Miss H+H? See What Happens at a Massive Industry Only Convention

Last week, H+H Americas happened in the Chicago area, and I was fortunate to attend for the first time.

What is H+H? Think of H+H as a version of Quilt Market for all fiber arts. As an industry-only show, the attendees are textile-related businesses of all sizes, including brick-and-mortar shops, online retailers, content creators, makers of textile products, and more.

With this audience in mind, most exhibitors are there to take orders for products rather than having items available for immediate sale like you would expect at a consumer show. This format means that sales booths and many exhibitors differ from what you expect at a typical quilt show.

I attended H+H with a mastermind group I have participated in for nearly four years. We were matched as part of the Craft Industry Alliance’s mastermind program, which started as a three-month commitment that stuck for us. The Craft Industry Alliance is a co-sponsor of H+H, so this was the perfect event for our first in-person meet-up! Our group includes a knitter, a machine embroidery designer, a surface designer/hand embroiderer, and me as a quilter. We all do some form of teaching and content creation. This variety of styles made it fun to see what products and classes we each found valuable.

Entering the Show

The show’s lobby sets the tone for the event. It includes lots of Instagram-friendly art (more on that in a minute), small podiums featuring products from exhibiting companies, and event registration. Even though it was bustling before opening on the first day, the show was never crowded. Industry-only events tend to have consistent attendance throughout the day, and the massive show floor guarantees plenty of room for everyone to navigate.

Creator Summit

The day before the main show opened, educational events were available to attendees, including H+H University and a Creator Summit. Since everyone in my mastermind group creates some form of content, we decided to attend the Creator Summit, which included connecting directly with companies.

The day consisted of a series of classes. Each time slot had two class options, which often meant guessing which class applied the most to your individual goals. Here are the classes I ended up attending:

• Collab and Convert: Maximizing Affiliate Revenue Through Strategic Partnerships
• Creating Impactful Content that Tells Your Story and Grows Your Brand
• Community Beyond the Feed: Building Real Community with Email and Private Platforms
• Pitch It: Winning Brand Deals in a Crowded Creator Space

There was also a round-robin style meet-up with many companies that like to partner with content creators. There were more companies with a yarn focus than a fabric focus. Companies that work with quilting include:

• Riley Blake
• Sew Tites
• Soak/Sew Fine
• Linda’s

Throughout the day, we received many product samples and had several opportunities to speak with the owners or representatives of each company.

We also received an early tour of the show floor, which made navigating the space much easier on the first day of the show. 

The Show Floor

The massive exhibitor space extended through several connected halls in the convention center. Since H+H Americas had a strong yarn-focused start when they first started four years ago, much of the first part of the show consisted of yarn and fiber companies. As you move through the space, you see designers of all types of fiber arts and then start seeing major companies in the quilting space.

There was a noticeable lack of garment fabric companies. I remember seeing at least one, but I wonder if we will start to see more now that many smaller shops may begin to branch out into garment sewing now that Joann no longer holds that market.

The Designer Pavilion

Booth costs are high for small businesses like pattern designers, and staying with a booth for the entire show is challenging to do on your own. The quilt pattern designer’s pavilion creates a lower bar to entry by offering a limited number of designers a section of wall space to display their products. This section of the floor also had its own demo space, and designers were able to stagger their time in the booth space rather than have a commitment to be in the space for the entire show.

Company Booths

Most of the show floor consists of booths by companies that wholesale to shops and makers. These booths consist of product samples and inspiration but don’t include shelves and tables filled with products for sale. Sales during the show typically get filled and shipped to shops after the show, sometimes months after the show when the product becomes available.

Do you want to see a few booths?

BERNINA

Most major machine companies were at the show, including my favorite, BERNINA! Interestingly, there were fewer longarm-only companies than you would expect to see at a consumer quilt show.

Fabric Companies

Fabric companies make up a significant portion of the quilting portion of the floor. These booths typically display inspiring quilts and related products featuring upcoming fabric lines. Tables throughout the booth space allow shops to meet with their reps and place orders.

Riley Blake

Northcott

Notions and More

By Annie

Companies selling components for related products are also attending the show. By Annie sells patterns, stabilizers, and hardware for

Distributor

One type of booth you will never see in a consumer-facing show is distributors. Most small quilt shops purchase notions, patterns, and even some fabric through distributors. Distributors create one-stop shopping for your local shop to buy items from various manufacturers and designers, rather than tracking down and purchasing items from each company individually.

