Phyllis Cullen will be teaching five classes during Road@Home:

On Wednesday, January 20^th: WL02 and on Thursday, January 21st: T117  It’s All About The Face

W122 – Easy Stained Glass Quilts

F124 – Wild (Fabric) Animal (Or Bird) Collage

S116 – Lava Landscape (Fire On The Mountain!)

Doctor Fabric Artist

Phyllis Cullen started quilting in 1985. At the time, Phyllis was a physician practicing anesthesiology. She would paint between cases in the doctor’s lounge and some of her colleagues objected to the smell of the paints. So, she started collaging –painting with fabrics instead.

During this time, she decided to take an official “quilting” class. Phyllis recalls, “Quarter inch seams? Repetitive triangles? not my style!” Luckily for Phyllis, she had already discovered that “playing with lots of fabric scraps in a free form style was lots of fun,” so she told the teacher, “Thanks but I guess I’m not a “quilter”, just a fabric artist who quilts her artwork.”

Phyllis’ Studio

Phyllis Cullen’s quilting area is a huge studio with two walls full of shelves of fabric.  Since she looks at her quilting as painting with fabric, Phyllis says she needs to have a full palette!

What are the quilting tools that Phyllis can’t live without? First and foremost, her stash!! Next it’s her tiny rotary cutter for slashing up the fabric, then her students, – and finally, her imagination!

During the COVID lockdowns, Phyllis has been exploring different styles, converting all her classes to virtual. She says that she has learned “way more than I ever wanted to know about zoom, and dual cameras,and video editing, etc,” And she wrote a book,”It’s All About the Face: Quilted Fabric Portraits”  which has been really well received (And is the source for some of her classes she’ll be teaching during Road@Home).

Teaching at Road@Home

Phyllis Cullen has been teaching for 15 years, in Hawaii, on the Mainland, and all over the world, from Israel to Australia. Since she retired from practicing medicine, Phyllis feels like she’s become a full-time teacher.

What does Phyllis like most about teaching?  She says, “I love seeing my students succeed and take off with their artwork when they thought they couldn’t do it at all. I love showing them the easier way to do things, and to trust their own choices.”

For Road@home, Phyllis Cullen says that she will be trying to compress day-long classes into shorter time periods. She will be getting in touch with her students before the actual class days, helping them complete “the preliminaries” so that everyone can “really accomplish” what she wants them to do during the class. Phyllis shared that she takes pride in being available to her students for life. She adds, “I really, really want them to succeed, each and every one. I really look forward to sharing everything with students I haven’t met yet, and turning them on to the artist within them, and getting them excited about new possibilities, ways of working, and materials they might not have thought of using.”

To learn more about Phyllis, please visit her website.

Nancy Arico will be teaching 5 classes during Road@Home:

W101 – EQ8 Designing A Quilt

W118 – Triangles, Parallelograms, And Trapezoids. OH MY!

T101 – EQ8 Designing Blocks

T114 – Scattering Triangles

F101 – Churned-Up

Crazy for Math

Nancy Arico knew she’d be a quilter. Back in the 70’s, she first gave quilting a try when she was in high school. Nancy had bought a book called “Modern Quilting” and set out to make a star block with templates and hand stitching. Well, she never finished that block but her love of quilts stay with her. Finally, about 12 years ago, Nancy decided she would give quilting another try. She signed up for a “Learn to Quilt” class at a local shop. After using rotary cutters and doing machine piecing, this time around, she “was hooked!”

Before becoming a quilt teacher, Nancy’s first love was math. Her occupation was as an actuary, a “kind of mathematician.” Consequently, Nancy loves the math aspect of quilting. Some of her classes use the EQ8 to design quilts and blocks. She also likes to teach classes focusing on geometric shapes.

Quilting During Coronavirus Lockdowns

When Nancy Arico’s oldest son went to college, she wasted no time taking over his room with her sewing and quilting. She added some Ikea furniture and a cutting table made from a door to make it complete.

