Dioramarama: IQF Report

The last two weeks have been hectic -- first a whirlwind trip to Monterrey, Mexico for a wedding (see many pictures of people you don't know here), then the International Quilt Festival in Houston last weekend. So here is my reportage from the IQF. In a nutshell, I'm glad I went, but I don't have to go again.

There were around 2,000 quilts on display (!) and 1,000 vendors (!!). I went with my mom, and our entry point into the convention center was smack in the middle of the vendors -- maybe a mistake because once I managed to extract myself from the sales floor, I was exhausted and WAY overstimulated. I got to see real live quilts by Angela Moll, Jane Sassaman, and Bean Gilsdorf, which was very cool. Unfortunately, the ones I most wanted to record were off-limits to photography. In fact I only managed to take ONE picture.

Fortunately Mellicious took a whole bunch: see her Flickr sets of the judged show and the (non-judged) exhibits.

Overall, I was more impressed than inspired. I don't know! Maybe it was just my mood, maybe I just have narrow tastes in quilts. Or both. Maybe I am just a quilt poser. But never mind that. Wanna see some of what I bought?

There were a handful of vendors that sold vintage fabric exclusively. They were expensive, of course, so I had to show restraint. One vendor Margaret Meier of Vintage Fabric & Etc. from Oakland Park, Florida (no website or email). It is one of the only, if not THE only, bricks-and-mortar vintage fabric store in the U.S. I talked to her a while and she told me she has a book coming out about barkcloth. I can't remember the publisher though, sorry.

I also scored these wax prints from Ghana depicting boxing gloves and walking love letters. I've been on the lookout for this kind of fabric since seeing this set from Extreme Craft. They are no smoking mufflers or batteries or steam irons, but still pretty cool. They were from St. Theresa Textile Trove out of Cincinnati, OH. They also had a print with hands that had disembodied fingers along the border. I'm kind of kicking myself for not getting it, but it was a color combo that I didn't like too much. The ladies told me these prints are not on their website now but will be shortly.

There is an excellent antique and vintage fabric store in Sturbridge Massachusetts, which unfortunately I can't find on the net... no link, sorry :-(
The quilt show sounds amazing!

I felt the same way about the quilt festival, all of the shops were really overwhelming. And by the time i got to the quilts my sisters and mom were exhausted and we browsed really quickly and then left for dinner. I also could not find denyse schmidt prints that i was looking for, and NOONE even knew who Denyse was, they kept looking at me puzzled, i felt crazy.

I lived in Cincinnati for many years and have to say that St. Theresa's is by far, the most amazing fabric store I have ever been to. They have fabrics there that you will never find anywhere else. We still spend time in Cinti and visiting that store (and Half-Price Books!) is often my reward for spending a weekend with my in-laws.

these fabrics are amazing!! i especially love those birds.