Pauline Rogers has been teaching free motion quilting on a domestic machine all over Australia for over 30 years. 
While she taught her classes, she also listened to her students. She would frequently hear the same common problems: “I can’t quilt a big quilt,” “I can’t free motion,” and “I can’t put on borders.” Pauline noted, “If I hear more than 50 people a year complaining of the same problem, I have a need to fix it.”
One way Pauline has set out to solve these problems is with writing her book, The Quilt As You Go Handbook.
The book is filled with color photos and instructions for learning Pauline’s Quilt As You Go techniques as well as share her tips on free motion quilting. She even spent two pages just focusing on tension which she calls the “Bible of her book.” Sized so that it can fit on a sewing table next to your machine, the book’s pages have plenty of space to take notes as you sew along. Her book has become so popular that she is currently writing a second edition.
Quilters often ask Pauline how she has been able to do so much free motion quilting without getting stressed or developing back and shoulder issues. She explains it is because of a system she has developed: sewing full speed with the machine pedal on the left side of the needle and propping up the machine with door wedges so the machine it tilted toward her.
Pauline has traveled all over Australia (she did 38 shows in 2016!!) and has just recently taken her vision to the United States. In her booth at Road 2017, Pauline worked along side her staff Gerry and Peggy.
[caption id="attachment_4836" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
Among the many products offered in the booth, they all demonstrated one of Pauline’s popular and innovative tools, her “Sasher Collection.” Because she had “burned the heck out of my fingers” making sashing through the years, Pauline developed these tools to take care of all sashing needs, from small bias strips used for applique stems and decorating to larger width sashing. Made to be used by both left and right handed quilters, the tools all use the same technique of folding and running fabric through the tool for quick and perfect sashing every time.
Because she has an interest “to keep the quilting industry strong and healthy,” Pauline will continue to travel and teach, helping quilters of all levels perfect their craft. Currently, she and her husband of 45 years don’t plan to return home to Australia until December, 2017. And while on the road, in between her classes and shows, Pauline intends to continue designing more tools to help the free motion quilter, applique quilters, and even garment sewers. “I am loving every minute,” says Pauline and it certainly shows!!!
[caption id="attachment_4838" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
To learn more about Pauline, her quilting methods, and her products, please visit her website.
]]>
Archive for the ‘Road 2017’ Category
Meet Road 2017 Vendor: Pauline’s Quilters World
Thursday, April 6th, 2017So You Want To Make A Winning Quilt: Director’s Choice
Saturday, March 25th, 2017 Yuja received the Director’s Choice Award at Road 2017. It was made and quilted by Linda C. Anderson. Linda received $5,000 from sponsor, Moore’s Sewing Center.
The idea for Yuja came from a PBS article that Linda found on Yuja Wang, a fascinating and very contemporary personality in the world of classical piano. She knew after reading the article that she wanted to tell her story. Telling unique stories of different people is what Linda says she is drawn to do.
Linda’s art pieces usually take between 2-3 months to complete, depending on size and complexity of detail. She will typically work on a piece 6 days a week, 8 hours or more a day until it is finished. Beginning in 2015, Linda reported that Yuja took 2 solid months to create. She has learned not to shortchange the outcome and just do the tedious work the stitching details require. Linda loves detail stitching. It isn’t until she gets in to the actual stitching that she realizes there is always more details than what she originally considered. So, as Linda says, “I just plow on, because the final result is worth my time.”
When Linda found out that Yuja had won Director’s Choice, she was “incredulous, and thrilled, to say the least. I know there are hundreds of juried entries, and the quality is always so high. I go each year to learn from what I see and keep improving. That my piece was selected as Director’s Choice (was) a huge honor.”
What did Linda do with her prize money from Moore’s Sewing center? She reported that she is “a big saver in general,” but that she does have her “eye open for a new loveseat for our kitchen area.”
Where will Linda’s art quilting take her next? She went to China last year and took a lot of photographs. Linda says, “It’s a spectacular country, rich in history and beauty. I am currently creating art quilts for a series entitled, Dreams of China, that I will be continually adding more pieces to this year and the next. There are a lot of stories of people there to tell.”
You can learn more about Linda and see some of her art quilts on her website.
