I have been going for the last 3 years. This will be my 4th year going! Houston is my home town and I always bring a friend with me for the experience! This year I will bring 2 friends & they have made reservations at my mom's home to stay. Mom loves having my friends! I am still waiting on 1 girlfriend to say YES! My great-niece who will be 11 this August goes to the show the entire time with us. I am glad that my mother doesn't mind having us because without my family living there, i would have a lot to spend and my BFFs would be able to afford it too.
I really enjoy walking the floors, trying to get through all the vendors and looking at the exhibits. I brought my LA from the show. It took me 2 years to make up my mind as to which one to buy! It is nice that by the last 2 days, the vendors will sell their floor models. I am hoping to get a new Janome Horizon this year. They say as long as you can provide the shipping you can buy it!
The fabric choices are great. I spend the 1st day taking it easy and looking at all the choices. My BFFs Rebecca & Terry bring a list of what fabric they need for what quilts they want to make. They buy most of their fabric at the show. I just go crazy afte the first day. If I like it and it excites me (as most fabric does), I buy it!!!!
One of my favorite vendor is FriendZiGifts.com. This vendor sells body products. They have the best Body Souffle, hand cream and body powder. Really non-greasy!
I use the hand cream when I quilt.
We shop from morning until night but take breaks and walks in the park across the street from the Brown Convention Center. At least one of the nights when we finished the show, there would be a band playing in the park and we would go & listen for a while. My mother normally does not go the whole time, but she does drop & pick up or a Houston BFF will. My 78-year old father is also a driver for us.
Getting all that we buy to home is easy. The first thing we do when we get there is buy a box or 2 upstairs where they have shipping available. We fill it up and on the last day, the company shipped it to us via UPS and we get the boxes within 2/3 days. Last year we had 3 of the biggest boxes they sold. I finally got my own UPS account and I probably spent (by myself) over $1500.00 and shipping was only $30.00. The best thing about the shipping is that you buy the boxes and they keep them under lock & key until you tell them to ship it. They allow you to come & add thing to it or just to look to see what you have. Very nice shipping company.
Lots of people! So far, no one has been rude or mean! which has surprised me but then I am kinda "happy-go-lucky" and didn't realized what they were doing. To me, just a lot of us quilters!
If you decide to go, please let me know. I would love to meet anyone who will be there! Send me a personal message.
PS Sorry for the long message. I just love that show!!!