7 Takeaways from Fall Market/Threads of Success (Friday Foto Fun #100!!)

Happy 100th Friday Foto Fun!  I can't believe I've been blogging and doing the linky party for so long!  This Friday I wanted to share my top 7 takeaways from Fall Market and Threads of Success. Threads of Success was put on by Quilts Inc. for aspiring fabric designers, pattern designers, authors, teachers, etc that wanted to break into the quilting industry.  It took place the Saturday and Sunday of Fall Market with Market floor access on Monday.  I was also able to go to Schoolhouse on Friday to learn additional information.  So here's my list:

#1 Tula Pink is taking over!  Seriously, she is a marketing genius and having Aurifil, Bernina, and Brewer exclusive tools and notions are absolutely brilliant.  Plus it coincides with her new fabric line, Handmade, releasing in March.  You can get your hands on some Handmade via pre-order at Serendipity Woods.  She has some of the best prices! (You're welcome!)

#2 Video is key and the new phones these days have good enough cameras.  Okay, this is a little bit of a stretch but there were video thought starters and what to do to make your own video classes at schoolhouse that I thought were fascinating.  I am starting to plan out a video series to "Learn to Quilt."  The title is still a work in progress, I'm not sure what I want to call it yet.  Since I'm a non-legacy sewer and quilter, I figured who would be best to help get other non-legacy sewers/quilters into sewing!

#3 I found a new scissor company called LDH and learned about what makes a good pair of scissors.  They are based out of Canada and their scissors are super lightweight and designed for ease of cutting.  I ordered a rotary cutter and thread snips to try for myself.  I'll report back once I get to try them out!

#4  Trademarking your brand is super important.  Elizabeth Townsend Gard from Just Wanna Quilt taught classes on Intellectual Property, Trademarks, Copyright, and a few others.  It was probably the best part of the event.  I am really loving that she is publishing books about these topics!

#5 Some teachers who are amazing teachers are not always the best at teaching others HOW to teach.  This was the most disappointing part as my expectations were different than what was delivered, but it was still good to hear some of the anecdotal stories of some of the most popular teachers in the quilting industry.

#6 Never underestimate the people you meet and the connections you will make.  This was my 4th Market, 2nd Fall Market and it was really awesome to see familiar faces and keep building more relationships with others.  I finally met Karen in person!  She is the new MQG executive director, but I knew her when we were both in the Serendipity Woods Modern Heritage Block of the Month several years ago!   I also got to spend time with Becca from Pretty Piney and Sandy from Sandy Star Designs, a few of the Partners in Design designers!

#7  It never gets old seeing my quilts at Market.  I'm really excited for Spring Market because I'm working on those quilts RIGHT NOW!  But I have to wait until May to reveal them to you.

 

Have you ever thought about going to Threads of Success/Quilt Market or Quilt Festival?