before Road 2018, we sponsored a 10-day Daily Giveaway. Each day, from January 3 through January 12, entries were collected from comments on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. One comment was randomly selected per day as the winner. The Grand Prize winner was chosen on the last day: Erica from Chino, California. She said she entered the giveaway every day on Instagram. When she found out she had won, she was both “shocked” and “excited” as she jumped for joy. Erica won 4 tickets to the show; 4 passes to Jenny Doan’s Trunk Show on Friday night; and for Saturday, lunch for 4 plus registration in 2 classes: Blooming Dresdens taught by Lee Chappell Monroe and Goodbye UFO’s—Hello New Projects taught by Pat Yamin.
A young mom with two children ages 11 and 2, Erica has been to Road 4 times. She says it’s her “escape.” “I love coming here and seeing everything. I get so inspired.” Erica has been quilting since 2009 and says she often hears, “You’re too young to be quilting!!” Her best friend’s grandmother taught her how to quilt. Recently, Erica has gotten her daughter started in quilting because she wants to pass on her legacy of quilting.
During the show, we gave away several sewing machines for our Daily Drawings. Guests entered their names into a big gold drum located at the North Registration Desk. In order to receive their prize, winners had to be present at the show. If they weren’t in the immediate vicinity of the drawing, they had 15 minutes to claim their prize.
Thursday’s winner was Debbie Johnson from Montclair, California. She won a Brother Disney Innovis Sewing and Embroidery Machine donated by Moore’s Sewing. Debbie has attended Road over 10 times and was in a class (her third of the week!) when she received the phone call that she had won. Debbie said winning the machine was “the perfect ending to my day.”
Something new for 2018 was that there were two drawings held on Friday and Saturday. At 11:30 AM on Friday, a Bernina “Simply Red” 215 donated by Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center, was won by Sylvia Corbin of San Diego, California. She and three friends had attended Party Time the night before and was on a lunch break from Jenny Doan’s class when she heard her name called.
You could hear Sylvia screaming down the main hallway as she ran to collect her prize. Sylvia loves Bernina sewing machines (this prize made it her 4th Bernina) and loves the quilting community.
On Friday afternoon, Myles Eakes of Phelan, California was getting his lunch at nearby Victoria Gardens when he received the phone call that he had won. “Shocked” that he had won, Myles raced back to the Ontario Convention Center, without breaking any traffic laws, but did have to double-park in order to make the 15-minute deadline!!!
Myles is a hand-sewer and is currently designing a quilt featuring golf flags. He came to the show with his wife and mother- both quilters. At first, they did not believe he had won; after all, he was supposed to be getting his lunch so they took their time meeting up with him. Boy were they surprised when they saw him standing with his Janome M7200 donated by Moore’s Sewing!!
On Saturday morning, it took three tries before Denine Moriarity of Valley Center, California, was able to claim her prize, a Baby Lock Katherine, donated by Moore’s Sewing. When she heard that the second person drawn wasn’t present to win, Denine said to herself, “The next one will be me!!” She was “amazed” to win and thought the machine was just “awesome.”
A quilter for 15 years, Denine came to Road 2018 with her sisters. She took two classes and loved the inspiration.
Irene Towler of Hollister, California, won the Saturday afternoon drawing, a Viking Tribute 145 donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum. Road 2018 was Irene’s first time at the show. She commented on the quilts on display saying that they were “the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen. Irene has been quilting “forever” and is a founding member of The Pinnacle Quilters in San Benito County.
The final drawing was held Sunday afternoon where Georgann Bradenburg was the “happy” winner of a Martelli Premier Work Station. 
It’s always fun to see the surprise, joy, and gratitude of Road drawing winners.
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Archive for the ‘Giveaways’ Category
Everyone Loves A Winner
Tuesday, January 30th, 2018Daily Giveaways Leading Up To Road 2018
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018 
We are excited to be giving away over $90,000 in prize money for the winning quilts in our quilt contest; to be offering over a hundred classes taught by exceptional faculty; and to open our vendor mall with over 225 international and nationally known retailers.
