The Traveling Quilter: Houston Quilt Market and International Quilt Festival, 2003
 

By Lynn Holland

We didn’t have the best start to our journey. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, only to discover our flight had been cancelled. The next flight was an hour later at a far distant gate, but we could deal. Sitting at the gate half an hour before scheduled boarding, we noticed a cluster of flight attendants waiting, too. A little while later, someone came out looking for them and hustled them onto the plane. We were then notified that since the type of plane had been changed, we would all be re-issued boarding passes as we began to board. When we finally got into our seats, at a time much later than we had been told initially, we could hear the passenger behind us talking on his cell phone. “Mom? Yeah, I’m on the plane. I wouldn’t be buying any more _____ airline stock if I were you.”

By the time I got to Houston, I was so frazzled that I walked right past Jodie Davis, hostess of  the new "Friends in the Bee" TV show even though she spoke to me at the luggage carousel! However, we did arrive in Houston in one piece, and after lunch at the fabulous uber-grocery Central Market, set out to locate our bed and breakfast.

In Markets past, we have stayed downtown at the Doubletree and ridden the shuttle. This year, we were not as organized as usual, and waited way late to make reservations, so we wound up deciding to stay at a local B&B to get a little different view of the city. Located in The Heights section of Houston, Sara’s Bed and Breakfast is a beautifully restored Victorian house. I immediately fell in love with the funky collection of state plates that belonged to the owner’s grandmother which are displayed in the dining room of the house. This house is frequently the site for picturesque weddings, so there was lots of room to sit out on the patio and plan our visit to Market.

Since we had registered late, we did not have tickets to that evening's Sample Spree, so we went down early to get a good place in line. We found parking for $5 at the new Toyota Center, where a hockey game was happening that night.  The throng of ticket holders for Sample Spree was fully formed by the time we arrived, and streamed for quite a distance. However, having done this the year before, we were still pretty confident that we would be allowed in after the first wave of shoppers began to exit around 9.We spent a fun few minutes in line, meeting quilt store owners from both Texas and Massachusetts. At about 8:30, we paid for our purple tickets, which assured our entrance, and a short time later, we were allowed through the portals of the Spree.

Sample Spree, at which vendors offer sample-sized offerings at great prices, is always a blast, and this year we bought gorgeous Kona Bay fabric, some out-there Oriental cottons, some cool yarn for embellishment and a pale pink Moda “Spree Tee” (and Tote) designed just for the occasion. As the Spree wound to a close, there were some incredible bargains on fat quarters (“Don’t make me pack these up!”) and other items that vendors didn’t want to lug elsewhere.

Fabric Foliage, by Helen Giddens, Oklahoma City, OK

The next day we were ready for Market ahead of schedule, and made it downtown at opening time. We decided to see the quilt exhibits first to take advantage of the few tranquil moments that might be available to enjoy these fabulous creations. The gallery area was almost eerily quiet, as it usually is during market, especially first thing in the morning.  It was rather strange to be able to see the quilts and dolls without craning my neck to look over someone’s backpack to get a good look at something. Of course, the dolls were spectacular, and I could have spent all day viewing and reading the story of the journal quilts, but I had to remind myself that I was here on business and I couldn’t linger TOO long.

Seeing all the quilts there, in a rather hushed environment, got me to thinking about the number of hours (years?) that these quilts represented. Another thought provoker was a quilt that featured the quilter’s doll dresses that she had sewn as a child. Do little girls make doll clothes any more? I don’t think my daughter did, and I wonder if this is becoming a lost art. (Does Wright’s still sell the bag of left over trims?) I can’t remember the last time I saw a doll dress sewn by a child. 

However, philosophical musings aside, it was time to transition from art to life –although there was definitely art still involved. 

