Category Archives: Quilt Market

Here I am, nestled in between quilts from Gone to Texas, Route 66 and Pick of the Seasons typing this blog. It is the first day of Quilt Market – we are open for business! So far, it has been smooth sailing, thanks to our crew that came along. Usually it’s just Doug, Edie and I, and we’re often still setting up the morning of the show. But this time, our photographer Aaron Leimkuehler, designer Brian Grubb and editor Deb Rowden came along to help. (And thanks to author Sheri Howard (of Ruby Red Dots) for stopping by to help bag patterns!)

Yesterday we had six different schoolhouse sessions where we presented our new books. All were well attended, and Edie, Deb and Brian were very entertaining for their audiences. Deb and Brian were sure to mention our new book Artful Bras: Hooters, Melons and Boobs, Oh My! A Quilt Guild’s Fight Against Breast Cancer at the end of every schoolhouse. The quilt shop owners sure got a hoot (pun intended) out of the subtitle. Authors Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith, Betsy Chutchian, Jan Patek and Barbara Jones also hosted schoolhouse sessions.
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I’ve exhibited at plenty of trade shows in my short five-year career – which means I’ve been to a lot of convention centers. So I kind of consider myself to be a convention center expert. Upon entering the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh I was immediately impressed – and continue to be impressed. Which made me decide to rate three of the convention centers I’ve been to for Quilt Market – but on criteria that I find to be important. So the parameters are: sun bathing, Mexican restaurants, bridges, and “greenness.”

George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas

Sun Bathing: Houston’s center has a nice, but small, outdoor patio where it often offers grilled hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch. The problem is, Houston is often too humid to enjoy the outdoors, and when it’s not, the small patio is too packed to even find a place to sit.

Mexican Restaurants: The city of Houston is the Mecca of Tex-Mex. Even the drive to Houston boasts excellent Mexican dining – Buffalo, Texas, is the home to Edie’s and my favorite cheese enchiladas. Each time we’re in Houston, we try a different Mexican restaurant, and I have never had a meal that wasn’t above average.
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A Happy EdieHere’s Edie with her Smirnoff Ice – Pittsburgh passes the test! Continue reading →

Right now, I am flying 33,000 feet above the ground – presumably over the state of Idaho – on my way to Pittsburgh for the 2009 International Spring Quilt Market. I can’t believe it, but this will be my sixth Market. Looking back on all of the previous markets, I have to admit that the spring ones are my favorite. Maybe not in terms of business, but definitely when it comes to fun.

The first Spring Market I attended was in Salt Lake City, Utah. I had never been to that part of the country before, and Edie and I made the two-day trek out there in the minivan. I was amazed at how beautiful that part of the country is.

My LolaI don’t know if I’ve blogged about this before, but I have a little Jack Russell terrier named Lola that I absolutely adore. When I’d go on business trips, I’d generally take Lola from Kansas City up to Omaha to stay with my folks – or “grandma” and “grandpa” as I call them when Lola is around. According to my sister and many friends, I am obsessed with my dog.
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