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.
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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.
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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.
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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?]]>
Archive for the ‘Road to California’ Category
International Appeal
Sunday, February 26th, 2017Best of Show – Road 2017
Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 Margaret Solomon Gunn of Gorham, Maine, won $10,000 from sponsor Gammill Quilting Systems, for her Best of Show winning quilt, The Twisted Sister.
A quilter for nearly 30 years, Margaret Solomon Gunn’s experience with sewing began when she was in middle and high school, making her own clothes. She made her first quilt in college: a dusty blue and peach calico fabric pieced into granny squares and tied on the corners.
Margaret loves “the feeling of being creative.” After her 3 kids were born, (her youngest is now 10), she got back into quilting seriously, making over 100 quilts that were donated to Project Linus between 2007 and 2010. When she bought her longarm in 2010, she was “kind of accidentally told I should enter a quilt into a show.” Margaret did and that started “the avalanche of interest in making quilts” for shows. As she says, “the rest is history.”
The Twisted Sister is actually the sister quilt (hence the name) to Margaret’s 2015 quilt, Bouquet Royale. The earlier design featured the elongated hexagons of Lucy Boston, set on silk Radiance. Margaret loved the process of hand piecing the fussy-cut pieces so much, she decided to do it again. The Twisted Sister also has fussy-cut pieces, but they are regular hexagons. They are not English Paper Piecing, but rather a hand-pieced technique she developed that is much better for custom quilting. The colors in the quilt are Margaret’s “current fave” – pinks, greens and orange. She also has a current addiction with silk, so Margaret revealed, “you can expect the backgrounds of my quilts to be silk Radiance for some time to come! It allows me to use bolder prints elsewhere because the quilting will always show beautifully on the silk.” The Twisted Sister’s blocks feature a crazy zebra print (because Margaret says this sister is a whole lot more wild!), and an asymmetrical twisting border. There is also a twisting motif in the quilting of the outer border.
It took Margaret about 16-17 months — from the time she started the blocks– to complete the quilt. There is about 180 hours in the quilting alone and about 120 hours in the binding. Margaret realizes that small points in judging “can be won and lost with finishing, so most of my quilts feature more unique edge treatments.” Margaret noted that she will probably not repeat those edging treatments: double piped and scalloped binding with the looped detailing, all of which was executed by hand.
Road to California 2017 was the second time The Twisted Sister was shown and Margaret said she wasn’t sure what to expect from the judges. She said she was “happy and surprised” to learn she had won Best of Show. She hasn’t decided what to do with her prize money yet.
What does the quilting future hold for Margaret? She is finishing up a book with AQS, along with two other self-published books, all of which should debut April 2017. She will teach at select quilting shows and intends to write for Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine. In her spare time, she will still quilt for clients (one of her client’s quilts was also in Road 2017) and also work on the coming year’s show quilts. Margaret exclaims, “It’s a fun life!”
Congratulations Margaret Solomon Gunn on your Best of Show winning quilt!!]]>
Learning A Vanishing Art
Thursday, February 9th, 2017The Egyptian Tentmakers were once again a huge hit at Road 2017.
Not only were guests able to watch the tentmakers in action on the exhibit hall floor,
some guests were also able to learn and practice their vanishing art in several classes taught by Jenny Bowker and assisted by the tentmakers, Hosam Hanafy and Tarek Abdelhay.