The vendor area of the convention center was humming with activity. Many of the polyvinyl poles of the booths were covered with brightly colored fabric, although many of the large fabric manufacturers really went all out. The stars were out at C&T (including many of their authors). While I enjoyed Alexander Henry’s cabaret, and thought Moda’s trompe d’oeil village too clever for words, Michael Miller fabric was over the top with its tiki paradise. The tables were enrobed in grass skirts,  a huge volcano-fountain gushed water while sales reps sported leis and flip flops. I kept expecting someone to trot out umbrella-laden drinks at any moment. 

The mood of  the buying fest seemed decidedly more upbeat this year than last, and certainly a far cry from that of October 2001. This year directors’ chairs seemed to be the seat of choice, a departure from previous years’ fabric-draped plastic or folding. Many buyers and sellers were dressed in memorable textile creations, and the people-watching was superb. Snacks were mostly excellent though not exciting, except for one vendor from France who had Lindor truffles and another who had marzipan goodies! We were very jazzed by the cool new products we found, and uncharacteristically placed some orders on the spot. As you know, we limit our offerings to the items we think are great products and a good value for the price. Our normal procedure is to talk to vendors, take notes and brochures, then agonize for a day before we return and order. But some of the products were so exciting, we knew we wanted them right away.

By the time we came up for air, it was past two o’clock, and we decided to leave the convention center for lunch. We went back to Park Place, where only a handful of things were open, since Saturday is usually slow in the business district. Even the Chik-Fil-A was dark. However, we did manage to find a sandwich to stave off starvation, so we were able to finish the last few rows before we headed “home”. That evening we spent time reviewing our impressions of the products of the day, then decided to visit the fabled Berryhill’s Tamales. This fusion of fast food service with sit-down quality and ambience was exactly what we were looking for. After a trip to the chips and salsa bar, our tamales arrived (I had spinach and corn) for our true Tex-Mex pig-out. All the good things the critics say about Berryhill's are true. 

If Market ends, can Festival be far behind? After spending some time in San Antonio and visiting more quilt stores there (the unforgettable Creations of Kerrville and  Sew Special Quilts in Leon Springs), we returned to Houston for Market. Although we have done preview night before and found it lots of fun, this year we were more worn out than usual, so we decided to pack it in early and get some extra sleep. I’ll confess that I was sorry to miss all the “quilt divas” who tend to wear their fiber finest along with tiaras to the preview.

The next morning when we drove downtown, the area was buzzing with activity. The heavy traffic was exacerbated by all the street construction in and around the business district, and  by the time we arrived at the convention center, most of the close up lots were full. After a snail’s crawl tour of the immediate neighborhoods along with hundreds of other cars packed full with quilters, we finally made our way to the Toyota Center lot again, where parking was just $2, provided we left the lot by 5:30.

The ticket line was fairly long, but moved rapidly. We got to admire lots of beautiful hand crafted attire, and I vowed to get busy on that unfinished jacket as soon as we got home. Soon we were inside the convention center, where we confronted  a “no rolling carts” sign at the door. So we scooped up our cart, and carried the thing over a shoulder, We proceeded to the quilts exhibit, wanting another look at the dolls and the journal quilts in particular, along with a quick review of other items. We had missed the Underground Railroad Quilts which has been crafted locally. Among the usual thread and fabric sponsors, I spotted the name Harlon’s Barbeque, the restaurant that is a regular in the quilt food court. What a cool thing for them to do!

While in the quilts area, and while still carrying our cart high so that its wheels would not even SKIM the floor, a white gloved volunteer (cart police?) strolled over to us and chided us, “Rolling carts are not allowed.” We thanked her as politely as we could manage, and pointed out that the cart was not rolling or even near the floor at that time. We then decided to check out another area of the exhibit away from her jurisdiction!

Finally, it was time to join the shoppers. The vendor area was enjoying significant traffic, and we were happy to join in.

We stopped to hear the animated demo from a Martelli salesperson, who was persuading us to buy the new binder thingy they sell. I think those things would be great for doing bias binding on those jackets I love to make but hate to bind!

