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So You Want To Make A Winning Quilt- Road 2016 Outstanding Art Quilt

May 14th, 2016

Beach Sculptures was made and quilted by Judy Leslie. She won $5,000 from sponsor Handi Quilter, Inc. for winning Outstanding Art Quilt at Road to California 2016.

[caption id="attachment_4043" align="aligncenter" width="602"]

Photo credit: Judy Leslie[/caption]

Judy Leslie is from Coquitlam, BC Canada. Her original design took about a year to complete. She uses a domestic machine for her quilting!!

How did you get started in quilting? I have always loved designing with fibre (this is the Canadian spelling of fibre!). My interest began as a pre-teen by dreaming up and sewing ‘exotic’ doll clothes for my younger sister. I then moved on to constructing a vast array of garments over the years. About twenty years ago I discovered the wonderful tactile nature of cloth in ‘quilt’ form. I began by making a few traditional style quilts, but soon developed an interest in creating art quilts. Once I retired from a teaching career, I was able to devote more time to experimenting with techniques and designs. I am forever inspired by the lushness of our local landscape as well as recent journeys to other vistas.

What inspired your winning design? My husband and I have spent many winter vacations leisurely exploring Kauai’s beaches. The slowly eroding shoreline produces exquisite ‘beach sculptures’. The remains of trees, with their intertwined roots, are stripped of their bark and gradually reveal incredible tints of creams, pinks and grays.

How long did it take to make your winning quilt? What did you learn along the way? I usually focus on making at least two pieces at a time as I ponder and plan future projects. The complexity of each artwork’s construction means that a single piece may take many weeks or even months to complete. Sometimes family responsibilities or travel takes me away for periods of time, yet often this time allows me to contemplate ways and means of enhancing the projects that I’m in the process of completing. [caption id="attachment_4044" align="aligncenter" width="508"]

Photo Credit: Judy Lesllie[/caption] What was your reaction when you found out you won Outstanding Art Quilt? I was ecstatic! I was awarded Best Painted Surface at the Road to California in 2013 and I thought that nothing could surpass that thrill. When I received the news I was with my husband and friends on the Big Island of Hawaii wishing I could be at the show in California. Did you do anything special with your prize money? Other than purchasing a huge selection of threads that I have coveted for at least ten years, my prize money is in my Savings account! My ‘workhorse’ domestic machine has never let me down for eight years; I now have a contingency fund should my machine decide to be uncooperative in the future. Where do you go from here with your quilting? At the moment I am creating two major pieces. Although I am using different materials and techniques, both pieces have an animal theme. Making art quilts is an important part of my life and I receive immense pleasure from working in this medium of artistic expression. Since 2007, I have exhibited quilts in a number of major quilt shows and galleries in both Canada and the USA. Many award winning pieces can be viewed on the Fibre Art Network website. I have taught a variety of classes in the past. Physical limitations now prevent me from this pleasure so I am contemplating self publishing a book on some of my favorite techniques.

Editor’s note: You can read a more detailed account of Judy’s work on Beach Sculptures in the Autumn 2015 edition of The Canadian Quilter magazine CQA/ACC.

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Tags: Domestic Machine Quilting, Judy Leslie, Outstanding Art Quilt, Road to California, Road to California 2016
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Meet Kathy McNeil: Road 2016 Director's Choice Winner and Road 2017 Teacher

May 10th, 2016

Kathy McNeil of Tulalip, Washington, won $5,000 for Song of the Sea, from sponsor Moore’s Sewing Center.

Before Kathy McNeil became an award winning quilter, she was a hospital nurse for over 35 years. During that time, she loved the community quilts that guilds made for her patients. When Kathy’s daughter asked her mother to make her a quilt for her dorm room, Kathy vowed to try. They went to the quilt store to buy fabric and that is where Kathy saw her first pictorial quilt. As Kathy remembered, “It was like being hit by a lightning bolt of excitement. I still wake up surprised and excited that I have found this passion that makes me so incredibly happy.”

Kathy got the idea for Song of the Sea from a trip to the Seattle Aquarium with her grandchildren. The octopus came out and literally danced across the glass in front of them. Kathy thought the octopus, “was so incredibly, a real diva of the deep.” Kathy wanted to capture the octopus’ playful, intelligent spirit. The word “diva” that Kathy used to describe her encounter with the octopus inspired the unusual setting of the quilt. As Kathy says, “What better to show off a diva than an Art Nouveau setting?”

