Welcome to the Road to California Blog

Linda Hahn will be teaching  two classes featuring the New York Beauty Block on

Wednesday: 3005C – Feelin’ Crabby

and Thursday: 4008C – Brooklyn Blues

She will also be teaching two additional piecing classes on

Friday: 5005C – She Can Dance

and Saturday: 6006C – Purplessence

It’s no mystery that this Black Ops/CIA thrillers reading quilt teacher, Linda Hahn, has always been fascinated with the New York Beauty Block. Part of the reason she was attracted to the New York Beauty Block was that she was born in Staten Island, New York.  She credits this for why she was drawn to taking “many classes for it and was unsuccessful.” Linda usually ended up with puckers, cut off points and pieces not fitting together (with some cussing thrown in). It was one of these mistakes that led to the development of Linda’s own New York Beauty Block technique which alleviated all those past frustrations. Linda started her quilting journey in 1993 and began quilt teaching in her own shop in 1994. She likes the design and piecing process best and isn’t too fond of binding. Linda has recently discovered that she also enjoys English Paper Piecing. “Organized Chaos” is how Linda describes her home quilt space. “We recently moved to Florida from New Jersey.  In New Jersey I had the whole lower half of a bi-level home and a portion of the garage.  I had a separate room for my long arm, office and studio (that I shared with my daughter).  The garage warehoused packaged batting and product and my husband’s office for kitting and shipping.  I’ve now had to downsize to having most in one room.  I took over the master bedroom in the new house and that houses my new Innova, my sewing desk, a Sew Ezi table set up with a second machine, recliner and ironing board.  The walk in closet in the master bath houses my fabric, thread, and everything else.   We use half of the garage for my husband’s office and product storage.” Coming to Ontario, California from Palm Bay, Florida (about 175 miles north of Miami), Linda is really looking forward to getting her first In-N-Out Burger!!! What does Linda hope for all her students taking her classes? Empowerment and confidence.  As Linda shares, “You can always learn SOMETHING from each class you take.  A little bit of me, a little bit of another, and so forth, help you to develop your own style.” Linda’s Wednesday and Thursday Road 2019 classes feature her New York Beauty Block technique. She loves watching the students’ faces when they make their final trim for the New York Beauty Block and they see that they actually were able to make a perfect block! Not only is Linda Hahn qualified to teach quilt classes, she is also a licensed Zumba ® instructor. Perhaps during classroom breaks, Linda might have her class break out in some Zumba ® moves!! To learn more about Linda, please visit her website.]]>

Who/What has had a major influence on your quilting style?

For Road 2019 teacher, Valli Schiller, that would be Harriet Hargrave. When Valli started quilting 28 years ago, she lived in Colorado near Harriet’s store, Treadleworks. Through Harriet, Valli was exposed to magnificent examples of domestic machine quilting before anybody planted the idea in her mind that domestic machine quilting was hard to do. Valli taught herself to do domestic machine quilting using Harriet’s “excellent book,” Heirloom Machine Quilting as her primer. Another influence as Valli was starting out in quilting was her local quilt guild. A friend invited Valli to attend her first meeting where she immediately noticed how the guild ladies gave lots of love to people who brought show and tell and that really motivated Valli. From that point on until today, Valli is challenged and fascinated by all aspects of quilt making, especially free motion quilting. Valli’s domestic machine quilting space comprises three, small basement rooms. One room has her design wall, an ironing station, and three sewing machines. Each machine is set up with different feet and thread. This room is where her quilt tops are constructed. An adjacent room has a big cutting table and tall open bookshelves where Valli stores her ever growing fabric stash, arranged by color and type. She took over a third room when she added a sit-down, long arm machine to her “stable.”  None of the rooms have windows, however, and she misses having natural light in her “quilting cave.” But each room does have a bluetooth speaker. Valli says she is “in my happy place when I can listen to audiobooks and podcasts as I work.” Valli has been teaching domestic machine quilting since 2006. She says that her classes “are designed to be supportive settings where structure is provided, but individual creativity is encouraged. I want every student to leave my classes equipped with the all the information and inspiration they need to apply the techniques they’ve learned to future projects.” Valli will be traveling from her home in Naperville, Illinois, to teach her 3 classes at Road to California 2019:

4017C- Confetti Ninepatch on Thursday

5014C – Ruler Quilting FUNdamentals on Friday

6015C – Quilting on the Half Shell on Saturday

What does Valli hope for her students? That they each have their own “Aha!” moments when the technique that she’s teaching starts to click for them. She also looks forward to them asking their own creative “what if?” questions because then she knows “I’ve done something right.”]]>

Road to California prides itself on offering a variety of quilt classes to a variety of quilting levels, all taught by the best quilt teachers from around the world.