She still uses that room, but a couple years ago, she opened a studio. Her original plan was to offer both the fabric artist and the student a place to connect and create. However, the Coronavirus quickly changed her model and now it is more of a quilting studio – with lights, cameras, and computers to make online teaching possible.

Since March, Nancy has been doing Zoom, sewing, Zoom, sewing…… At first, she was “thrilled” to have everything on her calendar get cancelled so she could finish up several UFOs.  But it didn’t take long for Nancy to start offering some Zoom classes and gatherings.  Now, her calendar is full again – with teaching — and she has to make time to squeeze in some sewing and quilting as much as she can.

Nancy says she has learned two valuable lessons from other quilters during the pandemic: “1) to look at what joy I am getting out of my time, even if there is nothing tangible to show for it. And 2) to allow my ideas time to develop at their own pace.”

Teaching at Road@Home

Prior to 2019, most of Nancy Arico’s teaching was sharing what she was learning with her guild and quilt friends. Since then, she has been teaching in person and online a few times every month. She has really developed her Zoom technique of teaching to ensure that everyone in her classes “gets a front row seat.” Says Nancy, “I use 1 or 2 additional cameras to show my work table and sewing machine as needed.”

Nancy is looking forward to “meeting new people and encouraging others to look beyond a pattern to the possibilities.” She hopes her students will find “some new ways of looking at a quilt and how to make it their own.”

To learn more about Nancy Arico, please visit her website.

Patricia Belyea will be your host at Road@Home on Friday, January 22, 2021 from 9:30 -11:00 AM for FL02 – Tokyo Quilt Festival & More Japanese Textile Treasures

American Quilter Turned Japanese Textiles Aficionado

Patricia Belyea began quilting at age 53. She made a baby quilt for a young woman in her design office. At the time, Patricia thought that quilts were made out of old clothes, so she went to Goodwill to buy her “fabrics.” Her project stash ended up including a “pretty” girl’s Gymboree dress, some other clothing, and a striped cotton sheet.

Through her church, Patricia met Maurine Noble—an internationally known quilting teacher. Not only did Maurine introduce Patricia to a rotary cutter, mat, ruled grid, and some ideas for Patricia’s beginner project, she became Patricia’s friend and quilting mentor. Patricia declares that if she “had not met Maurine, I doubt I would have made anything more than my totally imperfect first quilt.”

Three years before Patricia made that first quilt, for her 50^th birthday, her husband and she visited Kyoto, Japan for a long weekend. Although their trip was short, the experience proved to be “life changing.” When they returned home to Seattle, their daughters’ high school made a request for families to host Japanese homestay students. The Belyeas “gladly welcomed” Saori into their home for one year and then went on to host seven more Japanese students.

Japan wooed Patricia and her husband with “sweet memories” from their first stay. They returned many times to check in with their “beloved” homestay students. After Patricia began quilting, their trips gained another focus: treasure hunting for Japanese textiles.  

Tokyo Quilt Festival

Patricia’s first time attending the Tokyo International Quilt Festival was in 2010. Her husband was waiting for her in a nearby coffee shop, so she only stayed one hour. Her first impression was “absolute awe” of the Japanese textiles but also chagrin that she could not stay longer.

Since that first visit, Patricia has returned to the Festival six more times, allowing ample time to take in all the Japanese Textiles. Thinking of the Tokyo Quilt Festival, Patricia says, “The three quilt competitions and invitational show exhibit a wondrous array of quilts. But my favorites are the annual retrospectives of famous sensei (honored teachers) and the fabulous feature exhibits. Over the years, different Japanese quilters have begun to recognize me on the show floor. I’ve befriended Sachiko Yoshida, a sensei who specializes in exquisite quilts made with antique kimono silks and visited her home studio.”

Okan Arts

Okan Arts is Patricia’s company that she runs with her daughter, Victoria Stone. Okan means mom in Japanese. Okan Arts is based in Seattle and imports vintage Japanese textiles along with running an online gallery representing national quilters.

