Spring Quilt Market - 2015

Welcome to Quilt Market! (Minneapolis Convention Center)

 Twice a year something 'big' happens in the world of quilting. It's called Quilt Market and it happens in the spring - somewhere in the Midwest, and in the fall - always in Houston. The spring market is smaller, not as many vendors are there and not as many new products are demonstrated.  I was fortunate to get to the spring market this year and I thought you might be interested in seeing it.

Quilt Market is where fabric manufacturers show quilt shop owners and managers their new fabrics. It is also where quilt designers display their patterns - also in the hope that shop owners will buy them and sell them to their customers.

Quilts and patterns

Angela Walters, an author and pattern maker

 You may know of Angela because she teaches online classes and has written books teaching free motion machine quilting.  Doesn't she have a nice display?

Quilts and patterns

 I tend to wander around a lot and I completely lost track of which pattern maker's quilts these are! 

Sew Batik

 These gradations are FANTASTIC for strip pieced landscapes! You can use them as a 'back bone' and mix in stash fabrics. The gradation fabric ties all the different colors, tones or textures together as well as helping you establish value changes in your landscape. I just love them! 

(And yes, I do have a few for sale in my store!)

Hoffman Gorgeousness! 

 Hoffman's latest fabrics include this city skyline. Isn't it beautiful!? 

Hoffman - the bird quilt is a pattern made for them by my friend Grace Errea

Hoffman Wild Patterns and Fabrics

Northcott Fabrics

Northcott makes beautiful textured fabrics.

Northcott Fabrics

 They are showcasing their new line of Ambience fabrics. They also have new additions to their Stonehenge line. The new stuff is called Gradations.

(Do you think there is a growing trend for gradated fabrics!?)
I do. 

Northcott Silk

The Warm Company

 The batting I use most of the time is Warm and Natural. It is a 100% cotton batting and when heavily quilted it's density is perfect for wall hangings. I don't like 'drapey' wall hangings, I like them to hang straight and flat.

The Warm people have a new batting out and they gave me a sample. It is also 100% cotton but it is a thicker batt with a higher loft which will show the quilting more. I'll be making  a quilt and trying it out - and I'll let you know what I think about it. The new batting is called "Warm and Plush".

Michael Miller Fabrics

 I liked their 'geometric' lion display! 

Patterns for sale - landscape patterns! (My favorite) 

Elizabeth Studios

 Elizabeth Studios makes great landscape prints for quilters. They also have quilts with all kinds of wildlife from geese to bears. 

Alison had a busy display! 

Wilmington Prints

 Wilmington Prints is one of my favorite manufacturers. They usually have great prints for landscapes (see below) and they don't require a minimum purchase. (Robert Kaufman for example requires you to buy a minimum $2000. of their fabrics. This puts a small shop like mine at a disadvantage. But larger quilt shops like this because though they can't compete with my prices, they have a much bigger selection of fabrics.) 

Photos of new prints

 Sometimes fabrics aren't ready in time for Quilt Market. In these cases, manufacturers show us pictures. Yes, I bought a bolt of these two great tree prints! 

Superior Threads

 Let's not forget threads! Superior had them all lined up with quilt samples.

Northcott Fabrics

 Whoops. I did mention that I wander around a bit!? It seems I'm back in Northcott territory again. I did want to show you their Toscana fabrics though. 

Tell Your Story Patterns

 This is a great little display for Tell Your Story isn't it? 

Kaffe Fassett Collective

 Brilliant and colorful as always! 

Tula Pink was there! 

 Here is one of Tula's better known patterns. 

Butterfly

Hoopsisters patterns and quilts

 WOW - I had to take a closeup shot of their designs. 

Beautiful quilt

 I had to go closer still. Isn't this pretty?

Closeup shot

Frond Design Studio

 And last but not least, there is a quilt exhibition here. I've seen and photographed most of the quilts there before - they were in Chicago - here is a link to those blogs. 

Quilts from IQF Chicago

and
More Quilts from Chicago

Suburbs by Kathy York

Frond Designs

Sorry! I didn't catch whose exhibit this came from. It kind of looks like someone is carrying it away with those legs underneath, lol.

So there you have it. Quilt Market.  I ended up buying 6 bolts of fabric from forests and leaves to a couple of great textures. I would have LOVED to buy this print - 

 

But alas, I couldn't. It was manufactured by Robert Kaufman and I'm a small time limited inventory store so I couldn't afford the $2000. minimum order.

All in all, it was a good morning though. I can't wait to get a couple of the bolts of leaves because I want to make some kits for my store. Leaves are always the hardest thing to find!

I hope you've liked seeing what your local quilt shop buyers get to see. Comments and Questions are always welcome!