In one of my earlier work lives as a quilt book editor, I went to just about every major quilt show and festival held each year. We looked for great examples of quilting art and craft to feature in magazines and books… and like everyone else, we shopped a little while there.

Only a little. Those rumors you heard about my not being able to see out the rear view mirror coming home are completely unfounded. I promise.

Because I was there on business and had to maximize the use of my time, I had to develop an efficient way to see everything and then to whittle down to things I was most interested in. I also have a mild sensory integration dysfunction, which means that I get overwhelmed really easily. I needed to create a checklist to keep myself on target.

Work the aisles backwards.

On your first visit to the show, go in through the front door and turn left. Eighty to 85% of all show visitors will turn right without thinking and will head for the booths starting with 100. If you turn left and start with the 3400s, you’ll run into a major crowd in the middle, but for at least the first half of your journey you will be much less crowded.

Go during meal or class times when possible. Or go late in the afternoon.

Most visitors to Festival are there for multiple days. They are eager to get started and will show up at the doors every morning before opening time. When class time rolls around, a number of them leave the show floor. Then it’s lunch, then lectures or afternoon classes, and by afternoon they are exhausted.

If you can plan to get there shortly after classes start, there will be fewer people on the floor. Late in the afternoon is another good time to visit the show floor. By that time, all the students are waiting in line for buses and don’t even want to think of walking another step.

On your first visit, make one very fast run through with the floor map in hand.

Don’t stop to visit, don’t shop — have your pen and your map in hand. As you walk the aisles, circle or mark the booths you want to come back to. Carry a highlighter and highlight the ones you especially don’t want to miss.

Once you get back to your hotel room, go through the list of vendors and see if you spot any names that you want to visit but didn’t mark on your first run through. Mark those as well. At this point, I would prioritize them: 1, 2, 3. I might have a dozen “1s” (don’t miss), a bunch of “2s” (really want to see) and an awful lot of “3s” (if my feet hold out).

Now have an adult beverage of your choice and hit the sack. Tomorrow’s another busy day.

On your second trip through, visit the booths you marked in priority order.

Pick up business cards or brochures to help you remember which ones you have seen. If the exhibitor agrees (and if the crowds permit), you could take a snapshot of the booth as another visual reminder.

Third time through, take your time.

This is when to do your major shopping, stop and talk to the vendors, take notes about what you bought and where you got it. Don’t get home and ask yourself where you bought those gorgeous buttons now that you know you need another four of them to complete your project.

But what about the quilts?

I used exactly the same system for the quilt exhibitions.

• Fast runthrough of the whole exhibit floor;
• Second walk through with map, noting ones to examine more closely;
• Careful examination of marked quilts, taking photos where allowed and notes on maker and techniques.

In fairness, I should note that with the advent of digital cameras and enormous memory cards, you could also go through the quilts once only, taking pictures of every one of them plus the cards with artist’s name and statement. That way you’d have a complete record when you got home. If you are anything like me, you’ll be completely brain-fried by the second day. A week after you get home, go through that 16GB of photos and you will see hundreds of quilts you didn’t even remember were there.

Have fun in Houston! And may Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, be with you.

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