I’m back from a wonderful, inspiring, exhausting and FUN trip to the h+h show! I made many new friends, reconnected with old friends, and saw lots and lots and lots of creativity. I really loved the format of the show, as opposed to the “old” Quilt Market, since it combined crochet, knitting and other needle work crafts with the quilting side of things. One thing I learned is that crafters don’t limit their creativity to just one medium! After a day or two of “collapse days” (that’s a new priceless term from my New Zealand friend, Susan Claire), I’m almost recovered from my whirlwind trip.
I saw lots of opportunities to make new connections, uniting designers, vendors and teachers with outlets to sell, promote and distribute. Fabric manufacturers and distributors were both on the hunt for the latest and greatest, and I saw lots of new faces getting some well-deserved attention. That’s a hint for you to attend the next event, in case I’m being too subtle! The show had record attendance, and I’m sure Houston (October 1-2) will be even busier.
I looked for trends, and asked several of my fellow attendees for their thoughts. And if you were there, please comment and share below! I can’t say much about the yarn side, except that the variety and quality were phenomenal. I did notice lots of Amigurumi, or in other words, miniature stuffed creatures (yes, I looked that up). Since I can’t imagine even knitting a sock, and as Susan pointed out, the problem is that even if you finish one sock, you still have to knit another, I was impressed with the infinite detail and fine workmanship.
Speaking of tiny things, I did notice that several quilt pattern designers used miniature quilts to display their patterns. With the ability to print a high-res image on fabric, this was a brilliant idea. With a little quilting they truly looked like they were pieced, and easily showed multiple quilt patterns in a small space. On another note, I thought the full-size quilts on display were quilted much more densely than I’ve seen in the past few years, and also quilts with smaller pieces were more prominent. Curved piecing is also picking up steam, in my opinion, as the next generation of quilters is flexing their skills.
Since applique and three-dimensional sewing appeared to be a bit more popular, I have to mention the best new to me notion: Thimtec Thimble Tape. It can mold to your fingers, sticking to itself, not you, and comes in multiple colors. It’s even reusable! From someone who constantly burns their fingers doing appliqué, I’m debating how many rolls I really need.
Checks, plaids and wovens from yarn-dyed to digital prints are back, and Hoffman California Fabrics was not one to miss out. Their new line, Secret Garden Tea Company, features luscious plaids that were featured prominently in a quilt, but I noticed more than one rep surreptitiously eyeing them for future garments.
Each of the 20 projects guides you through the simple process of creating adorable pincushions.
The overall industry focus of the event was on sustainable crafting, with the prestigious Golden Scissors Award for Sustainability (presented by the Craft Industry Alliance) going out to Smart Art + Craft Supplies, an organization that keeps thousands of pounds of art supplies out of landfills and gives them a second life with artists, teachers, and students. While your stash probably doesn’t weigh thousands of pounds, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Susan Claire’s new book, Put a Pin in It, was right on target, encouraging makers of all levels to use scraps from their fabric stash and be creative with choices. See, you too can do your part.
Until next time, Karen