Friday -- The VENDOR FLOOR!!

Friday is the day the SHOW FLOOR OPENS...OMG....the fabric, the quilts, the incredible booth designs!!   There may be a more beautiful trade show somewhere in the world -- but I can't imagine.

Spring Quilt Market is ALL ABOUT THE FABRIC...and the very best quilt shops from all over the world come here to see what's new, so they can buy it and be the first to offer it to their customers. There is so much to see..words cannot do it justice. So I'm hoping these pictures will give you an idea...

Walking the show floor, it's fun to run into friends!  Hello Anita Covert and daughter Anne...owners of one of the largest quilt shops in America.  Country Stitches in Lansing, Michigan.

Hello, Luveta Nickels and her sisters!!  What a nice surprise...

Hey -- a girl's gotta eat.  Me, Mary Mulari and Deanna Springer!!  SO MUCH FUN, EH??

I need this seam gauge for my Featherweight!!

The samples in every booth are stunning.

LOVE the chair!!

I WOULD SO LOVE TO HAVE THIS CHAIR IN MY HOUSE!!

Tired of quilting?  Just rip it into strips and tie it together to make curtains!!

Schmetz Pop Up Dinner

Thursday -- DAY ONE of Quilt Market -- is going to be a long, wonderful, interesting fun-filled, action-packed (did I already say LONG?) day...

This is my best picture of my new outfit...

The SALT Palace in Salt Lake City. STUNNING City...

Besides their great downtown train -- they have those rent-a-bike racks all over.

But it's an easy, interesting downtown to walk...that's Rhonda in front of me...

So many fun places to sit outside and enjoy the weather.

After our long day of Schoolhouse Sessions, we're on our way to one of Rhonda's famous Schmetz Pop Up Dinners!! She sent out invitations to her mailing list, and the first four people who responded were in for a REALLY BIG TREAT..!!

After doing a lot of YELP research, Rhonda picked Bistro 222 for her special Spring Market dinner.

PERFECT.  An intimate fine dining restaurant, delicious food, interesting company. THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT!!

The place was STUNNING!

Rebecca found a used book store next door...

Rhonda enjoys getting input from shop owners all over the country...

Ad this coconut chicken was oUTSTANDING...

Every plate of food was a work of art!

Including, of course, THE DESSERTS!!

Rhonda loves these dinners because she gets a chance to really listen to a small group of store owners or teachers...but, honestly -- for the rest of us -- the best part is the Schmetz GOODY BAG!! (THIS YEAR, WE GOT SCHMETZ SCISSORS!!)

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.

The Splendid Sampler™ Wednesday

The Splendid Sampler™ Wednesday
(...skip this part if you're not new here...)

The Splendid Sampler™ is an internet sew-a-long created by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. It is an EPIC sew along...

• 83 fabric designers have created specific blocks that feature different quilting techniques. (paper piecing, fused applique, etc.).
• The blocks will be released each week, and are FREE to participants until March 2017. (at that time, they'll use the designs to publish a book).
• You can use whatever fabric you like.
• There will be pictures on their Facebook page, etc.

The new block designs come out twice a week....on Sunday morning and Thursday morning. I'm doing this with my TMBC...and, therefore, it is my pleasure to BLOG ABOUT IT every Wednesday.

***************
At Quilt Market in Salt Lake City -- I could HARDLY WAIT to meet Pat Sloan. Remember, this whole thing started when I interviewed her for the Inspired To Sew magazine... https://issuu.com/schmetzneedles/docs/its28-apr2016?e=10258703/34066416.

THERE SHE WAS -- in person!! Surrounded by all-things-quilting!!

I felt like I'd known her for years...

Rhonda Pierce actually HAS known her for years!!

The Splendid Sampler has taken off in ways they never imagined.

Coordinating their smartphones...

Pat Sloan is one of the most popular people at Quilt Market -- so we were lucky to get a few minutes with her on the show floor. She was delighted with her issue of Inspired To Sew magazine, and I was very proud of that interview.

Then we talked about the TMBC, and how much my friends and I are enjoying this new quilt journey.  We share our blocks each week, and  have our own private Facebook page (for our out of town member, Jackie)...WE ARE LEARNING SO MUCH each week -- it is very exciting!!

GREAT JOB, Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson!!