Jenny explained to the students that in Egypt, it is mostly middle class men who have learned and replicate this ancient method of appliqueing. They gather in small groups in work rooms as a social activity. One man will work on one piece until it is completed. They don’t get paid until the piece is sold. Because of cultural norms, it is difficult for women to learn this trade. Women and men are forbidden to congregate together in public so women cannot work in the shops alongside the men to learn and practice the appliqueing. And since men are the primary instructors, the only way for women to learn these skills, is if they have a husband, father, or brother teach them. Women’s contributions are less public but their skills are just as much needed and appreciated. Women gather in groups in homes to sew. One such group of 10 women are hired by Hosam to help fill his orders. Hosam gives the women a monthly allowance to help them get by in providing for their families until their quilts are sold. Selling one quilt will feed these women and their families for up to 5 months. That is why supporting these women is so important. Maria Canela was one of the students in Jenny’s Tentmaker Applique classes. Maria is from Cuernavaca, Moielos, Mexico – a city about one hour from Mexico City. She came with four friends from Mexico to attend Road 2017 and take classes. Maria has been quilting for 15 years and participates in a weekly quilting group. She signed up for the class because she loves to sew and loves history. “The history of Egypt amazes me,” remarked Maria. She enjoyed not only learning this method of applique but also hearing Jenny, Tarek and Hosam share the history and current status of the tentmakers.
After the three days of classes, the tentmakers moved to the exhibit hall floor where they demonstrated their skills during the show, thanks to a sponsorship by Pollard’s Sew Creative, . In addition, guests were able to purchase some of their quilts. Part of the money Hosam and Tarek received went back to Egypt to assist the women quilters there.
Road to California was pleased at the response of support by guests for the tentmakers and were honored to present such a unique opportunity to the worldwide community of quilters.
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
Special Exhibit: Modern Quilts Redesigning Traditions
Saturday, January 14th, 2017 Ontario Museum of History and Art to present a special exhibit that explores the modern evolution of traditional quilt patterns.
The idea for the exhibit came from Carolyn Reese (owner of Road to California) and Pam Overton (President of Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds). They thought a Modern exhibit would interest not only Road to California patrons but Ontario Museum of History and Art patrons also.
The exhibit was curated by Georganna Hawley, immediate Past President of the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild. She began calling for entries after Road 2016 and resulted in over 80 quilts from talented quilters from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The Modern Quilt Movement is nearly 10 years old. It started in the early 2000’s with an online community of like-minded quilters. These artists were inspired by modern design, bold colors, extensive use of negative space and innovative piecing. Today, Modern quilters continue to embrace a style usually not seen in traditional quilts.
Most traditional pieced blocks are based on geometric shapes: squares, triangles, and circles. Early patchwork quilters used geometric blocks because they were easily fitted and sewn together, and could be arranged into hundreds of patterns. As individual quilters gained skill and confidence, the shapes and combinations became more challenging.
Today’s modern Traditionalist quilters choose original quilt patterns from the 1920’s – 1950’s and shrink them, enlarge them, move them off-grid, or simply improvise the piecing to redesign the block.
The exhibit opened to the public December 1, 2016 and will stay open until Road to California closes on January 22, 2017. The museum is opened limited hours and the exhibit is free.
Modern Quilts Redesigning Traditions will also serve as a backdrop for a Lecture and Trunk Show hosted by modern quilter, Latifah Saafir on Tuesday night, January 17, 2017 and a Meet and Greet for Modern Quilters on Friday, January 20, 2017. both events are from 6:00 – 8:00 PM and are free to the public. Reservations however must be made by calling the museum at (909) 395-2510.]]>
Road 2017 Faculty: Meet Linda Matteotti
Friday, December 30th, 2016Linda Matteotti will be teaching two stand up, longarm classes :
Monday: 1015C Begin with a Stencil 
Tuesday: 2016C Simple but Amazing Projects on a Long Arm 
Four hands on, computer design classes:
Wednesday: 3007C Mastering Electric Quilt Level 1 
Thursday: 4007C Mastering Electric Quilt Level 2
Friday: 5007C Electric Quilt – Foundation and Appliqué Patterns
Saturday: 6006C Art & Stitch for Longarm Digitizing 
And a half-morning drawing class:
Sunday: 7006C Zentangle Drawing
A resident of Tempe, Arizona, Linda Matteotti is a versatile and qualified teacher. She is a Handi Quilter Longarm Educator, an Art Stitch Certified Teacher, an Electric Quilt and EQStitch Instructor, and a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT). Besides Road to California, Linda has also taught as far away as Australia and South Africa. When she’s not quilting, Linda does Zentangle drawing and book folding. 
