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The Three R's: Rest, Relaxation, and Road

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Being a quilting fan can get pretty exhausting. Meandering through exhibits, vendor booths, and the various other activities at Road requires a lot of standing, walking, and just plain moving around. Not to worry. Joyful Healing has been available to provide guests with a little rest and relaxation break. From Orange, California, Joyful Healing is a completely mobile massage therapy program with lots of experience dealing with quilters and their unique needs.

Certified Massage Therapist, Dawn Castiglione, says quilters are her favorite group to massage because their energy is positive and uplifting. Dawn especially appreciates how quilters are always on time for their appointments and that they always have exact change. She attributes this to the fact that quilters are so precise in all they do.

What is the most requested service by quilters at Road? Feet massages, of course. Next are neck and shoulder massages due to carrying heavy bags or from leaning over sewing machines in the classes. Also popular are hand massages. All that attention to fine handiwork can take its toll.

There is nothing better than a little massage to reinvigorate a creative quilter.

What do you do to rejuvenate yourself during a quilt project?

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Tags: Joyful Healing, Massage Therapy, Relaxation, Rest
Posted in behind the scenes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2013, Road to California | 2 Comments »

Ties That Bind Through Quilting

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Six women, ranging in age from 49-82 years of age, credit quilting for the foundation of their friendship, the purpose of their charitable work, and the source of their inspiration.

L to R: Gina, Willie, JoAnn, Andi, Jeanne, and Leslie

Originally from the small northern Idaho town of Sandpoint, these women were brought together seven years ago through a local quilt guild, Pan Handle Piece Makers. Each woman joined the guild as a way to get out of their home, reach out to the community and make friends with someone who shared their same interest. How has quilting made the difference for them and their friendship? Gina, the youngest of the group, said, “I like being with different ages. I learn from the older women’s wisdom.” When two of their members became widowed, the group was a great comfort and support. And they all get excited whenever one of their group has a quilt recognized in a show.

After their local quilt shop closed down, they decided to start (along with their guild), a Quilting 101 class for beginners. Once a year, they meet in a church for a day-long session. There is no charge. In addition to the lesson, they serve lunch to the 12-18 students who attend. It has become so popular, that this year there is a waiting list for their class. They also help out in the community by providing quilts to men’s shelters, ambulances, and foster children as well as through their “Bosom Buddies” program, where each breast cancer patient in Sandpoint gets one of their quilts. They provide prizes for 4H groups and this year they are instituting a scholarship program for graduating high school students. These are busy women!!!!

Through the years, their quilting has led to other shared interests. They all are women of faith and attend a Bible study group as well as travel. Now living in different towns in Idaho and California, Road to California seemed the perfect destination for a reunion. They were all familiar with the quilt show. Joann had previously won an award in 2007 for a quilt she had made with her husband. This year, Gina had two quilts entered in the show and made all the arrangements for everyone to attend. She even made matching shopping bags for everyone!!

What did they do at Road? Well, they “spent a lot of money,” “took a class together,” and ” bonded.”

Wherever they go, these women have come to know that quilting has a way of opening doors and bringing people together. After all, it happened to them!!!

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Tags: Friendship, Idaho, Pah Handle Piece Makers, Quilting, Sandpoint
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2013, Road to California | No Comments »

What's Your Quilt Worth?

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

For many years, Road to California has offered the service of representatives from the Professional Association of Appraisers-Quilted Textiles to give qualified appraisals for any attendee. Appraisers are certified by the American Quilters Society. For a nominal fee, they will give verbal or written notification of a quilt’s value. One of this year’s appraisers, Anne Copeland, answered some commonly asked questions about quilt appraisals:

Why would I want to have a quilt appraised?

1. Economics– If the quilt is worth something, you might want to sell it;

2. Displaying at a Quilt Show– If a quilt is going to be shown outside of your home, it no longer falls under your regular homeowner’s insurance. A quilt rider (requiring an appraisal) is required to extend your policy to include protection at a venue;

3.When Purchasing a Quilt– You want to make sure of the quilt’s actual value before making an offer;

4. When Making a Donation– Museums and charitable organizations require an appraisal before accepting quilts as gifts;

5. Settling an Estate – Due to death or divorce, quilts are sometimes included in an estate’s value, and therefore need to be assessed of their worth.

