the Reese family knows that it takes many dedicated employees to insure the show remains the best quilt show in the West. Most of our staff have been working with the show for many years. They keep coming back because they love sharing their love of quilting with the thousands of people who attend the show through their contributions behind the scenes. 
Cathy Norell was Road’s first employee outside of the Reese Family. She started with the show in 1991 when it was housed at the original Marriott Hotel on Holt Boulevard. At the time, Road to California consisted of only a few classes. By its third year, Cathy remembers, it had grown to a full show offering not only classes but vendors and even a fashion show. Cathy started out helping with registration and has for many years worked with the vendors, personally greeting them every day, making sure they have everything they need for a successful show. She says that she really looks forward to seeing the vendors each year. They have become “like family to me.” A quilter for over 70 years, her favorite quilts are the ones “that can be dragged around and loved.” 
Traditional quilters Patti McCormick and Karen Jones, have become familiar faces to guests in the main hallway as they assist with registration and information.
Patti has worked with Road for 18 years helping with buses, classes, and registration. At Road 2018, she was in charge of checking people in, helping them with their packets, and answering general information. Her favorite part of Road is seeing the show come all together and meeting people from many places with many different quilt interests.
Stationed at the North Registration desk, Karen not only answered questions and gave directions during Road 2018, she helped guests with their entries to the daily giveaways. Seeing the excitement of the guests is one of Karen’s favorite things about the show. In addition, Karen really gets in to the spirit of the show with her quilt jewelry. 
Husband and wife, Rae and Michael, are both quilters and are both part of Road’s staff. Rae is busy before the show even starts, checking in the vendors when they arrive to set up. 
Michael also helps with setting up the vendor floor. During the show, he is busy offering support for the classrooms.
Rae says that working for Road is “fun” and that she enjoys getting to know the people behind the scenes.
We appreciate these and many more diligent staffers who truly make the difference in helping us present a quality show.
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Welcome to the Road to California Blog
Our Staff Make The Difference
February 2nd, 2018Everyone Loves A Winner
January 30th, 2018 before Road 2018, we sponsored a 10-day Daily Giveaway. Each day, from January 3 through January 12, entries were collected from comments on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. One comment was randomly selected per day as the winner. The Grand Prize winner was chosen on the last day: Erica from Chino, California. She said she entered the giveaway every day on Instagram. When she found out she had won, she was both “shocked” and “excited” as she jumped for joy. Erica won 4 tickets to the show; 4 passes to Jenny Doan’s Trunk Show on Friday night; and for Saturday, lunch for 4 plus registration in 2 classes: Blooming Dresdens taught by Lee Chappell Monroe and Goodbye UFO’s—Hello New Projects taught by Pat Yamin.
A young mom with two children ages 11 and 2, Erica has been to Road 4 times. She says it’s her “escape.” “I love coming here and seeing everything. I get so inspired.” Erica has been quilting since 2009 and says she often hears, “You’re too young to be quilting!!” Her best friend’s grandmother taught her how to quilt. Recently, Erica has gotten her daughter started in quilting because she wants to pass on her legacy of quilting.
During the show, we gave away several sewing machines for our Daily Drawings. Guests entered their names into a big gold drum located at the North Registration Desk. In order to receive their prize, winners had to be present at the show. If they weren’t in the immediate vicinity of the drawing, they had 15 minutes to claim their prize.
Thursday’s winner was Debbie Johnson from Montclair, California. She won a Brother Disney Innovis Sewing and Embroidery Machine donated by Moore’s Sewing. Debbie has attended Road over 10 times and was in a class (her third of the week!) when she received the phone call that she had won. Debbie said winning the machine was “the perfect ending to my day.”
Something new for 2018 was that there were two drawings held on Friday and Saturday. At 11:30 AM on Friday, a Bernina “Simply Red” 215 donated by Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center, was won by Sylvia Corbin of San Diego, California. She and three friends had attended Party Time the night before and was on a lunch break from Jenny Doan’s class when she heard her name called.
You could hear Sylvia screaming down the main hallway as she ran to collect her prize. Sylvia loves Bernina sewing machines (this prize made it her 4th Bernina) and loves the quilting community.
On Friday afternoon, Myles Eakes of Phelan, California was getting his lunch at nearby Victoria Gardens when he received the phone call that he had won. “Shocked” that he had won, Myles raced back to the Ontario Convention Center, without breaking any traffic laws, but did have to double-park in order to make the 15-minute deadline!!!