Okan Arts also offers textile tours of Japan. Stops on her tours include the Tokyo Quilt Festival and a nearby town that hosts the Akie Ginza Sashiko Museum. Akie-san is an 89 year-old teacher of traditional sashiko stitching known as “little stabs.” Her farmhouse is bursting with her life’s work.

Another popular stop is the Itchiku Kubota Museum in the Mount Fuji region. Here, on display, is an important collection of hand-dyed silk kimono. Patricia recalls that she “got tears in my eyes when I entered the exhibit hall as the textile design and execution were so breathtaking.”

Two other destinations on the tour are the historic town of Arimatsu, home of shibor i dyeing, and the Kyoto area.

Japanese Textiles Lecture During Road@Home

Many people have said to Patricia, Take me with you to Japan. Because the Okan Arts tour caps at 16 participants, a lot of people get left behind. At Road@Home, there’s no limit to the virtual travelers for this unique lecture. This virtual visit includes a front row seat to the 2020 Tokyo Festival as well as seeing several Japanese textile treasures with a tour of a chusen -dyeing workshop, a visit with sashiko guru Aki Ginza, a stop at the secret needle shop in Kyoto, and a peek at the Kubota Museum. Patricia will end her presentation with a trunk show of her creative quilts inspired by these special Japanese textiles.

Patricia knows that those participating with this lecture, will be able to check off their Bucket List their wish to see the Tokyo Quilt Festival and for others who hope to go over to Japan someday, some great ideas for where to visit.

For more information about Patricia Belyea and Okan Arts, please visit her web site.

Patti Carey will be teaching 4 classes during Road@Home:

T102 – Finishing Touches on Thursday, January 21^st from 8:00 – 11:00 AM

TL04 – Interesting Quilts From Unusual Fabrics- A Trunk Show on Thursday, January 21^st from 1:30 – 2:30 PM  

F102 – Intro To Improv Piecing on Friday, January 22^nd from 8:00 – 11:00 AM

S100 – Skill-Building Sampler on Saturday, January 23^rd from 8:00 – 11:00 AM

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Patti Carey gets to quilt while she works.

Since 1986, Patti has been with Northcott Fabrics, fulfilling many roles in their Marketing Department. Patti recalls that “back in the day” when Northcott sold fashion fabrics, one of her responsibilities was to create show displays. When Northcott began adding quilting fabrics to their product range, she quickly learned to quilt so that she could make displays with the quilting fabrics. When she found out that the unique and interesting fabrics in Northcott’s earlier quilting collections, particularly panels, were not selling well, she started designing quilt projects using panels to help quilters to enjoy working with panels as much as she did.

Today, Patti is Vice President – Public Relations of Northcott Fabrics.  In this capacity, before COVID-19, she was traveling to quilt guilds and shops, inspiring and educating quilters with “interesting and entertaining presentations” on how fabric is designed, and how to use it to a quilter’s best advantage.

In 2019, Patti began designing her own fabric. Her first collection, Vino, was designed for Northcott’s Banyan Batiks division.

What is Patti’s favorite quilting tools that she can’t live without? “My E-Z Miter/Lone Star tool (designed by me :)), A Clover Hera marker, my 72” cutting table, my Pfaff sewing machine, and of course my Northcott fabrics.”

Lessons Learned During COVID-19

When the lockdowns began last March, Patti spent more time in her sewing room as well as engaging online with quilters through social media. She also took online courses to improve her skills.

What the pause with COVID-19 taught Patti Carey was that “virtual social interaction is great! We have learned to adapt to isolation while still staying connected. The world has become smaller.”

Teaching at Road@Home

Patti is most looking forward to sharing her skills, methods and passion with quilters around the world during Road@Home. She is expecting to inspire her students in her classes to add some new techniques to their quilting technique toolbox.

During her classes, Patti will be trying something new: including some pre-recorded segments that will allow each student to see how she performs various techniques through her eyes instead of by peering over another student’s shoulder. Patti commented, “I am thrilled with this opportunity!”

To learn more about Patti Carey, please visit her website.

Esterita Austin will be teaching will be teaching three classes during Road@Home:

Wednesday, January 20^th from 1:30 – 5:30 PM:

W119 – 4×4- A four-hour lecture demonstration on four original techniques that Esterita has developed.