***Editor’s Note: The Director’s Choice Award is personally chosen by Road to California’s Show Director, Matt Reese. Since Matt has a bachelor’s degree in music, there’s a pretty good chance that any music themed quilt entry will be considered for this prestigious award. (Wink. Wink.).]]>
Reunited After 75 Years
Thursday, March 23rd, 2017
We hear all the time how Road to California is a great event for friends from near and far to meet up. But at Road 2017, it was the first time that we heard how two friends chose Road as a place to reunite after not seeing each other for over 75 years!! (l-r) Mary Pumphrey and Marion Clute
Mary Pumphrey of Arkansas and Marion Clute of San Marcos in San Diego county, both 86 years young, last saw each other in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1941. From 1938 until 1941, when Mary and Marion were 7-11 years old, they lived one house apart. In just 3 years, the girls became the best of friends. As Marion said, “Mary was my first real friend.” The girls were even baptized together on the same day, March 24, 1940.
In 1941, Marion’s family moved to Colorado then to California while Mary’s family remained in Nebraska. Both women later married and had children; Mary had four and Marion had two. They stayed in touch through the years by writing letters and sending Christmas and birthday cards. There were no phone calls between them because it was “too expensive.”
Over the years, Mary and Marion both got involved in quilting. Mary self-taught herself to make a bedspread for her mother in 1980. It wasn’t until 1982 that she began taking classes. She is still an active quilter, doing machine piecing and hand quilting. Currently, she is working on putting together a 1900-era quilt given to her from a friend.
Marion started quilting in the 1970’s. She found a pattern for one of her first quilts on the back of a McCalls magazine: a drawing of Sun Bonnet Sue. It brought back memories of a quilt she had as a child with the same pattern.
She got the fabric for her project from her children’s old shirts and dresses. She made 30 blocks, then put it aside, preferring to work on hand piecing work for other quilts . In the 1980’s, she found the blocks and decided to put them together but she “hated” how it turned out, so she put the quilt aside again. Then, in the late 1990’s, she attempted to work on it once more but only got as far as taking the blocks apart. Finally, in 2008, she decided to revisit the quilt. She made the blocks smaller before reassembling and began quilting it. Currently, it still needs “some quilting” before it can be completed. Marion hopes “that I get it done before I die!”
How did these lifelong friends end up meeting 75 years later at Road 2017? Mary wrote Marion in her annual Christmas letter that she was going to Road to California with her daughter, Linda Pumphrey, a quilt designer and author, former President of the International Quilt Association and vendor with Mountain Mist batting. Marion sent Mary a reply that since Mary was “going to be so close, we have to meet.” They exchanged phone numbers and final arrangements were made over the phone. Seeing each other was “fantastic,” said Mary. “A special, special time,” remarked Marion.
Their reunion also held a fun surprise that brought back a special memory involving their mothers. Both Mary and Marion’s mothers were sewers. One year, Marion and Mary both got a Dy-Dee Doll — the first doll that wet its pants. Marion said “it was the best Christmas ever” when she got that doll. The mothers made complete sets of doll clothes for their daughters’ dolls. However, when they were sewing them, each mother told their daughter that the clothes were for the other girl’s doll!! Mary and Marion were thrilled when they found out that they got to keep the doll clothes their own mother had made!! Those dolls were so important to the young Marion and Mary that they have kept those doll clothes all these years. Little did they know that unbeknownst to the other, each woman had brought along her original doll clothes to share during their meetup at Road!!
Besides their reunion, both women were also able to enjoy the show. What did they think about Road to California? It was Mary’s first time at Road. She had been to Paducah several times and found Road to California to be “so much bigger than I expected.” Marion thought Road was just “jaw-dropping.”
Road to California is a great place for old and new friends to meet up. We just hope that it doesn’t take any other guests 75 years to reunite!!
Do you have a lifelong, quilting friend too?
Tips For Preserving Quilts
Friday, March 17th, 2017 Retro Clean, presented a $5.00 Lecture at Road to California 2017 on how to effectively care for and preserve quilts.
[caption id="attachment_4799" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
Retro Clean is a gentle soaking agent designed to safely remove yellow age stains (including mildew, wood oil, tea, coffee, blood, water damage and perspiration stains) from vintage quilts and all washable fabrics.