How did Linda get started in longarm quilting? “I was not having much success with machine quilting on my domestic machine, so I decided to try free motion on a longarm. After achieving success on that, I am now able to quilt on a domestic machine or sit-down longarm with great results. After purchasing my Handi Quilter longarm in 2008, I became an Educator for them and have enjoyed teaching all over the world.”
Inspiration for Linda’s designs comes from “absolutely everywhere.” She thinks Pinterest is a “most amazing resource.” Some of her work has been quilting her mother’s beautiful embroidery creations.
What is the one quilting tool that Linda cannot live without? “Electric Quilt (EQ7). I never make a quilt without it. Regardless of whether I’m piecing by machine or hand, applique or whole cloth. Every quilt I make begins it’s life as a layout in Electric Quilt.”
Linda’s favorite aspect of teaching is “watching the “lights go on” with her students, Her favorite moment is when she hears “that was worth the price of admission,” at the end of a class. Linda also hopes her students gain the ability to be independent with their quilting and designing. 
What is Linda’s best quilting tip? “There are no “always” or “nevers” in your quilting journey. Explore different techniques and adopt the ones that work for you.”
You can learn more about Linda on her website.
]]>A Quilt Show, an App, and a Showbook Walked into a bar…..
Thursday, December 1st, 2016
Photo Courtesy of Brian Roberts
Prior to Carolyn’s retirement she had been pushing to have a mobile app. Three years ago we met with our in-house software team on the creation of our own mobile application. Those talks laid the groundwork for the app you experienced last year and our app going forward. Early in 2015, Carolyn, who is always a forward thinker, believed the future in show programs and guides would be a mobile app and tasked me and my assistant with finding a mobile application for the show. Long story short – we were over sold and under delivered by the mobile app company. The app became “bloated” with so much information and just didn’t work to my expectations.
The decision to not have printed materials available was a difficult one. Human beings are creatures of habit – if we provided printed materials no one would use the app, however we did underestimate the number of individuals who would not be using the app. This was a mistake on our part.
Photo Courtesy of Brian Roberts
You may ask yourself – going forward what are you going to do about all this. First and foremost – Road will have a few different options to choose from for a show guide – both printed and as part of a mobile application. It is very important to me that you are given the best Quilt Show experience that I can offer you. As such we have made the following changes to our Show Guide platform.- I encourage each and every one of you who has a smartphone (or tablet) to download our new mobile app when it is available. We will be releasing a different mobile app closer to the show (more details on that below.)
- We will have a show guide complete with Vendor listings and map available on our website in printable format on January 1. For those of you who do not have a smart phone, we highly recommend you download and print the Show Guide in advance.
- We will have a very limited supply of printed copies of the show guide available for purchase at the show. The copies will cost somewhere between $3-$5.
The Mobile App
Photo courtesy of Apple, Inc.
Downloadable Show Guide
The Show Guide is different than the old Show Book. The old Showbook was a huge book – oversized with all sorts of items that are not vitally important to your experience at Road. So – with this change, the new Show Guide will contain information that you need to know, Vendor Lists, Maps, Contestant Information, and brief information on the Special Exhibits. Sponsors will be listed as well, but that’s it. We estimate the book to be between 24-32 pages long at the most.
For those of you who do not want to print it at home, I highly recommend you go to Kinko’s or your local print shop and have it printed. When posted, the link will be on the main page of www.road2ca.com easily visible. Just tell the printer where to go and they shouldn’t have a problem printing it.
Guides Available for Purchase
I have never intended to make a profit on the printing of the Show Book, and this holds true to the Show Guide. However, as labor rates and printing material costs in California increase higher and higher, we have noticed that the losses of the Show Book as astronomical – not just the monetary losses, but the environmental losses. Each year I would watch us dispose of dozens of boxes of the Showbook. Not only is that costs that we are absorbing, but the environmental impact of printing all the guides to not have them used was immense. Why print so many? We were stuck in a situation where we could print books based off our estimated attendance and have a surplus or printed a reduced number and run out. Running out of books without a mobile app, or other option was not an acceptable alternative. Therefore, we will have a very limited supply of printed books available. There will be a cost (between $3-$5 depending on the cost of having the books printed).
