Cindy Surina will be teaching 1015C Cuddle! on Monday. ***Note: this class was recently added to the teaching schedule.
In her class, Cindy intends to teach students how fast and easy it can be to create cuddly, attractive quilts. Each student will have the opportunity to complete a small baby quilt and have the confidence to move on to many other projects. 
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Have you caught the latest handbag trend? Here’s a way to join in — and possibly earn a great prize!!
Road to California, ByAnnie.com and ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable, have partnered to sponsor the Road to California Bag Challenge. Cash prizes and merchandise totaling $1,000 will be awarded for purses or bags made from Road’s 20th Anniversary Commemorative Fabric, designed by Alexander Henry Fabrics.
Bags or purses can be any size or style, uniquely designed or made from a pattern and can include other fabric, embellishments, hardware, or stabilizers. Entries will be juried and the winners, along with a few additional selected entries, will be displayed at Road to California’s 2016 show.
What are the prizes being offered for the Road to California Bag Challenge?
Best of Show: $400 Cash Prize from Road to California.
1st Runnerup – $300 gift certificate from ByAnnie.com
2nd Runnerup – $200 gift certificate from ByAnnie.com
3rd Runnerup – $100 gift certificate from ByAnnie.com
The deadline for the contest entry is October 1, 2015. Rules and the official entry can be found on the Road to California and ByAnnie.com websites.
You can order the exclusive Road to California 20th Anniversary commemorative fabric online at Road’s store. The fabric is a limited printing and will not be reprinted, so be sure to order early. 
Looking for ideas to design your bag? ByAnnie.com featured some great bag designers on their blog who shared their expertise and inspiration. Check out these fabulous designers including Annie from ByAnnie.com, Kat from StudioKat Designs, Trisha from Trisha Jane, Sam from Hunter’s Designs, Marcea from Abbey Lane Quilts, Ginnie from Wonder Woman Quilts, Nancy from Pink Sand Beach Designs, and our very own Carolyn Reese.
Good luck. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
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Friendship Day is August 2, 2015 – a wonderful reason to celebrate the friends in your life.
Road to California 2015 – 20th Anniversary Show was the perfect place for friends to come together and enjoy over 1,000 quilts on display, 18 special exhibits, and over 700 merchant booths.
Modern quilters Michelle Barbee and Megan Evans met at the LA Modern Quilt Guild. They encourage each other with their modern quilting projects. They all had “a fun time looking at all the quilts and shopping.”
Meet Cecilia, Joan, Carolyn, and Ann. These four friends quilt at Grace Lutheran Church in Upland, California. They have been going to Road together for the past 10 years because “we have fun.” They enjoy seeing Eleanor Burns, the quilts on display and buying batting for the quilts they make for their church group. Last year, their group donated 154 quilts to various organizations. They’ve started making dog beds out of the scraps from their quilts and are donating those to local animal shelters and to homeless people with pets. As Carolyn said, “We don’t waste anything!!”
Donna Nordstrom and Joanna Larmore started coming to Road 17 years ago as young moms looking for something to get out of the house and enjoy doing something together. Since then, Joanna moved out of state, so their annual trip to Road is a way for them to reconnect. “It’s our refuge every year to do,” said Donna. Added Joanna, “We get to see the future of quilting at Road.” This year, not only did they enjoy the show for three days, they also participated in the Marcus Brothers Textiles Challenge.
Patsy and Cherie live in the high desert north of Los Angeles. They met in a knitting group and belong to the Tehachapi Quilt Guild. They’ve been coming to Road together for the past 7 years. Last year, they took their first bus trip as part of their Road experience, led by the Traveling Quilters. Patsy said it was “an excellent tour” and another “nice” Road feature.
Terri and Ann came to Road from Northern California. Terri has been quilting for 20 years and Ann for 10. Terri remarked, “We come to Road to get inspired,” and “To see the quilting,” added Ann.
Every day is Friendship Day during Road to California. What could be better than sharing the “Best in the West” experience than with people who are just as passionate as you are with quilting? Bring a friend January 20 – 24, 2016 to the Ontario Convention Center for Road to California 2016.
]]>Gregory Case Photography is the only independent full-time photo studio photographing quilts, textiles, and fiber arts in the United States and has been the official show photographer for Road since 2007. In addition, they have given workshops during Road to California and on Road’s Quilting Through the Panama Canal Cruise in 2014.
Gregory Case and his wife, Elena Morera, spend four full days at Road, capturing the community feel of the show in photographs. They arrive early in the morning and stay late in to the night each day, photographing classes, lectures, events, people, the vendor floor, the hallways, the special exhibits –even the food — all to provide for a visual memory of the latest show.