Myles is a hand-sewer and is currently designing a quilt featuring golf flags. He came to the show with his wife and mother- both quilters. At first, they did not believe he had won; after all, he was supposed to be getting his lunch so they took their time meeting up with him. Boy were they surprised when they saw him standing with his Janome M7200 donated by Moore’s Sewing!!
On Saturday morning, it took three tries before Denine Moriarity of Valley Center, California, was able to claim her prize, a Baby Lock Katherine, donated by Moore’s Sewing. When she heard that the second person drawn wasn’t present to win, Denine said to herself, “The next one will be me!!” She was “amazed” to win and thought the machine was just “awesome.”
A quilter for 15 years, Denine came to Road 2018 with her sisters. She took two classes and loved the inspiration.
Irene Towler of Hollister, California, won the Saturday afternoon drawing, a Viking Tribute 145 donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum. Road 2018 was Irene’s first time at the show. She commented on the quilts on display saying that they were “the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen. Irene has been quilting “forever” and is a founding member of The Pinnacle Quilters in San Benito County.
The final drawing was held Sunday afternoon where Georgann Bradenburg was the “happy” winner of a Martelli Premier Work Station. 
It’s always fun to see the surprise, joy, and gratitude of Road drawing winners.
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Road 2018 Special Exhibit: Red & White Quilting, An Iconic Tradition
January 26th, 2018 Red & White Quilting, An Iconic Tradition.
Red & White Quilts have been popular for over three centuries of quilt making and have been a staple since the mid nineteenth-century. Red & White quilts are bold, graphic and eye-catching and are the most iconic color combination in quilting. The exhibit highlighted this tradition celebrated in Linda Pumphrey’s newest book, Red and White Quilting an Iconic Tradition in 40 Blocks. The book features instructions for 40 blocks and 14 projects. Each project has three variations shown so readers can decide which version they want to make.
A total of fourteen quilts hung in the exhibit, highlighting the versatility of a two-color quilt. Eleven of the quilts came from Linda’s book and the other three came from the International Quilt Study Center & Museum located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln which were used as inspiration for some of the new quilt designs in the book.
The production of the quilts used for the book and the exhibit, were actually a “Pumphrey Family affair.” Linda’s mother and sister each made one of the projects and the rest were made by Linda. Linda said that she “set out to develop new quilt patterns that were little on the modern aesthetics, definitely contemporary but yet classical with using very tradition blocks.” All of the quilts were quilted by Karen Kielmeyer who also did the quilting for the Special Exhibit seen at Road 2017, “Mountain Mist Historical Quilts.”
Road to California 2018 was the first place Red & White Quilting, An Iconic Tradition has been shown. After Road, the exhibit will be on tour at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expos throughout the country in 2018. In addition, the quilts and the book will be featured on an upcoming segment of “The Quilt Show” with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.
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Road 2018 Was A Huge Success!!
January 24th, 2018How to describe Road to California 2018?
The sun was shining. 
Teachers and their classes were creating.
The vendor floors were busy.
Guests kept coming.
And best of all, the quilts were amazing!!!
[caption id="attachment_5489" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Best of Show, “Fractal,” by Claudia Pfeil[/caption]
Not only was Jenny Doan, of Missouri Star Quilt Company, a popular teacher…
…her Trunk Show was inspiring.
Road’s Founder, Carolyn Reese, was honored by the Ontario Convention Center’s President and CEO, Michael Krause, for being a loyal business partner to the City of Ontario, the Convention Center, and the Community.
The new App, QuiltSpace, was enjoyed by thousands of users. The winner of the App’s Quilter Choice Award went to “Your Place or Mine” by Marva-lee Otos. She received $500 for receiving the most votes from the App users.
[caption id="attachment_5488" align="aligncenter" width="482"]
“Your Place or Mine,” by Marva-lee Otos[/caption]
And Road’s new owner, Matt Reese, still found time to give 5 month old son, Braden, a tour of the show.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making Road 2018 “The Happening Place to Be.”
We can’t wait to start planning next year’s show!!
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Returning Quilts Safe and Sound
January 22nd, 2018Why do our guests come to our show?
Some come for the vendors. Some come for the classes. Some come to see friends. But everyone comes for the quilts.
Show quilts accepted for our annual contest and for special exhibits begin arriving at our office in December. The quilts are meticulously logged in and stored until the Sunday before the show when they are moved to the Ontario Convention Center for judging and displaying.