We want all of our dedicated and supportive followers to get just as excited as we are for Road to California 2018. So, as we count down the days to the show’s opening, we’re going to be offering a daily giveaway from January 3rd through January 12th. Daily prizes have been generously donated from some of our wonderful 2018 teachers and vendors and include quilt patterns, DVD’s, books, embroidery design, and kits. The final prize to be offered – THE GRAND PRIZE – will be:
Entering is easy. Simply follow our Road to California Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/road2ca and our Instagram Account @road2ca every day to see what we are offering. Then, simply comment on the Facebook Post and the Instagram Post as directed. All comments entered by midnight each day will be counted and a winner will be chosen using Random Number Generator. Notification of each winner will be given the following day. The GRAND PRIZE winner will be notified January 13th. Good luck to everyone who enters.
Join the fun and get excited!!!
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Everyone Loves A Winner
Saturday, February 11th, 2017Konnect, rolled the drum and pulled out the ticket of a lucky winner:
Thursday
Marilyn McKitrick from Penticton, BC, Canada won a Babylock Rachel from Moore’s Sewing Center. 
This was Marilyn’s fifth time at Road to California. She came with a friend from Nevada and they spent four days at the show. Marilyn said that Road is the “highlight of my year.”
A quilter for the past 15 years, Marilyn was in Lea McComas’ Thread Painted Portraits class when the drawing was held. Earlier in the day, her phone had died. She knew she had to put a phone number down on the entry form, so she put her friend’s number down instead — and forgot to tell her. When Road called her friend’s phone and told her the news, she ran from her hotel room to Marilyn’s class to tell her so Marilyn could make it to the registration desk before the 15 minute time limit was up. Marilyn said she was in “shock–absolute shock” when she found out she was a winner.
Friday
Mel’s Sewing donated a Bernina Red sewing machine which was won by Nancy Zimmerman from Placentia, California. Nancy and her “Bunco-Quilting-Jazzercise-Friends” braved the rain to attend Road that day. This was Nancy’s fifth time at Road and she has been quilting for over 20 years.
“Thrilled” was Nancy’s reaction to winning. She said she had been “looking for a smaller machine to take to classes” and this machine would meet her needs. Nancy loves to see all the vendors at Road. “There are new things every time you come.”
Saturday
Cathy Hesler came from Covington, Indiana to attend her second year at Road. She won the Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 930 that was donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum.
She also was in a class when she found out she had won, attending Jacqueline Kunkel’s Vintage Compass. Winning was “a dream come true” for Cathy. “Road is great–I love it!!”
Sunday
Elle Sproal from Orange County, California was the final Daily Giveaway Winner for Road 2017. She won a workstation from Martelli Enterprises.
Thank you to the vendors who contributed the giveaway items and thanks to all who entered.
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Winning The Statler Educational Program At Road 2016
Friday, February 12th, 2016 Thanks to Road’s Platinum Sponsor, Gammill Quilting Systems, and to Road to California, Barbara Atwell from Reno, Nevada, won class registration for the Statler Educational Program. Barbara attended four classes taught by Georgia Stull, Thursday through Sunday, January 21-24, 2016. The prize also included entry to the show all four days. 
Barbara Atwell saw the Statler Educational Program Giveaway advertised on Road’s Facebook Page and was chosen as the winner from 279 total entries!! Barbara said she was “shocked and amazed” to have won. She had never attended Road before and winning the contest gave her the encouragement she needed to attend.
[caption id="attachment_3805" align="aligncenter" width="543"]
Teacher Georgia Stull with winner Barbara Atwell[/caption]
A quilter since 1979, Barbara had been quilting on a domestic machine for the past 4-5 years and was considering purchasing a longarm machine. She had actually been looking in to the Statler by Gammill and after attending the classes for four days, her desire for this machine was reinforced. “I learned a ton, a lot more than I had expected.”
