Hooray! It's Sunday and we all survived Quilt Market. What did I like best? The people! It was fun to make new friends, like the girls from Ribbon Candy Quilts, and Lore from James Button and Trim -- who knows her bling! And it was so good to see "old" friends, too, like Wenke, my friend from Norway who has a company called Northern Quilts. Her patterns are based on Scandinavian designs, as well as some very fun little penguins. Please check out her web side www.northernquilts.no. I missed seeing my friend Lola Newman. Her company is Stitchin' by the River. Her quilts and embroidery designs are really unique. I did stroll by Amy Barickman's Indigo Junction booth to glance at some of her new designs. Always fun to see what she's been up to. So many wonderful creative people. Quilting people are just the best!

Fans get to meet their favorite quilt book authors

Another great day at Spring Quilt Market in Portland. We had three book signings today: Sharon Smith and Devon Lavigne signed Fresh Quilts from the Prairies; Betsy Chutchian signed her new book, Lizzie's Legacy, a follow-up to her earlier book, Gone to Texas;and Carolyn McCormick signed her book, A Flock of Feathered Stars. People lined up to receive tickets to the book signings, and then lined up again to get their own autographed copy of their favorite book. Many said that lines were no problem -- being able to meet their favorite authors and get a signed copy of their book was the highlight of their trip to market and worth every minute spent in line. Tomorrow is our last day out here. Time to wrap up those last minute orders, pack everything into shipping crates, and say good bye to old and new friends until the next Quilt Market.

The official opening of Quilt Market was today. Quilters arrived by the 1000s. Kansas City Star hosted three very successful quilt book signings. Authors Christina McCourt Carolyn Nixon and Betsey Langford and Amy McClellan all autographed books for fans in the Kansas City Star Quilts booth. Such talented quilters!

Survived Sample Spree! As you can imagine, one of the most popular spots at Sample Spree is MODA, where you can purchase fat quarter packets of their new fabrics. Here is a sequence of Moda getting ready, the crowd attacking their corner of the room, and the aftermath. Time to put my poor, tired dogs to bed (it's 2:15 a.m. Kansas City time) and rejuvenate for another day at market.

O! The joy!

O! The joy! That is what Lewis supposedly said when the Corps of Discovery team viewed the Pacific Ocean from just north of here. And that is what I said today when I looked around the Oregon Convention Center. I'm especially excited to see the finished booths being set up by the fabric companies. They really outdo themselves. I promise photos on Friday. We didn't accomplish as much today as we had hoped. Only 2/3 of our floor tile made the trip. The other 1/3 is on its way to Portland as I write -- at least that is what Fed Ex promised. We start the day tomorrow with Schoolhouse Sessions. This is when our authors get 15 minutes to tell about their new book, show projects from the book, and encourage shop owners to purchase lots of copies from Kansas City Star Quilts. Each book author will give away a copy of their book to one very lucky attendee.I will be giving a 15 minutes talk in the morning about the latest news from KC Star Quilts and will give away a book from our new Star Stitch imprint. Then it's back to finish setting up the booth and hanging all the quilts, before dashing off to Shopping Spree. That's is when everyone who can possibly muster a ticket gets 2 hours to shop at wholesale prices. The line usually forms about 3 hours before the doors open. And when the doors do open, look out! It's like a big box store on Black Friday. Everyone rushes in to find their favorite vendors. I'm hoping we sell out early so I'll have time to shop. Time for bed. Tune in again tomorrow.

It's Quilt Market Time

Good morning from Portland, Oregon! Day one at International Quilt Market. Today we unpack the crates and set up the booth for Kansas City Star Quilts. We have 3 booths this time, one less than usual, but somehow we'll get the quilts hung and the books displayed. The quilts will actually wait until tomorrow, after the Schoolhouse Sessions. So what is quilt market? Twice a year -- spring and fall -- quilt shop owners from around the world gather to see the latest fabrics, tools, patterns, and embellishments, and meet the designers who create those wonderful quilts that we all love. This week they will be purchasing the items that will fill their shops this fall. Kansas City Star Quilts will be revealing their latests books from your favorite designers. Go to pickledish.com for the latest info and click on Bookstore to see all our books, including the new releases. Tune in tomorrow for more news from Quilt Market.