Market Madness - A Few of our Favorite Things

Here we are in Minneapolis at Quilt Market.  Wish you were here.  It is an amazing experience.

We'll do our best to share of glimpse of this twice-a-year extravaganza.  Check back often for more posts.

This picture was taken Thursday night after a full day of School House Sessions.  School house is a day jam-packed full of mini-classes from 15-30 long.  You can choose between a whole slate of topics each session that range from new product presentations, business topics, notions demos, you name it.

We were waiting in line for Sample Spree -  the craziest thing you've seen in the world.  This is just part of the line that waited for almost two hours to get in the doors.  Bigger crowd than you'll find sleeping over night for the hottest concert in town.  Sample Spree gives shop owners a chance to purchase single copies of the newest patterns, fat quarter bundles, and ready-made samples so that they can go back to their hotels and plan what to purchase the next day.

This best describes the madness -  A nice gentleman strolled by the line (he later admitted his wife was somewhere in the line) and was teasing us about what we were waiting for.  Someone tried to explain . . .

His response?    Now let me get this straight . . .

You are all quilters?   Yes

You all owner quilt shops?   Yes

You are waiting in line for two hours to buy something you already have mass quantities of?  Well, Yes.

You get the picture.  Its what we all do . . . .

That's how you know you are a real quilter, right?

After all the craziness of Thursday, we hit the floor running Friday morning on the market floor visiting with some of our favorite designers and meeting new friends too.

Here's Julie with Barri from Bareroots. 

Hint Hint . . . .

Super, awesome, amazing, new candle mats will be on their way soon.

You're gonna love them, we promise.

Ran into Meg from Crabapple Hill Studios.

Don't know how much you can tell from the photos, but those are the cutest little cardstock tags hanging from real tree branches in her booth.

But, it gets better . . .

See those little pillow in the wire bin?

There are embroidered vintage postcards.

But, wait . . .  it gets better yet . . .

Those little postcards are address to someone in a fictitious town in . . .

Nebraska!  How cool is that?

Then, Would you belive I was banned from buying more bag patterns?

Huh.  Me neither.  I didn't know there was such a thing as too many bags.

Jusk ask my friend Gwen.  She'll defend me.

Anyway, my travel companions declared that I had purchased more than my quota of bag patterns (and wool felt patterns.)

You'll have to wait just a little longer to see all the new bag patterns we added.

Some of my favorites?  These new goodies from Pink Beach Designs.

I guess this is proof of all the goodies we've tracked down just for you.

That's Terri there in the middle guarding our luggage filled to the brim with new product.

It will be worth the wait to see what we add to the website soon.

Now its time to say Goodnight . . . .