[caption id="attachment_3514" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Statler Creators Paul and Mildred Statler[/caption]
When Barbara first saw the Statler by Gammill up close, she thought it was “a thing of beauty.” After working on the machine, she found it to be “a lot easier to use” than she expected. Of her experience, Barbara said, “The software program is amazing. The creative studio is easy to play with before you actually go to quilt a project. If you don’t like something in the planning stages, you can go in, figure out what you want to change, then make the change before you get started.”
All of the students in the Statler Educational Program received a thumb drive to take home with notes from their training and some coupons too.
Barbara came away feeling more confident with her quilting skills. “I’m going to be a better quilter after attending these classes.” She felt that some of the training she received could be applied not only to longarm quilting with a computerized system but with quilting in general. In particular, she learned how to best attach quilts to a machine and the order in which to do the quilting.
The classes were taught in a lecture hall format by Georgia Stull. Barbara thought Georgia was an “excellent instructor. She encouraged questions and gave answers right away. Georgia knew what she was talking about!!” 
Georgia was thrilled that Road was offering computerized quilting classes. “Today’s quilters are more comfortable with electronic devices so they aren’t as fearful of the Statler. Also, they appreciate how it is a less physical way to quilt.” She loved teaching in the lecture hall setting. “The seats were comfortable, everyone could hear what I was teaching and they had a good view.” Georgia also felt the set-up provided “a great opportunity for the students to build a relationship with each other and share one another’s viewpoints.”
The first thing Barbara was going to do when she got home was “soak in the tub and then brow beat my husband to buy me a Statler.” She also couldn’t wait to share what she learned with her quilting group, the board of her quilt guild, Truckee Meadows Quilters, and her Soroptomist group.
Barbara shared some closing thoughts: “I am so grateful for this experience. Thank you Road and Gammill for sponsoring the contest. And I have some advice: Enter Road Contests!!”
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A Giveaway: Statler Educational Program At Road 2016
Thursday, November 19th, 2015Road 2016 will be offering the Statler Educational Program — a series of 4 classes taught by certified Statler instructor Georgia Stull — designed for longarm quilters of all levels.
Gammill Quilting Systems premier machine, Statler by Gammill, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. The machine was invented by Paul Statler for his wife, Mildred, in 1990.
[caption id="attachment_3511" align="aligncenter" width="565"]
The original Statler design by Paul Statler[/caption]
Mr. Statler sold his first Statler Stitcher technology to Gammill in 1994. He and Mildred continue today to build and advance the Statler by Gammill.
The Statler by Gammill utilizes cutting-edge computer software and robust hardware to beautifully stitch any design. The Statler can handle an intricately patterned king-size quilt in a matter of hours instead of days. Available with a 22, 26, 30 or 36-inch Gammill-quality machine head, a Statler gives quilters the flexibility of hands-free quilting. With exceptional features, the latest in quilting innovations, lifetime mechanical warranty, free software upgrades, and unparalleled customer service, it is easy to see why Statler by Gammill® is the choice of experienced quilters everywhere.
How does the computerized software work? [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlRCcf1e1uI&list=PL8TyNRnvApwZaNpYGSRoSsBjSB-KdS95n[/youtube]
With a Statler by Gammill system, the possibilities are endless. Attending Road 2016’s Statler Educational Program will allow quilters to get to know firsthand some of the machine’s many features.
Road to California is giving away to one lucky winner the chance to for FREE all four classes in the Statler Educational Program. There are several ways to enter:
Write a comment on this blog post
Write a comment on the blog post featuring Georgia Stull
Write a comment on Road’s Facebook Page posts featuring the Statler Educational Program Giveaway.
