Surtex Wrap Up

My booth at Surtex

Surtex went smoothly this year with flying into New York City and getting a cab drive right to Javits for the set up on Saturday. The banners turned out great this year from US Press and reflected my emphasis on showing more work on the walls. So many manufacturers quickly glance at your art on the walls to determine if they'll even stop to look at your portfolio so your booth design is critical.  Set up takes just over an hour for us and then off to the hotel to check in and a walk down Broadway and Times Square for some fresh flowers to put in my booth.

The show ran Sunday thru Tuesday with Monday and Tuesday being the busiest.  I got to meet with a couple companies I have licenses with including Dale from Check Advantage.  What a nice guy and the future projects with them sound really fun.  I met a few new potential clients and will be sending them emails and samples in the coming days.  Fingers crossed that I continue to build my licenses with companies! You need a lot of patience in this business.

Minneapolis is well represented by creatives both as rep groups and individuals. I was so excited to meet Lucky Nielsen who was in the row next to mine and who lives pretty close to me back in Minneapolis.  Can you say, 'small world'?  Also had Lindsay Nohl from Light Grey Art Lab, Minneapolis stop by with a group checking out the show.  K&K from Minneapolis had a great booth again this year and I met Lisa Blades from Duluth exhibiting for the first time. Minnesota has its share of companies viewing the art work as well including Target, Midwest CBK, Garven, among others.  I met Mary and Julie, two new fabric designers from Modern Yardage who were walking the show. My booth neighbors were wonderful and I was grateful to meet and talk with Amy Biggers of Snowpea about organizing my licensing images better and copyright issues. I don't have a rep, so I have to learn from others who have experience and will help me.  I got up the courage to introduce myself to Josephine Kimberling who's work I follow. A warm friendly person who's booth was near Kate Spain, another person I admire.

Surtex can be an emotional roller coaster; you wonder why more people don't stop, you wish you had a few more art pieces to show, you see how talented these younger designers are and then someone will stop by and say 'I just love your work' and you smile and feel more confident.  I really appreciate all of you who gave me the 'thumbs up' on Facebook when I posted my booth set up. Your support means a lot to me.  

The National Stationery Show is going on next door and I love going over to look at the companies, big and small. Thanks to my retail reps at Square One for stopping over to visit me during the show.  The furniture show in the lower level is wonderful, too, for seeing great interior design.  I put on a lot of miles and was grateful my new shoes were kind to me this year. Mitch wasn't so lucky and had to buy a new pair of shoes after a day of walking.  We celebrated the end of the show by dining at Carmines.  It's in the Times Square theatre district and we faced out towards the busy streets watching the crowds and enjoying our meal.  A great way to enjoy New York. 

Getting served Spaghetti at Carmines. Delicious!

Heading to Surtex in NYC

Booth #553 art mock-ups

Tomorrow I head out to New York City for Surtex, the surface textile design trade show. This is my third year exhibiting my art to show manufacturers in home decor, paper goods and retail how my style can help sell their product.  Saturday will be spent flying in, checking into our hotel and rushing to Javits to set up my 10 x10' by 5 pm.  When it goes smoothly, it doesn't take too long and hopefully our luck continues.

Banners of my art hang around the walls and this year, I'm including a few more visuals of my art mock-up on products as you see above. I have my goldfinch and sunflower art as potholders and tea towels, the blueberry pattern is shown on dishes and the cardinals are convincing on totes, pillows and dishes.  My latest dragonfly art looks really nice on bedding and I hope grabs the attention of a company looking for new cabin style comforters.  There's also a shelf in my booth to show more items including some items from The Linden Tree made from my Poppy Hop textiles.

I'll be meeting Dale, my contact from Check Advantage, the company who prints my art on checks and labels.  They've been a great company to work with and am looking forward to talking with him.  I will also be meeting with some new contacts I've made here in Minneapolis and New York as they walk the show.

The National Stationery Show is going on as well right next to Surtex and I love seeing all the different companies, big and small exhibit their lines.  My retail reps at Square One will be there meeting with clients and always stop over to see me.

My goal is to continue to meet manufacturers whose products are great for my Craftsman Nouveau style. Each year I feel more confident and learn so much by attending. Wish me luck and I'll post pics from the show next week.

LInden Tree Owner: Melissa Pederson

Melissa Pederson, Owner and sewist at The Linden Tree Shop

The driving force behind The Linden Tree Shop in Minneapolis is its owner, Melissa Pederson. She is also responsible for making so many wonderful items out of my Poppy Hop fabric and displaying them in her shop.  It is her dog, Jackson, who modeled the lovely dog bed she made for him on my brochure cover.  He is a regular at the shop and loves to greet customers who come to shop.  Melissa's daughters, Lindsey and Sydney, are also frequently at the shop helping Mom when they can.

Jackson is one lucky dog with his custom dog bed

Melissa likes 'to let the fabric, not the sewing pattern create beauty' in what she sews.  Many times there isn't a pattern as with the dog bed she made for Jackson. She used three Poppy Hop prints in the top, bottom and piping and based it on Jackson's size as a Schnorkie (Schnauzer/Yorkie).   Below are some of the many items she made to spark your creativity and helped to show how my fabric looks on a variety of clothing and home decor items.  I am so grateful for her help and support of my fabric line for Modern Yardage.  Please support local shops like The Linden Tree who do so much for us.  They are our neighborhood treasures. Here's a link to their website for more info on shopping, sewing classes, store events and custom sewing.

Small pillow with piping using the Poppy taupe panel

Napkin ring using Poppy passion print

Cute skirt using Poppy passion and links prints

Poppy passion taupe on one side, soft fuzzy on the blanket's  flip side 

Girl's dress with shoulder ties in the store window

A simple summery skirt with Poppy dance