Houston Wrap-Up

Hello Everyone,

This is just a very small sampling of the quilts at Quilt Market.

The workmanship was incredible.

The walkways were spacious.

There weren't any crowds when we walked through the displays.

I was all set up for my School House session.  It's a bit daunting when you see all of the chairs waiting to be filled.  They were far from filled but I had a nice group of shop owners who I really connected with.

One of my favorite booths at QM was Sew Cherished.  Click HERE to see Dawn's online shop. Prior to QM, Dawn called me and ordered patterns for Bridle Path.  We chatted on the phone for quite a while.  When I stopped by her lovely booth and introduced myself, we hugged like old friends.  There are so many of her patterns that I would love to make.  

My fourth and last retreat of the year begins tomorrow.  It's been a mad dash returning home from QM on Wednesday, then preparing for the retreat.  First, I had to fill all of the Etsy orders that poured in while I was gone.  I'm finishing up the last of the orders this morning. I have all of the tutorials printed and I'm all set for the arrival of the quilters.

Wednesday, soon after we arrived at the cabin from our 12-day road trip, we got a call from our oldest son telling us our grandson was in a serious mountain bike accident on the bike trails above Del Valle reservoir in Livermore. He was taken to a trauma center via ambulance.  After careful evaluation and x-rays it was determined that he had a severely broken collarbone that may require surgery, 4 broken ribs, a concussion, and many scrapes and abrasions from the crash.  Luckily, he was with a buddy with a calm demeanor and took control of the situation.  The boys walked out about 1/4 of a mile and flagged down a ranger who took one look at Jess and called an ambulance.  

Jess doesn't remember a thing about the accident.  We talked to him on Thursday, and he told us how much he loved us...he remembers us!  When our son called us, it was so hard not to turn the car around and head back to the Bay Area to be with him.  He assured us that Jess would be fine, but this grandma was worried sick!

Jess turned 16 in September, and we gave him a new bike helmet.  We are so thankful he was wearing it!  It may have been a different story without the helmet.

As it turns out, he didn't need surgery and is now home resting, recovering and considering selling his bike!

Soon,

Lynn

 

California Here We Come

 Hello Everyone,

We started driving for home on Saturday, so we said our goodbyes to Texas, our friends, the Marcus Fabrics staff, and the wonderful time we had there. According to my sister, and the AAA guide book the saying goes, "The sun is ris, the sun is set and we ain't out of Texas yet!"  We finally drove out of Texas yesterday, our second day on the road.  Once we left Houston, we spent the night in Abilene. 

I have a lot of pictures to share over the next few days.  This morning I'm just focusing on the Marcus Fabrics booth. Shop owners come and sit at the booth to see all of the new offerings and order fabric......hopefully lots and lots of Hearthstone!

The booth was so beautiful!

After driving through freezing fog and 26-degree temperatures, we made it to Albuqueque, NM and spent the night here.  Is this a Halloween sunset or what!

We are going to try to get to Needles, CA today.  We have to get all the way across New Mexico and Arizona to meet our goal.  I have my last retreat for the year starting on Sunday, so we can't take time to stop and smell the roses.  It's California or bust today, and it's Mr. Joe's birthday.  In celebration of his special day, I'm treating him to our free breakfast at the Hampton Inn!  No expense will be spared.

Soon,

Lynn

It's Show Time

 Hello Everyone,

My Bridle Path quilt was one of the first things that went on display in the Marcus Booth.  It's right on the end and close to the food vendors, so she should get a lot of attention.

The Marcus crew will turn this blank space into a wonderland of quilting goodies.

Crates were shipped from New York to the convention center.

I would say the show is considerably smaller than the Spring Market I went to a few years ago.  This one I can walk through easily in a day.

Mr. Joe and I went out into the upstairs and took this picture looking down on the displays in the works.

In the afternoon we met up with Carrie and Katie from Pieceful Gatherings, and Kellie from Tulip Cottage Quilts.  I had alligator for the first time and yes, it tasted like chicken.

We walked 13,000 steps yesterday, so last night we sat by the pool, put our feet up and enjoyed a cocktail.  I highly recommend Texas Tea!

I make my presentation at the Schoolhouse session at 11am.  Then there's a sales meeting for me to attend at noon......then we are footloose and fancy free to enjoy the show!

Soon,

Lynn

Houston Quilt Market

 Hello Everyone,

Yesterday we drove through the scenic Texas Hill Country and stopped at our first quilt shop, One Quilt Place in Fredericksburg, TX.  The shop is 4,000 square feet of quiltiness!

I gave Beverly, the shop owner, one of my Sew'n Wild Oaks bags along with a copy of my Patchwork Math book and a fat 1/8th tower of my Hearthstone collection.  She is on her way to Quilt Market today, and I hope to see her again.

This is Steve's room.  He made all of the quilts in the room and he long arms!  I hope to meet Steve tomorrow.

There's so much to see in the shop.

Many antiques are included in the fabric displays.

They even have their own line of Hill Country fabric!

This morning we got our Marcus Fabrics credentials so we can come and go throughout the show as we please.  It's not even 10am and I've walked 5,000 steps!  Mr. Joe and I found the room where my Schoolhouse session will be tomorrow.  We checked out the electrical....and it looks like all is good.  I do not like to have any last-minute surprises, which will make me nervous.

Soon,

Lynn

Houston Day 5

 Hello Everyone,

I only have time for a quick post this morning.  We have arrived!  I took this picture through the window of the Conference area. I'm so excited to be able to go in the building today.  It just doesn't seem real.

We are on the 24th floor of the Marriott Marquis hotel which is right across the street from Quilt Market.  This is just one of the pools!  I would love to swim laps around that pool.

They do things BIG here in Texas.  More later.  

Soon,

Lynn

Houston Road Trip Day 4

 Hello Everyone,

Well, we made it to Texas, and we will be leaving Ozona this morning and head to either Austin or Houston.

The freeway system in El Paso was a maze of over and under passes which really surprised us.

There were a lot of signs saying not to pick up any hitch hikers, and there was one inspection station where we had to stop.  Once we stopped, we were waved right on through without the car being inspected.  I guess they saw some quilting things and figured there wasn't any room for a passenger.

The landscape at times is interesting, but we got do bored we started a roadkill list. We are up to:

3 coyotes, 2 undetermined carcasses, 1 rabbit and 3 snakes.

Mr. Joe takes me only to the finest dining establishments.  This restaurant came highly recommended by the hotel staff for Texas BBQ.

Mr. Joe is into smoking meats, but this smoker looked a little sketchy.

This was the outdoor dining area.  It may look sketchy, but the food was good!  Everything was fine until the owner came out and proceeded to swat a mosquito off of Mr. Joe's forehead. Unfortunately, she was missing a few fingers and she missed.  I asked her to swat him again, but the mosquito was long gone by then.

The food was so good I think it should be featured on Drive-Ins, Diners, and Dives.

Houston here we come!

Soon,

Lynn