Entries will be accepted until November 22, 2016. One winner will be chosen using Random Number Generator and will be announced on November 23, 2016. Good luck to all who enter.]]>
Road 2016 Faculty: Meet Georgia Stull Plus A Class Series Giveaway
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015 Gammill instructor, will be teaching Road 2016’s Statler Educational Program which is a series of four longarm lecture/demo classes featuring the Gammill Statler Stitcher: 4017R Put the Hammer Down for Beautiful Borders! on Thursday; 5015R It’s a Photo Finish! on Friday; 6015R Victory Lap! on Saturday; and on Sunday, 7015R Statler Pit Stop.
When Georgia Stull’s oldest son announced he was getting married, she thought she would make him and his new bride a quilt as a wedding gift. Georgia had been a seamstress (wedding gowns to window treatments) since she was a teenager so sewing the quilt was not an issue. When it came time to have it quilted, Georgia and her husband, Ivan, took the quilt to an area quilter who proceeded to tell them all about his quilting machine. As they were leaving, Ivan said to Georgia, “You could do that!” Her reply was “Sure, if you buy me a machine!” Two weeks later, Ivan took off work early and bought Georgia a machine!! She couldn’t have been more surprised. Ivan was all ready to buy a Statler by Gammill for Georgia but she just wasn’t sure she could do it. They did lots of research and eventually bought a Statler four months later. And guess what? Georgia can do it!!
It didn’t take too long after Georgia started quilting that her husband, Ivan, decided he should learn all about quilting. He pieced and quilted his first quilt with a little help from Georgia. Now, he has pieced and quilted 5 quilts. Georgia is hoping that their oldest granddaughter, Ellie, will be a future quilter. She is off to a promising start. Together, Ellie and Georgia made a quilt for Ellie’s doll babies this past summer.
Since most of Georgia’s quilting is for customers, her inspiration comes from the quilt tops they bring to her. Georgia is a “computerized quilter” and she is honest to say that she “designs by credit card!” While there are many wonderfully talented digital pattern designers, the trick is to find the perfect pattern to bring a quilt to life. Georgia loves the challenge of putting together the perfect combination of designs for a quilt. She is also inspired by the fabulous quilting of others. As a teacher, she is exposed to the very ‘best of the best’ quilts. Georgia remarks, it is “such golden inspiration!”
Georgia has used a Statler by Gammill from the very beginning. Because the Stulls live in Harrisonville, Missouri (just outside Kansas City), it was easy for them to take classes at the Statler facility in Columbia, Missouri. Georgia actually learned from the master, Paul Statler. She counts Paul and Mildred Statler as good friends whom she respects and admires very much. Both Ivan and Georgia have showed up so many times at the facility that they are sure the Gammill people thought, “It’s those Stulls again!”
In 2008, Georgia was asked to be a beta tester for the software and she also became a Certified Statler Instructor. She has come to know many of the members of the Gammill team as she’s traveled and taught. Georgia says that “the Gammill team always takes good care of me as a teacher.”
Georgia loves meeting quilters from all over the world. She has been fortunate to travel as far away as England and Wales to teach. She always tries to remember how when she bought her Statler, she was more than a bit overwhelmed and thought, “What did I do?” She loves helping her students go from “What did I do?” to “I love my Statler!”
At Road 2016, Georgia’s desire is for students to become efficient and effective quilters without compromising quality. And more importantly, she hopes that they enjoy the process because, as Georgia says, “quilting is FUN!”
What is Georgia’s best quilting tip? “Don’t be so critical of yourself and your quilting. Computerized quilters, especially, tend to expect absolute perfection. I am all about doing the best that I can on every quilt but it is never going to be perfect. It’s so hard to enjoy the process if you expect perfection.”
How would you like to meet Georgia and take her Statler Educational Program classes for FREE? Road to California is going to award one lucky winner admission to all four classes in the series!!
To enter, simply comment below, by midnight November 22, 2016, why you want to participate in the Statler Educational Program with Georgia Stull. You can also enter by commenting on Road’s Facebook Page post about the contest. One lucky winner will be chosen by Real Number Generator and announced on November 23rd.
