to market to market !

  Good Morning! How are you doing? We are good. I am still trying to get back into my swing after being away from my family for a couple days. So, Sharon Smith and I went to the Houston Quilt Market. We had a great time. Sharon and I left at 0600 on Friday and we made good time. The miles fly by when you have a great travel companion. We made plans to stop at the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, TX. Well, when we got to town the GPS directed us to the wrong museum. So we asked if they knew where the real one was. They did, but it was not going to be open until November 13th. Wellsir....that really put the first kink in our plan. Oh well, we will just stop by anyway and take a look. Maybe peek in the windows?

 So we get out of the van and pose in front of the museum, the lights are on inside...and I see a person. I try the door and it was unlocked, so Sharon and I went in. We went in and we got a private tour (by the men who renovated the old building). Others were turned away, but not Sharon and I (it is also a really good idea to travel with a knock out like Sharon). It is a great museum! We will certainly make plans to return when it is open for real.

 So here I am on Saturday morning outside the convention center. The evening before I went to sample spree and I got some really good things. I will post them later. I have a little collection of fabric beside me that I want to go make into a quilt RIGHT NOW! But I have other priorities first.

 Sharon had a morning class before market opened, so I had a hour to burn. I called my sweet husband to check on the kiddos. All was well. I did a bit of berry making. Then I noticed a stir in the air and someone strolled by me...

 I sat there with a silly grin on my face watching Amy Butler glide by. Then I snapped out of it and dug in my bag for my camera. By then she and her long legs were way far away and this is the crap shot I got.

I did meet her later and make a total cake of myself. But I will save that story for later.

 So, quilt market is really crowded and there is quite a bit of visual stimulation. Sharon and I started our search of the market at the distant end. The first isles were so crowded that it gave my the creeps to have to shove my body in with the masses of quilt shop owners, so to the very very very end of the building we went. And I am so happy we did! One of the first places we stopped was Marcia Derse's booth. It was so pure and simple it was an obvious place to stop and admire the fabric. And JUST the fabric. There was nothing else in her booth except her fabric hanging up on the walls. She hand dyes her fabric and uses wax resist. She then sends the pieces she is happy with to Troy Fabric and they mass produce the fabric and fabric shops buy it by the bolt from them. I wanted to sign up for a wholesale account immediately. But I had to shake myself and remind myself that that was not why I was at Houston.

*** Gwen Marston sent me some of Marcia's fabric last year because she thought I would love it. (she knows me so well..."sigh"...) I loved it so much I have it just sitting in a tiny stack by my sewing machine. Just to pet. This is really great fabric and I wish more fabric shops would carry it!

 Marcia was so friendly and such a wonderful character. She joined me in this picture...but don't you like how she tucked herself behind me? I am going to do that from now on in pictures. I will by buying and quilting with her fabric! It will look AWESOME with Camo.

 The next booth I LOVED was Carolyn Frielander. Her speciality is paper pieced patterns and these wonderful custom quilt stamps. I really want to make some of her quilts.

 I have seen those trees before, but for the life of my I can't remember where or in what setting. 

 Penguin and Fish was a great booth that I wanted to get more pictures of, but the lady with the booth across the isle kept dragging on me so I would come into her booth and admire her bags and buy all the patterns. I finally told her I don't know how to sew and I don't like bags. She then left me alone.

Penguin and Fish has a line of fabric coming out. It looks super cute!

 The last booth I am going to cover in this segment was Skip Stone Creative. Kirstyn Cogan is really quite brilliant. I love her little appliques and soft critters. You order the kits and stitch them out. She makes them all very simple. I don't know if you can see in this picture or not, but the swallow on the table is my total favorite. It comes in a Valentine kit.

 I really loved this beet applique.

So here is Sharon and Kirstyn. Aren't they cute? Ok, I have alot more to cover and even some giveaways! So get ready to come back and read some more!

xo,

Tia