A Trip to Moda

I call the month of August my “Moda home” month because I finally got to tour the home base.  I was in Dallas to attend the Open House that Moda hosts for quilt shops.  I’ve heard amazing things from other designers who have visited Moda, but I just couldn’t grasp what it felt like until we pulled up to these doors…

Moda has 2 main warehouses and you’re looking at warehouse #1, the entrance to “heart” of Moda.  It’s the design warehouse and it’s here new fabric lines begin.  Look at the boxes of fabrics that had just arrived from a container ship.  I couldn’t believe it when Cheryl told me that my fall market fabric line was among these boxes!  I watched the rolls of my fabric being wound onto bolts with a huge machine.   I’ll share my video of this process when we get a little closer to market!  Of all the warehouses at Moda, this was by far my favorite.  You could feel the creativity and energy inside this building.

As I walked crossed the parking lot, I entered the main warehouse that holds the fabrics and notions Moda is currently selling.  A beautiful Atrium greeted me, and as I looked around I could see showrooms of current notions and fabrics just off of the Atrium.  

This sewing machine towel would be so cute made into a sewing machine cover!

As you walk through the main doors of the warehouse #2,  you can see rows and rows of fabric bolts.  They go on forever!

I attended the open house with my friends Barb and Mary from Me & My Sister Designs, and Karla from Sweetwater.  We each had a table set up in the warehouse.  No fancy backdrops, remember it’s a warehouse!  Our booths were directly across from all the aisles of notions.

Barb was the brave one who volunteered to have her caricature done…

Everything is so organized and the employees know exactly where everything is.

Mr. Dunn was a gracious host who lead us through an exhibit of a few of his vintage quilts.

His collection is amazing and he ships many of them for museum exhibits across the county.

To say I love Moda would be an understatement.  They actually shipped my fabric to the warehouse early so I could have it in time to complete my next round of applique patterns!  I can’t wait to show you.  My main quilt comes back from Becky, my quilter, today and we have plenty of time to sew on the binding and embellishments before quilt market.  Getting fabric early may seem like a little thing, but it isn’t.  In order to do this Moda has to sit with yardage in inventory for several months before they start selling it.  I’m so grateful to them!

I’ll be back in my next post to tell you about our trip to Magnolia in Waco, Texas.  It was so much fun!

Anne