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Party Time and Roundabout

June 27th, 2016

These two after-hours, extremely popular events, usually sell out pretty quick.

Party Time

Carolyn Reese, owner of Road to California, started this fun, evening activity as a way for guests to unwind after a long day of classes, shopping, and quilt admiring.

Party Time is a two hour extravaganza including games, food, and over a hundred prizes to give out, donated by vendors at the show. For the past 10 years, the event has also hosted an unlimited chocolate fountain for the attendees. Guests sit at round tables with seating for 10. At Road 2016, when everyone arrived, they received a playing card. The first game was for everyone at each table to combine their cards to make the best poker hand. Everyone at the winning table received a prize. [caption id="attachment_4116" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Throughout the night, new games were introduced and played either individually (like What’s in your purse?) or as a table group (Pass the fat quarters right and left) or as the entire room (Last Quilter Standing) In between the games, the MC tells a joke or two to liven up the room – as if it isn’t already lively enough!! [caption id="attachment_4118" align="aligncenter" width="720"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Charlotte Freeman has been attending Party Time for 21 years. In 2016, she brought face masks for everyone who sat her table.

These four friends meet up at Road every year. All quilters, they come from Utah, Colorado and California. At Party Time, they wore pink crowns. They all agreed, “Road is so fun!!”

Roundabout

Held on Friday night, Roundabout is a great way to learn from Road’s expert faculty and vendors, especially if you weren’t able to get in to one or all of their classes. [caption id="attachment_4120" align="aligncenter" width="687"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Run by Carolyn Reese’s quilt guild, the Night Owls Quilt Guild, guests rotate every 10 minutes between over 20 stations. Teachers share information about products and techniques. A few of the centers also give hands-on demonstrations. [caption id="attachment_4121" align="aligncenter" width="615"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] At the end of the night, items featured at each of the stations are available for purchase. It’s a great way to get some shopping done without the crowds on the show floor. If you are looking for a fun way to meet new friends or unwind with your favorite quilt friends, Party Time and Roundabout might just be what you are looking for!! ]]>

Tags: Quilt Activity, Quilt Show Fun
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So You Want to Make A Winning Quilt? Road 2016 Best Traditional Quilt

June 23rd, 2016

The Paisley Peacock was made and quilted by Bethanne Nemesh. Bethanne won $5,000 for Outstanding Traditional Quilt from Janome.

While both of Bethanne Nemesh’s grandmothers made quilts, quilting for Bethanne was largely a process of self-discovery. Her mother didn’t quilt, but she did sew and Bethanne remembers “truly hat(ing) the fabrics from my youth. The late 1970’s and 1980’s calicos did not do much to inspire a young artist.” It was when Bethanne went to college and met a fiber artist who did hand dying and printmaking that she realized she didn’t have to tolerate what the stores had to offer. Later, when she moved to Pennsylvania with the rich quilting culture there, Bethanne really took off with her quilting.

Paisley Peacock was inspired by a henna tattoo that Bethanne got at the beach one summer; the tattoo had swirling paisley designs. She was also inspired by a rich ribbon edged sari fabric from India. The quilt took close to 200 quilting hours, but that only tells a part of the story. The design time for the quilt was also significant, but most of her work was with the edge treatment. Bethanne is known for doing specialty edges on her quilts. The handmade edge for Paisley Peacock is a combination of beads enclosed in a sleeve of fabric and individually made tabs placed carefully around the quilt. The edge itself took an additional 150 hours to complete.

Bethanne was “quite surprised” that Paisley Peacock won one of the top prizes at Road 2016. Winning Outstanding Traditional Quilt was an enormous honor for her, “especially since a huge number of entries at the show were traditional.” What did Bethanne do with her prize money? In August 2016, Bethanne sustained a hip injury that required extensive surgery. She is still not fully recovered and so trying to maintain her 2,500 square foot front yard garden of perennials has been challenging. Winning this prize allowed her to hire a professional landscaper to design and execute a drastic –yet still beautiful– scaled down version of her front garden. After achieving this honor, Bethanne hopes to continue to push herself creatively making meaningful show quilts. She is currently working on two quilts that she really feels strongly about. Bethanne also hopes to travel and teach at a west coast show in the near future. ]]>

Tags: Bethanne Nemesh, Fiber Artist, Outstanding Traditional Quilt, Pennsylvania Quilting
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Date Time At Road To California

June 20th, 2016

Road to California is a great place for husbands and wives to discover together.

