Spring Market Salt Lake City

As many of you know, Elizabeth and I travel twice a year to see all the new stuff available at Quilt Market - sometimes we are showing new stuff too. Our newest DVD, Dorothy's Sampler, was introduced in Salt Lake City - the location of this Spring's Market, and here I am doing a demo of the Drunkard's Path block from it.

This time we had an additional reason for going - we were 'reporters' for The Quilt Show. Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson are 'fixtures' at Market but were unable to go this time because they were off doing one of their Super Seminars - so we were 'deputized' to be their eyes and ears at Market. 

This required being able to shoot video and send it electronically to The Quilt Show and Elizabeth found this amazing gizmo - a steady cam - that allowed her to use her iPhone and not get the wobblies that you so often see with hand held video cameras. In the below photo we are taking advantage of two comfortable chairs in our friend, Jackie Robinson's booth, and you might be able to see the device I'm talking about - Elizabeth is holding it. 

As you can imagine, every techie fan wanted to see what it was and find out how to get one. Elizabeth joked that she had never had so much attention in her life - but it wasn't her they were interested in, just her 'equipment'.  

Market is always interesting, exhausting, but a 'not to be missed' event and this one was particularly fun. To see our interviews please visit www.thequiltshow.com and click on Daily Blog. I got to talk to some 'legends' in the industry and also some exciting 'up and comers' that I know we'll be seeing more of. 

One of the biggest joys of attending Market is getting together with old friends.  Often it is the only chance we get to see each other - however briefly. 

Fellow teacher and author, Charlotte Warr Andersen and I shared a hug, and it was fun to run into Val Jensen and Leslie Burtch from Quilty Pleasures Quilt Shop in Ottawa. 

 When we weren't filming for The Quilt Show it seemed I still ended up in front of a camera - here Jodie Davis from QNN and I are setting up a shot in the Aurifil Thread booth. I have a new Sashiko Thread collection with Aurifil  and I appear to be showing Jodie where to focus the camera to get a close up. 

I'm sure most of you have been at a book signing at one time or another, but have you ever been at a 'thread signing'. I was highly amused when this lovely lady approached me with a pen and asked me to sign her box of my Sashiko collection threads. By the way, they are the most gorgeous 12wt threads and would look good in other applications as well as Sashiko. 

As you can imagine, all this walking around filming, etc. requires you to keep your strength up and what better way than with ice cream. Well, it wasn't really ice cream - but raspberry sorbet is nothing to be spurned - and it was the perfect pick me up when I came across it in this booth. 

What would a quilt market be without quilts. This was my absolute favorite and when I saw the picture of it in the show catalogue  I was convinced it was a photograph of a dog. When we found it in the show I got up close and was absolutely amazed to discover it was all thread. The artist, Barbara Barrick McKie certainly knows her way around a sewing machine. The title - "I'm watching you" pretty much sums it up. 

Sharon Pederson

www.sharonpederson.com

www.ninepatchmedia.com

ssped@telus.net