Brewer

Educational Opportunities 

Keynote

Each day started with a keynote presentation that all participants could attend. The topics included:

• Golden Scissors Awards and the State of the Industry Panel
• Unicorns on the Conference Call: Living an Authentically Creative Life as an Adult
• Unveiling the Future of Craft: Keynote Industry Research Presentations

Business Classes

H+H also offered a series of business-related classes for a separate fee throughout the show’s three days. You could purchase each class separately or buy the package. Since this was my first time at the show, I went for the whole experience and attended several courses there, including:

• Social Media and Digital Marketing 101
• Unlock Etsy’s Potential for Your Brand
• Building a Value Rich Email Marketing Strategy that Converts to Sales
• 1 Table, 4 Ways: Merchandising That Converts and Inspires
• Craft Industry Trends: 2025 and Beyond

Mainstage and Learning Lab

There were ample learning opportunities on the show floor that were either free or low-cost. The mainstage area hosted short classes and presentations daily, typically with a panel format. The learning lab was a more hands-on experience, offering opportunities to engage with different products and techniques.

When I first signed up for H+H, I didn’t realize how much education was available beyond the paid classes, so I filled my schedule early and didn’t attend as many of the mainstage events as I would have liked to, nor did I attend any learning labs.

Art at H+H

While H+H does not focus on exhibits of current work in the design space, there were several inspiring small special exhibits.

SAQA Exhibit

In the hallway leading to the classrooms and special events, SAQA had its Minimalism exhibit on view. I was glad to have the opportunity to take it in during a break in the Creator’s Summit. Every piece showed a different expression of Modern Quilting.

Cosplay Exhibit

I continue to be impressed by the technique and skill demonstrated by Cosplayers. There was an excellent display of their work on the show floor and a Cosplay Fashion Show. (Unfortunately, I was in another class, so I missed that event- I hear it was fantastic!)

Lobby Art

Upon entering the convention center, we were greeted by various fantastic art pieces that exuded fun and creativity and were very Instagramable!

Upcoming Trends?

I love to look for upcoming trends when I attend any show, and industry shows are no exception. Two possibilities jumped out at me: An increase in yarn-dyed woven fabrics and puffier quilts.

Woven Fabrics

Yarn-dyed wovens have been around forever (who doesn’t remember using a checkered tablecloth at a picnic?) but are regaining popularity in the quilting and garment world.

Once the realm of traditional color palettes, yarn dyes are getting a contemporary revamp. We saw hints of this trend with Kaffe Fassett stripes a few years ago, and last year, Northcott released a new line of basics called Space Dyes, which I love.

At H+H, Anna Maria Textiles’ new line included a variety of yarn dyes in multicolor stripes, checks, and more.

I stopped in my tracks when I came across the new Kona Loomworks line. These plaids and multicolor stripes offer a revamp on traditional motifs with a more playful palette. If you look closely, some fabrics feature stitching lines to create the design.

Puffy Quilts

I tend to quilt my work tightly, so I was excited to see puffy quilts and battings start to appear—and they look good! We’ve been trained by looking at show quilts to think that well-made quilts need tons of quilting, but the super puffy quilts in the Art Gallery Fabrics booth looked fantastic with minimal quilting lines.

I don’t plan on giving up on my super tight matchstick quilting anytime soon, but on the right project, I’m looking forward to embracing the natural poofiness of the fabric-batting combo. (Just check the quilting density recommended for your batting of choice, so your poofy quilt will hold up in the long term!)

What I didn’t see

With Mocha Mousse as the 2025 color of the year, I expected to see many muted colors. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see bright colors, perhaps with a slight pastel edge. I am noticing more violets and purples starting to sneak into color palettes, and I hope to see even more!

Should You Attend H+H Americas?

If you are a maker and consumer in the quilt world, you will be happy to hear that the Fiber and Fabric Craft Festival is open to the public and coming to Chicago in 2026! H+H Americas will remain an industry-only show, opening the week after the festival.

H+H Americas is a growing event that was much more extensive than I expected. If you are working within the quilt industry, this is a good event to attend to stay on top of upcoming product lines and trends. You also have a lot of educational content at your fingertips and a chance to connect in person with other creators and businesses.

Remember that, at least as of 2025, many classes still lean towards yarn-based creators and businesses. As a quilter, you may still get value out of them but read the class descriptions carefully, especially if you are paying for an individual class. For instance, the business class I took on Craft Industry Trends gave an excellent overview of color trends and general trends within crafting. Still, nearly half of the class was devoted to knitting trends, with next to nothing specific said about quilting or other fabric-based crafts.

If I were asked to immediately plan a trip for 2026, here is what I would do:

H+H Americas (The Main Event): Yes, I would go again. I may even consider a booth, although that might be a goal for 2027 instead of next year.

Creator Summit: I don’t regret doing it once, but I don’t think I would do it again. Several people were there for the second year, so this is me. Most of my content is blogging (as you know since you are here), and there was much discussion surrounding YouTube and social media. There was also a decided lean towards yarn-based businesses.

Business Classes: Whether or not I attend the business classes will depend entirely on which courses are offered. You must take at least two to make the complete pass pay off, so it is still possible that I would find value in attending these classes. Before making a decision, I will take more time to research the instructors and their personal focus rather than relying on the class descriptions alone.

Other Educational Opportunities: I will definitely make more time in my schedule to attend mainstage panels and product demonstrations during the show.

What do you think? Will I see you at H+H next year?