www.such-designs.com by carrie bloomston
Quilt Market: It's a trade show for shop owners but includes teachers, designers, and the creative crew who are trying to find their place in this world. Spring market rotates to 5 different cities so 2008 was the last time all were gathered in my hometown.
The event kicks off with Schoolhouse...8 hours of 15 short classes featuring current trends in the market. So much has changed...technology, online shops, modern, youthful designers barely out of high school and the entire state of Utah presenting.
There's no logical strategy for visiting all 975 booths, but I knew to sprint to Gen Q Mag's booth to claim a free gift...an awesome charm pack of Moda's Simply Style by Vanessa Christenson (modern, youthful designer...also from Utah).
I stopped by the booths of those I saw at Schoolhouse, including this girl:
Amanda Murphy, author of Modern Holiday (C&T Publishing)...a graphic designer who breathes fresh energy into the look of modern/tradition. Definitely knows her stuff about visually aesthetic pleasures to sew up and I bet she got good grades in school too.
Because my last name is Baggs, people wonder whether I make bags for a living. I do not, but Nicole Mallalieu of You Sew Girl! taught me to avoid a "saggy" bottom in a bag by inserting template plastic into the base. That's the trick and it really makes a good bag design into something great! That and a bit o' classy hardware like O-rings set them apart from the rest.
This Australian designer www.nicolemdesign.com.au offers computer-aided drafted (CAD) full-size heavier paper patterns and industry construction tips with helpful, descriptive photos. Get that information into your head when you see her patterns are priced a bit higher to simply cover her production costs on another continent. Bags, hats, dresses, skirts--her finished work is the most professional I have seen. Plus she's super friendly, patient, and happy to answer how-to questions.
Finally, I got to meet local designer, Violet Craft www.violetcraft.com. That's her real name, not her stage name. She has a marvelous fabric line "Waterfront Park" by Michael Miller featuring a print of the Portland bridges so shops can take a bit of the city home with them.
Yesterday ended with Hannah's performance at Curious Comedy Theatre's Friday Night Fights www.curiouscomedy.org We called the phone book and here's who showed up to support our girl and the six other cool teenagers who punished another team of wise-cracking adults to WIN AGAIN!
A great hour of entertainment for only 5 bucks. Catch their next show on Friday, June 7 at 10 p.m.
Copyright ©2013, Sharon Baggs
Great to meet you at Quilt Market! :)
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