Scheduling quilt classes for Road 2019 began right after Road 2018 closed its doors on January 21, 2018. First, we reviewed class surveys for responses to classes just concluded. We also spent time going to other nationally known quilt shows to visit their quilt classes and meet prospective new teachers. A tentative schedule was put together in late Spring and was fine tuned before announcing class offerings in late May. In July, when registration began, we got to see right away how our planning turned out. Almost immediately, it was easy to tell which quilt classes were most popular, which were gaining interest, and which didn’t resonate well with our guests. We usually give classes 2-3 months to see how their registration is panning out before any changes are made to the schedule.  Our Show Owner, Matt Reese, makes the final decision of whether a class will be dropped or if additional units need to be added. So far, we have had to drop a few quilt classes where attendance was lacking and replace them with other quilt classes. Some of the quilt classes that were added were already being offered and the instructor agreed to teach another unit of the same class: Diane Kirkhart has added two more Millefiori technique classes.

Monday: 1019C – Millefiori, La Passacagila (This class was also offered on Thursday)

Tuesday: 2019C – Tule Nova English Paper Piecing Quilt (This class was also offered on Friday)

Modern Quilter, Mel Beach, will be teaching another of her Improvisational Piecing Classes

Friday: 5020C – Slice of Improv (This class was also offered on Wednesday)

In a few cases, we added totally new quilt classes to an existing teacher’s schedule like with Gillian Travis who is now also teaching

Friday: 5073G – Using your iPad as a Design Tool

Students will be shown simple exercises to learn how to

Enlarge or reduce a single shape or simple line drawing;

Print large images as in a design for a wall hanging;

Fun games to play;

Turn a photo into a line drawing;

Turn a photo into a water color painting;

Capture colors to help with choosing fabric;

Designing color schemes;

Turning an iPad into a light box and more.

We also had the chance to add a totally new teacher with new classes. Christina Dolinar, from Pineapple Fabrics, is offering two classes on how to use Pineapple Packs in a quilt pattern designed by Pineapple Fabrics

Monday: 1020C – Spinner using a Fran Pineapple Pack

Tuesday: 2020C – Easy Breezy using an Ellie Pineapple Pack

All of these changes have been made to ensure that our guests—and our teachers– have the best quilt class experience possible.

Have you signed up to take a quilt class yet? Do you have room in your schedule to add one of these new classes?    ]]>

The success of Road to California relies much on the good will of our volunteers. We appreciate the many hours donated to the event with unpacking the show, tagging quilts for judging, assisting on the judging floor and in the photography room, hanging the quilts on the show floor, and of course, white glove duty. When the show is over, generous volunteers help with signing out staff, taking down the quilts and packing them for shipping back to their owners

What’s a Roadie?

Roadies is what we affectionately call our volunteers. They come from all over the United States and abroad as well.  When attendees arrive at Road, especially from a long distance, they often want to fill their “free” time volunteering. One year, a French magazine editor volunteered on the judging floor so she could get a feel for how Road to California handles this enormous and important task.  There have been quilters from Australia and England who have also requested opportunities to help. 

Most of our volunteers are from the Southern California area. They volunteer year after year because they love being involved. 

Both men and women volunteer. Sometimes, a husband and wife will volunteer together. Or sometimes it is a mother introducing a daughter to something she has loved doing over the years. One woman from the Bay area meets her sister from the East Coast each year and they volunteer together.

Said one volunteer, ““Volunteering is a great way to get up close and personal with exquisite quilts and is an opportunity to interact with other quilt lovers from all over.  It is also a great way to share information with the viewing public.  Plus, it is great fun to be a part of a major quilt show.  Enthusiasm for quilting can be contagious.”

The Volunteer Advantage

Because Road to California is growing every year (in 2019 we had over 46,000 visitors!!), the need for volunteers also is growing!!

Did you know that volunteers at Road receive special perks?