It took Kathy about 400 hours of turned edges using the Apliquick technique to make the quilt. Kathy is a US distributor of those tools and loves watching students gain confidence in turning the smallest little shapes so quickly. Kathy shared her progress with the quilt in her monthly newsletter.

It was her readers that chose the name of the octopus—Ophelia. The biggest challenge for Judy was figuring out how to make the suckers for the 8 octopus legs. She finally came up with making 321 tiny silk organza yo- yo’s to fit the visual look and texture that she wanted. When Kathy heard she had won the Director’s Choice at Road 2016, she said, “I leaped, I twirled, I danced, I sang and shouted with joy….. Thank you, thank you for falling in love with my crazy octopus.” Ophelia has been loved by so many people as she has traveled to different shows. She has won two “Best Original Design” Awards and an international art collector has purchased her to be part of a collection of “sea creature art.” Winning the Director’s Choice was such an unexpected gift that Kathy and her husband decided to use her winnings to make some awesome family memories. They took their daughter and her family on a cruise to the Panama Canal while Kathy was teaching.

What is on the horizon for Kathy and her quilting? “A wonderful balance of teaching trips, time with Mother Nature for inspiration and taking the summer off to write a new book on borders. I wake up every day feeling very blessed to be part of the quilting community.” To learn more about Kathy McNeil, please visit her website.]]>

Tags: Art Quilts, Award Winning Quilts, Kathy McNeil
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Meet The San Fernando Valley Quilt Association

May 6th, 2016

The San Fernando Valley Quilt Association is actually made up of two quilt organizations: a day group, the Valley Quiltmakers Guild and an evening group. Their 180 members come from all over the San Fernando Valley, meeting monthly at LIFEhouse Church in Northridge,California. Philanthropy is a big part of this association. Their Quilters 4 Others (aka Q4O) meets monthly to tie quilts for various charities including Ahead with Horses, Save the TaTas (recovering cancer victims), Lutheran World Relief, Northridge Hospital Pediatric Trauma Unit, Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, Rotaplast (to go with the doctors who repair cleft palates in South America), and for returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, this group also makes placemats for Meals on Wheels and the Valley Interfaith Council, beanie babies and scarves for Operation Gratitude and heart pillows for those who have had heart surgery at the Veterans Association Hospital in West Los Angeles. These pillows act as a way to counter the pressure of the incision for the heart surgery. This year’s Opportunity Quilt is Autumn Garden and was on display at Road 2016. The San Fernando Valley Quilt Association hosts a biannual quilt show, Quilting in the Valley. Their members enter quilts for judging and for a quilt auction. Their next show will be held May 6 and 7, 2017 at the Airtel Plaza and Hotel in Van Nuys. To learn more about the San Fernando Valley Quilt Association, visit their web site.]]>

Tags: Opportunity Quilt, Quilt Guilds, Quilters 4 Others, San Fernando Valley
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Mothers and Daughters Who Quilt

May 3rd, 2016

Charlotte and Brittany Williams are from Riverside, California. Both quilters, Road 2016 was their first time at the show. They heard about it from their quilt guild, Raincross Quilt Guild in Riverside. Charlotte’s running partner taught her how to quilt in 2012. Brittany has only been quilting for 6 months. Since starting, she has made 7 quilts; six of them in the two months prior to the show. She has done a lot of hand work in the past (knitting and crocheting) so quilting was a natural addition. Her favorite pattern so far is a nine patch and disappearing nine patch. It’s never too early to share your love of quilting with your daughter. Marina Caraway brought her 1 year old daughter, Everleigh, to the show.Marina loves to quilt. Road 2016 was her first time at the show. She bought a kit for a block-of-the-month quilt and thought the displays “were beautiful.” She can’t wait to come back next year. Grandmother Judy Brink, daughter Lori Vandenburg, and granddaughter Allison Vandenburg (9) like to go to their own quilt retreat twice a year in Palm Springs. It is a great time for them to share, swim, and quilt. Alison’s first time at Road was when she was 6 weeks old. She likes sewing pillowcases and taking the scraps from her mother and grandmother’s quilts and making little handbags. Lori’s first quilt was a baby quilt for Allison that Judy helped her make. Judy has been sewing since she was 6 years old. Judy’s mother taught her how to sew and at age 91, she is still participating in her church’s sewing circle. The first time Valerie Yoshimura and her daughter, Vivian Shay (13) came to Road it was in 2014, two hours before closing on Sunday afternoon. “Whoops!!!” was their reaction. This past year, they knew better and stayed two nights at a local hotel so that they could take their time enjoying the show. Vivian designs her own clothes and has taught herself how to draw her own patterns. Valerie sews, embroiders, and hopes to be a quilter someday. She liked seeing what people do with their creativity. Remarked Valerie, “Road is not just for quilters. Anyone involved in fabric arts has a place here. It is worth taking a day off for!!” Road 2016 was the third time Angie and Georgia Germain have come to the show. Residents of Escondido, California (near San Diego), Georgia, age 14, said she sees new things every time she comes. She has been sewing since she was 10 with her mom’s encouragement. She says it is a way for her to use her art skills. Georgia has made one quilt by herself and has helped her mom make others. Quilting is a hobby they enjoy doing together — and going to Road!! ]]>