We welcome your feedback on this matter. Give the app a chance – and let us know how you liked it, and how it can be improved. We will be sending our surveys this year regarding your overall experience and specifically your experience with our app. We look forward to receiving your feedback.
In closing , for those of you who found the experience at Road without a Showbook a negative one – I heard you, and we are working to find a solution. I do hope that those of you who have a Smart Phone or Tablet will try our new mobile app.
Best Regards
Matt Reese
Show Director]]>
Meet Road 2017 Faculty And Vendor: Jessica VanDenburgh
Saturday, November 19th, 2016 4561C Stitch Sling Bag
and on Saturday night, 6065C Diva Wallet
This native New Yorker, Jessica VanDenburgh of Sew Many Creations, has always loved to sew and discovered quilting about 10 years ago. She started making bags around the same time using her quilting fabric and tools. Her friends and family loved the bags she made so much that she began selling them as a small side business. Within a few years, the business grew so much that Jessica couldn’t keep up with the demand. She decided to try selling the patterns instead of the finished bags. According to Jessica, “it was a wonderful switch, much more rewarding and less stressful.” A couple years later, she designed her first quilt pattern and the rest “as they say is history.”
What does Jessica like most about her business, Sew Many Creations? “The fabric! I just can’t get enough!” Jessica is inspired to design more patterns because of the beautiful fabrics available. She loves how fabric speaks to her and tells her what to make it into.
Jessica “absolutely” loves to teach. To her, “there’s no better feeling than to see someone accomplish something they didn’t think they could do and know that you helped them do it.” Bags are Jessica’s favorite because they tend to have a reputation of being difficult but she breaks it down into easy steps. The Stella Sling bag is the perfect purse size with lots of pockets and includes Jessica’s favorite – a recessed zipper. The Prima Diva wallet also has lots of pockets and a beautiful metal frame closure.
Jessica hopes her students learn that bags are not as hard as they might have thought. They should be prepared: Jessica likes to have fun and laugh a lot during class. And she gives lots of tips and tricks.
In addition to teaching her classes, Jessica and Sew Many Creations will have a vendor booth featuring lots of patterns, purse hardware, fat quarters, 1 yard cuts and bag kits.
What is Jessica looking forward to when attending her first Road to California? “Meeting lots of new people. That’s always the best part of being at a quilt show.” And to this New Yorker, coming to California in January “sounds pretty good too!”
To learn more about Jessica and Sew Many Creations, follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.]]>
Experience Both Domestic And Long Arm Quilting In These 2017 Classes
Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 the first time, Road to California is offering an industry room where students will be able to experience firsthand, quilting on both domestic and long arm machines. Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center and BERNINA have teamed up to provide both types of sewing machines for classes taught by Mandy Leins, Paula Reid, and Jenny Bowker.
How did this concept idea get started? Matt Reese, Road’s Show Director, approached Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center with the idea and they loved it!! Mel’s has been a BERNINA dealer since 1960 and has been supporting Road to California for many years. BERNINA machines have been requested repeatedly for classroom opportunities because they are easy to use with a proven success record for all levels of sewing interest. Mel’s is providing 10 standard domestic BERNINA machines and 10 BERNINA long arm machines for use in the industry room classroom.
The long arm machine being featured is a BERNINA Q 20 – a sit-down long arm machine. This model accommodates the best of both worlds: it can be placed on a frame or set in a cabinet. Using a frame allows the quilter to move the machine while the fabric is stationary. With the cabinet, the fabric can be moved under the stationary machine.
Each instructor assigned to teach in the industry classroom —Mandy Leins, Paula Reid, and Jenny Bowker — will share specific techniques on both machines.
