Quilt shows and men
 

I went to local quilt show near my home on Saturday and my husband accompanied me as I had entered a quilt I made for our grandson, it was his first quilt show. As we walked along I explained techniques and styles of quilting to him; pieced, appliqued, modern, quilted on DSM or longarm hand guided or computerized. He was in awe of the artistry of quilts and quilting methods, he pointed out methods and symmetry that he noticed. As one of the few men wandering the aisles it was interesting the number of women who commented to him that there was an area in the lobby with magazines where he could wait until I was finished looking at quilts and shopping. He commented to me as to why everyone assumed he wasn't enjoying himself or appreciating all the hard work of quilters. Yes there were men/husbands who chose the sitting area talking while their significant others strolled the aisles and seemed to be happy to be there.

My question is do your husband/significant other go with you to quilt shows and what has been their experience? Do they enjoy looking at the quilts or sit in an area and wait for you to finish.

Yes, DH goes with me to Quilt shows. He really enjoys them. I haven't noticed if women try to direct him to the sitting area for men and kids. He is a social butterfly and chats away with everyone. I separate from him. I want to freely walk around and not have to wait on him.

I don't know. I have never gone to a quilt show with DH. He would be like okay have you seen enough quilts now? LOL He is not the type to sit and wait either. He's best left out of my quilting.

My late DH didn't usually go to quilt shows with me, but when he did he enjoyed looking at the quilts. Sometimes his favorites surprised me. If he was in a fabric store with me, he helped find whatever fabric I was looking for. I remember he helped me for what seemed like at least an hour, searching Fabric Depot in Portland for the deepest black that they had in a full bolt.

Mine would be in the car waiting and probably asleep. He doesn't care to take me to quilt stores and wait but I think a quilt show would be too much to ask of him. I think I would have more fun with him at home. Then he wouldn't know how much I really spend at the shows. LOL

It is a minor bone of contention that my hubby has not been to any quilt shows with me. In his defense, he does go to fabric stores with me and supports me in my desires to cut up said fabric. But to be honest, I have other friends who have never been to a quilt show with me either and I don't hold it against them.

My son has a good eye and can draw, he would go to shows with me and point out things he liked, a lot of which was applique which I don't do... but he would remark on color choices or 3D effects and other things of interest to him.

A number of years back I made an Ugly Tie quilt. I collected tons of old ties, particularly favoring big bold 1970s ties with colors and textures. Mostly I bought them in bags by the pound at the thrift stores. Took them home, gutted them and washed them. Oh my... ties are dirty, or at least rejected thrift store ones are! I dumped all the cleaned and gutted ties into a black plastic garbage bag, swirled them around a bit and then took a stack of brown paper lunch bags and without looking at what I grabbed, took 10 ties out of the big bag into each paper bag. Then I sat down to make a crazy quilt and took whatever I had in that bag and made a block out of it. The size of the quilt was determined by a crazy piece of polyester double knit that had a huge jaguar scenic print on the back, I do love my crazy backs and this was going to be tacked down so didn't matter that it was largely impenetrable. Anyway, the ladies in the quilt guild were rather appalled when I did submit it for the guild show, but I can tell you it was a hit with the male visitors. Saw a number of them pointing out bits and pieces (maybe some of the company logo ties like Boeing), and my son loved that quilt even though the backing meant it always would slide off the bed.

My husband would be miserable at a show. I know he really loves my hobby and supports me whenever he can, but, to subject him to a day at the quilt show would be un-fair of me. After all, he doesn't make me go golfing with him and I am grateful, I would hate that. I suppose it is a matter of being loyal for some men.

My DH takes me to the quilt shows and drops me off and tells me to take my time and enjoy. He will go find a casino or if it is in a town where we have friends, he will go have lunch and a visit with them. Otherwise he will sit in the car and listen to sports. He is very good to me to take me wherever I want to go. He does know what a fat quarter is now tho'!!!

My husband is quite involved in my quilting life. Visits and enjoys shows, shops quilt shops. Both of my sons and my nephew are very talented Quilters. My nephew put a gal ( in her place) about 15 years ago- letting her know- Men have Ruled the textile world for centuries. Women are the newbies when it comes to sewing, designing, creating. Any women who feel ( justified) in being negative toward guys need to take a step back.

We went to AQS in Paducah years ago. Had bought a new travel trailer. So I asked him if he wanted to see how beautiful Paducah is in the spring. It's gorgeous. He went into the show with me and was squished by 35,000 women. A few men but after about a half an hour, he said he would wait for me in the car. Since then he drops me off. Last couple of times we went, when we pull up with out trailer, he jumps out and asks where the golf game is. About 5 of the guys went golfing and we had dinner with one of the couples.

my husband is very interested in going to quilt shows and loves looking around at vendor displays and chatting about sewing machines, and loves trying out the different LA and asking questions about how they are made.

