Int’l Quilt Market Part 1, a sale and a win!
So much has happened in the past 2 1/2 weeks: International Quilt Market, International Quilt Festival, and a whopper of a cold, a lovely weekend with my older son and DIL, and some home improvements. So I’ll start at the beginning…with one detour: I sold a quilt at Festival after all! I’ll post on that in a few days (I shared on FB), but first let’s start with Market. And read to the end for the big surprise!
I arrived on Sunday of Quilt Market–usually I fly in on Tuesday or Monday and begin teaching the next day. It was wonderful–so much less stress about finding my boxes of stuff shipped and making sure everything was there and organized for each day of classes! Then, following my roommate’s example, I planned to see all the quilts BEFORE Festival when I wasn’t tired from teaching. Well…instead I got sidetracked by the lure of Market. I had SO MUCH FUN visiting the booths. One of the first was Michael Miller Fabrics.
While in the booth, I was mulling over how to bump up attendance for a workshop, and have finally conceded that I have to offer half day classes with complete kits. I have always loved the hand of the Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids, so I was brainstorming in the booth. Since it was late on Monday, the final day of Market, it was quiet and two staffers came to chat. I asked about purchasing fabric wholesale to use in kits, which led to a wonderful and productive conversation.
Can you tell I spent a lot of time in the booth…today’s post will be all Michael Miller, then I’ll do another about the rest of Market soon!
Well, after I got home, and spent several days first doing bookkeeping (ugh ugh UGH and may I say UGH) and then feeling sick….I got laryngitis on about Tuesday on my first class day. By Weds. I was feeling worse. By Thursday I could barely squeak—ladies in the audience at the Machine Quilting Forum were dropping cough drops on my table! Then it morphed into a sinus infection. I soldiered on through my last class Saturday, but was honestly glad it has lightly attended. I wouldn’t have had the energy for a full 24 and it was a FUN group of students as it was. So when I got home, I went into chair-potato/get well mode.
Then I got an email from Michael Miller: I WON THE 214 FAT QUARTERS!!!!!! They arrived about two days ago. I mean, first I sell a quilt and THEN I WIN THESE????!!!!! I need to go buy a lottery ticket.
This post has gone on long enough, so I’ll break here and carry on with the REST of International Quilt Market in my next post. But yes, Thank you to Michael Miller–stay tuned for what I do with these!
November 14th, 2019 at 12:55 pm
Wow, fun! 214 FQ’s! They are beautiful! It looks like almost all different colors?
November 14th, 2019 at 1:16 pm
Tena: each one is different….there are some that are VERY close, which means you can select the PERFECT color for what you want. Ya know how they fold fat quarters with the raw edges inside, and one side is a single fold, and the other side is two folded edges…that’s the duplication you are seeing. I’ll re-sort the box so just the single side is up for all the fabrics and share a photo. So yuppers, 214 different colors!
November 14th, 2019 at 1:34 pm
Whoop! and congrats Sarah. This year is going out with a huge bang for you. So nice to hear. I look forward to seeing what you produce with the fabric. I suspect there will be quite a few things coming from it.
November 14th, 2019 at 1:44 pm
Woot! Now that is my idea of Heaven! A box of color, a long winter ahead, and a big box of color! I have had a love of solid fabric quilts since I immersed myself in Amish country after a visit to Lancaster. That is where I really learned color theory. I am over the moon thrilled for you. Have fun! Glad you are feeling better. Getting sick is hard enough, but totally miserable when you are traveling.
November 14th, 2019 at 3:14 pm
My idea of heaven too! I just keep looking at that swoon of color!
November 14th, 2019 at 3:15 pm
Thanks Franki….I know. I really need to buy a lottery ticket! And yes, with over 53 yards, it will take a while! And I KNOW I’ll be buying more of some of them.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:04 pm
Congratulations! You can count your Blessings: saw everything and to top it all you received all that eye candy. Keep up the great work.
Lucia
November 15th, 2019 at 12:08 pm
Congratulations! You can count your Blessing: saw : You had lots of fun, saw everything and to top it all you received all that eye candy. Feel better and keep up the great work.
Lucia
November 15th, 2019 at 12:10 pm
Thank you! It seems like each year gets better, but selling this quilt is such a validation of my work as Art, with a capitol A. I still am in a state of disbelief!
November 19th, 2019 at 1:21 am
So happy for you! Love the quilt that you sold and looking forward to seeing what you do with these fat quarters!! Congrats!!
November 19th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Thanks, Diane!