The whirlwind that is Quilt Market

For photos and more information that I didn't get to include, make sure to click on the radio Quilt Market link to the right. It will take you to lots of other posts with lots of perspectives and photos—don't miss it!
Phew! Six days after I returned from Tahoe I headed out for Houston. For a home-lovin' gal like me, it's a little challenging to travel so much. But I must say, Market is always such an inspiration. And it's so much fun to get to meet in person the wonderful folks I interview all year via phone.

This was never more true than this year. I spent the entire month of August interviewing designers for Moda's fall "playbook." This is the catalog they give to quilt shop owners to peruse when they make appointments with their fabric reps. It includes images of all the newest fabrics, organized by designer. This Market their theme was Family Tree and included a family tale of each designer or design team. I was the lucky girl who got to write the 18 bios. (Several of those required multiple interviews, as the "designer" is really a pair or more of designers.) I was so excited to see the final product (at left) and it did not disappoint. Marketing director Lissa Alexander is amazing at coming up with ideas for Moda and her crack team of designers really help her ideas shine.

Ann and Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill

In addition to loving the way it looked, I was so pleased to meet many of the designers I interviewed. On top of being talented, they're a fantastic, friendly group of women and because the theme was family I heard some great stories (see the lede to Sandy Gervais bio at left) that really made me laugh.

Blackbird Design's Barb and Alma

I talked to Sandy Klopp of American Jane (ack!!! no photos) and Alma and Barb of Blackbird Designs (who later won a best booth award...you can see why), Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill (here with her friend Ann), and Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister (sorry, no photos of their super-cheerful booth with great new bags). Talked with several others as well, but was so busy chatting that I forgot to shoot photos.

I got to see a few of my other favorite folks, as well. Here is a photo of Anna Maria Horner and her mom. She was as friendly and warm as Anna Maria, and I was a little envious of how much fun it would be to work together on an endeavor like a Quilt Market booth with one's daughter.

I've always admired Jane Sassaman's work and took the plunge and gushed about it to her. She, too, was  as friendly as she is talented and we chatted for awhile. Here's a shot of her with her friend (whose name I have sadly forgotten).

Amy Butler's booth

Right across the way was Amy Butler's fabulous (as always) booth. Amy was busily signing her new book and talking with admirers  every time I came by, so I didn't get any photos of her.

Across the aisle was another of my favorite folk, Tula Pink. She's started designing for Free Spirit and it was great fun to see her. In addition to her gorgeous fabrics and quilt patterns (machine quilted with amazing style and speed by her friend Angela), she was sharing little packets of pink and purple M&Ms emblazoned with her name—so cool! Chocolate was everyone's friend at the show...there was lots, but I didn't see any other personalized treats. (Sorry, no photos, again.)

I also chatted with Jenean Morrison, who has a wonderful new line, Wild World, for Free Spirit. Her booth included a fabric covered guitar, table, and bicycle and I heard later that she'd won a booth award. She talked about how much she loved seeing what people did with her fabric—she doesn't do much stitching herself.

Stephanie and Codi

One of the big excitements of the show was that my traveling buddy Codi (of Home Ec) had designed and stitched a quilt for Camelot Cottons and a magazine expressed interest! Can't say much more, but Codi is a true artist (as in, she has a degree in art) and a sweetheart and I'm so excited for her success. Here she is with Stephanie, the company's art director.

As always, Japanese fabrics were incredible. Here is Etsuko Furuya of Echino, sitting pretty in a display of her magical fabrics. We also visited a booth where Codi purchased for Home Ec some of the most amazing buttons, zippers, and trim from a small Japanese company.

Clothing seems to be getting bigger all the time and there were some great patterns for adults, as well as children. Here's one of my favorites—Sewn. Their patterns are enough to make me think that I might try garments again someday, and I love how each one can be modified—a jacket pattern also makes a trench, for example, and you can change up design details to create a new look.

There were a couple of new fabric companies—one of my favorites was Anthology, out of Southern California. Here are some clever folding chair treatments that featured their fabric.

Organic cotton prints were gorgeous, too. Here is Jan of Daisy Janie, getting a ribbon for her booth as Best New Exhibitor. The wonderful Bob Ruggerio is presenting her with the award—he's in charge of media for Market and Festival—a huge job—and he and his trusty assistant Rhianna do their work with ease and a wonderful sense of humor.

Wool continues to make me drool. The Wooly Ladies rich, bright hues are fabulous, and I also loved these warm tones of Mary Flanagan...all hand-dyed, too.

As per usual, Market ran the gamut from the sublime to the downright silly. Here is a fine example: the ironing board cover that features a naked stud-muffin covered by a towel. When you iron over the towel, his anatomically correct physique is revealed (I never got actual proof of this—apparently it was too risque for Market, but the sellers assured us it was so). The cover is available in a blond or brunette model and apparently also comes in a female version, which they claim was in much less demand. (This company sells some really great ironing board covers, too. And this one may be fabulous...it's just that there's something decidedly perverse about running a hot iron over the male member on a regular basis. Ewww.)

There were so many folks I saw whose pictures I didn't take...Lila Scott (technical editor of APQ) and I got to stroll around together and she's always such a treat; Heidi Kaisand of APQS shared photos of a relative's amazing outdoor wedding; Linda Lum DeBono scurrying around, woman on a mission as per usual; Marianne of The Cinnamon Patch, who translated my story for Quilt Country and told me she got so excited about pearl buttons she also wrote a column on them; Karen Snyder of Anna Lena's who was perusing the amazing quilt exhibition and confessed she'd bought a new quilt earlier in the day; Pam of PamKittyMorning with her friend Elizabeth of Late Bloomer Quilts; all my great editors at American Patchwork and Quilting and their related publications (especially enjoyed chatting with Lisa, the editor of All People Quilt, their online site); a quick hello to editor Tricia from Stitch; the list goes on and on. It's so much fun to connect and catch up.

There is one final photo, and that's of me and someone I've admired for years and years and years (since 1985, when I lived in England and saw an exhibition of his knitting). I couldn't help myself and Kaffe Fasset was willing to put down his needlepoint long enough to pose, so I went for it. It was shot by Brandon Mably, who suggested I tuck my name tag into my jacket so it didn't spoil the "liveliness" of my clothing's color scheme. Yup, I'll admit it...I can be just as much a celebrity designer groupie as the next person!