News from Houston

 Hi Everyone

   Houston we have a big problem...... I want it all!

   Miriam and I arrived Oct. 28 in Houston, Texas. It was a long journey here, it seemed like it was never going to end. We left our  house at 3am and arrived here local time around 4pm. We wandered over to the convention hall and then relaxed. I don't think my sister really understood how busy we were going to be on Friday.

Miriam's first Quilt Market

   Today was our first day of activities. There a series of classes called Schoolhouse Series, you can choose from around 250 different classes, some are only 15 minutes and some are 30min. We selected classes of things we thought our customers would like or new notions or tools that we should take a close look at. So we did that all day, only breaking for a very quick lunch. It was  really fun. The following photos are quilts that were featured at some of the classes I went to.

These 2 quilts are new from Piece of Cake Designs and using the new fabric line Daisy and Dots.

These 2 quilts are all done on the embroidery machine! This was my favorite class I took today, I wish you could see the detail in the stitches. This is from HoopSisters.

      After a busy day of classes we had one more event to attend this evening, it's a big one not for the faint of heart! The event was Sample Spree and it is  the running of the bulls for Quilters! Hundreds of people start lining up hours before the doors open and then make a dash for your favorite fabric suppliers.

Waiting for Sample Spree to Start.

    This a chance for stores to pre-buy fabric bundles, fat quarters, charms, gadgets and more. The big booth to be at is Moda and no I don't go near it, it's DANGEROUS over there! I looked for a few new things for the store, which I found. My sister,  she had a ball, she bought a few fabric bundles and book she really liked. We'll get back to her she is going to give us a special report. We spent about 1.5 hours shopping there, it is only open for 2 hours. The picture below is the mob around the Moda booth. You haven't seen a more dedicated group of shoppers until you've seen shop owners and their staff looking for deals!

 

As I mentioned my sister had a ball and found a few things she really liked.

  

Well I better sign off for now, I'll keep you posted on what I see and pick up tomorrow.

Natasha


My First Quilt Market- By Miriam
    What a day, today I did schoolhouse classes all day with my sister. After picking the classes that I would do, I was having an amazing time, when I realized I forgot my camera at home! I know how horrible. The classes I really liked was a Sashiko Stencil Quilt and stacking the large Dill buttons to make great broaches and embellishing. I won a sweet door prize....4 charm packs from a vintage collection called Clothesline Club.
    The most interesting thing I learned was when in line for Sample Spree...Don't get between a women and her fabric, they take you down! The women will do anything to get to the Moda booth: pushing, shoving, elbows anything goes just to get to the Moda booth. Sample Spree is crazy, fun and little nuts. I will admit I was ready to shove a few people to get some Robert Kaufmann Fabric! The fever infects you!
    All in all I felt like a kid in a candy store and I love Candy! What a great day plus I'm here with my sister, we are having fun.
    Day one down, next we get to see the show floor...... almost 1000 booths to look at!

Miriam