Thursday, November 11, 2010

Market! In Small Bits.

The idea of writing one big Quilt Market post has been looming over me for the past, oh, week and a half, and it is INTIMIDATING. Because market is LONG and AWESOME and TIRING and OVERWHELMING and INSPIRING and TIRING AGAIN. I just finished editing my pictures today, which is ridiculous, but I took 500 photos, and now that I look at them, I keep thinking of things I DIDN'T get pictures of. There's just that much stuff. It's insane. And the people! I met so many amazing people, some who I "knew" from the interwebs, and then about a million more that I didn't, and the people at Quilt Market? They tend to be awesome. I'll try to remember all of them an give credit to their particular awesomes, but I will probably fail. Also, I don't really take pictures of people, (They MOVE! It is frust-er-ating!), so you will have to imagine what they look like, or google them. But the people are a big deal, and one of my very favorite people, ever? Kim Kight. Of Trueup.net. Who is awesome, so much so that I actually thought to take a photo of her awesomehood. I mention her first because I was lucky enough to be her market buddy, and because she was suuuuper nice and let me hang around her when she was meeting with fancy people, and she didn't mind when I followed her around like a lost puppy. Because for the first, say, hour and a half? I was a lost puppy. Thursday was the Schoolhouse sessions, where designers give little presentations about their lines, and other people give presentations about quilts and such, and for the first few sessions, I was walking around alone, feeling like the opening sequence of a teen movie about a new kid in town. It was a bit pathetic, and I started to think I would never meet anyone, and would spend all of Market alone in my crazyness, walking around with my head down like the kid who keeps Magic the Gathering cards in their pocket. (Sorry, people who like Magic the Gathering. Do you still exist? I'm feeling very high-schooly at the mention.) BUT THEN, I am standing waiting to go into Bill Kerr's schoolhouse, and I look over and see the most beautiful nametag ever! Kim Kight! And so, like most freaks, I say Oh! and hug her. Before introductions. Because that is how I roll. And then I intriduced myself, and we hugged again. And she's SO CUTE! And funny! And really, I should end this section, because it's making me sound all freaky-deaky, but it was just the BIGGEST relief to be market-buddied, and know I would not roam the red-carpeted halls all on my lonesome. But anyways. ON TO THE FABRIC!Of course, first has to be Amy Butler, because she's Amy Butler, and that's all there is to it. I met her when Kim and I were going to her Schoolhouse, and she was totally as nice as everyone says. And as tall as they say. She asked me if I knitted my vest, which I didn't knit, and then, like the dork that I am, I told her I got it at Marshall's, because Amy Butler TOTALLY CARES where I got my vest. BUT she said she liked my birdie sling! And then I gushed about how great the pattern was, and eventually she had to turn away from my gushing and go present her schoolhouse, which was great. Because the new stuff (Soul Blossoms) is pretty great. We ordered all of it at the store, so expect it in KC in December, my friends. And now, gratuitous booth shots.Is that enough to make your head spin? This is only post one, my friends, there is still SO MUCH MORE.

7 comments:

Vicki said...

augh! you tease!
how beautiful are those Amy Butler photos though. Love it.

Jessica said...

magic the gathering.. of all places i thought i may run into memories of my high school boyfriend, your blog was not one of them. but it was a good memory, back when he let his hair grow a bit and get wavy/hippie-ish.. but yeah. there were weeks of me sitting on the couch watching the guys play magic. what at waste of time!
(i hindsight i realise i should have been quilting..)

Caitlin said...

Dude! There's a group of weirdies who "LARP" [Magic the Gathering] at a park not too far from my mom's house. Just in case you don't know what LARPing is, it stands for Live Action Role Play. I have a far-too-video-game-obsessed friend who keeps me up to speed on the lingo :) Its quite weird to see them in action. They all wear navy blue robes (they look like monks) and stand in a circle in an open field area with wooden swords and wield them at each other....

Anonymous said...

You met Amy Butler?!? Color me JEALOUS!!!

Sew Fresh Fabrics said...

I'm going to Market for the first time next spring and I can tell that this will be me next May. Thanks for sharing your tale. A teeny bit scared but I can't wait to go!

Lisa said...

That last one, what pattern is that bag, do you know?

C. Jaeger said...

I love your posts on Quilt Market!!!!!