Quilts Inc. crusader sews up convention win for Houston. (Karey Bresenhan, President of Quilts Inc.)(Meetings & Conventions)

Quilting: It's not just for grandma anymore. It's big business, thanks in great measure to one of the biggest supporters of quilts and quilt-making, Karey Patterson Bresenhan, president of Houston-based Quilts Inc.

Bresenhan's passion for quilts has earned her national and international stature in the multi-billion dollar quilt industry and a spot on the list of Houston's largest woman-owned businesses.

An international quilt convention her company created and holds every year in Houston makes a significant economic impact on the city.

International Quilt Festival and International Quilt Market trade show, organized by Quilts Inc., brings to the George R. Brown Convention Center more than 50,000 interested quilt makers and onlookers who come for a taste of the craft-turned-art.

The festival and market are two of the major products of Bresenhan's Quilts Inc., which creates, owns and manages national and international conventions, trade shows and consumer events. Last year, the festival and market brought in more than $11 million to Houston. This year's festival and market, set in October, are expected to gamer $12 million.

The festival/market is one of the largest conventions held in Houston and a boon to the hospitality industry. Those attending the events this year are expected to require more than 12,000 "room nights" (number of motel and hotel rooms multiplied by the number of nights they are booked), …