Expo Europ

Heard it today too. I'm also very disappointed. I was already looking forward to the next one. And I don't understand, why they stop it, Lyon seemed to be well attended. Heidi from Germany "Estelle Gallagher" schrieb:

To all our friends and supporters of Patchwork & Quilt Expo,

We want you to be among the first to know that the 2006 Patchwork & Quilt Expo in Lyon, France, was the final show in our series of European presentations. We have officially "retired" Expo after almost 20 years of marvelous experiences, gorgeous quilts, and fine quilters that we now call friends.

When we started Expo, known originally as Quilt Expo Europa, in 1988 in Salzburg, our goals were:

** To spread the knowledge of the art of quilting to prospective quilters;

** To introduce the concept of quilts as art to museums and art institutions;

** To encourage the easy availability of products needed by quilters such as fabrics, tools, patterns, etc.

We were delighted that the not-for-profit International Quilt Association supported those goals and joined us as the sponsor of Patchwork & Quilt Expo in 1988, and they have remained as sponsor of the show for all these years.

We are proud that we have accomplished and exceeded all of those goals. Quilting is thriving in Europe with large numbers of dedicated quilters involved in guilds, classes, and shops in virtually all of the European countries, and it is growing in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and countries in the former USSR.

Many countries have rediscovered their own patchwork and quilting roots and are researching their own history, thanks to interest initially generated by Patchwork & Quilt Expo. Every month, we hear of more quilting books being published in multiple languages, and more quilt shows are being held to educate the public. Happily, it is no longer uncommon for European museums to host quilt exhibitions, which almost always break attendance records, no matter what the country.

We've done our job!

Now it is time for us to turn our attention to several excellent and exciting opportunities we have here in the United States, and we will be making some announcements about this in the near future. We're closing the European door with fond memories to cherish and good friends to keep, and in front of us stand several American doors open to wonderful new endeavors, just waiting for us to choose among them.

We are planning for our European liaisons, Marie-Christine Flocard and Trix Buhlmann, to continue to work with us on our U.S. shows, where their assistance has been invaluable for years.

We invite you to visit us at Expo's "big sister" shows, our International Quilt Festivals in both Houston and Chicago. And we hope you will stay in touch by visiting us at our website at

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you a New Year full of good friends, good health, and good quilting!

Sincerely,

Karey Patterson Bresenhan & Nancy O'Bryant Puentes

Co-Directors

Patchwork & Quilt Expo

Thanks Jessamy! Now we know. And that was the closest lots of us over here would ever come to the Really Big quilt show! Sigh. Now we have to start saving for Houston or Paducah. Roberta in D

"Jessamy" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:45ad0bb6$0$32479$ snipped-for-privacy@news.wanadoo.nl...

This seems very unfair! Isn't quilting just a big a market in Europe as in the US? I sure hope some European group can initiate a quilt show that will rival Houston. Perhaps if it starts small, in France or Belgium or Germany (think central), a show can grow each year until it becomes a true Expo type of show.

Though I must admit I get enough each January from the local Quilt Show to keep me going for another year!