Thursday, January 21^st from 1:30 – 5:30 PM

T115 – Luminous Painted Irises- Create an art quilt by combining and overlapping layers of paint and transferring it onto organza.

Friday, January 22^nd from 8:00 – 9:30 AM

FL01 – Inspirational Journeys- Looking for art inspiration all around us.

Backpacking and Quilting

Esterita Austin learned about quilting at age 22 while backpacking through Greece. She tells the story how she “met a young woman from England who had small brown paper hexagons and bits of fabric she was folding around the paper. I asked her what she was doing and she explained to me that it was an American past time called patchwork quilting. I said to her you mean you Cut up fabric and sew it back together again? With a big grin on her face she said yes! I said, well that’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard of. The time I was embroidering the holes in my jeans and without realizing it so the pair I was working on to the pair I was wearing… It was embarrassing. 20 years past and we find each other on the InternetAnd she asks me, “so what are you up to? Of course I had to tell her that I was teaching quilt making to which I got quite a laugh out of her.”

An Art Background

The classes that Esterita Austin will be teaching at Road@Home have a big art influence. That’s because art has had a big influence in Esterita’s life. She started off as a high school art teacher, teaching her love of drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and ceramics. She discovered art quilting by taking workshops David Walker and was hooked.

Esterita and her business partner marketed a unique technique using Mistyfuse and paint transfer. Mistyfuse is a gossamer fusible that virtually disappears when ironed onto fabric and doesn’t change the hand of the cloth.

Lessons Learned from COVID-19

To “save my sanity” during the Coronavirus lockdown, Esterita Austin “started doing some mindless work.” She made three bed quilts for her children; two queen and one king. Then she made a couple of quilted backpacks.

What COVID-19 has taught Esterita is to “never take for granted all the things that I thought were small things before. Just getting to see my children is such a privilege. I’ve had my first grandchild during the pandemic, and she is such a treasure to me.”

Teaching at Road@Home

Esterita Austin has been teaching for over 20 years. Her husband passed away when their children were still young, and she had to find a way to make a living. She decided to give teaching quilt making a try and has never looked back.

When the pandemic began, Esterita taught herself how to teach virtually. She has already taught numerous virtual classes and is “surprised” at how much she is enjoying the experience. Esterita sees virtual teaching as a way to demonstrate exactly what she is doing so every person has a front row seat. She has her cameras set up around her work area to provide an up close and personal demonstration every time. She has also developed a technique to interact with her students while the class is going on. Each student texts Esterita a screenshot of their work in progress. Esterita then annotates their photo on a shared screen, giving advice of where they can change and or improve their image. Estreita says, “It works out pretty well.”

She is looking forward to sharing time and conversation with like-minded people during Road@Home and can’t wait to create with everyone, helping them build confidence as well as a new sense of experimentation and creative adventure.

To learn more about Esterita Austin’s work, please visit her website.

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Road to California has a reputation for offering the best in quilting: the best classes, the best teachers, the best lectures, the best quilt displays, the best vendors, and the best special exhibits.

Each year, several of Road’s special exhibits have made their western-United States debut at Road. This tradition continues with Road@Home featuring usual and unique special exhibits sponsored by Martingale.

Who is Martingale?

Located in Bothell, Washington, Martingale is a leading publisher of knit, quilt, crochet, and craft books. The company was founded in 1976 as That Patchwork Place by Nancy and Dan Martin. The original publication focused on quilting. Then, in 1996, the company expanded their publication interests to include more general crafts and became known as Martingale. Through their over 40-year publication history, Martingale has published over 1,500 books and products, which have sold more than 24.1 million copies.

In 2007, something unusual happened: Martingale’s founders, Nancy and Dan Martin, retired and sold their company to their employees. Today, a tight-knit group of 26 individuals operate Martingale and 80% of these new owners either sew, knit, crochet, or craft in their spare time. Through their own personal experiences, they are dedicated to empowering other makers, who use fabric and yarn, to make life more enjoyable.