Shifts for volunteering are scheduled in two-hour increments. What do Road 2019 quilt show volunteers receive for giving of their time?

• All quilt show volunteers who volunteer a minimum of 2 hours receive a multi-day admission for Road 2021.
• Volunteer a minimum of 4 hours and receive a coveted “Roadies Bar” for the official Road to California pin in addition to the 2021 multi-day admission.
• Volunteers who serve 6 or more hours, receive all of the above plus they have the option for Road 2021 Priority Registration.

Ways to serve as a Quilt Show Volunteer

• UnPacking– Help sort the contest quilts for judging on the Sunday before the show, January 19th.
• Photography– Assist show photographers as they take pictures of winning quilts on Wednesday, January 22nd.

• 

• Set-up Quilt and Special Exhibits– Get up close and personal with the many quilts on display by helping to set up the contest show quilts and other special exhibits. There are 2 days to volunteer and hours vary:

 Tuesday evening, January 21st, 4 PM – 8 PM

Wednesday, January 22nd from 8 AM – Noon and from 1 PM – 5 PM.

• White Glove Host/Hostess– These important quilt show volunteers serve as the “Front-Line,” protecting the quilts on display each day of the show. White Glove quilt show volunteers greet visitors, circulate within their assigned area, answer questions about the quilts they supervise, as well as show the back of quilts.

And lastly, Take-Down– Remove quilts from all displays on Sunday afternoon, January 26th.

Reserve Your Volunteer Space Today!

To schedule volunteer hours during your visit to Road to California 2020-25th Anniversary Show, go to Road’s On-line Volunteer Registration on our website.      

Today, Linda is best known for the quilt designs she creates. Who has given Linda valuable advice as her quilt designs have evolved? Karen McTavish. Linda says that Karen “once told me to lock myself in my studio, load your frame with practice fabric and don’t come out until you can quilt “your” freehand feathers!  A feather is as personal as your signature – no two are the same!  It’s just fabric, batting and thread.  If you don’t like it, you can toss it!  That was so freeing! I was tempted to toss the early work but saved it so I could see how I improved over time.” Peeking into Linda’s current work space, you will find items to help her wither quilt designs work: a Handi Quilter Avante with a Pro-Stitcher on a 10’ frame, a domestic machine, the HQ Stitch 710, cutting table, bookshelves, my corner desk and laptop loaded with my favorite software…HQ Pro-Stitcher Premium, Art & Stitch, and Quilt-Pro. A quilt designs teacher for the past 6 years, Linda loves the “’A-ha!’ moments when the material I am teaching clicks with the students!” Her teaching methods encourages lots and lots of advice regarding KISSing:  Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. No stress quilting is always her goal in her classes. Traveling from Massachusetts, Road to California 2019 will be Linda’s first trip to the west coast.  She is looking forward to meeting new students, seeing the amazing quilts and dipping her toes in the Pacific Ocean. Linda will be teaching two classes at Road 2019 that will give students a chance to have hands-on experience using a Handi Quilter stand-up longarm machine with their quilt designs:

Monday: 1009C – Feathers on the Half Shell

Tuesday: 2008C – Round Peg in a Square Hole

In addition, Linda will also be teaching two, half-day technology-based classes for longarm quilt designs. A wired mouse and laptop are required for each session:

Wednesday Morning: 3021G – Art & Stitch: Easy as 1 – 2 – 3 

Wednesday Afternoon: 3022G – Art & Stitch: Motifs and Creative Fills

We’re thrilled that Linda’s first visit to Southern California will be at Road to California, sharing her quilt design and technical experience to enhance longarm quilting. For more information about Linda, please visit her website. ****2019 Get Ready for Road Giveaway Entries will be accepted on this blog post January 4-7, 2019. To enter, comment below with your answer to the following question: Road to California 2019 is our 24th show. How many times have you attended Road to California in the past and do you plan to attend this year? Rules for all entries is posted on our blog here. Good luck to all who enter!!!]]>

Roadies Give Back, first launched at Road 2017. Using a quilt block designed by Road 2017 teacher, Anita Grossman Soloman, 

Roadies from around the country created and sent in hundreds of blocks that were sewn together by Roadie volunteers. Once the quilt tops were made, additional volunteers quilted the charity quilts.

In the end, 41 charity quilts were presented by Road to California to the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center at Pomona Valley Hospital to cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at the center.

