Monday, May 20, 2013

First Post from Quilt Market

Apologies for the social media and email silence from this end.  Things have been a little busy, to say the least.... but the good news is that I did indeed make it to Quilt Market in Portland, Oregon. 


All manner of technological glitches, a hefty dose of jet-lag and a hectic work schedule have hitherto prevented me from sharing the experience with the online community. 

In short, I had a lovely time, met great people, talked a lot about exciting possibilities and picked up some new US-based stockists for my sewing patterns. 


There were 3 trips to the local department store the day before set-up and a spot of last-minute, late-night hook-making, when I discovered that the Ikea hooks that were pre-ordered would not fit the top edge of the booth.


Of course, I had lovely travel companions and Quilt Market neighbours...


My samples in Riley Blake fabric attracted a load of attention, and 3 of them are staying in the Riley Blake warehouse, with a few of the patterns.


The Hobo (above), the Laptop (below)....


and the Sling (below again)


The super-popular A-line Skirt pattern will be available through Pink Chalk Fabrics as soon as the Pink Chalk team recover from Market and upload the details.


I was so happy to met Kathy and the girls from Pink Chalk - every one of them is super-lovely.  They've been selling my pdf patterns for a long time but we'd never met before.

As we sort through the invoices and organise the new stockist listing, I'll keep you updated on where to find my patterns in the USA.  My Facebook and Twitter feeds will be the more immediate source of updates, but my post-market resolution is to bring more attention back to my blog, so I won't forget the non-Facebookers-and-tweeters.

I'm off to pour myself another glass of wine and put my feet up. I'm staying with my sister and her family who happen to live in Portland, and I feel that I should perhaps make an effort to interact and make conversation, now that the market madness is over.

13 comments:

A Peppermint Penguin said...

Hurrah!!!!!!!

times a couple of gazillion.

Breakfast Jo said...

Thankyou for sharing and have a glass ( or two..) for me :-)

Anna said...

It sounds like you had an amazing time. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy a bit of a holiday.

trash said...

Sounds like market was a huge success for the Aussies all around then. Good one Missus.

Annie said...

Good to hear your news. We're all thing of you back here

meli B said...

Unbelievable experience. You have worked so hard for many years and I am really happy for you. You are meeting and hanging with some of the big names in the trade and getting the recognition you deserve.Hope you enjoy your time with family too.

Tanya said...

Hooray Nikki, sounds very successful- and you can still string some sentences coherently together, well done. Now just enjoy that 'down time' and go drink more wine.

Anonymous said...

Well done Nik, so happy for you. Enjoy the experience and the time with your family.
Kerry

Jenny from Ohjoh said...

Well done. May your little empire continue to grow!

Katy Cameron said...

Glad it all went so well, I'm sure you deserve a bottle of wine now!

Helen said...

Congratulations Nikki!! Fantastic effort and totally well deserved. Im sure the American market will lap you up and deservedly so! Enjoy your downtime before coming home to any madness.

Fer said...

You sound very relieved! Rightly so too. Such a fantastic experience and well worth the effort. Yay for you! (and Jodie too) xo

Anonymous said...

Good on you Nikki!! So pleased you made it and had fun.....
Can't wait to hear all about it when you are back.