Past Special Exhibit Firsts

In 2014, Road to California hosted Sister Cities – City of Angels, a collaboration of quilts from Los Angeles and Puebla, Mexico.

Road to California’s 20^th Anniversary in 2015 was the first time Road hosted the Tentmakers of Cairo showcasing their lost art of applique.

Cherrywood fabrics also debuted their first Cherrywood Challenge – Wicked – at the 20^th Anniversary Show.

Last January, at Road’s 25^th Anniversary, there were 17 special exhibits, the most ever on display.     

The Martingale Special Exhibit for 2021

Road@Home’s Special Exhibits are going to offer more than just flat images of quilts to look at on your computer. Instead, Road has partnered with Martingale to offer Road@Home guests a sneak peek of exhibits featuring a wide variety of books. These special exhibits will include both full and detailed shots as well as themed photos – just like they are presented in a quilt book. With the help of Martingale, this exhibit will also present books that haven’t been released to the public yet. And an added benefit exclusively offered to Road@Home participants will be the opportunity to purchase the newly released books on shopmartingale.com before they are offered to the general public!

These amazing photo quality special exhibits are another great reason not to miss out on Road@Home.

Road@Home is unlike any previous Road to California Quilters Conference and Showcase. So, of course, Road’s Quilt Contest for 2021 is also going to be unlike any other that Road has sponsored in the past 25 years.   

Road’s Quilt Contest Past

The first time Road’s quilt contest was held was in 1996, when Road to California was just five years old. The Show was held at The Ontario Airport Hilton, after being moved from the former Ontario Marriott Hotel (now the Gateway Hotel). The total amount given away for cash prizes at the first contest was $5,000.

Through the years, Road’s Quilt Contest has grown to be one of the premier quilt contests – both in the United States and internationally. The number of quilt contest categories offered, quilts submitted, and cash prizes given away, has grown substantially through the years. At the 25^th Anniversary Show in January, 2020, Road received more than 500 entries. And at that show, Road gave away $92,000 in prize money. The Best of Show quilt alone received $10,000 – twice as much as the total amount given in 1996!!   

A New Twist for 2021

The prize money for Road’s Quilt Contest largely comes from the vendors who sponsor Road to California’s quilt show. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Road’s traditional vendors – especially the smaller sponsors – have suffered financially as they have not been able to participate in any quilt show activities since March 2020. Due to these hardships, Road did not want to burden our sponsors with paying the prize money and therefore formally cancelled the traditional quilt contest last Spring.    

Since that time, Road to California has been aware that many quilters were still desirous to showcase their talents. So, Road decided to change up the quilt contest format and offer a new and different type of quilt show – fitting for Road@Home’s online format.

Three New Categories– Tons of Possibilities

Categories for the Road@Home 2021 Quilt Contest have been streamlined into 3 general categories:

Could Be Your Grandma’s Quilt

Quilts in this category should be based on traditional blocks. Interpretation and improvisation of traditional blocks are welcomed.

What You See

Quilts in this category should be based on realistic imagery. Pictoral, People, and Naturescape quilts are appropriate for this category.

What You Think You See

Quilts in this category include abstracts or interpretations. They should inspire the viewer to think about or guess what the subject is.

There are no date restrictions for the 2021 contest.

The entry deadline is November 23, 2020. Accepted entries will be notified no later than December 15, 2020. All official entries will be judged online. Recordings of the judging process along with live commentary will be included in Road@Home’s Behind the Scenes event.

Another feature of Road@Home’s 2021 Quilt Contest is that all entrants are still eligible to enter their quilt in the 2022 Road to California Quilt Contest so long as the entry falls under the rules for the 2022 contest. For the complete 2021 Quilt Contest Rules, please visit our website.

Road to California invites all quilters to go through their quilts, finish up any quilts they might be currently working on, and enter them into Road’s Quilt Contest before November 23, 2020. We can’t wait to see what will be submitted!!