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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
What happens to the hundreds of pictures when the show is over? Gregory Case Photography takes them back to their studio in Pueblo, Colorado for processing and editing before releasing them back to the Reese family.
Greg’s editing equipment includes a monitor and printer that are specially calibrated for color and texture to insure the truest representation of the photos taken.
In addition to photographing quilt shows, Gregory Case Photography has regularly photographed for 6 different quit and textile magazines, in addition to contributing to some 20 quilt-related magazines and over 30 books. And recently, Gregory Case Photography has added travel photography and selling travel prints to their resume.
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Gregory Case Photography saves copies of all their print work.[/caption]
When a quilt arrives at Gregory Case Photography studio via FedEx or UPS, it is first steamed to release any wrinkles. It is then hung on the 10 foot design wall for photographing. Lighting is adjusted for each quilt.
Gregory’s camera is hooked up to his computer monitor so he can see immediately how the photo shoot is going. Matching color to the original design is the most difficult part of the process. Prints are made and matched to the quilt. Both Gregory and Elena verify the colors for accuracy. Ninety percent of the time, the color falls in to place. If there are any discrepancies, changes are made to the image and reprints are made until all colors match. Edited images are emailed to the client to get their approval. The client then receives a CD disc that includes various sizes of shots that are print ready, juried show ready, and web ready – over 30 various files in all.
Sometimes, clients request a concept or theme for their quilt to be photographed with. Gregory Case Photography has an elaborate prop collection to meet their clients’ needs.
Past requests have included a baby layette, Christmas in July, and even jungle animals. Whatever the concept, the props are always subservient to the quilt; the quilt is the star!!
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Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
Gregory Case Photography loves coming to Road. Gregory remarked, “No other show compares. For me, Road is the “Apple” of the quilt world. It is a high quality show with the reputation of having the best teachers, vendors, and staff. I look forward to it every year.”
You can find Gregory and Elena on their web site: www.gregorycase.com The site is currently being updated with new images and their travel photography.
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Seven years ago, Stephanie Kleinman, was challenged to make her own fabric designs. She was already a successful book editor and the producer of the television show, Simply Quilts. Working with a team of programmers, Stephanie created a software program, Fabric Studio Software, to help others design their own fabric too. As Stephanie explained, “Welcome to the new age of technology where you can sit in your PJ’s at your computer while you easily create your very own fabric design, then upload your design to an online digital fabric printer, and receive your fabric in the mail 10 days later!!”
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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
In Stephanie’s lecture at Road 2015, “Discover the Fabric Designer Within You,” she answered frequently asked questions about what it takes to design your own fabric:
How do I get started? You first need to understand how fabric is designed. Most fabric falls in to one of four types of designs: free form, hand painted (which is very rare), single subject designs that are offset, and the most popular, seamless repeats where the design is repeated over and over again.
Do I need a computer? While some fabric studios hire a graphic designer to create designs by hand, that option is pretty cost prohibitive to a regular person. Using a computer, you can design fabric like the pros using free software like Paint of Monkey; drawing your design directly on your computer from a tablet or scanning it in; creating your design from scratch using Corel Draw or Illustrator; or use Stephanie’s Fabric Studio Software.
Where can I find inspiration for my designs? Stephanie stressed that you want to choose a design where your eye will naturally travel to and around. Ideas can be found in photos, your child’s artwork, clip art, hobbies, even words and phrases.
What should I consider when creating my design? First incorporate colorization (different shades and colors), movement (where the eye travels), and re-sizing (use the same picture and alternate the size of it from big to small). Once you have settled on these aspects, you can add depth and placement of the object(s). Your final design should be able to fit evenly in to an 8” square —a perfect size for fat quarters.
What are my options once my design is done? Depending how you want to use your fabric will determine how you get your design on the material. If you will be using your fabric in a wall hanging, you can print it out at home on your printer using inkjet printable fabric sheets. If the fabric is going to be used in a quilt, it is best to send your design to a fabric printer such as Spoonflower or Fabric on Demand. There is a 5 yard minimum when you use these services.
Are there cautions I should be aware of? While designing your own fabric is a unique option to personalize a fabric project, Stephanie warned there are some pitfalls. For one, what you see isn’t always what you get. Color and brightness doesn’t always compute and depending on the background color of the fabric you choose, that might affect the overall outcome of the design. Also, often a design isn’t seamless once printed and might become distorted. Still, designing your own fabric is affordable, washable, and has a quick turnaround.
