Chicago Quilt Fest

Well, it's the last year in Chicago - way too expensive for most of the vendors. A floodlight that costs 75.00 for a vendor in Houston costs 240.00 in Chicago!! So they're moving the festival to Cincinnati next year, earlier in April. Lyn and I met up with Susan Price briefly, and on my way out of the quilt show one day I heard my name called and there was Kathyl! Also met Nann - while shopping of course! Met up with some TQS friends also. spent all but 10$ left in my wallet, and attended 2 half day workshops and 2 all day workshops. the all day wshops were 1st with the Huskamps and the 2nd with Pam Holland. I am still surprised (pleasantly) that both all day classes I attended had fewer than 5 registrants! That meant a LOT of one on one with the teachers. It was because their workshop titles had scrapbooking names - one was quilt block journaling and the other was scrapbook quilting. I learned so much and had mucho fun and none of it had anything to do with scrapbooking unless you wanted it to. Traded about 15 ATC's and pendants I'd made, met new people, and spent 12.00 on a chocolate martini at our last supper!!! Walked my feet off, my neck still hurts from gawping at everything, and I managed to only bump into a dozen people.

Musicmaker, back in the real world

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Musicmaker
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That was on Friday. I was walking into the show after lunch and coming toward me was a VERY familiar person! Cindy! What a nice surprise! I didn't run into Susan Thursday evening. I was with three other people, so we didn't make meet up plans. Sometimes you have to let things fall into place and this time our paths didn't cross. We didn't stick it out till the bitter end on Friday, so I didn't quite hit all the vendors before leaving. But I gave it the old college try!! The labor unions in Chicago have pretty much priced the show out of town. Many vendors were only taking down credit card numbers and info, then processing them back at their hotels. I'm assuming the fees to hook up phone lines at the convention center were prohibitive. No doubt. KJ

Reply to
Kathyl

Hook up costs are so outrageous. Seven or eight years ago when our students national conference was in Dallas, we needed an internet hookup for Microsoft Certificate testing. The convention hotel wanted $750 for the drop and $125 a day for each computer. We had over 200 computers. To say the least, this last minute change in charges was not appreciated and the entire schedule was rearranged to get testing done all in one day.

And don't get me started on what I just had to deal with at State conference. I may have a few more boxes in the car when I travel to state, but I'm saving our organization hundreds of dollars. And this is after we paid over $10,000 for the conference rooms and $25 a plate for a spaghetti dinner.

We're in Chicago in two years at the Hyatt. I sure hope that it has been cleaned and worked on. Paying nearly $300 for a quad room a night for students will be a bit too much.

One stressed, underslept, over-scheduled . . .

That was on Friday. I was walking into the show after lunch and coming toward me was a VERY familiar person! Cindy! What a nice surprise! I didn't run into Susan Thursday evening. I was with three other people, so we didn't make meet up plans. Sometimes you have to let things fall into place and this time our paths didn't cross. We didn't stick it out till the bitter end on Friday, so I didn't quite hit all the vendors before leaving. But I gave it the old college try!! The labor unions in Chicago have pretty much priced the show out of town. Many vendors were only taking down credit card numbers and info, then processing them back at their hotels. I'm assuming the fees to hook up phone lines at the convention center were prohibitive. No doubt. KJ

Reply to
Steven Cook

I spent all my cash and then had to use my charge card to pay the stupid parking garage fee! I took one cloth bag in with me and was determined when I went in that when it was full I was done shopping!

I was like a pack mule coming out of there. Bought a kit for Judy Rothermel's miniature Baltimore Album quilt at the Schoolhouse Quilt Shop. Bought 3 other kits for miniature quilts. Found a new obsession: Teresa Layman Designs. Fine Miniature Knotwork. I love the look of needle punch, I just didn't enjoy doing it, I don't know why. This is french knots, which I do enjoy. It's slow going, but I love the look. Bought 3 kits. Bought 2 pairs of shoes from The Shoe Guys. They were the reason why I went to the show in the first place. I got several wool kits.

But the big thing of my day was discovering Sandy Jenkins and her embroidered quilts. And I did something I swore I was NOT going to do this year, I signed up for her BOM since that's the only way to get the pattern. It's a Mother Goose Quilt and it almost made my knees buckle when I saw it. You can see her designs at

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and look under the Hand Embroidery folder. It was well worth stopping. God knows how I'd behave at a Paducah or Houston show.

But I think if I had to drive in that God-awful Chicago traffic all the time, I'd just stay home. Nowhere I've ever been do you drive 70 miles an hour for 10 minutes and then be completely stopped for no apparent reason and a few seconds later be driving 70 again. And this was at 3 on a Sunday afternoon. I won't need a Zumba class this year. That hour in that traffic was worth 12 hours of aerobic exercise. My heart was pounding to beat the band.

It's going to take 3 days to unload the car.

Cindy

Reply to
Teleflora

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