| booth before set-up |
How do, how do friends! Nice to be here with you! Hope you've been well and are finding the early days of November happy & easygoing!
Well, after much, much ado, it seems Quilt Market has come & gone in a blur, and I am still in a bit of a daze. I thought I'd be coming home to do some organizing, designing and marketing and then snuggling joyfully into the winter season with my family, but I have to say the work preceding the trade show is giving the work following the show a run for its money! My hopes for a successful first Quilt Market were more than fulfilled, and with it comes a bevy of tasks to stay on top of orders, new & current retailers and new press opps. S'all good!
| booth during set-up |
I was lucky enough to have a dear friend accompany me to the show ~ thank you, Corina! She was a quick study who jumped right in with both feet! Her hardworking-kick-butt attitude was exactly what I needed to keep my momentum during some very challenging moments during set-up, her professionalism is second to none, and her friendly personality made the long days of the show very fun! (Just don't ask her if she's seen 'our Angelina Fibers' or she's likely to go berserk!) Also, kudos on resolving our daisy emergency, Corina ~ really added a bright spot!
| booth after set-up |
The booth came together as I had envisioned - we persevered through some hiccups - thanks in part to my good friend Betz White and new friend Marisa Haedike who showed up just in time! It was bright & organized and showcased the fabric in a number of hobby & home applications.
You might recognize some of things I've blogged about:
+ fabric buckets from Lesley Stenning at Smidgebox
+ handbags from Laura Collins of Pansy Maiden
+ my Rec Room quilt
+ the big mod floor pillow
+ the Dance Floor quilt by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts
To my complete astonishment, my booth was selected as the winner of the Best New Exhibitor award! Yahoooooo! Apparently, the blood, sweat and tears I experienced during the planning stages were for a reason!
| with my newly awarded ribbon and plaque |
On the first day of the show, I made a very deliberate decision to walk by Amy Butler's booth en route to my booth each & every time I entered the building. I was hoping some good juju would find me as I passed by ~ plus her booth was complete and utter eye candy as she is freaking amazing! Later that day, a new retailer said to me, "You're cool like Amy Butler, so as long as you keep designing great fabric, we'll keep buying it!" He was bowled over by my designs (need more of those retailers!). The next day, I won this incredible award and stood in the company of many other talented and wonderful winning exhibitors, including Amy Butler. So, as I left the building that day, I made sure to stop by her booth to thank her for her years of hard work, told her how much I appreciated her lovely designs and that she was a huge inspiration! Returning some of her good juju back to her...
