Home again, home again. Wow, what a whirlwind trip to Quilt Market. Susan and I cut fabric ALL day, blogging will definitely be a nighttime activity this week! The photos tell the story. I’m going to start with the pearls: meet ups with friends, both by chance and by plan.
I had the pleasure of hearing Mary Lou Weidman speak to my quilt guild several years ago. Her amazing story quilts radiate a beauty and happiness that instantly captivated me. Closer inspection reveal Mary Lou’s master level of craftsmanship. Her skilled needle turn applique, beading and embellishment are truly spectacular. And they’re big, like REALLY big quilts as you can see in this picture.
As goes the blog world, one day Mary Lou commented on a post I’d written. The evening went something like this: “No honey, you’re not comprehending the magnitude of this, MARY LOU WEIDMAN commented on MY BLOG!!!!”. So began our e-mail relationship.
I had read on Mary Lou’s blog that she would be signing her new book Out of the Box in the Martingale booth on Sunday afternoon. I missed the book signing but decided to go by the booth late in the day to see if I could find her. My market trips have been especially serendipitous and this one was no exception. There was Mary Lou. All by herself. I introduced myself and sat down to enjoy a very special talk.
Mary Lou inspired me to take my mom with me on this trip to quilt market. Several months ago she wrote a very moving newsletter. She shared a story of the time she had spent with her mother before she passed away earlier this year. Mary Lou talked about how they had hung out together, shared the same bed, and leisurely reminisced telling stories that made them laugh and cry.
My mom lives in Missouri and we do not have the opportunity to spend time together by ourselves. Certainly not overnight trips! There are always kids and husbands to be tended to.
The restaurants cooked and the maids cleaned. We walked to the bookstore and made each other buy books we thought the other should read. We ordered lattes and tea. We enjoyed a meal at the Four Seasons with shared plates and a glass of wine. She wore her Mail Sack and bragged about her daughter. Her face radiating with joy at the experience. My heart smiled every time I caught a glimpse of it. We told stories and welled up with tears when talking about how my grandmother would have enjoyed such a trip.
This is a good story to set the stage. More to come with pictures of new fabrics, patterns and more friends. Ultimately it’s all about the joy that being a quilter and a sewist brings to our souls. We know what it means to create and share and connect.
Kathy,
I too went to Quilt Market with my Mom many years ago.
She flew in from the east coast and I flew to meet her in
Houston. We spent a week together at the Shamrock Hilton
where Quilt Market was then held. She had such a good time
helping me and I loved getting to share my pattern world with
her….like you and your Mom….no kids or husbands…just us.
Cherish these times, my Mom is now gone, but we had very
fun memories to share.
Jan
Welcome back Kathy. It sounds like you had a fabulous time at Market, I can’t wait to hear all about it in your future posts.
oh Kathy – what a wonderful post and how great that you got to have such a fun trip with your mom! Can’t wait to hear about everything!
Sounds brilliant!
Isn’t it wonderful to meet an idol and have a special chat?
And ….I am about to embark on making my first Mail Sack – they look so great, I will send you a photo to the Flickr set of the result.
Hi Kathy,
What a nice reading this post about the Quilt Market was. I hope to be able to go there one time! Your description gives a good impression of the valuable time one can spend at gatherings like this, especially the connection and sharing part.
That sounds amazing!
Way cool! Sounds like you had a blast. Can’t wait to hear more.
It definitely sounds like you had a wonderful time with your Mum in Houston; that is a beautiful story you shared about spending time with her.
I can’t wait for more Market recaps!
What a sweet time – I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I look forward to seeing more of your pictures!
It sounds like you had a wonderful time! My mom lives in NJ, so I too cherish the short visits we get to see each other. I can appreciate how special it must have been. I am looking forward to the rest of your market caps.
What a wonderful post, Kathy! So glad you and your mom were able to share the trip!!
I love heartwarming mother/daughter stories. Mary Lou’s quilts always brings a smile!
I loved reading about your time with your mum. It’s so nice to see that mother/daughter time isn’t a thing of the past.
What a wonderful story! I’m lucky my Mom is coming TODAY! to help out this weekend when I have my biggest show of the year!
Can’t wait to see more pics from Quilt Market…you tease us!
))
I’m so glad you got to spend time with your mom…it sounds like you had a great time. Happy cutting! –Joan
So glad you had such a super time! Can’t wait to hear and see more of your adventures.
Nice story, Cathy. Glad you had such a nice time with your Mom. Wish I could but we don’t have that kind of a relationship but I’m pretty sure I will have it with my daughters.
