We’re home! We’d been home a couple of weeks actually, but I had wanted to give a report on our trip. After more than three weeks on the road, having your own bathroom is sooo nice. I know most people miss their bed, but Holiday Inn’s beds are REALLY nice. Plus, the home we rented while in Houston was lovely, but there is no place like home.
We started on our road journey to Houston Quilt Market and Festival by first taking a slight detour to Colorado. It was on the way, right? My niece was getting married in Estes Park, and it was gorgeous. We all had a great time. Altitude took a wee bit getting used to (puff, puff, gasp, puff) No sewing during those few days, but it was super cool to see all of Lora’s lap quilts brought out for the guests to use during the outdoor ceremony. One little guy was snuggled on a lap in a Minky backed quilt, looking quite comfy and toasty. Lora had 23 quilts for the guests to borrow, and none of those were our pattern/show varieties.
Of course, the night before we leave, it started blowing snow like a typical Mountain storm. Scary for a couple California fair-weather quilters, towing a U-Haul trailer with a big fat Ram Truck. We pleaded for Kelly, Lora’s husband, to drive us down the mountain, and then once the snow was clear, we dropped him off at the airport to fly home. We bravely continued on.
We made it to “Amarillo by Morning” and continued the trail south. BIG open skies. Big. Driving along the highway I see a sign for Waco. WHAT?! Waco is on the way to Houston?! Only 20 minutes out of the way, but I made it in half the time! I’m a fan of the “Fixer Upper” show with Chip and Joanna Gaines. Their Silos remodel turned out great. If you’re close to Waco, stop in to see the Magnolia farms, and don’t forget cupcakes at the bakery! The lemon lavender was terrific!
Houston, we have a problem. Houston’s downtown roads are ridiculous. Every overpass was under construction. The road signs were amuck. It took two GPS tracking phones, the truck’s GPS, and Mom’s AAA map to get us where we wanted to go. Whew.
We had no idea what to expect for Quilt Market. We were winging it. Our booth size was 10′ x 7′ and the tiniest booth we’d ever rented. The first day of Market, I gave away all our promotional materials. I underestimated the number of buyers wanting our flyers! Quick, more copies.
We were invited to a Marcus Fabric’s Designer Dinner. We pretended to be oh so cool, but on the inside, we were jumping on the bed! We had such a lovely time. The team at Marcus Fabrics is fabulous.
When Quilt Market was complete, we took it all down and put it all back up again, but this time in our standard 10′ x 20′ size booth. We opened on Halloween. “Double your pleasure with Doublemint Gum!” was a hoot. Gave away a lot of gum too!
The Sapphire Celebration Quilt Show was beautiful!!
I’ve got a ton of photos. We should get together for coffee, and I’ll bring my iPad so you can see them all.
We made it home in one piece. (Not the U-Haul tho, we broke that 30 minutes from making it back!) We’d never have made it without the Material Girlfriends Team, however. They are such a fun, hard-working crew, Carolyn Wooldridge, Diana Garnhart, Judy White, and Katheline Monnier. They stuck it through thick and thin, sickness and health, chiggers, and cockroaches! A true testament of friendship – after sharing a house for a week, we’re still all the best of friends. HUGE hugs to them all. I wouldn’t do it without you, ladies. I really would not.
With Thanksgiving just a couple days from now, I am reflecting on how truly grateful I am for the blessings we have received over our little pattern business, our Material Girlfriends Team, our super supportive families, and our encouraging customers. What would we do without you? Thank you from the very center of my heart.
Absewlutely,
Lisa Norton