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Fluff & Stuff will be taught on Wednesday and Thursday by Paula Reid, Class 3401C[/caption]
On the domestic machine, features that will be highlighted include the walking foot, darning foot, basting stitch, BERNINA Stitch Regulator, pedal control, the Freehand System, and user interface to achieve amazing results.
The sit-down long arm will emphasize hands-on work with acrylic templates, the #96 foot, BERNINA Stitch Regulator, user interface, and pedal control
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Quilting with a Starter will be taught by Jenny Bowker on Saturday, Class 6001C[/caption]
Students will be encouraged to spend time on both machines. With the experience on a domestic machine, anyone should be able to apply the skills at home to come up with creative and beautiful designs on their personal machines. And after experiencing the Q 20, students can use their hands-on experience to see what amazing things can be done with templates on a sit-down longarm.
Road to California is thrilled to be the first show in 2017 to experience the BERNINA Q 20 in a classroom setting.
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A New Decade Of Adventure For Carolyn Reese
Thursday, October 27th, 2016Road to California is a family owned business.
Bought in 1991 by Carolyn Reese, she added the quilt show four years later.
Carolyn’s three sons and their families have helped out with Road from the very beginning. Oldest son Mike is the financial officer. Middle son Dave provides the technical assistance; he is the one who designed the on-line registering system for the conference. Dave and his wife Susan also photograph all of the winning quilts. Youngest son Darrell is charge of equipment logistics, overseeing the set up and take down for the entire show.
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(l-r) Mike, Darrell, and Dave Reese with their mother, Carolyn Reese[/caption]
Reese family members can also be found in the Road vendor booth, at the registration table, and assisting teachers and lecturers with the evening classes.
Carolyn has a Halloween birthday. For as long as she can remember, she has spent her birthday at Quilt Market in Houston, first as a quilt shop owner of the Fabric Patch in Upland, CA from 1980 until 2006, then as owner of Road to California. But this year, Carolyn will be celebrating her birthday at home with family and friends.
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80th Birthday dinner at Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar[/caption]
Why the change?
Because this year marks Carolyn’s 80th birthday and she has decided to retire from managing Road to California. Carolyn has “turned the management over to my Grandson, Matt who has been working with me for the past six years and he is doing a great job.”
After managing businesses for over 37 years, what will Carolyn be doing with all her free time?
As a quilt shop owner, Carolyn has taught many people how to piece quilts and other aspects of quilting. She also organized the first mystery quilt class in Southern California. Carolyn has always enjoyed helping people with sewing projects so she decided teaching would get her out of the house and working with people with similar interests. 
Carolyn’s first class was at The Quilt Loft in Upland, CA teaching the POP-UP container.
She has now taught at Sewn Together in Norco, The Busy Bee in Calimesa and Monica’s Quilt and Bead Creations in Palm Springs. Other projects have been The Sweet Pea Pods, Fold and Stitch Wreath, Fold and Stitch Leaf Topper, Hexagon Star Table Topper – which Carolyn designed – and an Octagon Tablemat.
Her newest class is Perfect Binding Corners for any shape, squares and rectangles, hexagons, octagons and even an inside corner for each shape. The binding can be any width up to 1” wide width which is great for placemats, table toppers, etc.
With a background in sewing that has covered many aspects of dressmaking, tailoring, upholstery as well as quilting, Carolyn also has lots of tips to share in her classes for easier methods of construction than what is found in a published pattern.
What other classes will Carolyn be teaching in the future? “Who knows,?” says Carolyn. “What ever strikes my fancy!!”
Of course, as his grandmother, you can be sure Carolyn will be keeping “an eye on Matt and what he is planning for Road to California…he has some great future ideas for Road.” Carolyn is looking forward to be able to “just go to the show – SHOP – and visit with the vendors as well as enjoy the beautiful quilts.”
Thank you Carolyn Reese for your leadership and vision in establishing Road to California as “The Best in the West Quilt Show and Conference.”
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