Fall Quilt Market 2012 - Part II + Giveaway

Schoolhouse is always a highlight of our Quilt Market weekend. It's a great opportunity to hear from the best that the industry has to offer, and this time we were so excited to sponsor such a talented, diverse group of presenters.

The first Schoolhouse we took part in was Leesa Chandler's, and it was a huge success! She showed off all of the Culture Club projects for her newest fabric line Anastasia, based on traditional Russian design and culture, which produced more than a few oohs and ahhs. The turnout was so great, there weren't enough seats for everyone in the audience.

The next Schoolhouse, "Extending Your Online Reach," was presented by our Director of Marketing, Kyle Sanchez (@kylesan). In it, she discussed the various ways shops can utilize web assets and social media to address the growing online community and remain competitive in the industry.

Sue Spargo also had a schoolhouse, and it was fantastic! She presented a number of folk art quilts that combined wool and cotton fabrics and offered some really great tips for selling these different materials alongside one another. One of the highlights was a hexie quilt she made with Folkloric Blooms, her new line of cotton fabrics based on her wool work.

And then there was talented newcomer Carolyn Friedlander giving her first ever schoolhouse! She spoke all about how she got started in pattern and fabric design, how her past experience with architecture inspired her new Architextures collection, and what aspects of design inspire modern quilters like herself! She also showed off some really creative projects, including her Local quilt that she designed as a 9-month BOM.

And finally, Michael Mrowka of Lunn Studios gave a really interesting presentation on the batik cap (pronounced "chop") design process. He showed some videos from the factory in Java, and although we've long known how the caps are made, we were completely overwhelmed to see how much hard work and skill is required to produced just one copper cap. We hope to have some footage to show you all soon so that you can get a better sense of the batik design process!

 

While schoolhouses are a lot of fun, there is another big event we feel we must mention...Sample Spree!!! If you've been there before, then you know it can get pretty wild. And this time was no exception - just the way we like it, surrounded by mountains of fabric and tons of smiling faces. We even managed to escape without too many bruises! Hooray!

We do have some goodies left over, so how would you like to win some? To win a prize, just let us know what your ultimate Schoolhouse session would be about!

One lucky person will receive a Spot On fat quarter bundle, and two others will receive Architextures mini charms and a Leesa Chandler pin cushion kit!

The winners will be announced Monday, Nov. 19th.

Comments

[laura]

I would love to learn how to retire and support myself with fabric!

[Becky M]

hmm, I would love to hear any designer talk about their collection. I love hearing how they were inspired and what their process is!

[Jessie]

I love the idea of learning more about how social media is playing a part in the vast quilting world. My ultimate school house would be indi designers that got their start thru facebook twitter and even blogs, the steps they took, and what social media could do for you.

[Jan]

I think I'd be most interested in listening to fabric designers and learning about their inspirations.

[Rachelle]

I'd like to hear about the design process for a line of fabrics from start to finish.

[DianeY]

I'm kind of interested in some of the new substates that are coming out - especially ones that work well with both clothing and other items

[~Michelle~]

Ditto the comment re: different substrates - love to see how people are using them!

[Allison C]

I would love to learn more about fabric design process, repeat patterns, and color choices in fabric design.

[Carrie P.]

Oh! man. that sample spree looks like fun.
It would be so awesome to go to Schoolhouse. I would love to learn more about the process of designing fabric.

[Johanna]

I always love hearing about what can be done with challenging fabric. An example: I got some chevron fabrics and I really love them. But making a quilt out of them is quite a challenge because those chevrons get in the way of most designs and I prefer not being dressed with chevrons.
Other then that, I would love to get a session on what social media I should use if I only had time for one. There are some people that only have time in the morning, so they probably shouldn't use twitter which requires more updates. But should they blog? Or facebook?
My ultimate schoolhouse session however would be on how fabric gets to be born. How designers work. I know that some draw and then scan but do they just sit down and draw? Or surf the internet to get inspired? Are there requirements from the fabric companies? And then what happens? Does it go to the mill directly? How does it look in there? I know that selvedges represent the colors in the design, but why? And I also would be very happy if you guys made a blog post about it because living in Germany/Spain I probably won't get to see the schoolhouse session :)

[blingster]

What fun! I'd love to see a schoolhouse session on interesting things to make with fabric scraps or small pieces of your wonderful fabric. So many of my customers want to know unusual crafts or applications for these.

[carol haywood]

interested in quilt patterns how to use different colors and make them look so good i love fabric it is almost better than eating recently disabled and it helps me pass the time of day with out depression i love to sew just not good at putting the colors together for the best effect .

[Parthena wollen]

I would love to hear a panel of fabric designers talk about their starting in fabric design. Also about their inspiration.

[Susie M.]

Oh, I would love the Sample Spree and the Batik design session! :)

[Phyllis]

Just to learn about the design process from the beginning. Where does inspiration come from and how a designer names the fabric lines.
How does the designer present her designs to a company for production?

[ArtL8dy]

There are some good suggestions here already. Since I love to add embroidery stitches, I'd be interested in ways to enhance designs and patterns with stitching.

[Tina]

I would love to hear how a fabric line comes to be.

[Margaret]

I'd be interested in a panel of "traditional" and "modern" quilters and hearing about how they view the differences in their quilts.

[lisa m]

I'd love to learn about organic cotton from field to processing to printing the fabric!

[Kristi]

I would love any chance to hear from the designers. Is their inspiration any different than mine when I am looking at a pattern trying to make it work in my mind for my longarm? How did they start and what keeps them going? I would love to hear someone talk about designing quilt patterns. I would love the batik session! I can go on some more...... thanks Robert Kaufman fabrics! I love the new Seuss!!

[Angie Tackett]

I would love to see a schoolhouse where the designer explains where they get their inspiration from, what media they use to create their designs, and the whole process from idea to finished product.

[lori]

I'd love to know how the design get turned into the final fabric; the manufacturing process.

[Sandy A in St. Louis]

I would love to hear how the patterns get from the designer's drawings to the final project. Also would love to hear how to repurpose projects that didn't quite turn out how they were supposed to! :P

[Judy W]

I would love to participate in a schoolhouse with an author or designer...to go through the creative process and see samples.

[Margaret Schindler]

I would love to go to schoolhouse and see how each designer got started and what their inspiration was.