Good luck to all who enter.]]>
Road 2016 Faculty Spotlight AND A Giveaway!!
Thursday, September 17th, 2015We can hardly stand it: Road to California 2016 is only 4 months away. How would you like two free tickets to come to the show? Read on about one of our outstanding faculty, Shannon Shirley, and learn at the end of this post how you can enter to win!!
Shannon Shirley will be teaching 4016C Children’s Artwork Quilts, Fusible Appliqué on Thursday; 5014C Thread Sketching on Friday; 6013C Introduction to Free Motion Quilting on Saturday; and on Sunday, a handwork class, 7013R Embroidery for Your Quilts.
Shannon Shirley is a quilter, teacher, author, and special exhibit curator. Shannon’s love of vintage quilts came from her mum who collected quite a number of old quilts when Shannon was a young adult. Shannon loves looking at all the colors, fabrics and textures that quilting adds. She started collecting vintage orphan blocks and made small wall quilts to practice her skills. She actually started quilting in 1989 and was self-taught until 2004. Shannon has been taking technique classes ever since and loves how quilters have so many different styles, techniques and tools, not to mention an endless array of fabrics and embellishments to create with. She uses some techniques more often than others but they are all there in her toolbox to be used for her current quilt project.
Shannon’s classes are designed for beginning and intermediate quilters. She loves helping students believe they can do something. “That moment when their eyes light up and they smile because they are so pleased with themselves,” is what Shannon enjoys most as a teacher. She hopes her students will be inspired to believe that they can indeed design their own quilt, master a new technique, and finish that quilt!
What is her best quilting tip? To “relax and enjoy the process! Try to do your best work but let go of the desire for it to be perfect.”
At Road 2015, Shannon curated the exhibit, Celebrate the Day With Quilts, a display that honored special days in the lives of the quilters that participated. Those days showcased were serious, personal, inspirational and even silly.
Something that Shannon has found an interest in is combining children’s art work and quilting. When she was learning to quilt, she had 3 young daughters who loved to draw. Having them draw or paint directly on fabric entertained them while allowing her to spend time on her new hobby. The first piece they made together was a quilt for Shannon’s dad. It had large blocks that her girls drew on, alternated with a print fabric and tied.
Shannon has since published three books and has three traveling exhibits on her method. “It was very exciting to publish my first book Creating Children’s Artwork Quilts and the response to it and the traveling exhibit has been amazing. I love it when the quilts are on exhibit and I am able to be on the exhibit floor with them. Interacting with the visitors to the shows and answering their questions and hearing their feedback is my favorite thing to do! “ But Shannon also admits that while she loves sharing her work, she “ loves even more when someone shows me something they have created because they were inspired by a presentation, exhibit or book of mine!”
To learn more about Shannon Shirley, please visit her website, Once in a Rabbit Moon.
How can you enter to win two free tickets to Road 2016? Simply comment below what you like best about Road to California by Sunday, September 20, 2015. One lucky winner will be chosen using Random Number Generator and will be notified on September 21st. Good luck to all who enter!!
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Everyone Loves A Winner
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015For the second year in a row, Road to California hosted a Daily Drawing.
Prospective winners filled out an entry form at the North Information Desk prior to the drawing at 3:00 p.m. each day of the conference.
All guests had the opportunity to win one of these great prizes donated by these great companies:
Babylock Rachel donated by Moore’s Sewing Center
Bernina Sew Pink Sewing Machine donated by Mel’s Sewing Center
Viking Sapphire 930 donated by OC Sewing
LaCresta Premiere Work Station donated by Martelli
Everyone was excited and nervous waiting for the anticipated announcement. 
After giving the steel drum several spins, winners were selected and announced by Randy Graves.
And the lucky winners were:
Thursday: Agnes Wilkerson, Idylwild, California
Agnes came to Road by bus with her local guild, The Mountain Quilters. She was on the bus waiting to leave when her friend ran out to tell her she had won. A quilter for 11 years, Agnes thought it was “amazing” that she had won. “I’ve come to Road for several years and I love everything here.”
