I recently returned from International Quilt Festival, which was like Hollywood in Houston I met so many stars. Bestselling novelist Sandra Dallas was signing books in the same booth as me, and I had the privilege of eating lunch with Paula Nadelstern, whose stunning solo show at the American Folk Art Museum in New York was such a hit. Some of my favorite luminaries like Ricky Tims and Eleanor Burns attended the coffee reception to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Alliance for American Quilts' oral history project, Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories.

The folks at Quilts Inc. truly outdid themselves with the multiple exhibits, coming from as far away as Russia and China, featuring a total of 900 quilts. Quality was the key: it was like viewing a dozen major museum shows, one after another, without leaving the building. In the parlance of my teenage son, the show was "a crowning moment of awesomeness." While immersed in the surging crowds of quilters, I kept thinking: who else in the whole of America right now, collectively, is this happy?

THE SKINNY ON MARK LIPINSKI
The quilt world is buzzing about Mark Lipinski's sudden exodus from the magazine he started in 2006, Quilter's Home, and the Internet TV show he's been co-hosting since summer, "Quilt Out Loud." After quitting both properties last month, he even stopped posting on Facebook and his blog for awhile. But he's resurfacing now and I can report that he's fine: I had lunch with Mark the other day, and I haven't laughed so hard that my cheeks hurt in ages. He looks less frantic and slimmer than the last time I saw him, in early August.

For the record, it was Mark's decision to leave Quilter's Home because he wasn't happy with the management decisions of New Track meida, which recently bought his magazine and others owned by CK Media. It was a hard decision, he says, "But I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning."

I know that his fans are suffering withdrawal pangs: he made it fun to be a quilter again (even when you're too busy to actually sew). But his sass cannot be silenced: the future of Quilter's Home isn't clear yet, but the January issue will be the last one he worked on, so grab it as a souvenir. Also, a number of episodes of "Quilt Out Loud" featuring Mark alongside Jodie Davis are in the can, so those subscribed to the show will be able to watch his antics through February. (Go to QuiltOutLoud.com for info, though his name has pretty much been erased from the website. There will be a guest co-host in November's segment on Quilt Market, but his permanent replacement hasn't been named yet.)

He clearly has been through a wrenching experience, but Mark is ready to move on. He has been busy sorting through offers and putting together something new and big, which he will unveil soon. Be patient, Pickles. If you want to support Mark, be sure to pester your local fabric shop to order his latest fabric line, Winter's Grace, from Northcott and buy his new thread line from Aurifil. The tagline for the latter is "What happens when a great Italian thread maker joins forces with a bold American quilter? You get thread with a passion." 

Will New Track Media revamp Quilter's Home and carry on? No more Mark and Tulip on the cover? No more Pickle Posse? The top brass at New Track have said they intend to keep publishing it, but since Mark left, there have been no announcements of new editors. If there are major developments in this story before my next newsletter, I promise to send out a news flash.

ALLIANCE CRAZY QUILT AUCTION ON eBAY NOW!
I love collecting small quilts to decorate my office and home, and I'm thrilled with the two I purchased last  month from the SAQA auction, one by a favorite art quilter, Linda Colsh.

Now it's time for the Alliance for American Quilts to raise money through it's annual auction fundraiser, which began Monday night on eBay. In this first of 3 weeks, there are 29 quilts from the Crazy for Quilts contest, and if you saw them hanging at Festival you know the photos don't do justice to their fine craftsmanship. This week's auction includes the quilt that won top prize this year, "Crazy Cow Polarity" a whimsical, modern piece made by the art director for Quilters Newsletter magazine, and a dazzling quilt called "Crazy for Beads" that could not be more aptly named.

Bidding starts at a mere $50. Go to eBay and search for Alliance for American Quilts.

REPORT FROM HOUSTON: MARKET & FESTIVAL
Attendance numbers haven't been released yet, but Quilts Inc. which runs both events, reports that there were 99 fewer booths this year for Quilt Market and 13 less exhibitors. This dreary recession is obviously still hurting the quilt business. Though there were still more than 1,000 booths, many quilt shops brought a smaller contingent than normal. And those who went gave mixed reviews of the merchandise.

Though there were acres of pretty fabrics and tons of tools on display, there wasn't a single must-buy gizmo or fabric line that I've heard about. "There is simply too much fabric on the market and it all looks the same," said Judy Carpenter, buyer for Denver's Great American Quilt Factory. "Right now, there just isn't a spark, like the year when Robyn Pandolph came out with her first line. We didn't buy one single tool this time: unusual for us." Another Market veteran observed, "I feel like the main theme was '50s reproduction fabric and lots and lots of aprons. Is that what quilters really want?"