My DH always looks at the quilts I make at home but he has only attended one show with me. It was a local show and the quilt was one that his mom started and I finished for her. He treasures that quilt made just for him.

My Dh has gone to quilt shows with me, and usually takes a quick look around at the quilts and he's satisfied. Not me, I study the quilts and the quilting, and take a while. Generally though, if I have quilter friends available to go to a show with, he'll opt to stay home and let them go with me, unless it's Paducah---he wants to go there where the fishing is great.

No my husband , the few times he took me to a show, sat and waited on me! Of course i had to hurry. Then I learned to drive late in life and so glad i did. I could take him to Doctor visits and go shopping by myself.

Oh, gosh, no. DH is one who says, "So you are cutting up fabric to sew it back together?" He is a fan of big, fluffy comforters from the large chain store. It's all good. I don't get his appreciation for television, especially sports, either.

My husband doesn't go with me to quilt shows. He will occasionally stop at a quilt show if we're in an area we don't usually travel and I see one. He is incredibly supportive with making/adapting anything I need for quilting, so I'm ok with him not going. I like to indulge myself with as much time as I like viewing the quilts and shopping, without worrying that he's getting bored.
My son (who lives a great distance away) has a great eye for design and likes to figure out how quilts are made/pieced. When I go to Manitoba to see him next, I'm going to see if I can find a quilt show near him to take him to. I think he'd enjoy it.

No, it’s “my world”. He has “his world” which holds no interest to me.
We can each buy what we want and we get along great.

My husband (aka my best friend) is a good sport about attending quilt shows with me. He enjoys looking at all the display quilts and the vendor booths. Actually, I'd probably spend less money at these shows if it weren't for him encouraging me to buy things!

I never go to quilt shows so it is an easy no for both of us.

All I can say is a flat out no. DH would have no interest in a quilt show. He supports my hobby, admires my projects when I show them to him, he ask questions and shows genuine interest in my projects, but that's where it stops. We have other hobbies that we do together as a couple, but going to a quilt show together would not be one of them. And just to add, DH does not go on vacation with me either, quilting friend and neighbor and I usually vacation together, last summer it was a week on the ocean on the coast of Maine.

No. I go by myself. He supports me doing whatever I want, but has no interest is going along. He goes to car shows, swap meets, and hunts. I would not want to go to any of those with him. We have found a good balance, and have plenty of things we do together.

I don't care who did what hundreds of years ago, I'm just glad they did it.
The guys must have gotten tired of ruling the textile world and left it to the women when women could take it over. LOL

while the DH is very supportive and encouraging, he basically let's me do my own thing and vice-versa. When we were in Paducah last summer (doing the Bourbon Trail) he asked if he needed to go to the National Quilt Museum with me and I said Yes! He was fascinated and impressed with the exhibits and really enjoyed himself. Which doesn't mean he's a quilt show convert though!

Not if I can possibly avoid it. He went to International Quilt Festival here in Houston with me once just to help my friend tear down her booth. It was 2001 when they had the 9/11 exhibit. He enjoyed that and was somewhat interested in some of the quilts, but I definitely don't want him shopping with me! :D

This is an interesting thread. In reading the OP's post two reasons came to mind about why there were a number of ladies mentioning that there was an area where he could wait. 1). They assumed he was bored an would appreciate knowing there was an area where he could hang out or 2). They felt threaten by his presence (what is a man doing hanging out in our world) and were making an effort to get him out of it. I'm 72 years old and I'm sure that ladies my age can recognize this same attitude, from men, as they became interested in what was then typically a man's world. I don't really understand either one.

Jim

My husband went to a quilt show with me to look at longarms, and stayed to look at all the quilts with me. At one point we were looking at a really cool design, it was sort of a log cabin with circles, and the circles were made in such a way that they looked like drops of water on top of the quilt, magnifying the fabric underneath. We were standing there looking at it, and he said "That would have looked really cool if she had trapunto-d the circles." I turned to face him, jaw wide open, speechless. I had no idea he even knew what that was! I was so proud of him. I told my quilting friends and they laughed so hard.... :D

Nope, my husband is not one bit interested in quilt shows. He has, on rare occasion, wandered into a quilt shop with me, but we prefer that he stay in the car listening to music while I take my time. If he's waiting, I still feel inhibited even if he's comfortable, so I won't dilly-dally. By the same token, he doesn't expect that I'll get a bang out of going to guitar shows. I may or may not go into a music store with him. ("You've seen one, you've seen 'em all". LOL)

My dad, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed taking me to Hamilton to MSQC while I was on a road trip to his birthplace with him. He sat patiently in the Main Store and chatted with a man his age for probably two hours.
My dad's mom and grandfather were quite skilled with a needle (great grandpa did upholstery on buggies and then cars) but the desire skipped my dad and went straight to half of his daughters. He just really enjoys seeing us carry on a love of sewing.