In testing and selling this product along with Retro Wash, an everyday, general cleaning product, Larry has learned a lot about what to do and not do when it comes to taking care of vintage fabrics and quilts. He shared some really good tips:
Laundering
When working with a large quilt, it’s best to line your bathtub with a bedsheet, then fill with water and a delicate cleaning agent (like Retro Wash). Wash and rinse the quilt (without twisting or wringing), then gently push the water out of the material. Using the sheet “sling”, lift the quilt out of the tub. Roll the quilt in towels to get out any excess moisture, then lay out to dry.
Never put a damp quilt in the dryer or especially on a line to dry, as you may disfigure it. Instead, lie it flat on a sheet on the grass in the sun. To protect from sun or bird damage, lay another sheet over the top of the quilt.
Hanging
An average quilt can hang for years if done properly. Never tack or nail a quilt to a wall. Some wood rods seep oil and acids which over time will stain the quilt. To avoid this, seal the wood rod with polyurethane varnish before hanging. Another alternative is to use invisible, magnetic quilt hangers or attach Velcro to a cotton sleeve basted across the back of the quilt. [caption id="attachment_4798" align="aligncenter" width="467"]
Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
Because hanging is not a natural position for quilts, Larry suggested taking them down quarterly and laying them flat so that they can breathe.
Storing
Acid-Free tissue paper or Tyvek (a synthetic, waterproof material) is essential to protect a quilt when being stored for a period of time.
While preparing quilts for storage, be sure to wash hands frequently to get rid of built any body oil and/or wear white cotton gloves.
Quilts need lots of space when being stored. Fold into thirds placing a sheet of acid-free tissue in-between each layer. Then roll up the quilt. Tyvek can be used to create a breathable, waterproof tube or bag for storage. Avoid storing in damp areas or areas that retain heat (like attics).
What are some common storage alternatives? The 99¢ Store sells water noodles (floating devices). They can be covered in cotton and used in folding to help avoid creasing or you can roll pieces of acid-free tissue into “cigars” to do the same. Acid-Free Boxes are not always completely acid-free. It’s always best to wrap the contents in acid free tissue, to be sure. Cedar Chests are common, but unfinished wood has inherent acids and oils that can leach into your fabric. Without losing the aroma of the cedar, you can line the inside of the box with sheets of acid-free tissue to avoid transfer. Plastic bags are not recommended because they they can lead to yellowing or mold on the textiles over time. The best place to store a quilt says Larry is on a bed. It doesn’t get any fold lines and it is able to fully breathe. You can lay several quilts down on a guest bed and put a sheet over them to protect from dust.
[caption id="attachment_4797" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
After all the time and care put in to making a quilt, don’t risk its lasting value by not taking care of it properly. These simple reminders will go a long way in protecting the quality of your quilt.
]]>Meet The Inland Empire Quilters Guild
Wednesday, March 15th, 2017 Inland Empire Quilters Guild.
[caption id="attachment_4788" align="aligncenter" width="448"]
Picture by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
Founded in 1981 and located in Corona, California, the Inland Empire Quilters Guild has 120 members. They said it was “a huge surprise and honor to be chosen. The whole guild was excited.” Each member could enter up to four, large quilts for the exhibit. A guild committee chose the 35 quilts that ultimately hung in the atrium, representing work from all levels of quilting.
[caption id="attachment_4790" align="aligncenter" width="448"]
Picture by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
Vice-President Susan Helliar was honored to have her quilt chosen. She made her own template and free-motioned quilted her entry using a Gammill Machine. 
Each year, The Inland Valley Quilters Guild makes over 100 quilts for foster children that attend the Royal Kids Camp held at Crossroads Community Church every summer. Every member is required to make at least one quilt which the guild says “is both a requirement and a blessing to be able to provide quilts to Royal Kids Camp.
The guild’s bi-annual Country Fair Quilt Show will be held May 5-6, 2017. Over 200 quilts made by guild members will be on display along with Vendors, Challenge Quilts, a Craft Boutique, Second Hand Treasurers, Door Prizes, a Special Exhibit, and Quilts for Sale. In addition, there will be a drawing for their opportunity quilt on Saturday afternoon. The guild displayed their quilt during Road 2017. It is all hand appliqued by five guild members. Susan Helliar did the original longarm quilting for this quilt 
Road appreciated the wonderful atmosphere provided by the Inland Valley Quilters Guild. Which guild will be up next for Road 2018?
]]>
Colored Hair Everywhere
Thursday, March 2nd, 2017quilt tattoos.
At Road 2017, the trend was definitely colored hair.
Kerri owns the Painted Lady Quilt Shop in Redlands, California. She came to Road 2017 with her friend Terri who works at the shop. Kerri has always dyed her hair but when she became widowed 3 years ago, she stopped. Two days before Road began, Kerri decided to start dying her hair again.
Aysheh (with the orange hair) and Valerie (with the purple hair) are friends from Riverside, California. They belong to the Inland Empire Quilt Guild and volunteer at Road with the white glove program, carefully showing the winning the quilts to the guests. On being a white glove lady, Valerie says she “loves being close to the quilts, meeting and talking to people, and getting a free registration.” Aysheh likes the variety Road offers, like having the Tentmakers from Egypt. 
Dani from Lancaster, California has been quilting for four years. She quilts to “take a break” from being a full-time mom and law student. Dani has been coloring her hair since she was 11. Road 2017 was Dani’s first time at the show. She came with her mother and her sons. What was Dani’s first impression? “It is good.”
Brand new quilter, Gina, from West Covina, California, has made several quilts and bags. She was hoping to get ideas for her next quilt at Road 2017. Gina came with the other quilters in her family: her sister, mother, and her sister’s mother-in-law. Even her dad, Alexander, came along. He likes to give his opinions on fabric choices and helps find the latest tools.
Everyone is welcomed at Road where artistic expression is valued and supported.
]]>
International Appeal
Sunday, February 26th, 2017 around the world?
Birgit, Heike and Ute are from West Germany. These friends have been quilters for over 20 years and belong to the same quilt group.
[caption id="attachment_4763" align="aligncenter" width="402"]
Birgit, Heike and Ute from Germany[/caption]
They planned for two years to come for their first visit to Road. Ute owns a quilt shop in North Germany near Hamburg and was on the lookout for some quilting adventure ideas. It was actually Heike who had heard about Road to California and suggested it to the others. They made the most of every opportunity at the show, including taking one of the bus excursions offered by Road. They were excited to see the stops in Southern California as well as visit the quilt shops along the tour.
Road 2017 was also the first visit for these friends from Mexico City.
[caption id="attachment_4765" align="aligncenter" width="510"]
Silvia, Lourdes, Monica and Maria from Mexico.[/caption]
Silvia organized the group’s visit which included all of them taking several classes. She owns a quilting studio (“The best in Mexico!!” declared Lourdes) as well as organizes Mexico’s Quilt Festival every September in Mexico City. Silvia has attended other shows in the United States and had been trying for years to come to Road. They are all long-time quilters who were anxious to learn new techniques in their classes, find new gadgets, meet new people, and “have fun.” Silvia remarked, “The people who come are the best part of the show. Quilters are nice people.” In addition to participating in all of the Road activities, the ladies also visited iconic downtown Los Angeles landmarks like the Museum of Modern Art and the Catholic Cathedral. They all hoped that this would be the first of many trips to Road to California.
These three friends traveled from a rural area east of Calgary, Canada to attend Road 2017.
[caption id="attachment_4764" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Sue, Heather, and Karen from Canada[/caption]
Heather was the ringleader for this trip. She learned about Road to California on Facebook. The timing was good to come this year and it didn’t hurt that they would be “getting out of the snow.” They were in Southern California for nine nights, planning their trip well in advance of when registration for Road opened last July. Heather created a spreadsheet of all they wanted to accomplish while they were here!! Each of the women took classes (7 in all) to further their education “past piecing.” They were also interested in taking longarm classes as both Heather and Karen own longarm machines. They were also sure to include Party Time in their schedule plus time to visit all the vendors because they don’t have much in quilting fabrics and supplies near their home. They were all “thrilled” to attend and said they are definitely coming back!!!
How far did you travel to come to Road 2017?]]>
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.