When the show closes on Sunday at 3:30 PM, dismantling the many quilt displays begins immediately. Each quilt is removed by white-gloved volunteers and carefully stored until the next day, when the process for packaging and shipping begins.
Other large shows can take up to a month to return their show quilts to the makers. At Road to California, we pride ourselves in developing a process where over 1,000 quilts are readied for pick-up by FedEx by Monday afternoon following the show.
Show Owner, Matt Reese, personally oversees the packing and shipping of the quilts. “I am 100% directly responsible for this special task,” commented Matt. “I do not delegate this responsibility to any of our staff. Through the years, I have retained full oversight even when I was in law school and even when I was sick.”
Matt has spent the past four years perfecting Road’s packing and shipping method. His goal is to have the job done as quickly as possible without compromise. Matt says using computers, having multiple packing stations, and hand-picked volunteers make the difference.
Road 2018 Teacher Pat Yamin of Come Quilt With Me, stays in California an extra day after the show so she can help volunteer with the process. 
Each quilt has a return instruction sheet completed by its owner that accompanies it throughout the 5-step Shipping and Packaging Process:
Step 1- Expediting
Step 2- Packaging
A volunteer folds the quilt as it was originally received, per the owner’s direction, and puts it in a plastic bag to protect it against any possible insect or water damage in shipping.
The quilt is then placed in a brand-new box that matches the dimensions requested by the owner. These boxes are put together on site and are filled with acid-free packing paper to avoid movement of the quilt during shipping.
Occasionally, when a quilt is received, the owner asks to have it returned in the box they provided. In those cases, Road holds on to the boxes until final shipment. And sometimes two quilts are returned to the same owner in the same box.
Step 4-Weighing
Step 4-Computer Station
Step 5-Sealing and Mailing
We know there is a a lot of trust in us and our system by the quilters. We take pride that we can assure them that they should be receiving their quilts safe and sound by the end of the week.
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What's New For Road 2018
January 16th, 2018We have lots of new and exciting things for our guests at Road to California 2018
Already announced is the change in company leadership with Matt Reese as the new Show Owner.
Also previously announced is our new App– QuiltSpace. Guests are encouraged to upload the App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store before coming to the show so they can become familiar with it and bring any questions to the QuiltSpace Booth at the show.
Security has always been a high priority for Road. As in past years, there will be a special security detail to protect vendors from shoplifters and other other undesirable activity. A private ambulance service is hired by the Convention Center to assist guests with any medical needs they might have during the four days of the show. They are located at four stations in the Convention Center: under the stairs in the south lobby; in the pavilion tent; in the main hallway and in the north lobby. For 2018, due in part to the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, the Ontario Convention Center will be instituting new security protocol that includes each guest going through a metal detector and having their bags checked. 
Also, no outside food or drink (except water) will be allowed inside the Convention Center.
Road to California hosts a booth inside the main Exhibit Hall, stocked with all kinds of show merchandise. These items are moderately priced for our guests and they make terrific souvenirs to take home to guild friends or fellow quilters.
Gray Sweatshirts and Lanyards 
Denim Shirts
Canvas Bags
For 2018, the bags are ready for guests to personalize and make them their own.
5X7 Rotary Cutting Mats
Glass Nail Files
They carry the Road to California logo
and come in 5 colors.
Be sure to stop by the Road to California Booth to pick up these and other unique items.
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The New and Improved Road to California App
January 13th, 2018
For Road 2018, QuiltSpace offers many helpful features. From anywhere on the App, users can swipe left to explore the show schedule and create their own custom schedule to make sure they don’t miss any important classes or events.
Under the tab Who’s Here on the Home Page of the App, guests can see who else is using the App as well as browse through the vendor list. Built-in maps to locate vendor and class locations can be found when clicking on a particular vendor or teacher’s class. The + tab allows users to share photos to the news feed, providing a digital yearbook of the show’s greatest moments and memories.
How do you find QuiltSpace to use on your portable electronic device? Search for “QuiltSpace” in Apple’s App Store or on Android’s Google Play. Or you can use the developer’s safe and easy download link: https://n463d.app.goo.gl/rRRY Whatever way you choose, the App is FREE!!!
After the App is downloaded to your phone or tablet, sign up for QuiltSpace using your email address and click on Road to California. Once you’re in, you can access the show schedule, explore vendors, and share photos to the exclusive Road to California news feed. It’s that easy!