Cute bags were everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. I really loved a little number by Pursenality that was done in Michael Miller’s “Dysfunctional Family” print and decorated with black feathers! There was lots of oriental fabric this year, and beautiful wearable patterns proliferated. The embellishment area seems to grow every year, (there was one aisle of mostly glass beads) and this year the gifty things were in abundance as well. Although the china and jewelry have been there in previous years, I was a little surprised to see the all beanie baby booth. I guess even stuffed animals love quilts.

Although we had missed  the quilt divas of Preview Night , the original queen of the quick quilt, Eleanor Burns, was holding court at the Elna booth, alternately giving sewing instructions and smiling for photos. This is Quilt In A Day’s 25^th anniversary year, and Queen Eleanor, wearing a tiara and feather boa looked quite regal. Her booth was handing out “QIAD 25^th Anniversary” banners at great rate as well, as many of us can trace our interest in quilting to the advent of the rotary cutter and strip piecing, which Ms. Burns made popular. She is my hero, of course, and I later realized that I was so close that I could have touched her. Wow! Another great thing about Festival!  

By this time we were hungry, so we went upstairs to the mammoth food area, dubbed “Quilts Café” for the occasion. The giant round tables (the world’s best of any food court I know) were robed in red, white and blue cloths. Since I am a real foodie, I thoroughly checked out all the offerings before I made a decision on what to put in my mouth. The offerings seemed to improve each year. This year’s salads even had baby corn in them ,and there were some snack type things that I didn’t remember from previous visits. There were even mini pecan or sweet potato pies among the quick bites available, and a smoothie stand appeared to be doing a brisk business. In addition to the usual hot dogs and Mexican stuff, there were two barbeque choices. Diners could pick from the long-time vendor, Harlon's, or ITZ All Good, where signs offered “Hot beer, lousy food, bad service”.  The chef’s special that day was roast pork loin with port wine/shallot demi-glace over raddiatore with asparagus for $9.75. Not too shabby for a food court! For those who still could not be pleased, there were Caesar salads, with regular or fat-free dressings available, as well as hoagie sandwiches and taco salads.

Since we had been eating well for several days now, we opted to split one of Harlon’s famous BBQ stuffed baked potatoes.  The potato was enormous with a generous portion of barbeque, and it fed us both quite well. All for $7! I now understood why several years ago many quilters were VERY upset when Harlon’s ran out of potatoes during peak lunchtime -- it was not a pretty sight!

After spending a short time longer,  and going back to buy the stuff we should have bought the first go-round, we decide it was time to exit. What did I buy? A great kit by Jennifer Amor for a black and brights quilted jacket. Lots of patterns for jackets and other things to wear. Some cowgirl fabric for another great jacket. Lots of things for Christmas presents. Not everything I wanted, but more than I should have. Sound familiar?  

As we were leaving, the Toyota Center was gearing up for the Rockets Street Party that was scheduled that evening. Beer tents were up and ready, and for a moment I envisioned what an interesting mix the evening’s crowd would be as the quilters were leaving and the basketball fans were arriving. Dinner that evening was at FreeBird’s, a super burrito place that features the Monster Burrito. We stayed with the regular veggie, and it was delicious.

Since we had one more day in Houston, we decided to skip the festival and venture north of town to Fredericksburg, where a quilt store named It’s a Stitch claimed to have a Texas-sized shop of  8000 square feet. The shop could easily be called “Absolutely Fabulous” based on it ambience, stock and helpful staff. We almost got lost in the thousands of bolts, kits, notions, books, and samples. I bought the perfect Texas-style buttons (buffalo nickels) for my cowgirl jacket, so I was happy. There was even a bird watchers’ store in the shopping center, and we wound up buying a feeder to stuff in our already bulging suitcases.

Last dinner took us back to Berryhill's, where we had quesadillas and two dozen tamales to go, which we brought home to Atlanta in an insulated bag. 

All in all, it was the usual wonderful experience. Mostly to be around other people who share the same passion and fascination for fabric that we do, all gathered in one place to do what we all love best! Thanks, Houston.