Jim and Trudy West are from Oro Grande, California. They were spotted wearing their matching Harley Davidson t-shirts at Road 2016– another joint hobby of theirs. Trudy is the quilter in their family; Jim is the ripper-outer. Trudy has been quilting since she was a child. She made her first quilt around 8-9 years old. She quilts all kinds of patterns and also makes quilts for charity causes like Susan J. Komen Foundation, Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, and the Salvation Army. Trudy has been to Road 10 times. As a couple, they have been twice. Says Jim, “It’s always fun to see what Trudy is quilting.”

Brenda and Jeff Daniels attend Road for the entire week, taking classes and especially enjoying the camaraderie and new friends they meet at Party Time. Brenda has been quilting for over 50 years. She took 5 classes at Road 2016. Jeff is learning how to do longarm quilting on his new machine and took four classes at Road 2016. Jeff commented, “Road is organized and put together really well. I like the classes.”

Lee and Ginger Ashworth have been attending Road for the past 7 years from Beaverton, Oregon. It is a tradition they both enjoy. They both like looking at the quilts on display. Ginger is the quilter in the family and Lee says he is their driver to Road. They usually spend two days at the show. Their favorite Road memory was the Route 66 Exhibit. Coincidentally, they were traveling on Route 66 that same year, so the exhibit really was meaningful for them.

Ed Dong and Linda Nakamura are from San Diego, California and have lived in the Far East while Ed was serving as a Foreign Diplomat. While there, they attended the Tokyo International Quilt Show. Road 2016 was Linda’s third time visiting Road and Ed’s first time. He said he was there to be the “driver and bag carrier.” Linda has been quilting for 20 years and calls herself a “utility quilter,” making quilts for family and friends. Linda appreciated how big of a show Road was and loved admiring the many quilts on display. Will we be seeing you and your spouse at Road 2017? ]]>

Tags: Husbands who like quilting, Loma Linda Children's Hospital, Longarm Quilting, Route 66. Route 66 Quilt Exhibit, Salvation Army, Susan J. Komen, Wives who like quilting
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Road 2016's Top Modern Quilt

June 14th, 2016

Modern Mojo Two was made and quilted by Linda M. Thielfoldt of Troy, Michigan. Linda received a $5,000 award for Best Modern Quilt from sponsor Riley Blake Designs.When Linda Thiefoldt was 12 years old, she tried her hand at quilting for the first time. Her sister was having a baby and Linda wanted to make her a quilt. It was an original design and tied with embroidery floss. Her winning quilt at Road 2016 has come a long way from that first simple quilt.

Modern Mojo Two was very special to Linda. She had a bad ski crash and broke her ankle and shoulder. It was very painful and she couldn’t quilt or sew for 6 months. It was a full 10 months before she was done with physical therapy. There was a point where she thought she might never be able to machine quilt again. It was a very dark time for her. Modern Mojo Two was the first quilt Linda made after her physical therapy where she felt like she was back. She had a lot of charity quilt practice but she felt her quilting was pretty awful due to her limited range of motion. Linda was fearful that she might never get back to competitive quilting again. It took a long time as she could only quilt for an hour or so a day due to the lingering pain. The quilt was in the machine for 4 months. Linda learned “that you have to make the most of every day and push harder through adversity. Had I given up, which trust me I wanted to on many days, this quilt would have never come to fruition. It was a very humbling and soul searching time where I had only my faith to rely on. The thought of losing something so central to my life was very scary.”

The winning design was most influenced by the white fabric with the different sized dots she found. She had previously drawn out the stripes in the layout and was planning on doing some quilting in the background “white” space in a grid type format. But when she found that one print with the “spikey circle things,” the design changed and the spikes and circles really took center stage.