Because Road to California was the first quilt show the developers ever attended, it has a special place in their heart. As a result, they’re bringing their entire team to Road 2018 to assist guests in navigating the new App. You can find them at the QuiltSpace booth or email them at team@quiltspace.co with your questions. 
The developers are confident they are providing Road’s guests with a great tool to help enjoy the show even more. As an incentive to encourage use of the App, they are offering 2 competitions for users to participate in that offer cash prizes:
Most Engaged User
Each day, Thursday – Saturday, the most engaged attendee on the App will be rewarded with $100 CASH! Announcements will be given each morning on QuiltSpace for details on what the challenge is for that day.Quilter’s Choice Award
Pictures of the more than 200 quilts accepted for this year’s quilt contest will be added to the App when the show starts. Users will be asked to vote for their favorite winning quilt. On Saturday, January 20th, the quilt with the most votes will be unveiled and will receive a $500 grand prize! Use of the QuiltSpace App doesn’t stop when Road 2018 comes to an end on January 21st. It will continue to be a resource for staying in touch with vendors, faculty, and other guests through picture sharing and online chats. And because QuiltSpace was created to be a welcoming space for quilters to engage with each other from one show to the next, look for other shows to be added to the App in the future. While Road to California hopes its guests find QuiltSpace a welcomed tool for fully participating with the show, we also realize that some guests might still prefer a printed Show Guide. For that reason, a limited supply of Show Guides will be available at Road 2018 for $3.00. Guests can also download a copy for their use at http://www.road2ca.com/Newsletter/2018%20SHOW%20GUIDE.pdf See you online at QuiltSpace!!]]>So You Think You Know Jenny Doan of Missouri Star?
January 10th, 2018Missouri Star Quilt Company, teach a couple of quilt classes during the week and offer her popular Trunk Show on Friday Night.
Are you familiar with Jenny Doan? Superfans of Jenny’s might think they know everything about her. But we asked Jenny some unique and unusual questions that you might be surprised to learn her answers.
What do you like best about living in a small town (Hamilton, Missouri – Population 1,724) I love that there is no traffic! Also it is so nice to live in a town where everyone knows your name and watches out for each other. You also can’t beat the friendliness of our town!
Missouri Star is made up of several themed buildings. Which one is Jenny’s favorite? I would have to say Penneys. It is our most colorful shop with all the solid fabric you could ever want! I love color!
It’s all about family at Missouri Star, a family owned and run business. Jenny’s children and their spouses play major roles with Missouri Star. What about the next generation? The Doans currently have 21 grandchildren, ages 7-20 years old with one on the way, a baby boy coming this May. Jenny is a You Tube star!!
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What is the hardest part of filming her show? To be honest, the hardest thing about filming is to only share 1 idea. I can see countless ideas in each tutorial I film. I see it doing so many things.
Has she had an embarrassing moment when filming? I feel like my calling in life is to do something to embarrass my children. lol But that aside, I would say one of those moments was when the puff foam part of my microphone popped off and I couldn’t find it anywhere! Luckily, I learned long ago to laugh and just go with it!
Missouri Star Quilt Company sells lots of quilting and sewing supplies. What is Jenny’s favorite sewing tool? The Splash rotary cutter. I love that you can use it with either hand and it has a quick blade release. I don’t like cutter with scissors.
As a classroom teacher, what does Jenny want for her students? I will be teaching them to ask themselves… WHAT HAPPENS IF… I want them to try to think out of the box and start having fun creating.
Road 2018 will be Jenny’s first time at the show. What is she most looking forward to? Sunshine
What can Missouri Star fans be looking forward to in 2018? We will be opening 2 NEW SHOPS in Hamilton!!
At the end of the day, what is Jenny’s favorite treat? I have 2 favorite treats. The first is frozen grapes. I love to pluck them off, pop them in the freezer and have them ready to pull out and eat. The second would be almost a daily favorite that my husband makes for me. Sugar Free Cook and Serve chocolate pudding!
Tickets are going fast for Jenny’s Trunk Show. Remaining tickets are available at the Registration Desk at the Ontario Convention Center or at the door of the event.
Meet Road 2018 Ruby Sponsors
January 6th, 2018Road 2018 has 13 Ruby Sponsors. To be at this third level of sponsorship, (our platinum sponsor, Gammill, is the highest level), an organization donates $2,250. Their generous contribution goes toward prize money for the quilt show contest as well as help fund other aspects of the event. Some Ruby Sponsors will also have a vendor booth on the main floor while many will have their products available with retailers at the show.
