European Patchwork Expo 2008

The 2008 European Patchwork Expo held their annual event this past weekend in the Alsace region of France, in the little village of Ste. Marie Aux Mines. (The dates of the event were Sep 18 – 21.)

I have been to this event on several occasions in the past, when we lived in Germany from 2000 – 2004. It was always a wonderful show with many lovely quilts and interesting vendors from across France and other countries in Europe.

Although my schedule has been very hectic lately with a long list of things I have to do, deadlines to meet, and places I need to be, I managed to squeeze out one day last week to drive to France (about three hours from Stuttgart) to visit this year’s Expo. The drive itself was relaxing and enjoyable. The weather, while chilly, was partly cloudy throughout the day and I only needed to wear a jean jacket to feel comfortably dressed. Fortunately, it did not rain as it had threatened to do.

I need to say up front that a major part of the problem for me with this year’s show was I just didn’t have enough time to spend there, as I had to be back in Stuttgart by evening. I expected there to be many people attending the show, but I didn’t expect the sheer number of people attending this year’s show (especially on a weekday).  Evidently, word of mouth has certainly spread in the past five years or so since I last attended because you can’t imagine all the people who descended on this quaint village for this quilt expo! It was jam-packed, wall-to-wall, elbow-to-elbow, with people!

Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the European Patchwork Expo, this quilt show is actually spread out over the course of three little villages in a valley, connected by one, two-lane road. Different quilt exhibits are housed in venues like the local town hall, churches, even a bank building! The vendor mall was in the basement of some sort of office building or school, and spilled out into the courtyard and adjouning street into a tent. There is quite a bit of walking on cobbled streets involved, and handicap access is limited at best.

I wore comfortable Clarks walking shoes, jeans, a long sleeve cotton shirt, and a jean jacket; and I carried everything I needed for the day in a backpack. Not a camping/hiking bulky sort of backpack, but a soft, comfy Vera Bradley backpack. I tell you this, because I truly thought I was prepared for the crowds. But nothing could have prepared me for the CROWDS! I was pushed, pummeled and smashed. People were, dare I say, rude. My soft backpack kept getting caught by people moving in the opposite direction, and I was “dragged” at times, backwards down the aisles! I finally took the backpack off and tried carrying it in front of me, but that wasn’t much better. When I was in the vendor mall, carrying the backpack in my hands didn’t allow me to see (read: feel) any of the fabric. Of course, that would have been if I could have gotten close enough to actually touch it! The crowds of shoppers simply overwhelmed most booths; I couldn’t actually get close enough to see much. What I could see, however, was the biggest disappointment of all — it seemed to me about 90% of the vendors sold American-made fabric selling for three times the cost of retail in the US!

I had been hoping to find lovely French Provencal fabrics as I had seen at vendors in the past at this same show. I was certainly disappointed I did not see any vendor selling these local French textile treats.

In the quilt venues, the crowds were so dense, I couldn’t get close enough to actually see any of the quilts. And in most places, there were “no photography allowed” signs; so I don’t have any wonderful photos of quilts to share with you. Not that I could have gotten close enough to take digital pictures anyway!

I still think this expo is probably worth the effort and trip, but I have a few good suggestions for anyone who might consider attending in the future:

• Allow plenty of time to see the show at your leisure. Don’t go if you have only part of a day or several hours to attend; it simply isn’t worth it. You need an entire day and then some if you really want to see the exhibits and show.
• Don’t wear a backpack of any kind. Wear a fanny pack or carry a small wallet or zippered pouch slung diagonally over your neck and arm.
• Bring cash in Euros. No US dollars are accepted, and the throngs of shoppers make using a credit card with a vendor a hassle at best. Most vendors aren’t even likely to accept credit cards!
• Allow time to see the actual villages along the quilt show route. They are charming! I think the villages themselves are worth the trip.
• Take a small bottle of water with a tight cap which can possibly be carried in your jacket or pants pocket.
• Have small change (in Euros) to use the loo.
• Bring your sense of humor and realize you are going to have to battle the crowds of people attending the event. (Hint: If you’ve ever attended a European soccor game, this will have been good training for what to expect!)

However, my day ended on a happy, sweet note. On my way back to the car, I ducked inside a little French Patisserie and bought a luscious, vanilla eclair. This was the the sweetest, most delicious eclair I have ever tasted in my life – it was worth all the walking, pushing and shoving, and driving a total of six hours just for those few, sinful bites!

I’d like to return to the Expo next year, but with more time to spend and fewer expectations for finding anything to purchase from the vendors, like French fabric. And I’ll be prepared for the crowds.

Well, maybe…

Kimberly