When Linda found out her quilt had won, she was “beyond thrilled.” Linda said, “I live in Michigan and I’m sure if you had been paying attention, you could have heard me squeal all the way to California. I was stunned that this quilt which has so much meaning for me was chosen for this award and to make it to the “top tier” of awards was such a welcome. I have been competing a long time and have been blessed to have won many ribbons but this one by far has the most meaning to me.” Linda used some of her prize money to pay off the balance on her embroidery machine and set the rest aside for a future longarm machine.

What is next for this modern quilt winner? Working on another modern quilt, of course. Even though she has been a traditional quilter all her life, Linda has found that she is most inspired by the open and negative space that is such a huge part of modern quilts. Linda plans to keep the same name, developing a series: Modern Mojo One, Modern Mojo Two…..stay tuned.

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Tags: Linda Thiefoldt, Modern Quilting, Winning Quilt
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So You Want To Make A Winning Quilt – Road 2016 Outstanding Innovative Quilt

June 9th, 2016

Really ‘Wild’ Flowers! Third Season was made and quilted by Sharon L Schlotzhauer of Monument, Colorado. She won $5,000 from sponsor, SewBatik.

Sharon Schlotzhauer has always loved fabric. She had done occasional garment sewing and fabric-related crafts from her teens into adulthood.

Sharon began quilting in 2000 shortly after “inadvertently’ watching a portion of Eleanor Burns, Quilt-In-A-Day program one Saturday morning. (Truthfully, Sharon was actually waiting for a different program to come on and had tuned in a bit early) Sharon thought that Eleanor made quilting look so fun and had made such a beautiful block, that her interest was piqued. After that initial introduction, Sharon started tuning in each Saturday morning and eventually became hooked. Prior to that chance encounter, she had had no interest in either quilts or quilting! The inspiration for Really ‘Wild’ Flowers! came from Sharon wanting to do something dimensional and unusual. Ever since she began making art/wall quilts in 2004, she has worked in dimension and embellishment in some way. This quilt is the newest in her ‘Wild’ Flowers! series which began in 2008 with a smaller Robert Kaufman challenge quilt. The three larger, “Really ‘Wild’ Flowers! ‘Seasons’ quilts began in 2009. All the ‘wild’ flower quilts are different but similar to each other and the flowers have evolved in different shapes and forms. The required commonality is the dimensional open-centered flowers, which to Sharon’s knowledge is uniquely her own. The idea for each quilt comes with a thought, a sketch, and what she imagines that she can do to make the next quilt a little more interesting. [caption id="attachment_4088" align="aligncenter" width="406"]

Really ‘Wild’ Flowers! Second Season – 62″ x 65″
went missing in November 2011 in Houston, Texas.
There is a reward for its safe return[/caption] Sharon spent a little under 400 hours in 2015 working on this quilt. (Her second “Season” quilt took 700 hours!!) Every competition quilt Sharon makes is a learning process as she attempts to create a more interesting or more innovative element with each consecutive one. What did Sharon think when she found out she won Outstanding Innovative Quilt at Road 2016? “I was absolutely stunned for a few moments – and then filled with incredible excitement!! I had to read the email twice to be sure I didn’t misunderstand it! I never take any award of any size, at any show, for granted. I’m always grateful, and it’s a blessing for me when my work is given recognition by judges or viewers alike.” What does Sharon plan to do next with her quilting? She wants to continue to” follow my interest and my heart.” Sharon plans to keep on making show and competition quilts along with benefit and personal/gift quilts in between. There are two more pieces to her ‘Wild’ Flowers! series that are currently drafted and waiting to be made. Making miniatures is also an increasing interest for Sharon – usually hand-appliqued landscapes. Sharon says that she loves detail and enjoys working in small scale. To learn more about Sharon and her work, please visit her website. ]]>

Tags: Art Quilts, Eleanor Burns, Miniature Quilts, Quilt in a Day, Robert Kaufman, SewBatik, Sharon Schlotzhauer
Posted in Winning Quilts | 1 Comment »

