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

On Apr 19, 7:01*am, Musicmaker wrote:
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

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

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 . . .

Steven
Alaska
"Kathyl" wrote in message
...
On Apr 19, 7:01 am, Musicmaker wrote:
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

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

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!

snort

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 http://www.sandyjenkins.com/ 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


"Musicmaker" wrote in message
...
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