Quilt Market: Fall 2015 recap

It feels weird to say 2015 again.  As if it's suddenly so far in the past.
Which means I couldn't let another month go by without sharing pics from Quilt Market in October!

Quilt Market is the convention where all the new fabric lines are shown and purchased twice a year.  The big fabric suppliers showcase their latest designs, and distributors/shops come to oooh and ahhh and buy them up....so that YOU can then buy them from their shops!  It's a dreamy fabric overload.
And I haven't been to Market for about 3 years (check out my other Quilt Market adventures here, here, and here).  So I was itching for a return.  Because it's so much fun to see the booth displays...in fact I love the booths equally as much as the fabric.  And sometimes all you need IS fabric to make the booth completely.  Ahhhh! 10 yards in every color please!

(Large gingham checks by Premier Prints)
(Photo above is Fleet & Flourish fabric designed by Maureen Cracknell for Art Gallery Fabrics)

There are so many colors for your eyes to wander over and soak in.   And every year more fresh, young, and current designs pop up, along with more garment sewing rather than just quilting.   Hooray!

First stop, I spotted this amazing quilt that I'd been eyeing on Instagram.
It's by Modern Handcraft and made from Vanessa's line OMBRE for Moda Fabrics.  I mean WOW. The precision is so.....precise!  One of my favorite things I saw that day.  

Of course I equally loved chatting with Vanessa.  I met her at my first Quilt Market visit in 2010 (along with Anna from Noodlehead)  And that truly seems long ago.  I remember Vanessa talking about how she wanted to do a line with just color, and then write a series of books based on each color.  And now she's done it! (check out Yellow and Orange and Green, just to get your mind going).  It's really neat to see the progression of an artist and friend.

I also remember from that first Market that names like Heather Ross, Amy Butler, and Anna Maria Horner really started to sink in.....as in, they weren't just pretty fabrics and books....but they were actual people and moms and business women, who loved designing and sharing.  And our paths were slowly crossing.  All for the love of fabric.

I didn't see Amy or Anna Maria there this time around.
But here's the new line Mendocino by Heather Ross:

How fun is the mermaid doll by Kid Giddy?

Another name I've followed for a while is Sarah Jane Studios.  I bought some of her art prints years ago when she had an etsy shop.  Now she has wallpaper, puppets, embroidery patterns, and another beautiful line of fabric called Sommer.

There are some darling double-gauze prints in there, which would make really cute swaddle blankets.

Of course a fan favorite is the amazing Cotton + Steel.  Everything they do is cool, fun, and current, yet retro.  I love it.

Hey look, there's a pair of KID Shorts!

I was happy to see Girl Charlee there, which is the best shop for KNIT fabrics.   They were showcasing their new lines for BOLT, aimed at wholesalers.

The "made in LA"sign made me smile.  And here's a little dress I sewed using their Pure Vintage collection.

Next up is the ever-so-gorgeous Art Gallery Fabrics.  Oh their fabrics are lovely--both in design and feel.  They feel soft as butter (if I really knew what butter felt like under my hands and sewing machine).  Remember the heart skirt and the yellow reversible knit tops??  Yep. Art Gallery Fabrics.

This wall by Bari J. was really cool.  Can you see how she hung the dark canvas painting which inspired her fabric ON top of the fabric there?  It's a beautiful collection of prints, called Millie Fleur.

I got to meet and chat with one of their new designers Amy Sinibaldi, showcasing her new whimsy line called Paperie.  She was as sweet and adorable as could be.

Oh those little dresses.

Sharon Holland has a beautiful collection called Coastline. 

And in true artist form, she told me all the details of how she made and molded and painted that sign, and how she painted the giant beach scene canvas behind the sign...which were really awesome, and impressive! I want to paint like Sharon.  And Bari.

Art Gallery made an awesome announcement at Quilt Market with this booth:
Denim Fabrics!  Yay!
It's called the Denim Studio.  And it's full of cool denim prints + colors meant for garments, home decor, and quilting. Look at all those swatches...

And aside from their fabric, I really loved their purchasing booth, with bold colors and fabric swatches framed on the walls.   This is where a buyer will come to sit, look and feel fabrics, flip through sample books, and purchase fabrics...for YOU! (in essence). 

Beautiful.

And here's another shot of Maureen Cracknell's wall for her Fleet and Flourish line.  The butterflies were fantastic and really stole the show.  This might have been my favorite look of the whole Market.

Next stop was another favorite: Cloud 9 Fabrics.
Can you handle these little cloud zipper pouches???
They even had tutorial cards so you could go home and make your own.

It's really impressive to see how far some of these companies have come, Art Gallery as well.  If you look back at my post from 2010, Cloud 9 was just a small booth with organic baby cottons hanging like drapes.  And now look at them!  Booths and booths and booths. 

And it's always fun to see some friends in the mix.  I spy Rain Walk by Anna of Noodlehead, and Small World corduroy by Rae (remember those Lemon shorts I made for Lucy?  Same darling fabric line). 

This booth by Elizabeth Hartman was AWESOME.  Her line is called Pacific for Robert Kaufman.  I mean, she had me at Big Foot.

And lastly...probably the best announcement of the whole market was this:

Anna Rifle Bond, of Rifle Paper Co is designing fabric!
For Cotton + Steel!
And it comes out in the spring!
Amazing.  I've been following her artwork for a few years now and die over her illustrations.   If you don't follow her on instagram you should start.  She's inspiring.

Aaaand that's a Quilt Market recap!
Every Fall the event takes place in Houston, which means I should get there more often.
And this Spring (May 20-22) it will be in Salt Lake City!  You need to have industry credentials to buy a ticket, but I'm sure many of you easily qualify for that.

Okay.  Have a happy sewing day my friends.