Quilting Is For Millennials Too

June 4th, 2016

27 year old Brittany Williams attended Road with her mom, Charlotte. They live in Riverside, California and both mom and daughter are quilters. They belong to the Raincross Quilt Guild in Riverside who told them about the show. Brittney had been quilting for about 6 months when she and her mom attended their first Road to California. It was Charlotte and a friend of Brittany’s that encouraged Brittany to start quilting. Quilting was a natural activity for Brittany as she was already used to doing handiwork like knitting and crocheting. She loves quilting and has already made 7 quilts including a nine patch and a disappearing nine patch. “When I grow up, I want to be a quilter,” Brittany remarked. Melissa Ratzloff, 32, got her start in quilting nine years ago when she went to visit her mom while she was working on a quilt for Melissa. While her mom was at work, Melissa thought she could work on the quilt – even though she knew nothing about quilting. One year, Melissa attended a judging for a Hoffman Challenge and ended up helping out at the event. That led to Melissa curating for the Hoffman Challenge for the following two years. Melissa is in to art quits now utilizing graphics. For Melissa, “quilting is a release for stress.” She is a teacher during the day and at night, she likes to take fabric and put it together in an interesting way to make something beautiful. Melissa has attended Road all nine years she has been quilting. What does she like best about quilting? “You can stop and come back to it” in-between kids and work. Kim came from Simi Valley, California with her grandmother and mom. She is a third generation quilter who was drawn to quilting by the math process involved. She has made a large quilt and 2 wall hangings. A student at Pierce College, she is studying to become a veterinarian technician. Quilting relaxes her between school and work. “It’s a nice break,” said Kim. Road 2016 was her third time at the show. She thinks Road is “awesome” and found the winning entries “mind blowing.” ]]>

Tags: Hoffman Challenge, Millennial Quilters, Youth Quilters
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Meet Road 2016 Vendor: ADORNit

June 1st, 2016

Adornit-9 In 1985, Carolee was just 23 years old and a new mom when she started her first business promoting decorative or “tole” painting. She taught classes and created patterns for tole painting books published by Provo Craft. When a set of twins arrived, Carolee started self-publishing her own books. As her family grew, Carolee was a stay-at-home mom who kept her small business going by continuing to write books. She tried to attend two conventions a year to meet her customers and outreach with her products. When her last child was born in 1995, Carolee became a pioneer in the new trend of scrapbooking. She noticed that there wasn’t any clip art available to embellish photographs of special events in a person’s life. So, using her folk art background, she created a CD-Rom of scrapbooking clip art. This led to starting her own scrapbook paper line, Carolee’s Creations. Her designs and concepts revolutionized the scrapbook industry and eventually included stationary products as well. In 2004, Carolee wanted to get back in to the soft market with her art and began licensing fabrics along with her paper products. Incorporating words onto both paper and fabric has been very popular. Says Carolee, “People want the inspiration that words give.” Today, Carolee employs three of her daughters in the ADORNit business. Georganna serves as president overseeing sales; Alison is a designer; and Jackie works part time making samples. They continue to show how young women can add to their family’s income while pursuing a creative outlet. ADORNit uses trade shows to outreach to the public, letting them know who they are, what they represent and that they have good ideas. ADORNit’s future plans include expanding their fabric line while staying hip, relevant, and trendy in the design world. To learn more about ADORNit, please visit their website. ]]>

Tags: ADORNit, Decorative Painting, Licensing fabrics, Scrapbook Paper, Tole Painting, Women in business, Word Fabric, Word Paper
Posted in Road 2016, Vendors | No Comments »