Friday: Lynn Grassel, Gillette, Wyoming
Lynn’s favorite color is pink. “I love pink blingy things.” So it was fitting that she won a pink Bernina sewing machine. It was Lynn’s first visit to Road. She came with six quilt buddies and they were having “a blast” taking classes, staying at the host hotel, and visiting the show. Lynn started quilting in 2001 when her youngest child graduated from high school. Going to Road inspired Lynn to want to become an art quilter.
Saturday: Susan Nowak, Thousand Oaks, California
Susan was inside the Exhibit Hall when she heard her name called. This was Susan’s 5th time at Road. She came with friends who met at college at Cal Lutheran and are now all retired. What is she going to do now that she won her beautiful machine? “I plan to do lots and lots of sewing!!”
Sunday: Kristin McClary, Alta Loma, California
Kristin had attended the show earlier in the week and was just going to stop back by on Sunday “for one more item.” Little did she know that a last minute drop of her entry would win her a new electric work station valued at $3,250!!!
All of our winners remarked that they “never win anything.” Just goes to show that it pays to take a chance and enter the daily drawing. Because one day, the winner’s name being called out just might be yours!!
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Final Giveaway–Road to California Package
Friday, January 9th, 2015First off, a HUGE Thank you to all our great faculty who donated their wonderful books, patterns and CD’s for our 8 weeks of giveaways. Winners came from all over the United States and were thrilled with their gifts.
With Road to California 2015 – 20th Anniversary Show right around the corner, we wanted to tie in our final giveaway to the show. This is what we are giving away to one lucky winner:
2 Tickets to the Show
2-$5.00 Lecture Tickets (winner’s choice)
1 yard Road 20th Anniversary Commemorative Fabric (winner’s choice of color)
A Road to California Ruler
Lunch and Behind the Scenes Tour with Carolyn Reese
If you have been participating with our giveaways, you are familiar with how to enter. But just in case you forgot, here is a reminder:
You can enter up to three times to win our final giveaway:
1) Write a comment on this blog post and tell us why you want to win
2) Write a comment on Road to California’s Facebook Page post featuring the final giveaway and let us know why you want to win.
3) Tweet out our final giveaway on Twitter using the hashtags #road2ca2015 #giveaway and @Road2CA
Entries for our final giveaway begin Friday, January 9th and close Wednesday, January 14th. As always, a winner will be chosen using Random Number Generator. Our final giveaway winner will be announced on Thursday, January 15th on Road’s Facebook Page. As always, if you have any questions, please contact Caryn at carynpayzant@roadtocalifornia.com
Good luck to all who enter!!
]]>Week 8 Giveaway: Quilting And Crafting For Winter Days
Friday, January 2nd, 2015This week, we are featuring three books and four patterns all suited to quilting and crafting on long winter days:
Quick Cozy Couch Quilts by Sandy Thompson; Simple Super One Patch Quilts by Pat Yamin; Beyond the Lines: Quilting Designs for Machine and Longarm Quilting by Debby Brown; and four Snowman themed patterns (The Winters; Three’s Company; Floozies; and Paper Piecing For Fun) by Connie Spurlock
Enter up to three ways to win these new projects to start off 2015:
1) Write a comment on this blog post and tell us why you want to win
2) Write a comment on Road to California’s Facebook Page post featuring Week 8’s giveaway and let us know why you want to win.
3) Tweet out Week 8’s giveaway on Twitter using the hashtags #road2ca2015 #giveaway and @Road2CA
Entries for Week 8’s Giveaway begin Friday, January 2nd and close Wednesday, January 7th. As always, a winner will be chosen using Random Number Generator. Week 8’s lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, January 8th on Road’s Facebook Page. Any questions? Contact Caryn at carynpayzant@roadtocalifornia.com
Good luck to all who enter!!
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