International Quilt Festival Houston -- 2022

 I have been home a week and am just about rested from two weeks in Houston, TX for International Quilt Market and Quilt Festival.

Market is a trade show only open to those with credentials: shop owners, designers, and others in the quilting business. It runs before Festival, which is the largest quilt show in the world, open to the public.

Here are a variety of photos from my two weeks there.

The view from my room at the Marriott Marquis

My favorite restaurant in Houston

Shrimp Diablo--my selection on my first trip there

Enchiladas del Mar, my go-to and what I had on my second visit

   

The Market Team in our newest garment

Faculty ship their class supplies weeks in advance. The first day of set-up for me involves accepting all the freight, logging it in, and seeing that each box is placed where it can be found by the teacher. BEFORE: 

AFTER--one of two rooms: 

Saturday of Market was the day selected to celebrate the 85th birthday of  Kaffe Fassett. There was a special booth with some of his quilts and many people stopped by to wish him well with his "85 and Fab" collection. We each wore garments that day we made with Kaffe fabric. By far the best garment was made and worn by our Education Team member Cassie Weider, from Boulder, CO. Here she is showing off her wonderful outfit for Kaffe:

During Festival I took a class with Becky Scellato on Sashiko--slow stitching, very enjoyable:

The days are long when working a show and meals are not always healthy or quick. Phoenicia is a market a few blocks from the convention center that I get to often. The salad bar is great--this is two day's lunches for me:

On one of my walks I snapped this photo in the park, good advice:

I didn't go on the show floor very much and bought very little. Here are a few photos of quilts:

Photos just cannot do the Best of Show justice. From any distance, you might not be impressed. But, up close, my, oh, my!

I always enjoy seeing a Block of the Month quilt from The Quilt Show on exhibit. This one is made by a Facebook friend who has just moved from Los Angeles to Huntsville, AL. It took a few attempts to connect, but she finally came into the Education Office while I was there so we could meet in person. Sally Wright is an art quilter and is eager to meet others with similar interests. Locals, you should meet Sally: 

Sally customized the corner skyscrapers with buildings that mean a lot to her from her life in Los Angeles. Her quilt is beautifully made: 

Other quilts I get inspired by are either antique quilts or reproductions of antique quilts. The Special Exhibit from France featured quilts inspired by antiques. Here is a real favorite:

The rest of the Education Team arrived for Festival. Each day we wear garments we have made with fabric we are given, to help identify us as "staff" on the third floor.  We get a photo each morning after our 6:55 AM daily meeting: 

It was 24 years ago I first started working for Judy Murrah in the Education Office. Sadly, Judy passed away in 2017 and I still miss her and her wonderful way of making everyone feel special. Faculty, staff, students, everyone she talked to got her full attention. It takes a lot of work and people to run a successful show and I was always so happy to be part of that success. Judy was a mentor and friend, and I knew she respected me as a professional quiltmaker and teacher. She often told me so.

It's now time to move on to another phase of my professional life. On our last day I told everyone I would not be back as part of the Education team next year. My plan is to return in a different role. Time will tell if that happens. Stay tuned. I will be at Houston, for sure. My hotel is already booked. There are so many people I just have to see each year. There is nowhere else to be for quilters in the Fall. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara