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Take A Quilt Bus Tour With Us

Saturday, August 17th, 2019

One of Road to California’s most popular Special Events are the two quilt bus tours held in conjunction with the show. Road sponsors the quilt bus tours along with The Traveling Quilters.

Lynn Crawford and Pam Overton, owners of The Traveling Quilters, have been leading quilt bus tours since 1990. Both Lynn and Pam are experienced quilters. They combine their love of quilting and travel in providing unique experiences for Road to California.

It’s not uncommon to have returning guests on our quilt bus tours. 2019 was the third time for Janice and Roylene. Janice is from British Columbia and Roylene lives in Eastern Washington. They both spend their winters in the Palm Springs area and are “winter neighbors.” Roylene commented, “It’s great to let them do the driving and we get to see the sites.”

Even the bus driver, Roger, is a big fan of our quilt bus tours. He has been the lead driver on 15 of our special tours!! “It’s always so exciting to be around quilters. They are so happy and I like to see what they are doing,” says Roger.

Previously, the quilt bus tours were offered the day before the show opened and the day after the show closed. We’ve changed things up for Road to California 2020- 25th Anniversary Show. Our special quilt bus tours are scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st and Wednesday, January 22nd. Both bus trips will be headed to the San Diego area.

The first stop for the quilt bus tour will be at Quilt in a Day in San Marcos, CA. This is home base for the one and only – Eleanor Burns.

Guests will have time to shop before and after watching Eleanor tape one of her quilt shows. Eleanor will also be joining the quilt bus tour for lunch catered by Panera Bread.

After lunch, guests will be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour at Quilters Paradise where most of Quilt in a Day’s pre-fused, laser cut kits are made.

As the quilt bus tour makes it way back to the Ontario Convention Center, it will stop in Murrieta at another one of Road’s vendors – and a Road Sponsor – Primitive Gatherings. This wonderful shop has something for everyone: wool kits and wool, primitive fabrics, reproductions, and a wide selection of bright, contemporary-to-modern fabrics.

***Note: This very special quilt bus tour departs earlier than previous years’ bus tours. The registration fee includes admission to the Eleanor Burns show, lunch and all gratuities.

For more information regarding our special quilt bus tours for Road 2020, please visit our website.

Tags: Fabric Stores, Quilt Bus Tour, Quilt Show, The Traveling Quilters
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Meet Alaskan Quilter Maria Shell

Friday, October 19th, 2018

Anchorage, Alaska to teach four classes at Road to California 2019: Tuesday/Wednesday: 2301C – Making Prints Out of Solids Thursday: 4018C – Circle & Curve Sampler Thursday Night: 4068C – Artful Oven Mitts Friday: 5015C – Bits & Pieces – Designing from the Scrap Bag Maria Shell was drawn to sewing when she was 4 years old and hasn’t stopped since. She had a Barbie Doll clothing business as a young girl and worked in the costume shop in college. Quilt making didn’t come until 1999 when her family moved to Valdez, Alaska, which happens to be a very active quilt community. Maria’s first workshop was a Debbie Caffery Mystery Quilt and she has been making quilts ever since. Other quiltmakers that have inspired Maria’s work are Gwen Marston, Nancy Crow, and books by Paula Nadelstern. When Maria moved to Alaska, she designed a large studio so that her sons (who were young at the time) had plenty of room to horse around in the studio while she worked. Today, her studio includes a sewing station, an L-shaped cutting station, and a Gammil Classic Plus. What are Maria’s favorite tools found in her studio? “I cannot do without my 4’’ x 14’’ Omnigrid ruler, my Olfa straight handled 60mm rotary cutter, my Kai scissors and snips, and my Bernina sewing machine.” Besides quilting, Maria has been learning to knit for the past few years and says that “I am a bit addicted to making socks.” She also loves hiking and walking; trying out new plant based recipes; and reading or listening to books on tape. Maria started teaching quilt making almost as soon as she finished taking her first quilt workshop which means she has been teaching for about seventeen years. She started teaching nationally in 2015. Teaching quilt classes is a personal learning experience says Maria. It “makes me a better quilt-maker and a better teacher.” Road to California 2019 will be her first time at the show. She is hoping to enjoy all that Road has to offer—as well as the famous sunny weather in January. Maria also wants her Road students to leave her classes knowing that “everything they need to be an amazing quilter exists inside of them.” Beyond that, “it is all about practice.” To learn more about Maria, please visit her website. ]]>

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Fiber Art Discovery Classes

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

Lynn Koolish will be teaching two, all-day fabric painting classes:

Thursday- 4010C – Mixed-Media Fiber: Alternative Surfaces & Fibers to Quilt, Stitch & Embellish

Friday- 5007C – Color, Texture & Translucency for Fiber Collage

Two half-day classes on Saturday:

Saturday AM- A design class, 6007C – Artful Fiber Au Naturel

Saturday PM- A handwork class, 6008C – Free-Spirited, Free-Form Patchwork Quilt

And on Sunday, a Free-Form/Improvisational Piecing class- 7004C – Make a Color-POP Quilt

Babies are a great excuse to learn how to quilt.

Lynn Koolish was already a sewist who had acquired a healthy fabric stash when her friends starting having babies, so she decided to learn how to make them baby quilts.

Today, everything Lynn does is “fiber-related.” When she isn’t doing fiber art (quilting or painting or designing with fabric), Lynn does enjoy to get outside to walk and hike as well as hang out with friends. What has had a major influence on Lynn’s work? In terms of her current fiber art quilt making, Lynn says, “it would have to be taking a 5-day surface design class with Jane Dunnewold because it really got me started down the path of making my own fabrics.” In her dedicated home studio located in Berkeley, California, Lynn loves watching something that has been in her mind become a reality in fiber art. Lynn also utilizes part of her laundry room to experiment with dying and painting. Her favorite items in her sewing space include her sewing machine, her Grabbit magnetic pin keeper, a re-purposed card catalog that she uses for storing thread and other small items, and a flat file that her husband made into a table with a light box on one side and cork on the other.

For the past 15 years, Lynn has been teaching fiber art quilt classes. As she shares her knowledge, Lynn enjoys watching her students take off with their own interpretations. Lynn is looking forward to seeing her Road to California students try new things without worrying about the final outcome. She wants her students to remember that ”taking classes is a learning process and a great way to add techniques to your creative toolbox.” Will you be taking one of Lynn Koolish’s fiber art classes to expand your creative toolbox? ]]>

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Teaching The Art Of Handwork Quilting Techniques

Tuesday, September 25th, 2018

On Wednesday: 3007C – For Anne

On Thursday: 4009C – Millefiori, La Passacagila

On Friday: 5006C – Tule Nova English Paper Piecing Quilt

On Saturday and Sunday, Diane will be teaching a unique table runner class, 6702C Botanical Table Runner, utilizing Apliquick products and tools.

Diane Kirkhart was a “dabbler” in sewing and crafts before she found the handwork quilting bug. She tried knitting, crochet, cross stitch, bobbin lace and ceramics. She even did some painting for a while teaching friends and friends of friends. One afternoon during one of those classes, there were several quilters enrolled. They asked if Diane would be interested in attending a quilt meeting that evening. As she recalls, “Of course I went and as they say, the rest is history.”

What does Diane like most about handwork quilting techniques? “My favorite aspect would be working with colors and seeing a quilt come to life whether from a pattern, a picture or sometimes even from my head.” And her least favorite aspect of quilting? Binding. “I know I should be happy to do it but two things, this journey is over and my hands usually ache afterwards!” Handwork quilting, especially appliqué, has been Diane’s favorite from the start, due to that first quilt guild meeting she went to. A member of that guild, Emily Martin, was giving a trunk show and Diane loved each quilt presented. She decided then and there that this was what she wanted to do and began her journey. Diane eventually took a class from Emily and so appreciated that class. Diane learned a lot of things including the fact that to this day, she doesn’t like using the freezer paper technique. Instead, Diane has adapted over the years combining several appliqué techniques and is “still adapting, still learning.” Where does Diane do her handwork quilting creating? She says she is fortunate to have a fairly large bedroom in her Virginia home to use as her sewing space.

“It has a walk in closet and an attached bathroom which is very convenient. As I said it is quite large but the more you have, the more you want. Two walls are lined with Elfa drawers from the container store, of course filled with fabric and notions. On top of several of them, I have placed my big board ironing surface. There is a big easy chair and footstool in the corner. I have an old drafting table elevated with bed risers for a cutting table. Beneath that table are two bookcases from Ikea or someplace like that where I keep my books, light box and other paper type supplies. Various rulers (her favorite are Quilters Select rulers) are on a smaller drawer set and others are hanging on the wall.

Around the walls, I have a Bernina-Q20 and I keep it’s table closed to its smaller size until I need to put its leaves in it when I use it for quilting. In the center of the room I have a Horn Table with my Bernina 440 in it. My sewing chair sets in between both machines. There is a tv on the wall but it’s rarely on. I like the peace most days.

Oh, I also have a computer in there. It’s tight in there, but it works for me. And if a friend comes to sew, I can flip up the drop leaf of my Horn Table or if they bring their Sew Easy Table there is room.” A handwork quilting teacher for over 14 years, Diane loves when she can evoke excitement and see a light bulb come on in a student’s face. Diane also loves to listen to the chatter and banter of her students, especially when one student is explaining to another what Linda had just said, but in a different way. Linda has observed, “Not everyone learns the same way and sometimes their description works better. I too get to learn!” What does Diane want for her Road to California students? “I hope they gain the skills to complete the project. I want them to be confident that they can continue and even expand and someday share what they have learned by teaching someone else to keep this quilting party going.” To learn more about Diane, please visit her website.]]>

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A Vendor With A French Accent

Friday, September 21st, 2018

French General, an online company and vintage craft workshop started by sisters Kaari and Molly Meng over 20 years ago in New York?

The Beginning of French General

Before there was French General, Kaari was a jewelry designer specializing in unique designs made from vintage glass beads, buttons and notions. Her work was first shown at Bergdorf Goodman in New York in the early 1990’s. Later, when retailer Anthropologie started in Philadelphia in 1992, Kaari’s work was featured by them. For several years, Kaari enjoyed designing for retail shops, museums and catalogs with all her jewelry pieces utilizing her vast collection of antique beads found all over the world. Kaari brought Molly on to help manage the business. When Kaari’s daughter was born in 1997, Molly and Kaari were burnt out with the jewelry business and retired. Wanting to share their passion for everything French, they opened a workshop in an old barn in their backyard and began French General as it’s known today: French-inspired lifestyle items including textiles, notions, ephemera, and household items found only in France. Their first French General retail store was located in SoHo. When Kaari and her family moved to California in 2003, French General’s headquarters were relocated to an old Spanish style warehouse on the edge of Los Angeles. Only open for one day a week, customers come in and browse French General’s ever-changing collections that Kaari and Molly find on yearly trips to the South of France.

What does French General Specialize in?

In addition to offering vintage craft kits, jewelry, embroidery floss, French General self-designed quilting fabric and patterns, and their own brand of scissors on their website,

French General Vintage Crafts and Quilt Fabric

French General also teaches craft workshops on jewelry making, stitching, paper crafts, sewing, shibori, indigo dyeing, and weaving using their vintage craft materials. French General has expanded from Kaari and Molly as the only teachers to now including other talented teachers from around the world who visit to share their techniques and inspiration. One of their most popular (and exclusive!) items that they sell is their brass ring embroidery hoop.

Available in three sizes, its French design incorporates a steal coil wire that fits in the rim channel, providing excellent tautness for any embroidery project. It can also be used with sewing machines by simply raising the pressure foot and inserting the hoop on the brass side.

Every summer, French General sponsors a women’s trip to the South of France. The trips run for one week at a time during the month of June and sell out quickly. As their employee, Cathy Mogull explains, “It is a summer camp for grown women to experience French food, crafting, and treasure hunting.” Road to California 2018 was French General’s first time at the show.

Not only did they feature their online products in their booth, but they also offered several of their crafting workshops. Kaari commented that Road “was a fun show.” They saw many of their customers and made new friends. Road had “been good for us.” [caption id="attachment_6071" align="aligncenter" width="625"]

Cathy, Molly and Kaari of French General[/caption] Road to California 2019 looks forward to having French General return and again share its French accent with our guests.]]>

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Meet Road 2019 Teacher Wendy Sheppard

Tuesday, September 18th, 2018

FIVE dynamic quilt classes, first focusing on applique techniques and quilting on a domestic sewing machine then spending the rest of the week on free motion quilting skills utilizing longarm and domestic machines:

Monday and Tuesday: 1202C A Reprise: Baltimore Quilt Block

Wednesday: 3015C Rhyme and Reason from Simple to Complex

Thursday: 4019C De-mystifying Feather Quilting

Friday: 5016C Roundabout Feather Quilting: A Sampler

Saturday: 6016C Ideas- What to Quilt?

Wendy Sheppard never intended to be a quilter. She only started quilting because a friend (who had been quilting for 30 years) encouraged Wendy to try it. Once Wendy experienced the thrill of incorporating multiple fabrics in a quilt, quilting just drew her in. Wendy remembers, “As they say, the rest [is] history after my first quilt.”

Today, she enjoys all aspects of the quilting process. Her quilting space is a main-level office in her home located in northern Virginia, about 45 minutes from Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington. Maybe that’s why if Wendy Sheppard isn’t quilting, she is pursuing her interest in Early American History. What quilter has had an impact on Wendy and her quilting journey? “I always admire Diane Gaudynski. She is my hero! She inspires me to strive for more than adequate, but rather strive to be excellent in constructing and quilting my quilts.” Wendy Sheppard has been teaching quilting classes on and off for about 9 years. She first taught at a local sewing center. She stopped when her daughter was really young. During those years, Wendy filmed online/video classes for Annie’s on domestic machine quilting. What does Wendy like most about teaching quilt classes? “…The smiles on the faces when my students realize they CAN accomplish certain skill sets taught in class.” She hopes her students at Road “will gain confidence in the techniques I will be teaching in my classes. I also hope that my students will make friends with the fellow attendees while we are working on projects in class.” Sewing machines will be provided for all of Wendy’s classes. Husqvarna-Viking machines will be available for students in her Monday/Tuesday class. The rest of Wendy’s classes will feature half BERNINA Q20 sit down longarm machines and half BERNINA domestic machines. Students will split their time working on both machines. Join Wendy to learn expert free motion quilting techniques while trying out quality Bernina sewing machines.]]>

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Meet Road 2019 Teacher Mel Beach

Friday, September 7th, 2018

3001C Magnificent Mandalas

4002C Slice of Improv

5002C Mod Molas & Bright Blooms

6002C Mod Mandalas

Making a t-shirt quilt first introduced Mel Beach to quilting. In 2003, she had a stack of old t-shirts from high school, college and summer camp that she assembled together into a t-shirt quilt. It traveled all over the country with Mel and served as a reminder as to how far she has come as a quilter.

Mel’s favorite part about quilting is to pull fabrics together for a new project and come up with a fun design. She also loves transforming her quilt tops with beautiful, modern quilting designs. The least favorite part of making a quilt for Mel is when the quilt isn’t speaking to her, usually when she’s trying to figure out a layout and/or determine the quilting. Using a design wall helps her explore different layouts and compositions. A sheet of acrylic plastic and some dry erase markers also come in handy for auditioning different quilting motifs. Where does Mel do her quilting? Her studio occupies her formal living room. Her partner is super handy and helped her to transform the room into a fabulous space for her to design and quilt. He converted an IKEA table into a sewing table by carving out a hole and setting Mel’s machine into a set-in shelf so that she had a large flat space for quilting. Her partner also built a custom wall unit to store all of Mel’s rulers and notions, as well as large benches that store batting, travel gear and make for great seating for Mel’s two pups to look out the window.

The two quilting tools that are always close are Mel’s camera to help her document her quilt making process and aide with design decisions and a trusty roll of blue painter’s tape which is super handy for accurate cutting, labeling blocks, mark-free quilting lines, and so much more! When Mel isn’t quilting, she loves going for walks with her two rescue pups, Panda & Susie Q, and taking pictures along the way. For the past 2 years, she has been taking Comedy Improv classes and routinely performs in comedy improv shows (similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway). Mel shares, “Not only have these classes helped me be more comfortable with public speaking and teaching, they also help me to think quickly on my feet, explore new possibilities, and they are so much fun!!!” Mel started teaching quilt making classes in 2015 when she was asked to lead a quilting demo for her guild. Mel said, “It was such a positive experience all around with lots of happy finishes. Less than a year later, I started to promote myself to other guilds and soon joined the quilt teaching circuit.” Mel’s favorite part about teaching classes is that she loves “watching the transformation among participants as they learn new techniques. Some may come in feeling initially nervous yet leave feeling confident and excited about learning a new technique. I also really enjoy watching quilters add their own fun twists to the technique and make it their very own!” [caption id="attachment_6042" align="aligncenter" width="452"]

Maker:L,Date:2017-9-30,Ver:5,Lens:Kan03,Act:Kan02,E-Y[/caption] What goals does Mel have for her Road students? There are four:

Have fun!
Try something new and different!
Be inspired!
Make it your own!

While her quilts have ventured to Road several times, Road 2019 will be Mel’s first time being at the show. She will be traveling from San Jose, California and says that she is “thrilled to be teaching several modern workshops. I am especially looking forward to seeing all the amazing quilts that will be on display and visiting the vendors.” ]]>

Tags: Mel Beach, Modern Quilt Classes, Modern Quilter, Quilt Classes, Quilt Show, Quilt Teacher
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Road's State Of Art Quilt Contest

Thursday, August 30th, 2018

$92,000 in prize money. Road’s Best of Show winners from our quilt contest are consistently shown in other national and international shows. [caption id="attachment_5489" align="aligncenter" width="625"] 2018 Best of Show, “Fractal,” by Claudia Pfeil[/caption] Are you considering entering your quilt in our 2019 quilt contest? We are accepting entries through October 2, 2018. All upcoming entries must include the official entry form, two pictures (full view and close up) as well as the entry fee of $30. The entry fee is discounted $10 if the entry is submitted online. Road’s new and updated enrollment system not only includes an area to enter your quilt information, but it also allows the entrant to submit return shipping information themselves, so as to not have to rely on Road Staff to enter and/or change shipping directions. Return information is also automatically verified with FedEx to ensure all quilts are directed to the proper destination. Categories for submitted quilts to Road’s quilt contest have recently changed. The new categories include:

Abstract – Quilts entered in this category should reflect principles of abstract design. Forms and compositions should emphasize color, line and design. Quilts should be abstract, cutting edge and non-literal. [caption id="attachment_6030" align="aligncenter" width="640"] 2018 Best Abstract by Lou Ann Smith[/caption]
Animal – Quilts entered in this category should feature an animal or creature as the centerpiece of the quilt. Can include other sub-design elements, but the animal or creature must be the primary focus of the quilt.
Fantasy – Quilts entered in this category should feature non-realistic animals, insects, people, places or things. Fairytale and cartoon type quilts belong in this category.
Human Image – Quilts entered in this category should feature some recognizable aspect of the human form.
Naturescape – Quilts entered in this category should illustrate an aspect of a natural scenery. Creatures and animals may be a component, but should not be the focus of the quilt.
Pictorial – Quilts entered in this category should illustrate a recognizable image (Cityscape, Wildlife). Use this category if your quilt combines aspects of the other categories listed above.
Miniature – Quilts entered in this category should have overall patterns that show reduced size and miniaturization. Miniature wholecloth quilts should be entered into this category. Quilts entered into this category must not meet the descriptions of Categories 1-6.
Appliqué – Quilts entered in this category should reflect traditional principles but may deviate from tradition. The quilt should be composed at least 50% of appliqué, in any technique (fused, machine, hand, etc.) [caption id="attachment_6000" align="aligncenter" width="575"] 2018 Best Applique by Katy Wylie[/caption]
Pieced – Quilts entered in this category should reflect traditional principles but may deviate from tradition. The quilt should be constructed by piecing, either hand or machine. [caption id="attachment_5949" align="aligncenter" width="640"] 2018 Best Piecing by Catherine Butterworth[/caption]
Mixed – Quilts entered in this category should reflect traditional principles, but may deviate from tradition. Enter your quilt in this category if the predominate construction method is a mix of both piecing and appliqué.
Other – Quilts in this category should reflect traditional principles but may deviate from tradition. Enter your quilt in this category if it includes one or more of the following construction techniques: whole cloth, crazy quilts, embroidery and fabric manipulation.

Contestants can submit to our quilt contest up to 3 entries, 2 per category of quilts made no earlier than 2016. The deadline for all entries is October 2, 2018 at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. For more detailed information about Road to California’s 2019 Quilt Contest as well as Road’s Copyright Statement, please visit our website. Online entries can be submitted through our online registration site. And as always, if you have any questions, please email our staff at info@roadtocalifornia.com Good luck to all contestants of our 2019 quilt contest!!! ]]>

Tags: Quilt Contest, Quilt Show, Winning Quilts
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