Designing your own fabric is a unique way to personalize a fabric project. For more information and helpful tips, you can reach Stephanie at admin@easymade.com. Her software is available in a CD format or on the cloud.
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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
While the majority of our guests are women, we are always happy to see more and more men coming to show. And they don’t just come to carry the bags!!
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Dale from Bakersfield, CA[/caption]
Road 2015 was Dale’s first time at Road. He came with his wife and her friend from Bakersfield, California. Dale’s wife has a longarm machine. He does maintenance on the machine and cuts out templates. “I enjoyed looking at all the different machines at the show. The technology is incredible.”
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Mike from Lancaster, CA[/caption]
A resident of Lancaster California, Mike is a quilter and has been to Road nine times with his wife. His first quilt was a rail fence quilt. In January, he was working on his third quilt. Mike likes looking at the quilts while his wife shops.
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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
Dave came to the 2015 show with his wife Martha and their goddaughter, Nicole. Both Dave and Martha have been quilting for 25 years. It is an activity they like to do together. Dave does both longarm quilting and embroidery. He is fascinated with the geometric designs. “Precision is how a guy’s mind works.” 
David was the only man in Jenny Bowker’s evening lecture, Pack and Follow. He knows how to sew and has an interest in wearable art and art quilting.He enjoys coming to Road with his wife to see the wearable art displays.
Everyone is welcome at Road — Who are you going to bring?
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Road to California 2015 was quite the adventure for Alexus Jekill, age 11, and Charlotte Upitis, age 9. Both girls are from Calgary, Canada and both girls had their first ever quilts displayed in the special exhibit, The Next Generation.
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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
Alexus and Charlotte are not new to sewing. Charlotte has been sewing since she was four years old when she got her first sewing machine. Alexus has been sewing for the past two years. Both girls sew on Bernina sewing machines. Charlotte has the limited edition machine with peacock feathers and loves to sew clothing, purses, and accessories. Alexus has the limited edition with butterflies that she uses to sew pajamas. She also takes art classes at the Calgary School of Art where she has begun using fabric as one of her mediums.
Sewing for charities is a passion for both girls. They have sewn and donated clothing for Hats for Hearts, a Canadian fundraiser that raises awareness for stroke victims. Charlotte’s grandfather passed away from a stroke when Charlotte was 1 years old. She then had small hemorrhagic strokes in her cerebellum herself due to a sudden medical illness when she was two years old, requiring Charlotte to have to learn how to sit and walk again herself.
It was Charlotte’s mom, Kathryn Upitis, who found out about Road to California and the special exhibit. An article on Road’s blog about triplet girls who sewed attending Road 2014 first caught Kathryn’s interest because Alexus has a twin sister. Then, when she heard about The Next Generation special exhibit, she knew Alexus and Charlotte would want to enter.
The quilts Alexus and Charlotte entered in The Next Generation were the first quilts either girl had made. Both girls dedicated their quilts to a family friend, Toni Kohn Woodward, who had passed away last September from a heart embolism. At the time, Toni was in her 20’s and pregnant. The star on Charlotte’s quilts was added before the quilt show as a way everyone could remember Toni.
[caption id="attachment_3206" align="aligncenter" width="591"]
Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
Road to California was the first quilt show Charlotte and Alexus had ever been to. What did the girls think about seeing their quilts in person at the exhibit? Charlotte said, “I was so excited to see it. It made me happy.” Alexus added, “I thought it was crazy!”
Alexus and Charlotte are already planning for their next sewing projects: phone cases and backpacks.
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When you are raising a family and working, often the only time left for quilting is spent on simply admiration. It isn’t until children are gone and retirement is looming that many of our guests finally have the time to stop admiring and start making quilts of their own.
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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]
After Yvonne Foster’s husband passed away and her seven children (6 daughters and one son) were on their own, Yvonne knew she needed something to do. Her pastor and her pastor’s daughter invited Yvonne to take a summer quilting class with them. Yvonne wasn’t interested at first, but the more she learned, the more she liked to quilt. The hardest part for Yvonne was getting started. She had always liked to sew clothes for her daughters, but clothing had patterns to follow. Cutting out fabric and putting it together without laid out instructions was hard for Yvonne. But the more she quilted, the more comfortable she became. It’s been 13 years since Yvonne first started quilting. And now, she is sharing her hobby with her daughter, Yvette.