There was some buzz generated by first-time vendor Emily Cier of Carolina Patchworks, whose patterns seem both fresh and charmingly retro, like her updated version of a Dear Jane quilt. (CarolinaPatchworks.com is her blog.)

As for Quilt Festival, I pretty much covered that in my introduction. I think Karey Bresenhan really put on an outstanding show for Festival's 35th anniversary, though I assume from my late booking of a hotel room that attendance was down from recent years. Karey and her cousin Nancy O'Bryant Puentes announced plans to open a Texas quilt museum in 2011: look for more about that development in my next issue.

I spent many hours of Festival signing copies of The Quilter's Catalog but I did manage to see loads of quilts and spend money on fabric, including the latest Alexander Henry skull fabric and some with Japanese anime figures. It would have taken another whole week to see everything and everyone on my list, but the Quilts Inc. people always keep us hungry for more.

MORE NEW QUILT MAGAZINES
Magazines are folding like crazy or teetering on the brink: Reader's Digest is bankrupt, Playboy is for sale, and Gourmet was folded by Conde Nast despite a circulation of one million. And yet, new quilting publications keep popping up.

The latest bold-faced names to announce a new magazine are Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson. Their new publication, The Quilt Life, will debut in February, published by the American Quilter's Society, which publishes American Quilter magazine and countless quilt books. When I caught up with him in Houston, Ricky said the magazine will focus on quilting as a lifestyle and won't just feature patterns and tutorials, the main meat of the Internet tv show co-hosted by the duo, The Quilt Show. The new magazine's editor-in-chief is Jan Magee, a veteran editor who recently ran Quilter's Newsletter. The subscription fee for 6 issues is $20 if you sign up before year's end.

For more, go to this link.

Another to watch is Quilt Scene, a glossy, project-filled 146-page publication introduced at Festival. It was published by Interweave, which does the gorgeous Quilting Arts among other titles. Quilt Scene was edited by Patricia "Pokey" Bolton, editor of Quilting Arts and host of a PBS television show of the same name. The coolest stunt was that it included luscious photographs of all the just-announced winners at Festival, which is just one reason why attendees didn't blink an eye at the $14.99 cover price. Will this morph into a regular magazine? A Quilt Inc. spokesman said it was "a one-shot publication. However, we will absolutely look at doing another edition for next fall's show."

Finally, there's a new international quilt magazine joining those from Ireland, France and Australia. This one is about and for Canadian quilters and is called Quilter's Connection. Featuring Canadian designers and show listings, the Fall issue is out now. Find details at Quilter's Connection.

COX QUILT SHOP INDEX UP AGAIN, SLIGHTLY
My economic indicator based on the sales results of 10 top shops rose again in September to a total of 685 for September, up from 674 in August. There is one shop, which shall go unnamed, which has been reporting a score of 30 (out of a possible 100) for many months now, pulling down the average. But even those reporting in the 60 to 85 range are generally less than exuberant, working hard for their money and bending over backwards to bring in customers and provide them compelling reasons to spend. Bottom line: Business is better but not, for most, all out gangbusters.

NEWS BRIEFS:
*Normally, I'd be chilling champagne to celebrate the debut of my first magazine column. It's a news and gossip column called Megabites, which Mark Lipinski asked me to create. But because it will appear in his final issue of Quilter's Home, I feel bittersweet. On the other hand, I'm also starting a column for the trade magazine, Fab Shop News, which will begin with the December issue. I don't want to reveal anything here about my first column, but I'll admit I scored some major interviews. Hey, I'll drink to that! 

*One of my favorite shops is City Quilter in Manhattan and they have pulled off an awesome thing: they got photos of quilts from an exhibition of theirs displayed on the giant Astrovision screen high above Times Square. These images, including one of a cheeky quilt called "Kitschin' Jane," will be shown every 7 1/2 minutes until mid-November (when the quilt show ends). Get info on the quilt show and see pictures from Times Square at CityQuilter.com: click on "exhibition." While you are there, check out the brand new line of New York-themed fabric designed by the store, featuring vintage NYC postcards or subway maps. This stuff is exclusive to City Quilter, but you can buy it online, along with other city-themed conversation fabrics they always carry.

*The MQX Exposition has quickly become the biggest show annually for machine quilting and longarm quilters. The main show in April has always been in New England, and will move to Rhode Island in 2010. Now, show co-owner Janet Lee Santeusanio has announced a second annual show: MQX West will debut in October, 2011, in Portland, Oregon.

This has turned out to be an avalanche of news! Look for the November issue to hit your in-box in a few weeks, including suggestions of great, affordable holiday gifts for quilters. If you run across any scoops, you know where to find me.

Quilt on!
love, Meg