MQX Springfield IL show

[LynnBarr]

Hello all. I hardly ever post anything on the forums because I don't own a longarm but I love reading all of the posts. I thought I would give a quick review of the MQX Midwest Show from a non-professional's view. My husband and I attended on Friday and spent almost all day there. First, the quilts on display were all stunning. For someone like me (a semi-beginner who quilts on a Tiara sit-down machine) every single quilt offered inspiration. I had wondered if attending this show would be "worth it" for  a hobby quilter who does not own a longarm and the answer is definitely YES. 

 

I have never been to the Houston Quilt Festival, and I haven't been to the Paducah show in around 18 years so I don't really have anything to compare this to. If my impression is correct, the quilts at those two shows lean more toward professional masterpieces or art quilts - quilts that someone like me would never be able to make because I work a 50-hour-per-week job and only have a couple of hours to quilt on weekends. There were certainly pieces like that at the MQX show, but there were plenty of quilts that I felt that I could aspire to make at some point in my lifetime. I might not be explaining this very well - I hope it makes sense. And you could get really close to these quilts to see the details. The setup and the layout were all very nicely done.

 

Let's be honest - at least half of the reason to go to a show is for the vendors! I assume almost everyone else feels the same way? I had seen the list online so I knew there would be around 40 different vendors. I certainly spent money on fabric and a few supplies but I was somewhat surprised at the seemingly indifferent attitude of some sellers. I saw several booths selling different rulers and templates but they were not demonstrating their products. And instead of acting approachable and interested, some sat in the corner of their booth and played on their phone and literally never even looked up at me, even though I visited the booth three different times over the course of the day. Oh well - I just moved along and figured I could find the answers and products online without bothering them. Most of the vendors were helpful and seemed excited about their products. I went to the APQS demo and loved it, and Bernie from Full Line Stencil had a great presentation and always had a crowd gathered around him. If any vendors are reading this, please understand that an upbeat and approachable attitude will encourage newbies like me to ask questions, and will improve your sales. And demonstrate your products for us please!

 

I did get a chance to test drive the different APQS machines at their booth. I'm in love!  At this point I can't begin to fit a longarm into my budget, but is is nice to dream. And I enter the Millie Giveaway every day, so hopefully I will win that (ha!) and not need to come up with the money. Mark did the demo and was incredibly helpful and not pushy at all. 

 

I will definitely go again in 2018. The Crowne Plaza in Springfield was a great venue for this show and we stayed Friday night and ate lunch and dinner Friday, and breakfast Saturday, in the hotel restaurant. I did not take any classes because by the time I knew about the show, most of the ones I was interested in were sold out. Also, my husband just had surgery on his leg and we didn't know if he would be up to a show, and I didn't want to spend the money on registration etc. and lose it if he couldn't travel. Next time, I will try to sign up for some classes! Just overhearing others' conversations about the classes made me want to participate. I didn't hear one bad thing about the show or the classes from anyone. 

 

 

[Sue E.]

Lynn, I haven't been to a show in a long time and the only MQX show I've been to was in 2007 in New Hampshire,  but I am sure both Janet-Lee and Mary, the organizers and owners of this show would be very interested in hearing what your experience was with some of the vendors. Please contact them via their website ( mqxshow.com ) and let them know, especially if you remember what vendors you felt were ignoring you. Both of these gals are very interested in what we have to say and want everyone to have a wonderful experience with everything concerning this show.