Jiggity Jig, can you say that very slowly and drawn out?

My jiggity jig is much, much more slower than it was last Thursday.  And not because I picked up a Texas drawl! That would be a direct after-effect of the Houston quilt market.  "Fall Market", as it is called, is the wholesale part of the quilt industry.  It comes right before the retail quilt Fall Market. 
Our hotel was only six long city blocks from the convention center.  And the hotel offered a van shuttle service when we called and booked our reservation.  "Why, yes, we do have a free shuttle to and from the convention center".  In actuality, the shuttle service was only Thursday.  Evidently, the downtown area of Houston just closes up after 8 p.m. on Thursday, 5 p.m. on Friday, and after 3p.m. on Saturday.  And good luck finding anything open on Sunday at all.  Even the mall and food court!  Anyway, we lucked into a Friday night shuttle because there was a wedding at our hotel with party at the convention center.  Then when the rain came in (the temp did drop to a nice 80 degrees!) and the weekend came........you guessed it, no shuttle.  And six blocks is only six blocks.  I walk that all the time.  Just not usually in the rain, being a pack mule carring 75 pounds or more of fabric and books and printed propaganda, AFTER I have walked a concrete convention center floor the size of a football field at least 5 times.  I'm tellin' you'all my dogs were-a-barkin'!  (Yes, I heard a Texan use that line and I am quoting).
O.K., enough whining. 

First:  The picture that shows we are HERE:

Second:  Moda had a photo op area with props.

Here's a picture of the most magnificant quilting diva aka:  Miss C.       A little secret about Miss C.  She's afraid of her shadow.  That is a scary shadow, isn't it?   No joking, that shadow can make her jump out of her skin and drop things and grab the person beside her!

Here's Miss C as we get back from a long day and a longer walk back from the convention center.  Clockwise from the white bag:  12 pounds of wool kits and wool floss; the Jo Morton fabric bag has about 45 pounds of propaganda; the back pack is books equalling 75 pounds; the light paisley is 25 pounds of fabric fat quarter bundles; the yellow bag is more fabric fat quarter bundles.  Only 20 pounds in this one!  I kept telling her she could carry it if it was distributed evenly!  And by golly, she did!

Ms. C with her new best friend in the Amy Bradley booth;  Ms. C with her new best friend Jinny (yes she got an autographed copy of that book and it weighs about 400 pounds!);   Then you will see that Miss C found her new best friend Jo.  THEN, Ms. C and her new best friend Nancy!

I wasn't quite as fickle.  Well, maybe.  My new-found best friends: The first is Helen.  Check out her blog and great pictures from Houston Market. http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/ I picked up this pattern, possibly for a block of the month group.  I would show you the pattern close-up, but it's in a box that I shipped, so won't be here for a couple of days.  And, she brought each of us that attended her lecture a little baggie of the most scrumptious cherry candies from Tazmanian cherries, I think.  Yes, I shared!  This is Rosalie in the pink.  This was at Schoolhouse sharing her new designs and a new fabric line. http://rosaliequinlandesigns.typepad.com/

Then, the last picture is my new best friend, Lynette Anderson.  Her link is http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/  I know she's not blogging while in Houston, so her site is not updated with market info yet.  But it was great meeting her and her son Eddie.  They were working on a 28 hour day/flight with no sleep and then set up and then market, so they had to be tired, but you sure couldn't tell.  I think I would have been more than a little grouchy!

I just love her patterns.  I'm working on a couple of her Christmas designs now, but hope to do the quilt we are standing in front of.  It's called Irish Bird.  Stitching and piecing. 

Another one for my project list!

I also met Alma Allen and Barb Adams of Blackbird Designs.  No pic, but she gave me an autographed copy of her new pattern Hallowe'en - 1904.  I know her cousin, Mary in Alabama, and Mary told me I should go chat her up next time I saw her at market.  So I did, and she is just so nice and down to earth.  She is from Kansas and has just a little different mid-west accent, which I really enjoyed.  Here's her blog link:  http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/

I have some shots from the quilt show itself - great quilts, so, more pictures later.  I need to get to work.  A couple more quilts to quilt and laundry and finish unpacking all my goodies!

Home again, home again, Jiggity, jig.