Freedom Star United Loves Our Veterans

May 26th, 2016

Freedom Star United, focuses on military and patriotic quilt fabric, kits, and patterns. Two of their sons and one daughter-in-law have served in the Marines. Patriotism is “near and dear to their hearts.” The Grangers are on the road most of the year, attending 30-35 quilt shows a year. “Road to California is our favorite,” said Deb. “The people are great.” Wherever they go, they look for a veteran to give a patriotic quilt to. Deb remarked, “Our hearts are with the military.” At Road 2016, Deb and Duane spotted 88 year old Morrie Hegg from Apple Valley and presented him with one of their patriotic themed quilts. Mr. Hegg is a World War II veteran, having served in the 11^th Air Force Army Air Corp in Alaska. He came to Road with his wife and daughter who are both quilters. This was their 15th year at Road. They come in an RV and park near the Ontario Convention Center. Mr. Hegg says he joins his wife and daughter to “carry their stuff.” Needless to say, the Hegg family was “blown away” with their gift from Freedom Star. Thank you Morrie Hegg for your service and to the Grangers and Freedom Star for your support of our veterans.]]>

Tags: Freedom Star United, Memorial Day, Patriotic Quilts, Veterans
Posted in Road 2016 | 2 Comments »

Veterans Are A Welcome Sight At Road

May 23rd, 2016

212 Lee and Ginger Ashworth are from Beaverton, Oregon. Road 2016 was the 7^th year in a row that they have visited Road. It is their tradition to come to the show. They like to see the “variety of quilts” and “talk to all the people.” Because they travel somewhere on Route 66 each year, they really enjoyed the Route 66 Special Exhibit in 2013. Ginger has been quilting for 25 years and Lee is a retired corporal in the US Navy. Jim and Cathie are from Ridgecrest, California. Jim also served in the Navy. He served for 22 years. Cathie has been coming to Road for the past 5 years with her guild, the High Desert Quilt Guild. One year, Cathie was in a wheelchair and couldn’t take the guild bus so Jim drove her to the show. He has been back to the show ever since. This year, Cathie got the dates of the show mixed up and they accidentally came the weekend before!!! They decided to stay in Ontario for the weekend before heading home. Even with a rotator cuff issue and her right hip and left leg injured, Cathie and Jim returned the 128 miles one way trip so they wouldn’t miss the show. Jim says, “I like to support the quilter.” We are glad he does!!]]>

Tags: Road 2016, US Navy, Veterans
Posted in Road 2016 | 1 Comment »

Road’s Community Outreach

May 19th, 2016

youth and senior groups to provide an up close look at quilting and Road to California. Carolyn Reese assigned associate Renee Hicks to organize free tours for interested groups with popular vendors and exhibits. Home schoolers from Dehesa Charter School in the Escondido School District participated in the 2016 community outreach program at Road. Dehesa Charter Schools has 8 learning centers in San Diego, Orange, and Riverside County. Regional Manager Traci Lockman accompanied the students on their tour. A member of the home schooling community for over 20 years, Traci identifies herself as a “self-taught, beginner quilter.” She belongs to the Riverside quilt guild. Members of the Marsella and Cardon families made up the Dehusa group. Mom Caryn Marsella serves as the art director for the Riverside Art Museum and has done some quilting in the past. She was joined on the tour with her two daughters: Zoe, age 15, and Abby, age 14. Erika Cardon accompanied her 3 children, Olivia (9), Lily (6), and Lizzie (3). Erika says she is a “medium” quilter who enjoys designing quilts. Renee arranged for the tour to meet and receive special hands-on demonstrations from Charlie’s EZ Mat Olfa Distributor, Flynn Quilt Frame Co., Schneck, Clover, and Handiquilter. In-between the visits to vendors, the students viewed the Marie White Masterpiece Award and Best of Show quilts; Eqyptian quilts; and the National Parks Quilt Special Exhibit. [caption id="attachment_4055" align="aligncenter" width="336"] Best of Show Road 2016 – Silk Road Sampler by Melissa Sobotka[/caption] The students received a bag full of goodies filled with quilting tools from the vendors. Best of all, they were inspired by what they saw and have a greater appreciation for the quilting community. Dehesa Charter School thanked Road to California for this wonderful opportunity. Road is hoping to expand the community outreach program next year. If you know of a youth group or senior center that would benefit from Road’s Community Outreach during Road 2017, please contact our office.]]>

Tags: Clover USA, Community Outreach, Dehesa Charter School, Flynn Quilt Frame Company, Handiquilter, Olfa, Schneck
Posted in Road 2016 | 1 Comment »