What is the difference between an Evaluation and an Appraisal? An evaluation is a verbal acknowledgement that the quilt has some monetary worth. You would get an evaluation if you just want to know if your quilt has any value. An appraisal is more formal. It is actual written documentation showing the worth of the quilt and is needed whenever a monetary transaction is involved (like selling the quilt).

What is considered when appraising a quilt?

Age– This is determined by the prints and colors of the fabrics used. Also, whether the quilt’s design is scrappy or fancy.

Purpose– Is it a utilitarian quilt or was it made for a special purpose like a wedding celebration or birth of a baby?

Style– Is the quilt style antique, contemporary, or traditional? Is it an art quilt or wearable art?

How long does an appraisal take? The appraisal begins with the owner filling out a questionnaire on what basic information they know about the quilt. Then, depending on how unique the quilt it is, the appraisal can take anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour to complete.

Whether your quilt is a family heirloom, personal treasure, or historic relic, having it appraised provides valuable information and peace of mind.

Have you had any of your quilts appraised? Why or why not?

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Tags: American Quilter's Society, Professional Association of Appraisers-Quilted Textiles, Quilt Appraisal
Posted in behind the scenes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2013, Road to California | No Comments »

Meet The South Bay Quilters Guild

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

The first thing everyone notices when entering the Ontario Convention Center for Road to California is the immense hallway with all the beautiful quilts hanging from the ceiling. This year, those quilts were the work of members from the South Bay Quilters Guild.

Based out of Torrance, California, the guild currently has approximately 175 members. Like most guilds, they hold monthly meetings featuring speakers along with a “Sew and Tell.”

The South Bay Quilters Guild has an active community service program. They have donated 800-1,000 lap quilts to local nursing homes and hospitals.

The guild also began a “Read Me A Quilt” program with CASA- Court Appointed Special Advocates. This group provides volunteers who advocate for children in foster care. The guild became aware of CASA from one of its members. For the past 10 years, the guild has been providing quilts and books to toddlers through teenagers in the foster care system.

Another guild member had connections with field hospitals in Afghanistan which led to the guild’s “Quilts for Wounded Warriors” project. Their donated quilts are made to fit the size of a gurney and are mailed directly to the field hospitals. The quilts are given to soldiers and remain with the recipients throughout their hospital stay and their journeys home. The guild has been involved with this worthwhile endeavor for 6 years.

For more information on the South Bay Quilters Guild, contact them via their email: southbayquiltersguild.org

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Tags: Quilt Guilds, Quilts for Wounded Warriors, Read Me A Quilt, South Bay Quilters Guild
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2013, Road to California | No Comments »

Friends, Neighbors, and a Road Reunion

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

Some of Carolyn’s favorite Road to California stories involve friendship reunions. She hears from all kinds of people who share how Road ended up being the perfect meet-up destination for long, lost friends. This year, Carolyn was the center of a friendship reunion herself. It caught her totally off guard and ended up being a fun experience.

In 1967, the Reese family along with several other families, moved on to a cul-de-sac in Upland, California. One of the neighbors was another Carolyn—Carolyn Wilt. The two Carolyns, along with the other women on the block, all became good friends. Carolyn Wilt moved away from the area before she knew anything of Carolyn Reese’s sewing and quilt shop.

Prior to moving to Upland, Carolyn Wilt had grown up in northern California. She had attended junior high and high school in Palo Alto with her two best friends, Karen and Jeannette. After high school, the three went their separate ways. They remained “Christmas card” friends but eventually, Jeannette and Karen (who stayed in the bay area) lost touch with Carolyn.