We are so excited to see all the quilts entered into Road@Home Quilt Contest. This guide will take you step by step on how to enter your quilts into the show. The due date for entries is November 23rd. If you are interested in taking classes for Road@Home make sure to follow our Registration Guide.

To enter quilts into Road@Home you need to be logged into an account. You can go to the My Account tab and click Create an Account if this is your first time entering a quilt. (We’d like to say welcome to the family!) For our returners you can use Login to get back into your account (We are happy to have you back and can’t wait to see what you enter!).

Now on your phone/tablet you are going to see it with Three Bars in the upper right and it will give you a long drop down menu. All of the sections used by the Quilt Contest will be closer to the bottom of this list.

How to Set Your Conference

Once you have logged into your account you are going to want to check that you are in the correct Conference. It is important to make sure your active Conference says Road@Home. You won’t be able to enter a quilt being in the other conference.

How to submit Your Entry

To start with submitting your quilt you will want to hover over My Account. Under My Account You will find Enter, after clicking Enter you will be taken to the quilt entry section. Each competitor can submit three entries and you will submit each entry one at a time.

This is where you will start entering in your quilt information.

For example we created this Test Entry to show what you need to enter to complete your entry. Here are some key points for quilt entries:

• The Division and Style will both be entered as Quilt. You must fill out this section.
• The Width and Height of your quilt does not matter for any category, but you must include it for the category to become available.
• You have three categories to choose from. You can find out more about those categories on the Contest Rules.
• The year does not matter for Road@Home so please enter in 2020 for both year started and year ended.
• Make sure to double check that you have entered in everything in correctly before submitting.

Submitting Photos and Payment

After finishing your quilt entry you will automatically be taken to you My Home Page. Which is your main page for your pre-jury information.

• If you click the entry numbers next to the entry you can edit your information. before we close entries on November 23rd.
• By clicking upload under the Main, Detail, and Back you will be able to add your photos.
• Clicking Pay Bill will take you to your payment section for Road@Home.
• Once you have added photos and payment you will actually see another block be added to your Quilt Tracker.

This is the upload screen for photos which you will be able to add the photos of your quilt. These photos will be the photos used for Road@Home Quilt Contest so make sure they are the best ones you have!

• Your file should end in .jpg to be accepted by our system.
• It also needs to be smaller than 5.5MB for the system to save the photo.
• It takes time to upload so please wait as the photo is added into the system. You will be taken back to the main page after submitting a photo.

After submitting your first photo the system once completed will take you back to the home page. You will need to go to My Account and then click My Home Page to get back to the Quilt Tracker and the submission section for photos and payment.

You will know your photo has been accepted since the Upload will turn Green.

Shown above is the payment page. The page will autofill with the contact information listed on your account. You will need to add in payment information. Please submit payment after you have added all of your quilt entries.

Final Notes

We are so excited for the Road@Home Quilt Contest! We cannot wait to see what quilts are submitted to the show.

Ever wondered how a judging room works? We will actually be showing how an actual judging room works (virtually of course) with Behind the Scenes. This will be when all the quilts are first shown and you can actually watch the Judges pick the winning quilts!

Remember entries must be in by November 23rd.

Road@Home is offering many longarm quilting classes. But If you can’t do the quilting yourself, the next best alternative is to choose a longarm quilter to do the quilting for you.

We asked longarm quilter, Jodi Robinson, for some tips in choosing a longarm quilter.

Who is Jodi Robinson?

Jodi Robinson has been a quilter for more than 20 years. Her mother-in-law encouraged Jodi to start quilting. Jodi accepted the challenge and made a log cabin quilt.

She has taught at national shows across the country for 15 years and has won numerous national awards for her machine quilting skills. In 2015, she won Outstanding Modern Quilt at Road to California. In addition to teaching and creating, Jodi designs pantograph patterns, has self-published nine machine quilting design books, and provides professional longarm quilting services to her clients.

Jodi’s favorite aspect about quilting is designing a quilt as well as the longarm quilting, especially when the quilt is pieced. She uses two small bedrooms for her quilting area.  One is her sewing room (and guest bedroom), and the other is her longarm room.

