QuiltCon 2024 Recap
If you follow me on Instagram or TikTok you knew I would be at QuiltCon this year even before you technically knew why. Of course I was there to promote my new Paper Doll dies with AccuQuilt!!! I was actually first introduced to AccuQuilt at last years QuiltCon in Atlanta, Ga via Lisa Woolfork of Black Women Stitch and the Stitch Please Podcast. This years event was held at the Raleigh Convention Center in North Carolina and it was even more crowded that last year. I actually heard some talk of record numbers, but I’m don’t know for sure.
I hit the road early Friday morning to make my booth time for the afternoon. Thankfully I had a smooth drive and made it in enough time to do a quick change and head over to the convention center with thirty minutes to spare. I headed right for the Loving Stitches booth which was generous enough to host AccuQuilt. That’s where i met fellow newbie AccuQuilt Designer Janine LeCour who was promoting her new Go! Lemon and Go! Mushroom Melody dies. Also I was finally able to meet Lynn Gibney in person after speaking and emailing with her for months. Those extra 30 minutes flew by and before I knew it, it was my times to present my dies and work the booth.
Despite being a little nervous initially I had a great time speaking with quilters, raving about AccuQuilt and sharing my dies. It was so lovely to learn many AQ users had already ordered my dies and were just waiting for them to arrive. Several people still bought them on site and a few even asked me to sign them!!!! The last few hours of the conference went by quickly and then it was time for happy hour.
There I was able to meet and chat with Chris Marchini of Rose City Orginals and Carolina Moore who were the other two AccuQuilt designers at the event before we moved on to dinner. I highly recommend Whiskey Kitchen if you’re ever in the downtown Raleigh area because I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed their dinner. Overall just learning from and talking with the AccuQuilt team and veteran die designers was amazing. I hung in as long as I could and then finally had to call it a night. After all I had driven over 6hrs that morning.
I arrived with my dad in tow for Day 2 so he could see what QuiltCon was all about. He was amazed at the sheer number of attendees and vendors and I think he gained a better idea of what my part was all about. We did arrive to the convention center a littler earlier in the day as I wanted to see some of the vendors I had missed on Day 1. So much of Day 2 was a blur but I know I met some more amazing makers like MA Couture Crafting (quilter), Tisha of Sew Creative Lounge (fabric store and sewing center) and Project Leasa (quilter). Also I ran into a few familiar faces like Sunshiny Moon (maker of handmade period products) and Michele Muska of Oliso (smart irons). Sadly I missed a couple of ladies who i really wanted to see namely Keechi B Style and Crafty Gemini who I knew would be in attendance.
Overall was I'm so thankful that @accuquilt invited me to promote my NEW Paper Doll and Paper Doll Clothes dies at QuiltCon hosted by The Modern Quilt Guild. I had an absolute blast all weekend; doing demos, signing my dies, meeting fellow sewists, making connections and shopping the vendors. I learned so much from the ladies of Loving Stitches and AccuQuilt who are so full of quilting knowledge.
Just like Day 1 I basically shut down day 2 at the convention center before meeting up for dinner with some local friends. A time was had…Until next year.