Due to the success of the initial charity quilting event, Road is pleased to announce the return of Roadies Give Back at Road to California 2019.

Overseeing this upcoming charity quilting event are three long time Road Staff members: Karen Jones, Rene Hicks and Nancy Lewis. This activity is especially important to Karen and Nancy as cancer has personally touched their lives. Karen is a Breast Cancer Survivor and was recently diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Earlier this year, Nancy lost her husband to pancreatic cancer.

Karen, Rene, and Nancy first started meeting over a year ago to begin planning the Road 2019 charity quilting event. Energized from hearing Jenny Doan speak at Road 2018 about the importance of quilters giving back to their communities, they decided to use one of Missouri Star Quilt Company’s block patterns, X’s and O’s. The finished quilt that Road has adapted is 5 blocks wide and 5 blocks long. Material colors for the blocks are bright fabrics accented with Kona Black. Batting for the quilts has been donated by Mountain Mist.

Interested in being a part of this charity quilting event? Here are some ways you can participate:

Before the Show

• Make Blocks.  Make as many blocks as you can and bring them to the show. Each block takes 4 Charm Squares to make. If you can’t attend Road to California 2019, you can also mail in your blocks to our office: 1160 N. Dewey Way – Suite A, Upland, CA 91786

We have printed directions for the blocks:

Also, Missouri Star Quilt Company has made this video on how to sew their X’s and O’s quilt block:

• Register to Volunteer at Roadies Give Back #9600C. The event is taking place Saturday Night, January 26. Two rooms will be dedicated to this charity quilting activity. Sewing machines for the event are being donated by one of Road’s Sponsors, Moore’s Sewing. Volunteers will be needed to arrange quilt squares, sew squares into rows and make quilt tops. Once quilt tops are completed, quilt sandwiches need to be put together.

During the Show

• Turn in Finished Blocks. They will be collected at South Information Desk.
• Join in the Fun!! Volunteer to be one of the sorters, planners, or sewers. Many helping hands are required for this charity quilting  event!!!
•    
• Karen, Rene, and Nancy have put together swag bags for everyone who participates.
• 

There will also be raffle prizes throughout the evening. Best of all, make new quilting friends who are also dedicated to making these charity quilts.

Why is this charity quilting event so important? As Karen says, “It lets people with cancer know that a lot of people care about them, are rooting for them, are praying for them and are hoping that they get better.”

Please join us for Roadies Give Back 2019. We hope you will want to share your quilting passion for this worthwhile cause.

 

Lakeside Mystery Classes, students created Mystery Quilts working until midnight. It was a fan favorite for those who are night owl quilters that love a mystery project. For Road 2019, the name of the classes have been changed to Mountain View Mystery and are being taught by Charlotte Angotti, a professional Mystery Quilts Teacher. The overall premise for these Mystery Quilts classes haven’t changed. Students will be spending all night learning and stitching into the wee-early hours of the morning! Another fun aspect of creating these Mystery Quilts with Charlotte Angotti is that all of the supplies will be provided.  Pre-cut, laser-cut kits, designed especially for Road, are included in the price of the classes. How did Charlotte get started teaching Mystery Quilts classes? “While living in Virginia Beach, Virginia, I had a quilt shop, Quilt Works. I realized that most of the customers I had came to my shop for help picking fabric and I was pretty good at that. I also realized that by having the pieces cut out for them they could get much more done in class. I started by offering the classes from 6 pm to 6 am. (I was young and didn’t know better!) They were such a success that I had to rent space to hold the number of students wanting to do the monthly offering. When I began teaching on the national level I changed the name of the class from All Nighter to Let Me Surprise You! and the rest is history. I owned the shop from 1981-1999 and began teaching nationally in 1991.”

The more of these Mystery Quilts classes Charlotte taught, the more she enjoyed them. Since the prep work was done before the classes, it allowed Charlotte more time to meet and talk with students.  Charlotte likes to feel relaxed and sew while talking and laughing – just like her students do!!