Longarm Quilting Reflection

Jodi has been a professional longarm quilter for over 19 years. Road asked Jodi to share a story about one of the most unique jobs she has had:

“One of the most difficult jobs I had was one for a decorator.  He wanted me to quilt large cross hatching on fabric for recovering a sofa, and wanted the lines of the quilting to line up with the lines on the sofa, ugh. I did tell him, that because we are working with fabric and batting (which stretches and shrinks), it would be VERY difficult to ensure that the lines would match up)  I told him I would do it, but only if he would mark the lines where he wanted them stitched (because I did not want to be responsible, if they didn’t match up, lol). He agreed to mark them, and I stitched them, just as marked … luckily you could still see his lines under my stitching, as he was not too happy, when he realized the lines (as I suspected) they did not match up perfectly.

Choosing a Longarm Quilter

Jodi was asked what the most important thing was to consider when choosing a longarm quilter. She replied, “The most important thing, when choosing a longarm quilter, is finding a quilter whose style best matches your aesthetic.”

Communication is key. Talk to the longarm quilter about your vision for the quilting and ask to see samples of their work to see if it matches your vision. Ask about the services they will provide—and those they will not – as each longarm quilter “offers different services.”

When preparing your quilt to deliver to the longarmer, Jodi said, “I think some of the most important things (to do) are to be sure that your backing fabric is nicely pressed, and at least 4 inches larger than the quilt top on all sides, as well as giving them a well pressed quilt top, with all of the excess threads trimmed from the back.”

Road looks forward to having Jodi teach at Road to California 2022.

Road@Home, Road to California’s premiere online quilt show will be utilizing the video-conferencing network, Zoom, to broadcast its show to attendees all over the world. Road is recommending all attendees get familiar with using Zoom before Road@Home starts on January 23, 2021.

What is Zoom

Zoom was founded in 2011 as a cloud-based, online chat service. In just four years, Zoom’s video-conferencing product went from being a “scrappy upstart company” to being used by tens of millions of people all around the world. Earlier in 2020, Zoom saw a significant global increase in usage due to the introduction of quarantine measures adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By using the Zoom platform, Road to California can provide a quality quilt show experience to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Be Prepared

Road wants everyone attending Road@Home to have the best experience possible. That is why it has developed “common sense guidelines” on how to use Zoom during the Show:

1. Before the Show

● To avoid technical issues, Road to California recommends having multiple devices (Computer, Tablet and Phone) and two separate internet connections (home line and cellular) to ensure that if one drops you will still be able to be in class.

● Come to class prepared with fabric cut or other pre-class work completed.

● Sharing the room number or password to anyone is prohibited. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class. Only those individuals who have paid for the class will be permitted to remain. Road will be using the waiting room function. Only registered participants will be able to enter the class.

2. During Your Class

● Be on time. Teachers will not be starting over or reteaching to late comers. No refunds will be given to late attendees.

● Cameras must be active and on during the entire class.

● Only one student per registration per device camera. Anyone caught with multiple people on a camera with a single registration, will be removed from the Zoom class and will not be eligible for a refund.

● Because all participants can be seen during the class, students are urged to dress appropriately. Casual attire “like you would to a grocery store” is suggested.

● To prevent outside disruptions, microphones must be muted unless when asking a question.

● The chat function will be enabled during the class to communicate with the teacher.  

● Teachers will only be teaching what is listed in the class description.

● Recording or use of photography during a class is prohibited.

Training

One way to become familiar with participating in a Zoom Meeting, is to take advantage of Live Training Webinars offered by Zoom. By scheduling in advance, participants can get up to speed with Zoom in less than an hour.

Prior to the start of Road@Home, Road to California will be offering its own Zoom Information Session as well as provide handouts on how to use Zoom. Road highly recommends that all guests use these tools to insure a positive online quilt class experience.   

Twenty-first Century technology has enabled Road to California to continue to offer its Best in the West quilt show during unprecedented times. Everyone working together to observe common courtesy during the Zoom classes will ensure a great experience for everyone.