ladders (and chairs), lay carpet, reach and stretch to hang batting and decorations on 10' steel poles ...using body parts we rarely use anymore:). All while constantly dodging what seems to be an army of horn- blowing forklift drivers speeding through the aisles delivering giant crates and supplies to hundreds of vendors. Did I mention NO air conditioning?
By midnight....With a power bar and glass(es) of wine for a late night dinner - we finally get to bed.
Next morning, first day of the show....from the chaos of setup..... a beautiful Quilt Market opens.
We three 'gals', who are used to our comfy desk jobs (see our 'backsides' for proof:), are now in our busy little booth, on our feet for ten hours straight for three days. Our evenings are booked with socials and events. And on the final day of the show....as soon as they make the closing announcement (simultaneously with turning off the air-conditioning) we are back to lifting, climbing, dodging, packing, stretching, and hauling to tear down the booth and ship our show decor back home!
Yet....with all this, we still had a great time! It is crazy that the show could be so much work but could be SO much fun! We get to greet, meet and talk to our incredible customers face to face, we get to see our fellow exhibitors that have become such good friends, we get to work with our friends at Quilts Inc (who put together the entire show) and we make lots of new friends!
Mike and Gary Harper of JN Harper, C
We get to see and hear about the latest and greatest quilting trends. We talk to designers, teachers, authors, shop owners and manufacturers and learn what they are working on, what they have created and how they use our batting. We witness the vision, hard work and the creative process coming to life; with color, fabric, art, tools, techniques, solutions, technology, networking, sharing and imagination flowing freel
And then ...all around us ....some of the most stunningly beautiful quilts in the world! Eye-Candy everywhere
Melinda Bula's beautiful quilt, 'Monet in Pasadena. When we fall into bed late each night we are exhausted - yet we are exhilarated, inspired, energized and happy....because, we just LOVE being part of the incredible quilting community!
I wish everyone who loves to quilt could experience Houston Quilt Market/Festival at least once!
Here our just a few of our pictures from Quilt Market that we thought you would enjoy (for more pictures visit our Facebook page):
Our very own, Jennifer, who Loves, Loves, Loves the new Dream Fusion!
Amazing painted threads and the whimsical creations of Thread Nuts.
Susan Rass and her 'ghouls' from Tomorrow's Treasured Quilts of Crystal Ciy, Fl. in the best Halloween spirit!
One of the amazing miniature dolls on display:
Amy Butler's booth - beautiful in color and soul:
Timna Tarr, of S. Hadley Mass used Quilters Dream Wool for this award award winning, Traditional Pieced Catagory. This is her interpretation of the New England autumn leaf display!
Sorry that I do not have the name info on this beautiful quilt by a Quilter from Japan.....the details are amazing. The children are her grandchildren. Notice the teenage girl in the right corner? She used a photo of herself as a young girl and quilted in 'her young self' watching over her grandchildren. Beautiful!
Voted one of the top 100 quilts of our time - this gorgeous quilt by Libby Lehman was one of her many beautiful quilts. Her quilts were on display to honor Libby and her courageous battle in overcoming a very serious recent stroke. Our thoughts and prayers are with her:
All the best and Happy Quilting, Kathy Thompson!
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Great post, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out. I use Quilters Dream wool in all of my show quilts (and it's double layered with select cotton in the quilt on my bed) - it's my favorite!
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