How does Charlotte explain her teaching style? “When I was a young girl I read a book (one I can’t remember the author or title of) that told the story of a boy and the neighbor who spoke French. Each chapter introduced a new French word to the little boy and the reader. Without realizing how much he was learning he was learning the language. The last chapter was totally in French and although I couldn’t speak the language, I could read it. For a nine-year-old who didn’t like reading this was a revelation. My teaching style is a lot like that book, you are learning about color, pattern and so much more without trying.”
Is there a particular type of quilter that is best suited for this kind of Mystery Quilts class? Charlotte replied, “I think all students who have some basic understanding of quilt making fit into my classes. I won’t be with them in the finishing process, so that is the reasoning behind the intermediate level. There is no cutting, no picking of fabric and in class it is basic piecing. A perfect ¼” seam allowance is really necessary since the laser cuts the kits so accurately and this seems to be a good thing to learn in my classes.”
Once, while teaching her version of a Mystery Quilts class, Charlotte noticed that one of the students started to cry when the final quilt was revealed. After Charlotte got everyone back to sewing and pictures were taken of her and the quilt, she went over to student to find out what was upsetting her. In between sobs, the student told Charlotte that there was no way she could make that quilt. Charlotte kindly explained to her that that was exactly what she had been working on all day. “Not THAT quilt!” the girl cried. Charlotte said it took some doing, but the student finally came to terms that she actually had been working on the exact same quilt.
This story typifies what Charlotte wants her students to get out of her Mystery Quilts classes…that they can do much more than they thought they could!! In addition, Charlotte hopes that she will see her students again and again because each new class is a different project.

The Mountain View Mystery Classes are being offered Wednesday (3061G) and Thursday (4061G) evenings from 6:00 PM until 11:59 PM. Students are required to bring their own sewing machine but everything else will be provided.
If you aren’t a night owl, Charlotte will be teaching the same Mystery Quilts class during the day on Monday (1001G) from 8:30 – 3:30 PM.
Road 2019 will be Charlotte’s first-time teaching at Road. Since she has worked in California several times, she hopes to see some of her old friends plus make new friends. She has heard “only good things about the show,” and is looking forward to seeing it for herself!
To learn more about Charlotte Angotti and her Mystery Quilts, please visit her website.

Why is Road to California the ultimate friend destination?

Besides offering outstanding lectures and classes, breathtaking winning quilts, and hundreds of unique vendors that Road to California is traditionally known for, friends find lots of reasons to share a day or week together, enhancing their Road quilt show experience.

Taking A Bus Trip

How much do Candi, Maria, and Karen like Road’s Quilt Show Bus Excursions? So much that they have gone on six of them!!! They like the variety of stops the trips go to as well as seeing areas of Southern California that they don’t usually get to. Candi and Karen have known each other since second grade!! The three friends met each other in a quilting class they took in 2004. They’ve been to Road to California’s Quilt Show together nine times.

Round Robin Tips At Roundabout

Learning with friends and sharing quilt tips interests Rita, Judy and Denise. While they all sign up to sit in traditional classes and lectures at Road’s Quilt Show, they find fun at Roundabout because it gets them up and moving in 20-minute intervals. They enjoy choosing topics together that are taught by teachers and vendors they wouldn’t have run into before. Judy and Denise are married to brothers. They’ve been quilting for 27 years. Their first class was a 12-block sampler that took 12 weeks to complete. Rita is a friend of Denise’s sisters and says that Judy and Denise “adopted” her. Her first quilting class 8 years ago was at a Senior Center after she retired.

 Party Time

“Party Time is Awesome,” says Audrey, Cherie, and Sylvia. “It is a lot of fun, and the prizes are great.” This threesome has attended Party time four times. Figuring out how to dress-up is part of their fun. At Road 2018, they wore the same matching red aprons that they wore working in the Baby Loc booth at the San Diego Quilt Show. All three belong to the San Diego Quilt Guild where they go on retreats and participate in the guild’s Green Quilters group- recycling and repurposing fabric and patterns for items that are donated. They have a combined total of 30 years of quilting experience and 27 years of attending Road to California.

Modern Ideas

Where do Los Angeles sewists Ariga, Elise, and Perla find fun, support and encouragement for their new quilting hobby? By walking around viewing Road’s Quilt Show exhibits and talking with more experienced quilters. While they see a lot of traditional quilting ideas, Perla commented she liked seeing more Modern designs and quilters at Road 2018. A quilter for 6 years, Elise commented how she appreciated the inspiration she found at the show. Together, they share ideas on how to get creative with all the fabric choices.

Are you wanting to add to your Road to California Quilt Show experience with these fun quilt show activities? Sign up for these events on our website.        ]]>