Sometimes I go with my hubby, who is an active participant, and sometimes with my girlfriends. He never sits in the men area. Still the guys that come and want to sit there are to be commended as they come and support their quilter woman.

Quilt shows are for my enjoyment, and that means I go a-l-o-n-e. Hubby would just not be fun to have there. Nor girlfriends, even ones who are other quilters. I like to get around and do what I want without having to worry about anyone else. I've always gone to Paducah alone and love it that way. If I want to chat with someone, there are friendly people everywhere who will talk with you about anything and everything.

Hubby is interested in my quilting, just not to the degree that I am. It's fine.

My husband takes me to quilt shops sometimes if we were going in that direction anyway....but he won't make a special trip to do so. He'll wait outside so that he can smoke or maybe keep the dog (Yorky) on a leash and let her walk a bit. He doesn't care the amount I spend because it comes out of my money not his. He will tell me about local ads he see's for quilt shows but won't go with me. Yet I go to the drag races with him....not because I love the noise, but because I love him.

A good friend and I will from time to time go to quilt shows together. Her husband often acts as our driver and he will bring along a snack and a good book to read, his passion, while he sips a cup of coffee in the "lounge" area of the show. All well and good. But she has done such a fine job at teaching him about her passion of sewing, quilting and designing that he is far more knowledgeable than many quilters!! He with ease carries on insightful conversations about techniques, new tools, machines, color, tone and pattern and type of fabric. He understands and respects her passion and loves to see her smile or stand in awe before a quilt. They have traveled to Lancaster, PA and in just a few weeks will be going to Paducah just to see the quilts and what ever they find of interest. He is a gem and they are a lovely couple of a mature age that enjoy each others joys and passions. He would never let her wander a show alone but if I am along, he reads, we talk quilts and the three of us have a lovely day together.

I've never taken my husband to a quilt show. I doubt that he'd be very interested but it never occurred to me to ask him!
He is great about stopping at quilt shops when we travel. He usually comes in for awhile and then goes outside and waits. He never rushes me although I do feel more rushed than I would if I went alone.
He loves my quilting though. Really appreciates what quilters do.

I'm sure all men react a little differently to the situation. The only time I have attempted to get my DH to go to a "quilt show" is at the fair. He will wander around and view the quilts briefly but doesn't want to spend the time looking at them that I do. When he's had enough, he will wander off and find something else of more interest to him. He doesn't rush me, though, which I appreciate.

Once in a while my husband will go to a show with me, but only local shows. I doubt he’d be able to endure a big show like Paducah. He’s interested in seeing the quilts and will make meaningful conversation about them.

My husband has gone with me to a few smaller local shows and to the Spring Paducah show twice (2017 and 2019). I won't say that he's eager to go, but he goes with me and never rushes or nags me. He'll walk around and look at the quilts and the vendors and when he's done, he finds a seat and plays on his phone. I don't have any women quilter friends... I don't belong to a guild and I work full time and I'm not a "group" person. Hubby appreciates the work of quilters but he does not quilt. I always try to find something of interest for him during part of a big trip.

He has hobbies that I'm not especially interested in - comic books and model cars and super-hero movies. He doesn't belong to any groups and doesn't have friends interested in his "stuff" either, so I go with him to the toy shows and the movies. I don't rush him or nag him, and if I get bored I'll sit and read or play on my phone. In a movie, I can't really do that but I figure I can sit through three hours of explosions and ridiculous plot lines if he can cheerfully spend three DAYS at the Paducah show!

I see men at quilt shows all the time, it's nothing uncommon. I never cared enough to give it a thought.

I’m in the same boat as DJ. I’ve only been to the quilt exhibit at the state fair with my husband. We live in Alaska so our opportunities for shows are limited but he supports my quilting hobby fully. He is the reason I ended up having the opportunity to go to Quilt Festival Houston. He encouraged me to change my ticket for a visit to family to include the days of the festival. It was worth it and such an enjoyable experience for me. I think he would enjoy seeing the quilts at a show, though, as he appreciates the photos I brought home. He would not like the crowds on the vendor side, though.

My husband accompanies me to quilt shows & to quilt shops. We also go on shophops together. You see my husband is also a quilter.

Jim has enjoyed seeing the quilts with me many times. He appreciates what it takes to make one, as he's watched me many times. In recent years, he has had to sit in the car because we are both getting up there. (62 and 65).