]]>
Modern Quilting Unplugged
Saturday, February 4th, 2017Latifah Saafir, presented a Lecture and Trunk Show during Road to California. She gave the history of Modern Quilting then shared some of her modern quilting work along with some insights on why modern quilting is unplugged i.e.; “cool, hip, original, fascinating, and likeable.”
The 2 A’s of Modern Quilting
Attitude and Aesthetic
One’s Attitude and Approach to modern quilting should be: “I don’t have to be perfect to start.” Never be afraid to try. With Latifah’s first modern quilts, she followed a pattern.
Experience brought confidence, where today she makes her own designs. Latifah’s signature pattern is the Glam Clam: clam shells blown up to 12 inches.
The Aesthetic of Modern Quilting has distinct qualities that incorporate:
Functionality – Made to snuggle, give as a gift or as artwork
Asymmetry
Reinterpreted Traditional Designs- Take traditional blocks and motifs and mixes it up
Minimalism and Simplicity – which are harder to design
Negative Space
Modern Art and Architecture
Improvised yet Intentional Construction
Bold colors, on-trend color combinations, and graphic prints
Gray and White is neutral
Incorporates Solids – cheaper to use and can better express the quilter’s voice
Binding can also be used to frame the quilt
Meet Latifah Saafir And Modern Quilting
Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 Latifah Saafir, modern quilter, pattern designer, and founder of the Modern Quilt Guild.
Her special presentation was held Tuesday evening, January 17th at the Ontario Museum of History and Art in conjunction with the exhibit being held there, Modern Quilts Redesigning Traditions. 
The lecture began with Latifah giving a brief history on how the modern quilting movement began in 1998 when it became “cool” to use solid fabrics again. Quilters Gwen Marston and Nancy Crow
along with the Quilters of Gee’s Bend and Yoshiko Jinzenji,
were some of the artists that championed the return to using solid fabrics. The first modern quilt book was published by Weeks Ringle and her husband Bill Kerr also around 1998.
Latifah shared that she “always loved quilts.” While she learned how to quilt from her mother when she was 6 years old, when Latifah got her first sewing machine at age 10, she sewed mostly garments. At age 15, she checked out quilting books from the library. Their designs were basically the traditional, Amish quilt kind. In 2008, Latifah saw her first modern quilt and said to herself, “I can do this.”
About the same time Latifah made her first modern quilt, the modern quilting community was also getting started. First, an informal Flickr Group was formed in 2008 to share digital images of the work being created by modern quilters. It was an instant hit among younger quilters. Then, after the Long Beach Quilt Show in 2009, Latifah started the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild with 25 members.
Other areas around the world wanted to duplicate what the LAMQG started and today there are over 100 guilds worldwide.
It’s been almost 10 years since the modern quilting movement began. When asked where does Latifah see the future of modern quilting going, she replied, “Who knows–!!” One thing is for sure: the interest and skill level in modern quilting continues to increase.
Jan has been a modern quilter for 7 years and belongs to the Temecula Valley Modern Quilt Guild. She was attracted to modern quilting because it is “non-judgmental.” She is self-taught, doesn’t use a pattern and just “figures things out.”
[caption id="attachment_4666" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
(ltor) Sharon and Jan[/caption]
Sharon came from Los Angeles and has been quilting just 6 months. She takes classes with Jan. She started quilting after she retired from nursing and has made one baby quilt. She heard about the lecture through Road’s social media and was interested in learning more about modern quilting.
Debbie, Maria, and Pat all belong to the Inland Empire Modern Quilt Guild. The guild was started in September 2016 by a group of friends and now has 20 members. They came to the lecture and trunk show because they are big fans of Latifah.
Even long-time quilters are turning to modern quilting. Denise lives in Orange County, California and has been quilting for over 30 years. She considered herself a “traditional, Quilt-in-a-Day quilter” and fell into modern quilting because she wanted to do something “different, new, refreshing and colorful.”
[caption id="attachment_4676" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Latifah’s signature “Glam Clam”– clam shells blown up.[/caption]
Latifah hopes modern quilting will continue to inspire quilters to take ownership for their work and most of all, that it will inspire a new generation of young sewers.]]>