The Ruby Sponsors for 2018 are:
This Swiss, family owned company, has been celebrating creativity for 125 years. To celebrate their anniversary year, Bernina has created a gold-plated special edition presser foot, available after March 1.
Brother International has more than 100 years of history in the global sewing industry. They’ve been a leader in the US for more than 60 years, offering a diverse lineup of machines with industry-first, exclusive features. Their motto is “Explore, learn and remember — being creative isn’t a hobby; it’s a way of life!”
Since around 1940, the Elna trademark has always symbolized quality, innovation and service. Today, Elna continues to build the company with these three elements as the foundation. Elna is a growing company committed to bringing excellence to our customers and our international distribution network. Elna is active in more than 60 countries, throughout the world.
The need for change inspired their beginning. They began as a royal arms factory in Huskvarna, Sweden in 1689. Almost two centuries later in 1872, facing declining demand for firearms, the artisans of the factory were inspired to make a more peaceful product—sewing machines. Today, Husqvarna Viking® is a worldwide organization that still designs high-quality sewing machines in Sweden and markets our products to passionate sewers all across the globe.
Innova longarm machines are manufactured by ABM International, a three generation family owned and operated business near Houston Texas and are engineered to meet the most discerning quilter’s needs. Based on a long term commitment to excellence, ABM International offers a full array of high quality quilting machinery.
Martelli Enterprises is an international company based in Pensacola, Florida. They make tools, equipment, work stations and machines for sewing, quilting, and embroidery. For over 20 years, they have provided quilters and other sewing and crafting enthusiasts with the tools and accessories to pursue their art and express themselves.
Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine is published quarterly – February, May, August and November — and offers quilt, accessory and home decoration patterns by exciting new designers. The publication also includes interviews with quilting innovators, machine quilting tips and quilts and projects.
In business since 1991, they have four locations in Southern California: Buena Park, Fullerton, Irvine and Garden Grove. They carry high quality sewing, embroidery and quilting machines and sergers and offer a variety of sewing and quilting classes for all levels.
Known for their Original IDT™ System – Integrated Dual Feed, their quilting, sewing, and embroidery machines provide tools for creativity and precision.
Best known for their Pineapple Packs: precut fabric collections that include 5 coordinated, quilt quality fabrics that make sewing projects a breeze. Pineapple Fabrics is an e-commerce business.
A well known Southern California quilt shop with an old fashioned look, they feature the nation’s largest selection of reproduction fabrics, homespuns, Japanese fabrics, and their own beautiful hand dyed wools. They also carry a wide variety of cotton or wool kits, notions,and all the supplies for punch needle embroidery.
Creator of Kona cotton solids, Robert Kaufman is a dual focused company, with an equally held commitment to both the Manufacturing and Quilting Retail customer. They operate two separate design studios, each one generating fabrics specific to the quilting and manufacturing customer.
A direct merchant with a passion for designing, sourcing and distributing exquisite batik and hand dyed fabrics. Their fabrics are only sold on their website, at local, regional and national quilt shows, and through their ever-growing relationships with professional longarm/machine quilters around the world.
Please support our Ruby Sponsors by stopping by their booths and/or investigating their products.
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Daily Giveaways Leading Up To Road 2018
January 2nd, 2018 
We are excited to be giving away over $90,000 in prize money for the winning quilts in our quilt contest; to be offering over a hundred classes taught by exceptional faculty; and to open our vendor mall with over 225 international and nationally known retailers.
We want all of our dedicated and supportive followers to get just as excited as we are for Road to California 2018. So, as we count down the days to the show’s opening, we’re going to be offering a daily giveaway from January 3rd through January 12th. Daily prizes have been generously donated from some of our wonderful 2018 teachers and vendors and include quilt patterns, DVD’s, books, embroidery design, and kits. The final prize to be offered – THE GRAND PRIZE – will be:
Entering is easy. Simply follow our Road to California Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/road2ca and our Instagram Account @road2ca every day to see what we are offering. Then, simply comment on the Facebook Post and the Instagram Post as directed. All comments entered by midnight each day will be counted and a winner will be chosen using Random Number Generator. Notification of each winner will be given the following day. The GRAND PRIZE winner will be notified January 13th. Good luck to everyone who enters.
Join the fun and get excited!!!
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