Hello, friends. I just got back from Fall Quilt Market 2012 and thought I’d share a little bit of what I saw. It was good…and eye-opening…and interesting. I didn’t have a booth this time, but I will at Spring Market in Portland in May where I will debut my first ever collection of fabric for Windham! yay! But anyway, it was interesting because I wandered around the show as a spectator and I saw things differently. Here are a few observations about Market:
- It is all business–all the time. Yes, there are kind people there and great camaraderie, but everyone (including myself) is there to promote something or their brand.
- There is a great deal of other stuff you may find in a typical business setting including but not limited to: weariness, bitterness, competitiveness–but also–friendship, genuineness, warmth, support, encouragement, etc. The bloom is off the rose a bit for me as I have been mostly starstruck by the pageantry of Market up to this point. Because I mainly stay in my booth the whole time talking to so many awesome people and store owners, I haven’t had an overview or larger perspective until now. And I am still so lucky and grateful that people are supportive of my brand and what I am creating and doing. That feels really awesome.
- There is so much fabric at Market and the fabric is what drives the whole thing. The fabric booths tend to be the largest and most elaborate booths by far and have huge crowds. Fabric makes the industry go round.
- There is a great vibrancy to the modern quilting and sewing movement and I see many talented designers making interesting stuff. Do you wonder what exactly “Modern Quilting” even means? A lot of people seem to want to know more about it and the peeps over at the Modern Quilt Guild have posted the exact answer to that question right here. Check it out. It is very informative.
- Online sewing schools such as Craftsy and Creativebug are radically changing the sewing/crafting forum and platform and reach. The online education model can reach far into rural areas and all around the globe where people may not have access to sewing/crafting classes. These sites are revolutionary and groundbreaking and from what I learned at the Craftsy Schoolhouse presentation, there is incentive for shop owners to link to their sites. If you are a shop owner, go read about Craftsy’s program. You’ll be surprised.
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You have to go see the wonderful collection for Windham called Type by talented illustrator and fellow RISD grad, Julia Rothman. |
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Melody Miller booth… |
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Fabric designer, Melody Miller, has amazing vintage style and her retro Christmas booth for Seven Islands didn’t disappoint. |
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Total gorgeousness in the new organic Tsuru collection from Rashida Coleman-Hale for Cloud9. |
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Carolyn Friedlander‘s new Architextures for Robert Kaufman collection is blueprinty chic. Great blenders in modern textures: maps, plans, etc. |
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Here is Carolyn’s Architexture fabric in a great quilt pattern from Jaybird Quilts cutely called Science Fair. |
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Betz White had a great Connecticut mudroom booth complete with white wainscoting. |
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My favorite booth and designer by far was Sarah Watson. What a cutie she is. Her chalkboard booth had a great artistic flair and her prints are lovely and I want to wear them all! Look out, world! |
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More from Sarah’s inspiration wall…. |
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This is what it looks like when you watch a master at work! This is Cecile Choi choosing stuff for her store (in the foreground). She is the force behind the awesome store, The Sewing Party, in Laguna Hills, California. Whatever CiCi picks is spot on. She has the vibrant modern market down pat. I love her eye for fabrics, and commonly sew with her picks. Here she is shopping at the Japanese Yuwa booth… |
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This awesome letter print (above) is new from the fabulous Japanese force, Suzuko Koseki. |
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I have a crush on Sue Spargo’s folk art quilts. I finally had the chance to meet her at her booth. Her work is joyous and really honors folk art traditions in fanciful, fun way. |
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…yes, that is Hello Kitty for Kokka! Oh, don’t you think I didn’t come home with 5 yards of different Hello Kitty prints for my baby girl. |
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Cuteness from Alexia over at Green Bee Design… |
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Adorable patterns from SkipStone Creative! |
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David Butler for Parson Gray. Loved this woodsy booth and collection. He and Amy always do it right. (Amy won a best booth award, but I didn’t get a pic.) This booth tells an awesome story and I had the distinct feeling that he may have been brewing moonshine on the back porch! Speaking of porches…there were a lot of barbecues, porches, camper trailers, umbrellas, and hammocks at Market…. |
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Meg McElwee from Sew Liberated winning an award for her down-home, back porch booth. |
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Bari J. was inspired for this collection for Art Gallery Fabrics by Downton Abbey! Check out the ruffly bed. |
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The Modern Quilt show had some amazing quilts like this one from Jennifer Carlton-Bailly called 5-HTP Squared… |
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…loved this one from Beth Copeland called Skirting the Circle. She made it by cutting up her mom’s old circle skirt from the 50’s. |
Houston just totally rocks. It had me at hello–the weather, the gentle landscape, the food, the art. Because I didn’t have a booth, I went to see the great art Houston has to offer. I have always loved the Menil Collection and so couldn’t wait to go back. Look at the Michael Heizer Sculpture carved into the lawn at the Menil. I saw some amazing ancient Greek sculptures/idols that have me very inspired.
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Micheal Heizer sculpture carved into the grass outside of the Menil |
It was nice to see the Cy Twombly room again, but I must say that the 40 year old version of me thinks they all look a bit unfinished. Damnit. As a girl, I was always dazzled by Twombly. I mean, don’t get me wrong…I still love him. Even I am disappointed by this new revelation! I feel like some of the marks, at least a few, could be a bit more evocative, finished, or story-telling in nature. But I still love the rawness and directness of his marks.
I was floored by the physical scale of his work (one measured 52 feet long), and the amount of money it takes to house such works in a special temple of their own, designed by Renzo Piano. Very few artists will ever know that greatness and it very much had me in the mindset of the Monet Water Lilies at the MoMA.
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A Cy Twombly painting. Beautiful, really. But see how all of the marks are so very raw? If only a few were more drawn or complete or revelatory, ya know? Oh, crap. Maybe not. Forget I said anything. He is a genius…(now I’m whistling….looking up at ceiling…) Crap. Really, just forget I brought it up at all… |
Haha, your last sentence there has me cracking up. Nice wrap-up! And thanks for the shoutout too.
Also, guuuush, Julia Rothman, Melody Miller, folk art quilts. I’m so glad you got good photos of these, because I didn’t take any! It was great to meet you, and I’m shooting a wee-email your way right now.
you’re pretty darn great… and got pics of all of my favorite things!! i’m so excited about Sarah’s new collections and Type and Rashida and so on…….. xo
Hi Carrie! It was great to see you! Thanks for including my um…”mud room” in your round up. Maybe I’ll get my husband to set it up at home, we could use one, haha! Thanks for all of your help and advice prior to market. You’re the best!
Hi Carrie, I am just discovering you and your beautiful work. This is a great blog and I’ve really enjoyed reading this account of Quilt Market. Will be following your designs and lego creations!
Wow!! This is looking so cool and smooth…
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