That's what I was thinking!

Actually, since he is coming on business, he should ask if his company will be shipping anything home on a pallet or skid. I'm in the trade show business so we are always shipping things all over the place, and when we have to travel we can sometimes get items on the skids to go with the freight (peanut butter and crackers can feed a body for a long time, I'm just sayin' :))

Not that he could put the fabric on a skid, but perhaps he could send his laundry back that way and take the fabric in his luggage?

Good luck!!!

Oh you lucky girl - he's a keeper! My favorite shops here are (in this order) Painted Pony, Quilter's Emporium, It's A Stitch, Quilt n Sew, Quiltworks. Painted Pony is definitely worth the trip! But he may be overwhelmed. All these shops are very helpful. May be good to give him some keys words for shopping like do you want yardage, fat quarters, charm squares etc. and your favorite fabric lines like Moda, RJR.... You can visit the fabric lline websites and give him specific collections that coordinate. Good luck! Too bad you could not come, you could visit one of the quilt guilds here! Enjoy petting your fabrics when he brings them home!!!

make sure you look at fabricfanatics.com they have tons of batiks at good prices.

Try Marshall Dry Goods for backing. They have some nice stuff at reasonable prices.

Just saw a post today that reminded me - Hobby Lobby stores here carry pretty good fabrics and you can print a 40% coupon from their website. Even if the fabric is on sale, they will take it to the full price and give you the coupon price. I buy their Kona snow and white cottons alot for backing and filler blocks. Also there is a good JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby at Fry Road and I-10 freeway on the west side of town that are nice stores. JoAnn's honors all coupons but you have watch because if it's on sale you can't use the coupon. Don't forget notions, rulers etc. JoAnn's carries Clover notions and Fon's and Porters's. Again you can use coupons from online but if they're on sale you can't use it.

Stitchin Heaven is also in Texas I believe and they ship as well. I have had them ship stuff to Alaska pretty reasonable. Hancocks of Paducah is another good one along with the others mentioned on this blog. If your hubby flies international from Houston to London he will probably get two free bags but if he has to fly domestic(inside USA) to someplace from Houston and then over he may only get one bag free. I got stuck paying for one bag on a trip home to England but got two coming back since it was international direct.

The best shop west of Houston is in La Porte a short drive out of town called the Painted Pony. That is the best one close to him.

To give you an idea of the size of this city, I live about 35 miles north of downtown, and I'm still in the greater metropolitan area. My son lives in the SE end, a full hour from here when traffic is unimpeded. There is city all along the route, also. You DH may have as much as an hour's drive from the international airport on the NE side to the west side of the city - actually maybe more, and that's if traffic is flowing.

If you Google the address of his hotel or the place of business where he'll be, there is an option under Google Maps to "search nearby". You could then try terms such as "quilt" or "fabric" and may be able to figure out what would be most convenient. Then people who live near those locations can give more precise information. "West" could mean just west of downtown, or it could mean what is commonly known as "the Galleria area" or it could even mean "Katy", a town to the west of Houston, that like my neighborhood is probably included in the greater Houston area. There are many miles between those locations. I'm sorry I don't have a better idea of what to suggest.

I hope your DH has a safe and enjoyable stay here. It's the best time of the year to visit, before the weather gets hot. The azaleas are starting to bloom, and it's quite a show!

Sorry, La Porte is on the SE side of the city, and would be at least an hour from anything that could be called west!