The Merchant Mall at Festival

 I started visiting the merchant mall yesterday. It's so large I wonder if I'll get to see it all. So far the most interesting booth was Country Stitchin. Dusty was sitting at his mid-arm just stitchin' away. Watching him use his tools was amazing.

Dusty Farrell

2014 Winners in Quilts: A World of Beauty

2014 Winners in Quilts: A World of Beauty, the annual Judged Show of the International Quilt Association

 

My favorite!

Hurricane
by JANNEKE DE VRIES-BODZINGA
of KOLLUMERZWAAG, FRIESLAND, THE NETHERLANDS

Borders: The Final Chapter, featuring Pieced Borders

Pieced borders add something special! Bring your unfinished quilt top and we will explore clever ways to add grace, spontaneity, sophistication or any effect you desire. Solve the mystery of designing and sewing borders to fit your own quilt. We will look at potential sources of inspiration, fabric choices, and lots and lots of tips for success! 

 

International Quilt Festival Officially Begins Tonight!

Here is just a glimpse of the main event...

Red and White—by the Numbers: Made by Barbara Black, Huntsville AL, quilted by Pamela Dransfeldt

I was met by the following visual:

 Ruby Jubilee: Celebrating 40 Years

This exhibit is inspired by the 2011 “Infinite Variety: The Century’s of Red and White Quilts” exhibit in New York. Quilters have long used ruby (red) to show love, power, lust, strength, fire, death, and war. The addition of white was often used as a relief to the strong red. A selection of ruby and white quilts made from 1974 to present and a selection of red and white antique quilts makes a powerful statement as we celebrate our 40^th anniversary as the largest quilt show sale and quiltmaking academy in the United States.

 

Super Fast Binding and Piping!

 

Is binding the quilt your least favorite part?  Bindings and piping are a snap with this no-fail completely machine-stitched method.  In this class you will be making a sample to take home to keep as a ‘how to’ example for your own quilts. Binding will never be the same again!

Success!

And bags too!

Woo Hoo! Festival!

International Quilt Festival has not officially started, but Market is just over. I had the opportunity to visit new, and old friends.

Janice of Anything But Boring, the maker of my favorite purse pattern.

Weeks dye Works

NEVER too late to sew!

The International Quilt Market

The International Quilt Market is a wholesale trade show that was started in 1979 at the request of many quilt shop owners in the nation to provide one central marketplace for quilt shops and their suppliers. All major fabric, batting, publishing, stencil, and pattern companies are represented at each International Quilt Market. The annual fall edition of Market is always held in Houston, Texas. 

I expect there will be registrants from all 50 states, and at least 25 countries outside the U.S. This is the time for retail shop owners, quilting teachers in shops, prospective shop owners, shop employees, industry sales representatives, and members of the working press to see what's new in quiltmaking today.

International Quilt Market Houston is a leading event starting on 25 October 2014, Saturday and ending on 27 October 2014, Monday. This leading event will be held at George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX, United States Of America and being organized by Quilts Inc. - See more at: https://tradeshowz.com/event/international-quilt-market-houston.html#sthash.6xnhKrwF.dpuf

When in Houston…

While you’re visiting, feel at home and venture out to sample some of the best the nation’s fourth largest city has to offer. Go ahead. Be adventurous!
Getting around the Bayou City
Getting around in Downtown Houston is a cinch, and you don’t always have to hoof it! Hop on board the city’s free Green Link  buses, which run a 2.5-mile loop with 18 convenient stops, including two along Avenida de las Americas in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Discover something new
They don’t call it Discovery Green for nothing! Right across the street from the George R. Brown Convention Center is a 12-acre emerald oasis with an amazing variety of activities. Discovery Green features a small lake, outdoor art installations, a jogging path, playgrounds, a dog run, performance spaces, restaurants, expansive lawns, and picnic areas.

Underground
Houstonians often head underground to escape the hustle, bustle, and heat of downtown. A series of interconnected tunnels six miles long can be accessed from the street at Wells Fargo Plaza or McKinney Garage on Main, or from special entrances within office buildings. What’s down there? With 95 connected city blocks, there are plenty of dining and retail options, but since they primarily serve the downtown workforce, closing time is usually 6 p.m.

Bustles

A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt down and flatten it. Thus, a woman's petticoated or crinolined skirt would lose its shape during everyday wear (from merely sitting down or moving about). The word "bustle" has become synonymous with the fashion to which the bustle was integral.

And the matching beaded bag!

The International Quilt Assocoations Scilent Auction

My piece Shanghai Style will be offered as part of the Association's silent auction at the Houston Quilt Festival.

Shanghai Style

Capital Quilters Guild

Today we had a great time playing with Foil and Paint Sticks in this Simple Surfaces workshop today.  Everyone was very successful! Many thanks to all!

Ina

Capital Quilters Guild

You just must love there shoes!

Cathy Kirk wore them, Art Shoes from www.footprints.com.

Visited the guild here in Raleigh last night. What a group! Lots of activities to keep everyone interested and busy, some great quiltmakers too. Lots of show and tell. One interesting point...more tee shirt quilts than I have ever seen before.