I promise I have not dropped off the face of the earth! These last few weeks have been packed full with filling and shipping orders, following up with people I talked with at Market, finishing up my pattern cover updates, working on a new pattern, and, of course, all my regular mom and homeschooling responsibilities. The new pattern is one that I previewed at Market, and my amazing group of testers is helping me finish a few last minute tweaks as we speak (er, I mean “type”). Want a little peek?
So, I promised to share a little more about Quilt Market. I really wish I’d taken more pictures, but I was so busy. Ray and I drove down on Thursday and started the set-up. Ray left me in the early evening to drive back to Dallas, and I hung out in the hotel room, finishing up stuffed apples until it was time to head to the airport to pick up my dear friend, Jamie, who flew down (all the way from Canada) to help me out for the weekend. Jamie’s flight was late leaving Toronto, so it was very late when she made it in and we headed back to the hotel. It was even later when we finally made it to the hotel after driving around in circles on the one-way streets of downtown Houston for . . . um . . . we’ll just say a while.
We spent the day Friday setting up our booth and enjoying some U. S. shopping. (I think Jamie took back half her body weight in fabric. It’s a good thing she brought an expandable suitcase.) Friday evening we dropped in for a bit at Fabric 2.0 where I managed to maintain a fairly professional appearance among people that I had never before met in person. Professional, that is, until I happened to see Rashida Coleman-Hale across the room, at which point, I might have sprinted across the room in an “Oh-My-Gosh-There’s-A-Celebrity-Who-I-Have-To-Meet!” moment. Rashida, by the way, is the sweetest! She very kindly acted like I was a perfectly normal person. (Even after I told her that I’ve been “stalking” her for years! Really, who admits to being a stalker the very first time they meet someone?) Not only did she encourage me and wish me the best, but during Market the next day, she stopped by to say, “Hello”. I was busy with a shop owner, though, and only got to wave.
From Fabric 2.0, Jamie and I walked over to check out Sample Spree. It was crazy and loud and loads of fun! At Sample Spree, designers offer sample packages of their latest fabric or patterns, and attendees purchase them at a discount to take back to their stores. Some designers even sew up their patterns or their fabric and sell those finished items for display in fabric and quilt shops. I’m thinking that I might have to join in and offer pattern samples at Spring Market.
Saturday, Sunday and early Monday were busy with actual work! (Should you really call it work, when you enjoy what you do so much?) Ray drove back down Monday morning and with his help on Monday afternoon we tore down in about 20 minutes what had taken us two days to put up.
Jamie’s flight was due to leave Tuesday morning, and she thought she needed to eat a real Texas dinner on Monday evening. After a bit of searching, we found a BBQ place not too far from us and Mapquested directions that kept us off of the busy rush-hour highways. However, the fourth time we arrived at this intersection, from a different direction each time, we just drove up the entrance ramp to the highway and followed the GPS!
The BBQ was amazing! It was almost worth driving over one of those crazy-high, I-have-no-idea-how-they-don’t-come-crashing-down ramps. I hate those things, for those of you who don’t know that already. Jamie, on the other hand, thought it was the coolest thing ever. I was busy looking straight forward, praying that we’d soon be on the ground safely and begging Ray to please drive slowly while Jamie’s camera snapped away and she excitedly pointed out how very high we were above the multiple bridges circling beneath us.
Tuesday morning, we packed everything up, dropped Jamie at the airport and hung out in Houston until she’d cleared customs before we headed north to Dallas and home. (Actually, that last part is not really the truth. We got lost leaving the airport, and it took us until Jamie cleared customs until we figured out where we were–but we don’t have to tell her that!)
I feel so validated that a Texan can also get lost in Houston! I’m from the northeast and have never been so lost in my life as I was there. Glad you had a good time at market. 🙂