HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL, November 2015 - Lyn Fry
It’s all about size. This is Texas, after all. The Houston Quilt Festival is billed as one of the biggest in the world and I could believe it. Attended by 55,000 enthusiasts, 3000 advertised exhibitors selling everything conceivable for quilters and 1300 quilts on display.
Despite the numbers the event did not feel crowded. It was held in the huge George W Brown Convention Centre in the heart of Houston. Unlike many English quilt shows there was no struggle to get to the more popular stalls and to explore the huge range of products on display. Being in the centre of Houston also meant that there was a wide range of hotel accommodation and we secured a great hotel at a modest rate just a few minutes’ walk from the centre (which was just as well as it poured with rain most of the time).
Signing up for the show and getting into classes did seem chaotic. There was an enormous range of classes and the display for the online programme did not make it easy to sort out what was going on. In the end I printed off the lot (27 pages) and worked through it that way. Instead of being able to go online and book your own classes it all had to be done by email which seemed very cumbersome and meant that despite doing it all immediately registration opened I couldn’t get into any of the classes I wanted on machine quilting. There was no way of being on a waiting list and if you wanted a second chance at doing one of the classes you missed out on you had to keep re-applying! Just too much trouble! Apart from that, everything else went very smoothly.
“Sampler” sessions on Friday and Saturday were good value ($30/each). About 20 demonstrations were set up around the edge of the ballroom and you were able to wander from one class to another. Each class lasted about 20 mins and was repeated for the two hours. I loved the session on Double Dresden with Susan K Cleveland. She was inspiring and funny with lots of practical tips. I sat through her presentation twice before wandering on to “Terrific Trims”, “Tricks Using a Tablet”, “Quarter Square Triangles the Easy Way” and so on. There was ample opportunity to interact with the lecturers as well as to buy the various products on sale.
There were also free drop-in classes in the main hall. These were sponsored by Bernina and ran continuously throughout the show, changing every hour. Four classes ran simultaneously throughout the show on a variety of topics. There was a particularly worthwhile class on cutting and sewing curves. I took loads of photos to remind me just how to do it.
For the class on social media I was randomly chosen to be “teacher’s pet”. That meant keeping the register and handing out literature. I enjoyed it as it made you feel more part of the event. I was rewarded with a small “teacher’s pet” badge!!
Quilters’ companions were thought of. There was a room set aside with easy chairs and a television showing local sport for those who had had as much quilt show as they needed.
There were more than 40 special exhibits. This included the usual judged entries but the more interesting pieces included small quilts about 18” by 21” set out like table mats with the meal on top. I also enjoyed the section on National Parks. Quilters had made wall hangings depicting the essential features of their favourite national parks. They were stunning not only in the range of techniques and response to the parks but also in the degree of expertise shown. These were quilts from the heart. Two other entries caught my eye. There was a huge double bed quilt in a complex pattern of shades of colour with flying geese, square in a square, little log cabins - all perfectly made by a woman for whom this was her first quilt. Most quilters would have been proud of it. There was also a series of seven enormous panels (maybe 6 feet high by 9 feet across) each with two identical flowering trees with thousands of tiny petals and leaves showing the trees throughout the year. A work of enduring dedication and determination. I was also taken by the wearable art and made several repeat visits to admire their beauty.
I met up with Marlene Kleven who has returned to Seattle after her time in London Quilters. I loved being able to share each day’s experiences with her. It was fun having someone to have a meal and drink with and to get excited about what we had seen and bought.
Altogether a great time, which I would warmly recommend to anyone who wants to try the 2016 Houston International Quilt Show, November 3-6 with classes starting from October 31.
Here are a few photographs to give you a feel for the event
Despite the numbers the event did not feel crowded. It was held in the huge George W Brown Convention Centre in the heart of Houston. Unlike many English quilt shows there was no struggle to get to the more popular stalls and to explore the huge range of products on display. Being in the centre of Houston also meant that there was a wide range of hotel accommodation and we secured a great hotel at a modest rate just a few minutes’ walk from the centre (which was just as well as it poured with rain most of the time).
Signing up for the show and getting into classes did seem chaotic. There was an enormous range of classes and the display for the online programme did not make it easy to sort out what was going on. In the end I printed off the lot (27 pages) and worked through it that way. Instead of being able to go online and book your own classes it all had to be done by email which seemed very cumbersome and meant that despite doing it all immediately registration opened I couldn’t get into any of the classes I wanted on machine quilting. There was no way of being on a waiting list and if you wanted a second chance at doing one of the classes you missed out on you had to keep re-applying! Just too much trouble! Apart from that, everything else went very smoothly.
“Sampler” sessions on Friday and Saturday were good value ($30/each). About 20 demonstrations were set up around the edge of the ballroom and you were able to wander from one class to another. Each class lasted about 20 mins and was repeated for the two hours. I loved the session on Double Dresden with Susan K Cleveland. She was inspiring and funny with lots of practical tips. I sat through her presentation twice before wandering on to “Terrific Trims”, “Tricks Using a Tablet”, “Quarter Square Triangles the Easy Way” and so on. There was ample opportunity to interact with the lecturers as well as to buy the various products on sale.
There were also free drop-in classes in the main hall. These were sponsored by Bernina and ran continuously throughout the show, changing every hour. Four classes ran simultaneously throughout the show on a variety of topics. There was a particularly worthwhile class on cutting and sewing curves. I took loads of photos to remind me just how to do it.
For the class on social media I was randomly chosen to be “teacher’s pet”. That meant keeping the register and handing out literature. I enjoyed it as it made you feel more part of the event. I was rewarded with a small “teacher’s pet” badge!!
Quilters’ companions were thought of. There was a room set aside with easy chairs and a television showing local sport for those who had had as much quilt show as they needed.
There were more than 40 special exhibits. This included the usual judged entries but the more interesting pieces included small quilts about 18” by 21” set out like table mats with the meal on top. I also enjoyed the section on National Parks. Quilters had made wall hangings depicting the essential features of their favourite national parks. They were stunning not only in the range of techniques and response to the parks but also in the degree of expertise shown. These were quilts from the heart. Two other entries caught my eye. There was a huge double bed quilt in a complex pattern of shades of colour with flying geese, square in a square, little log cabins - all perfectly made by a woman for whom this was her first quilt. Most quilters would have been proud of it. There was also a series of seven enormous panels (maybe 6 feet high by 9 feet across) each with two identical flowering trees with thousands of tiny petals and leaves showing the trees throughout the year. A work of enduring dedication and determination. I was also taken by the wearable art and made several repeat visits to admire their beauty.
I met up with Marlene Kleven who has returned to Seattle after her time in London Quilters. I loved being able to share each day’s experiences with her. It was fun having someone to have a meal and drink with and to get excited about what we had seen and bought.
Altogether a great time, which I would warmly recommend to anyone who wants to try the 2016 Houston International Quilt Show, November 3-6 with classes starting from October 31.
Here are a few photographs to give you a feel for the event
