Salt Lake gets cozy with quilt show

Marie Osmond loves fabric. "I love things that bring the generations together," she says.

That's one reason Osmond is excited to now have her own line of fabric, a line called "Heirloom Garden," which is being produced by the Massachusetts-based Quilting Treasures Co.

Osmond was on hand as the fabric line was introduced at the 2007 International Quilt Market, which is taking place at the Salt Palace Convention Center through Sunday.

The show, the only wholesale trade show for the quilting and soft crafts industry, is not open to the public but brings in manufacturers, publishers and designers of quilting and other needlework supplies, as well as quilt shop owners and buyers, from around the country.

This is the first time the show, sponsored by Houston-based Quilts Inc., has been in Salt Lake City, and that's a real coup for Utah, says Nedra Sorensen, a quilt-shop owner from St. George, who is attending the show.

"It's like the Olympics coming here. It's such an honor. In the quilting world the most prominent quilters are in the Midwest. That's where the show is most often held — in the big cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Houston," she says.

Quilting is now a huge industry in this country. The latest survey done by Quilts Inc. and its Quilter's Newsletter Magazine found that 17 percent of U.S. households reported quilting participation. Total quilters in the United States now exceed 27 million, which represents an almost 100 percent increase from the 14 million quilters reported in 1994. And the total dollar value of the industry is now $3.3 billion.

Utah plays a role in that figure. George Shuster, CEO of Cranston Print Works, parent company of Quilting Treasures, notes that according to research that he's seen, "20 percent of the top stores selling the most fabric are in Utah." That's one reason he's excited about adding Marie Osmond to their line of licensed fabrics, which also include the likes of folk artist Warren Kimble, Beatrix Potter and Paddington Bear.

Osmond is more than a celebrity dabbler; "she's very hands-on," says Jodi Beckett, executive vice president with Cranston.

In fact, Osmond is showing off two quilts that she has made out of her fabrics, one of which is a heirloom tribute to her mother and includes such things as her mother's embroidery, photographs, jewels, her own baby dress and more.