Yvette liked seeing her mother’s finished projects, and thought quilting would be something she would enjoy doing — when she had the time. In 2007, that free time finally came up. After finishing Real Estate classes and getting her Real Estate license, Yvette had Thursday nights open. She decided to use those free evenings and take a quilting class. Guess what? Yvette has been quilting ever since!!
Yvette was the one to introduce her mother to Road. They have been coming for the past five years. Yvette feels she learns something each time she attends and especially likes seeing the judged quilts. “They are unbelieveable.” For Yvonne, she likes talking to the winners and asking them questions about their designs.
Lois Baumgartner of Fountain Valley still has the double-wedding ring quilt that her mother made in the 1940’s. Lois always liked to sew, but it wasn’t until 10 years ago when her children had all left home, that she found the time to start quilting herself. Lois was at a fabric store one day and struck up a conversation with another woman in the store. That lady ended up inviting Lois to attend her quilt guild, the Flying Geese Guild in Irvine, California. Lois says she “quilts at her own pace,” and that her favorite place to get new ideas is going to Road to California.
What held you back from starting to quilt? What are you waiting for to start?
]]>Some families go to the movies. Other families go camping. The Dommer family goes quilting.
Meet the Dommer family: daughter Terri Dommer Krause; son, Keith; and mom, Darlene. 
For over 20 years, they have planned get-togethers around their love of quilting. With Darlene’s birthday falling near the week of Road to California, it has been a tradition for the Dommers to help their mom celebrate by going to Road together and taking a class or two. It’s a natural way for the three family members to spend time together and encourage each other with their quilting.
How did they get started in quilting? Darlene sewed clothes until about 40 years ago, a friend invited her to attend a city sponsored quilt class. Terri also started out sewing clothes. She says she didn’t own a pair of store-bought jeans until she got a job out of high school!! Terri thought quilting would be a fun way to use her sewing skills. Keith grew up watching his mom and grandmothers quilt and thought they made “ugly things.” In 1990, he went to Visions, an art quilt show in San Diego and it just drew him in. His quilting is a great complement to his day job as a CPA.
Each of the Dommer family has their own quilting style. Darlene prefers traditional quilting and has done some appliqueing. While Terri loves applique, she doesn’t have any desire to do it. She prefers a more traditional style and gives away most of the quilts she makes. Keith started out making pieced quilts. After 10 years of quilting, he started doing machine applique. His quilt tops integrate bold, graphic designs. Keith has won numerous awards for his quilting including this second place award for Traditional, Large, Mixed at Road to California in 2012.
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Celtic Christmas Crossing by Keith Dommer[/caption]
What do they enjoy most about their annual Road family outing? For Darlene, she loves the inspiration she receives for trying new techniques. Keith is always astounded by the beautiful quilts and feels that “Road showcases the cutting edge of where quilting is currently heading.” Above all, Terri thinks Road is the best place for a family outing. And we would have to agree!!
How many quilters are there in your family?
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We are always reminded of the need to reuse-renew-recycle — especially when it comes to fabric scraps, fabric stash, and used clothing.
Luveta Nickels of Junk Jeans is an expert at reusing fabric, especially denim. Road to California 2015 was Luveta’s second time at the show and first time giving a lecture presentation. Her class, “Ready to Wear Rehab” shared original ideas on how to repurpose denim jeans.
Known as the “denim diva,” Luveta has had an interest in recycling denim jeans since she was a young girl. At one time, she had collected over 3,000 pairs of jeans! Her natural curiosity about the workings of zippers, tack buttons, rivets and even the purpose of holes in the knees, prepared Luveta in those early years, for cutting, ripping and tearing her current creations.
During the lecture, Luveta shared how to make a denim jacket out of three pairs of jeans. And how one pair of jeans can be cut down to make four placemats!! It is all about how you lay out your project, Luveta explained.
With the current interest in creating handbags and purses – not to mention Road to California’s and ByAnnie.com’s Bag Challenge for Road 2016 — Luveta demonstrated a fun embellishment: using the pockets from worn denim jeans.
To use Luveta’s technique, you will need a pocket removed from a pair of jeans, some lace, and a spray bottle filled with bleach.
Step One: Remove a pocket from a pair of worn jeans.
Step Two: Arrange a piece of lace over the pocket
Step Three: Spray bleach over the lace and then immediately remove the lace.
Step Four: Be patient and wait for the bleach to take hold on the fabric. Once it has dried, the pocket can be stitched to your project.
Luveta said that this procedure can also be used on t-shirts. You just have to dilute the bleach before spraying over the lace.
Do you have any tips for reusing fabric or jeans?
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