Great story Kathy! I would love to bring my Mom on a quilt trip or any trip for that matter. Glad you did.
I’m glad you had such a wonderful, special time with your mom. Welcome home!
Kathy, this was my first time at Quilt Market and I saw you in the crowd but never got a chance to say Hi and let you know how much I appreciate your blog. It’s amazing how much all of this sewing love is wrapped up in our moms. My mom is a cancer survivor and helped me sew up some samples in preparation for Quilt Market. It occurred to me on numerous occasions that if I wasn’t going to Houston, we might not have that time to sit and stitch together. Time I know I will always treasure. So glad you had time with your mom too.
…and what a great story quilt your trip with your mother would make, dontcha think? Mary Lou’s Whimsies and Whynots was one of my first quilt book purchases, and I still take it down to look at every once in a while. One of these days…
Kathy, I’m glad that you got to have such a special time with your mom. It will be a treasured memory for both of you. Can’t wait to hear more about your trip!
I knew you would have a wonderful time and how very special to get to share the experience with your mom. I will look forward to future posts on the event.
What a wonderful description of your Market highlights! Made me smile just to read; can’t wait to hear more!
Kathy,
What a wonderful story about spending time with your Mom. Good for you for intentionally making wonderful memories with her!!
Looking forward to hearing more about Quilt Market!
xoxo
How absolutely lovely.
It sounds like you had a lovely time at Quilt Markey & how great to spend some time with your mother
Such a great tone to start your Market report. It sounds like you and your mom had a great time — and that doesn’t even include all the fabric fondling opportunities!
WOW, I am overwhelmed at your kindness Kathy! I was so happy to have met you and your Mom and it was me who felt privledged.! You are a wonderful person and I hope we can keep in touch from now on.
I am hoping you ordered that new Alexander Henry fruit fabric!
Thanks so much for stopping by and spending time with me. I am so happy you and your Mom got to enjoy each other.
What a great story Kathy! In fact, sounds like a story quilt to me. I have long been a fan of Mary Lou’s and finally had a class with her this summer. It was really great to see her quilts up close. I haven’t worked on mine since then, but ideas are percolating.
yep, it was good “Mom Time” wasn’t it? The pride in their eyes over their daughters’ successes and the glimpses of satisfaction and lots of pure JOY.
I love every, single minute I get to spend with you, Kathy. I know our moms enjoyed being together, too, and it really doesn’t get better than that. Walking a little slower through the Market and taking an extra minute here and there to check out something we might not have was worth it. I am so glad that we did it….and those tamales….wow! xo
Boy I wish I could have been there so many beautiful things to see
So fun to take your mom!!! It sounds like you had a fabulous time!
I’m so glad you had a wonderful time, and was able to share it with your mom! The quilt hanging behind you and Mary Lou is quite amazing!
It looks and sounds like you had a very enjoyable time. Sweet times with your mom.
Thanks to Mary Lou you are now in my favorites. Nice story & lovely pictures.
What a great experience to share with your mom! My mother recently passed away and this post has me daydreaming about how nice it would have been to share something similar with her.
You really have a special way of expressing emotions that many of us feel when we creative things. I have travelled down to Houston to see the quilt show for the first time and I so wish my mum could be here with me and she would really enjoy it.
Oh, that is so beautiful. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I’m fortunate enough that my mom is practically around the corner, and it still seems like there aren’t enough opportunities to just enjoy one another’s company; this is a good reminder to create some!
Lovely story about sharing the trip with your mother! Mine lives in Boston, and I don’t see her nearly enough! Loved seeing all the pictures of the Market. Beautiful!
tears and cheers to you and your mom! i love the story of her going with you and you having such a great time together. these are the days that make our lives so special. thanks for sharing! ann
You will always look back and be so thankful that you took the time and made the choice to have this trip with your mom. Mine is gone now and we had one trip together, after marriage and kids and busy-ness took over my life, and it just brought tears to my eyes to remember it reading your story! I love Mary Lou, too. She was here in Medford a few years ago and that was one of my favorite seminars to go to! Love your pictures and stories! So glad you went!
Terri G in Oregon
I had the same feeling when Mary Lou commented on my blog! Holy Cow!
Kathy,
We just put my mom on a plane home to California after she spent the summer with us here in MN. Your post brought tears to my eyes! Moms are just the best and I appreciate mine so much! We lost my dad almost 4 years ago and mom has done such a great job of picking up the pieces at age 75. Thank you!
Celine
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