My favorite part of Quilt Market is being able to spot the new trends for the industry. I love to see what is inspiring the people and companies in this wonderful world of quilting and sewing.

Just like in the fashion industry, some trends seem to stay around for a long time while others fly off the scene as quickly as they show up. This year, I noticed some long standing trends slowly fading (I saw very little chevron compared to past shows) and some others leaving almost as quickly as they came (hint: we can use the whole rainbow again).

After taking some time to digest this year’s Spring Market, this is what I saw. (Disclaimer: This is my opinion, and just my opinion. If you were there, please let me know in the comments what you saw and what you think.)

Handwork

Handwork was not only in the places you would expect, like in the booths of Plays with Wool and Wing and a Prayer , but handwork was playing a nice role in lots of quilting projects!

Georgana from Adorn It sewing with Sulky Petites and Sulky Stick 'n Stitch. — Georgiana from Adorn It sewing with Sulky Petites and Sulky Stick ‘n Stitch.

Everything from pillows to 3 D table toppers to handbags.

Quilt in the Cotton + Steel Booth using Kimberly Kight's new Rotary Club collection — Quilt in the Cotton + Steel Booth using Kimberly Kight’s new Rotary Club collection

Clothing

Considering this is a QUILT Market, there was an awful lot of clothing!

Apron made with Stitcher's Garden Fabric — Apron made with Stitcher’s Garden Fabric

Cute dress and kid's shirt in Cotton + Steel designer Rashida Coleman-Hale's new line Raindrop — Cute dress and kid’s shirt in Cotton + Steel designer Rashida Coleman-Hale’s new line Raindrop

Great Dresses in Cotton + Steel designer Melody Miller's new line Trinket. — Great Dresses in Cotton + Steel designer Melody Miller’s new line Trinket.

Flowers

Cotton + Steel Collection Les Fleurs by Rifle Paper Co.

Whether they were in the fabrics,

In quilt patterns,

Or in the booth designs, flowers were everywhere! Flowers even played a big part in the Sulky booth this time.

Mixing and Matching

Quilters are certainly known for their innovation, and this year is no exception. I particularly loved how the designers were mixing techniques together.

Chenille mixed with regular piecing,

Hand embroidery mixed with applique and piecing.

Color!

So for the last 12 months, I feel like the quilting ‘powers that be’ have been giving us a very muted color palette with a limited number of colors. All the backgrounds were grey and the fabrics all seemed to be, well, a little muddy for me taste. Like we all decided to turn on the sepia tone filter for the whole world.

Well, full color is back! YAY! Once again we are using very bright colors and pairing those bright colors with even more bright colors. The full rainbow is back in action and here to stay (I hope!)