Fast forward to September, 2012. Jeannette, who is a quilter, had received literature about Road to California. She read that Carolyn Reese and the show’s offices were in Upland, California. That got Jeannette thinking about her long lost friend, Carolyn Wilt, who she knew once lived in Upland. Jeannette was eager to reconnect with Carolyn Wilt so she wrote Carolyn Reese asking if she might happen to know the whereabouts of one Carolyn Wilt. (Keep in mind that Upland has a population of around 76,000 people so Jeannette’s request was a total shot in the dark). Much to Jeannette’s and Carolyn Reese’s surprise, Carolyn did indeed once know Carolyn Wilt but had lost track of her as well. She was able to provide Jeannette with a couple names and contact numbers for others who had lived on the cul-de-sac in 1967. Sure enough, one of those families knew that Carolyn Wilt now lived in Oceanside, California and was able to put Jeannette in contact with her. After 44 years, junior and senior high best buddies Carolyn Wilt, Jeannette Walker and Karen Fuller were back in touch. They chose Road to California as their reunion destination activity. They all met up at Carolyn’s home in Oceanside and then drove together to Road. They wanted to personally thank Carolyn Reese for having a hand in bringing them back together. Everyone had a great time catching up on years gone by. It was especially fun for Carolyn Reese to be able to show off her family to Carolyn Wilt who had last seen Carolyn’s sons when they were just young boys.

What a story. What a reunion!!

Carolyn Reese, Carolyn Wilt, Karen Fuller, and Jeannette Walker

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Tags: Friends, Neighbors, Reunion
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2013 | No Comments »

First Ladies and Friendship

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

Road to California and Eleanor Burns’ lecture, “Tales of First Ladies,” was the means for bringing together two old friends.

Forty Seven years ago, Katherine Fletcher was a student in biology teacher, Sister Judith Wemmer’s homeroom at San Diego Rosary High School. After Katherine’s graduation, the two women stayed in touch as best as they could. Katherine is a quilter and has attended Road for several years along with her mother and another friend. Katherine’s mom recently passed away and not wanting to attend Road this year by herself, Katherine thought to invite her old teacher to come to the show. Road was the perfect meeting place as Katherine currently resides in Redding in northern California and Judith still lives in southern California.

Judith, who is now 86 years old, didn’t have any problems driving in the rain to meet her old student. They spent the day walking around the exhibits, having lunch, and going to the lecture. With an interest in U.S. History, Judith had looked forward to hearing about all the first ladies and didn’t expect how entertaining the lecture turned out to be.

So how did their day turn out? The two women got caught up with their friendship, Katherine was able to purchase some unique quilting tools, and Judith appreciated Kathy helping her learn more about the process and value of quilting.

Quilting, friendship, and Road to California – a wonderful combination.

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The Road to California: It's "All in the Family"

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Did you know that Road to California is a family owned and operated business? You’re probably familiar with Carolyn Reese and her grandson, Matt, as being the names and faces behind Road. But when the conference begins, the whole Reese clan is involved with making the conference “the best in the west.” Having the Reese family touch is what makes this quilt show so unique.

Carolyn has three sons, Mike, David, and Darrell. They, along with their wives and children, take the week of Road off from their day jobs and school, dedicating long hours insuring a seamless experience for everyone who attends.

Mike, the oldest of Carolyn’s three sons, is Matt’s dad. Mike and his wife Shellee, own a full service machine shop in Upland, California: M & S Screw Products. Mike’s main role with Road to California is Financial Officer. But you’ll also find him on the floor, assisting conference goers with anything that may come up during the week. And with over 20,000 guests attending, you can bet his hands are full. Mike enjoys boating and his Harley Davidson Motorcycle. It was Mike that worked with Pomona Valley Harley Davidson to provide the Harley motorcycle in front of the Route 66 Quilt Exhibit this year.

Dave provides the technical assistance for Road to California all year long. He is the one who designed the on-line registering system for the conference. Dave and his wife Susan also contribute by photographing all of the winning quilts entered for judging. This year, there were 84 winners and it took them two days to capture all of the images and create the beautiful CD’s of this year’s entries. When Dave isn’t at Road, he is the Vice-President and CPO of CENIC, the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, an organization that designs, implements, and operates the high-bandwidth, high-capacity Internet network for the majority of California’s K-20 educational institutions.

Darrell is charge of equipment logistics. He oversees the set up and take down for the entire show. Darrell spends the week roaming the conference center floor, overseeing the physical details of this huge production. During the rest of the year, Darrell is employed with M & S Screw Products.

