Another Day in Houston

I didn't have time for posting yesterday, so I will show you pictures from a few days ago. I've had a great time working in our booth, meeting so many nice people. Some would come by and ask where a particular booth would be and I really couldn't tell them. My view was pretty limited to the booths around us.

Right next to us was the APQS Quilting Machines. Marilyn Badger, a fellow St. George resident and award winning quilter is one of their representatives. Marilyn always wears the most amazing clothes.

She said this coat was a gift from a Japanese friend.

Every day Alex Anderson rotates guests from her show come who come and spend an hour, meeting the public.

Margaret Miller was one of the Saturday guests.

Margaret is a favorite in St. George. She comes every year to teach classes at a local quilt shop.

That smile is genuine. A very warm and kind lady.

Right across from our booth is Superior Threads. Annie Unrein worked long hours demonstrating Texture Magic. From 10 am until 7 pm, Annie had a constant crowd, and rarely took a break. I don't know how she can stand in one place that long, but Annie is a trouper.

Alex Anderson had crowds around her the entire day also. She signed books, DVD's, and had her picture taken over and over. She too, was so gracious and engaging with her fans.

Alex's husband John worked next to her and is her biggest support. He helps run some of the business end of The Quilt Show.

We sold a lot of new bags that just came out. They were all autographed by Alex and Ricky. (This one was waiting for Ricky's signature. He was busy doing a concert performance on Saturday.)

We also sold a lot of past episodes of The Quilt Show on DVD. Season 5 is on the Internet right now, but you can purchase Seasons 1-4 on their web site.

These DVD's were a huge hit with people who aren't comfortable using the computer, or who can't get dial up at their home location.

The Quilt Show Shoppe sells kits of both Ricky's and Alex's latest quilts. This is "Mi Cabana" by Ricky.

One special moment for me was being able to meet Bonnie Landry of Calamity Jane's Cottage.
Bonnie and I have blogged back and forth together for quite some time. She is now a Texture Magic Rep for her area of Texas. Bonnie worked in a booth, also demo-ing TM to the crowds.

I just have to add how sweet Bonnie is. Such a delight to meet her, and I'm hoping she can make a trip to St. George in the future.

I was so good not to buy very much this trip. My one weakness was to pick up a few more Kaffe Fassett fabrics for my collection. This booth carried all Kaffes and I knew I would be sucked in the minute I walked by.

This is from Kaffe's latest book, and uses a lot of his solid shot cloths and stripes.

One of the things I enjoyed the most is people watching. Because of the large crowds, many groups try and be unique in order to find each other. I loved this group. They decorated matching hats. How one woman got her husband to participate made me think of what a good sport some men can be. Yeah for him!

One lady had the most interesting necklace that she hand crochets.

And then there are the ladies who admitted they are "a little batty". (Hey, it helped to find each other in the crowd!)

After a long day, late into the evening I went to dinner each night with The Superior Threads Team. These are the best people in the world to work with, and the dinners were filled with a lot of laughter.

One night we went to a restaurant called "Black Eyed Peas". I thought their entry way looked like a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.

I had never had black eyed peas before, so of course I had to try them. And I also ordered "fried corn". I was not sure what to expect, but I love to taste local cuisine. It turned out to be a piece of corn on the cob, dipped in batter and then deep fried. Not a low calorie meal, but at least I can now say I've had some real Texas food.