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Int’l Quilt Market Part 1, a sale and a win!

So much has happened in the past 2 1/2 weeks: International Quilt Market, International Quilt Festival, and a whopper of a cold, a lovely weekend with my older son and DIL, and some home improvements. So I’ll start at the beginning…with one detour: I sold a quilt at Festival after all! I’ll post on that in a few days (I shared on FB), but first let’s start with Market. And read to the end for the big surprise!

I arrived on Sunday of Quilt Market–usually I fly in on Tuesday or Monday and begin teaching the next day. It was wonderful–so much less stress about finding my boxes of stuff shipped and making sure everything was there and organized for each day of classes! Then, following my roommate’s example, I planned to see all the quilts BEFORE Festival when I wasn’t tired from teaching. Well…instead I got sidetracked by the lure of Market. I had SO MUCH FUN visiting the booths. One of the first was Michael Miller Fabrics.

While in the booth, I was mulling over how to bump up attendance for a workshop, and have finally conceded that I have to offer half day classes with complete kits. I have always loved the hand of the Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids, so I was brainstorming in the booth. Since it was late on Monday, the final day of Market, it was quiet and two staffers came to chat. I asked about purchasing fabric wholesale to use in kits, which led to a wonderful and productive conversation.

First I spotted this eye candy…don’t you just want to dive in face first? It is a box of one fat quarter of all 214 — yes TWO HUNDRED FOURTEEN — of the Cotton Couture colors. And they were having a giveaway…fill out the form, and if you got all the answers in the quiz (fun stuff about Michael Miller Fabrics) the winner would be drawn from those with correct answers. Of course I filled it out with what I already knew…I googled up their website and found some answers I didn’t know, and with paper in hand, asked a staffer if I could ask Michael’s favorite dessert–luckily I had guessed the correct answer. Turned it in, and moved on.
Can you believe this is that glorious soft Minky fabric???? I had to walk up to 12 inches away and indeed it is…looks like indigo shibori on cotton! I so want some of this…I need an alternative to my wintry sofa throws. I’d make a top, quilt it on the thinnest cotton, the back with this and bind. LOVE IT!
They also had this really cool teaching tool for new quilters to learn color. I don’t teach that sort of class, locally or on the road, but it’s a brilliant idea for a shop.

Can you tell I spent a lot of time in the booth…today’s post will be all Michael Miller, then I’ll do another about the rest of Market soon!

The quilting on Modern Quilts enchants me–perhaps what I like best about this fresh approach to quilting. Not to mention these are SO my colors. And yes, I am a member of Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild and the MQG itself!

Well, after I got home, and spent several days first doing bookkeeping (ugh ugh UGH and may I say UGH) and then feeling sick….I got laryngitis on about Tuesday on my first class day. By Weds. I was feeling worse. By Thursday I could barely squeak—ladies in the audience at the Machine Quilting Forum were dropping cough drops on my table! Then it morphed into a sinus infection. I soldiered on through my last class Saturday, but was honestly glad it has lightly attended. I wouldn’t have had the energy for a full 24 and it was a FUN group of students as it was. So when I got home, I went into chair-potato/get well mode.

Then I got an email from Michael Miller: I WON THE 214 FAT QUARTERS!!!!!! They arrived about two days ago. I mean, first I sell a quilt and THEN I WIN THESE????!!!!! I need to go buy a lottery ticket.

Yes, I am HAPPY! I just can’t believe it…I never EVER win stuff…so what a boon! And yes, there is a quilt coming! 214 fat quarters…over 53 yards!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU to Michael Miller Fabrics…you ROCK. I am so thrilled to have this bounty. I’m already planning a quilt called 214…and one that isn’t too complex, one where I can have FUN and get it done and revel in color!

This post has gone on long enough, so I’ll break here and carry on with the REST of International Quilt Market in my next post. But yes, Thank you to Michael Miller–stay tuned for what I do with these!

11 Responses to “Int’l Quilt Market Part 1, a sale and a win!”

  1. Tena D. Says:

    Wow, fun! 214 FQ’s! They are beautiful! It looks like almost all different colors?

  2. Sarah Ann Smith Says:

    Tena: each one is different….there are some that are VERY close, which means you can select the PERFECT color for what you want. Ya know how they fold fat quarters with the raw edges inside, and one side is a single fold, and the other side is two folded edges…that’s the duplication you are seeing. I’ll re-sort the box so just the single side is up for all the fabrics and share a photo. So yuppers, 214 different colors!

  3. Franki Kohler Says:

    Whoop! and congrats Sarah. This year is going out with a huge bang for you. So nice to hear. I look forward to seeing what you produce with the fabric. I suspect there will be quite a few things coming from it.

  4. jeannie evans vanhoff Says:

    Woot! Now that is my idea of Heaven! A box of color, a long winter ahead, and a big box of color! I have had a love of solid fabric quilts since I immersed myself in Amish country after a visit to Lancaster. That is where I really learned color theory. I am over the moon thrilled for you. Have fun! Glad you are feeling better. Getting sick is hard enough, but totally miserable when you are traveling.

  5. Sarah Ann Smith Says:

    My idea of heaven too! I just keep looking at that swoon of color!

  6. Sarah Ann Smith Says:

    Thanks Franki….I know. I really need to buy a lottery ticket! And yes, with over 53 yards, it will take a while! And I KNOW I’ll be buying more of some of them.

  7. Lucia Says:

    Congratulations! You can count your Blessings: saw everything and to top it all you received all that eye candy. Keep up the great work.
    Lucia

  8. Lucia Says:

    Congratulations! You can count your Blessing: saw : You had lots of fun, saw everything and to top it all you received all that eye candy. Feel better and keep up the great work.
    Lucia

  9. Sarah Ann Smith Says:

    Thank you! It seems like each year gets better, but selling this quilt is such a validation of my work as Art, with a capitol A. I still am in a state of disbelief!

  10. Diane Simancek Says:

    So happy for you! Love the quilt that you sold and looking forward to seeing what you do with these fat quarters!! Congrats!!

  11. Sarah Ann Smith Says:

    Thanks, Diane!