In addition to Matt, Carolyn was assisted this year by four other grandchildren. They filled in in many areas from sitting at the registration table to helping customers at the Road to California Booth to assisting teachers and lecturers with the evening classes.

Carolyn Reese and her family take great pride in providing an exceptional quilt conference. Road to California is definitely a one-of-a-kind, all in the family, experience.

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Posted in behind the scenes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2013, Road to California | 8 Comments »

Bridging Language And Culture Through Quilting

Friday, February 1st, 2013

Apparently, learning to quilt teaches all kinds of great skills, including learning English. Because that is exactly what happened with Molly Hamilton-McNally, winner of 2012 Road to California’s Best of the Show quilt entry. Meeting Molly at this year’s Road was a real delight as she shared her humble beginnings in to the world of quilting.

In 1994, Molly came to the United States on a seven month VISA. Originally from China, Molly spoke no English and a little Japanese. She was hired to work in a Japanese restaurant. One of her regular customers introduced Molly to her boss who also knew a little Japanese and they began dating. He had a hard time pronouncing her Chinese name, so he told her he was going to call her something easier, Molly. Thus, that was how she got her very English name. As the deadline for her VISA loomed near, he proposed marriage so that she could stay legally in this country and she accepted.

Tragically, in 2000, Molly’s husband passed away from cancer. This left Molly with no income, no children, no relatives, and no way to effectively communicate in English. You can understand why she soon became depressed and sought therapy. Her doctor suggested that she find a hobby to help her through. Molly lived in the small Northern California town of Tehachapi. She had recently visited the local quit show and thought that quilting would be an interesting hobby to look in to.

Molly had no background in quilting; there are no quilts in China. But she did love art and could see where her interest in art could benefit her in this hobby. She decided to join the local quilt guild to find out what quilting was all about. She remembers that the first meeting she went to was really difficult because she didn’t know English. She learned how to quilt not by following verbal directions but by carefully watching the demonstrations. Over and over again, she diligently watched the steps repeated and repeated until she was able to basically self-teach herself. Over time, the friends she made at the guild not only showed her how to quilt, but also helped her to learn English. Molly credits the guild and its members for saving her life.

Today, Molly uses her Chinese background as inspiration in creating her quilt designs. She has become a teacher, lecturer, and designer of quilts. Molly says she loves quilting because of the many uses of color in fabrics. Her favorite technique? Appliqueing. It was that technique that she featured in her award winning quilt.

Molly truly was an inspiring find at this year’s Road to California. Who did you meet at Road this year that inspired you?

Tags: Quilt Guilds
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Celebrating Inspiration – Road to California 2013 Winners

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

What a Conference!!!

The number one response I heard when asking attendees what they thought about this year’s Road to California was, “It was so inspiring.” And who wouldn’t be inspired what with so many beautiful quilts on display. Among those on the showroom floor, were the 84 winning entries. How exactly were those winning quilts chosen?

Judging was again supervised by Road to California’s capable and experienced staff member, Stevii Graves. She oversaw an extensive process that involved not only our three judges (Kathy McNeil, Marti Michell, and Linda Taylor) but an additional volunteer force of 17 people working the judging floor. These volunteers — many who are skilled quilt judges in their own right — assisted the judges by keeping the quilts in order, fanning them out for viewing, and writing down notes as the judges dictated their responses.

Judging was over a period of two days. The judging floor was located in a locked area of the convention center. Uniformed guards maintained security of the quilts over night. Efficiency was the key in the judging process. Each and every quilt received its’ opportunity to be viewed by the judges. They worked in a team, discussing all aspects of the quilt and sharing their opinions. Every comment was recorded by four scribes to make sure that every assessment was remembered. While the judging was gong on, additional Road staff assisted in taking the final photographs of all the entries. Those were the pictures used to announce the winners on our website and on the official Road to California DVD.

When everything was said and done, the winning quilts were determined. All entrants received an email Tuesday evening, notifying them of the top winners as well as receiving feedback from the judges on their entry. The prize winning quilters also received an additional congratulatory email.

So, what was the $5,000 Grand Prize Winner this year? Red Feathers by Marilyn Badger:

A huge thank you to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for more winners and news from this year’s conference.

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