Schoolhouse Sesions

Quilt Market, Inc. is an amazing organization that runs a terrific trade show for quilting stores. Here's how it works. They do a show in the spring (the location moves around) and the fall (always in Houston, Texas). They rent an enormous convention center, and there is a massive vendor floor full of fabric companies, notions people, pattern companies, etc. The merchants come from all over the world and they are there to sell their stuff to the quilt store owners who are attending the show.
Another big part of Quilt Market is the extensive class schedule. The finest quilt teachers from all over the world apply to teach hands-on classes to the 20,000+ attendees.

Thursday is considered the opening day of Quilt Market -- but the vendor floor is not yet open. This day is ALL ABOUT THE SCHOOLHOUSE SESSIONS. Marti Michell, one of the most famous teachers in the quilt world -- created a format that is fast-paced and informative. Thousands of attendees move around 20 different classrooms throughout the convention center, choosing from a schedule of 15 minute sessions, covering hundreds of topics...

This year, the first session, sponsored by Cotton and Steel,  was held in the Grand Ballroom

Then -- WE ALL STARTED RUSHING to our break-out sessions! (the Sat Lake City convention center is HUGE...and, with just 5 minutes between classes, it was hard to get from one end to another...YOU HAD TO DO PLANNING.)

Most of the classrooms could hold 100 people.

I loved learning about the popularity of the Tuffet classes. (some shops are doing Tuffet Retreats!)

These shop owners all came to see Mary Mulari's new fabric -- (Riley Blake had several

designers during this session)

The whole point to Schoolhouse is to find THE NEXT BIG THING. Eileen Roche, editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine, was introducing her new invention -- the Weightless Quilter. (click here to see a video).

I met Joanie Zeier Poole (a famous quilter) when she was demonstrating the Weightless Quilter.  And then -- we ended up at the Salt Lake City airport four days later.  AT 4:00 AM...(note her stenciled luggage)...ah....a kindred spirit.