Tags: Mothers and Daughters, Quilt Show, Quilting
Posted in Road 2016 | 2 Comments »

Water Tips For Your Iron

April 29th, 2016

Quilters depend on their irons – a lot. Using the right kind of water is important for optimum iron success.

Emily Jansson, a frequent guest blogger for Nancy Zieman, debunked common iron water myths and gave permission for Road to share with our readers.

FALSE. Even though most high-quality iron manufacturers state that you can use regular tap water in your iron, it isn’t recommended especially if you live in the Midwest (where there is large amounts of sediment in the water) or if you use well water.

FALSE…and TRUE. Distilled water is not a good idea for irons because it has no solid minerals in it, therefore making it a pure water. Pure water molecules are “hungry to get their atomic hands on carbon dioxide from their environment, making the water mildly acidic and prone to corroding metals.” Since irons are made of metal, using distilled water would not be wise unless your iron’s manual specifically states you CAN use distilled water because these irons are made of specific anti-corrosive materials. To be on the safe side, son’t use distilled water.

FALSE. Deionized water is less expensive than distilled water. It is defined as water that has had ions removed. Therefore, it is desperate for positively-charged ions. Putting water that’s starved for ions in to anything electronic is a bad idea, especially an iron which uses alternate current flows

FALSE. Spring water is full of minerals which can clog an iron’s reservoir and steam vents.

So what is the best kind of water to use?

According to Emily, filtered tap water is the best water for your iron. That includes water that has been filtered through a system like Brita or a refrigerator with an ice-maker and water dispenser. A couple of other iron water tips from Emily:

Do not use vinegar in your iron unless the manual specifically says you can. Vinegar can react with some rubbers and plastics (like gaskets and the reservoir itself), causing problems with the insides of an iron.
Be diligent with emptying your iron of water when you’re finished using it. Empty the reservoir while the iron is still hot and leave the lid open to help any stray droplets evaporate

Using these tips will not only improve the functionality of your iron but will extends its life as well. For more great sewing tips, see more of Emily’s articles on Nancy Zieman’s blog. ]]>

Tags: Iron Water, Ironing, Ironing Tips, Nancy Zieman Blog
Posted in Road to California | 2 Comments »

Meet Laurie Tigner: Road 2016 Teacher and Quilt Award Winner

April 27th, 2016

Laurie Tigner with Road's owner, Carolyn Reese Laurie Tigner with Road’s owner, Carolyn Reese[/caption] Laurie won first place for Traditional, Wall, Other for Cameo Rose. [caption id="attachment_4000" align="aligncenter" width="428"] Cameo Rose made and quilted by Laurie Tigner[/caption] A whole cloth quilt, Laurie used a technique that she continues to learn about. She chose batik because when she painted over it, it gave the fabric a look of stone with shadows and provided the sculpted look of a real cameo. Laurie tried three times to get the appearance she wanted. At one point, being discouraged, she threw the quilt away. Her husband rescued it out of the trash. Laurie took the piece, squished it in a ball and threw it in a corner where it stayed for 3 months until she heard that HMQS needed another quilt for their show. She added ”tons more color” to finish the piece and turned it in. To Laurie’s amazement, Cameo Rose ended up winning first place in the Wall Quilt category. Then it won first place at Road 2016. Laurie has promised the quilt to a friend after she shows it two more times to get back the time and money she put in to the project. Laurie won another first place honor for doing the quilting on Janet Stone’s winning entry, This One’s Four Ewe.” [caption id="attachment_4001" align="aligncenter" width="400"] “This One’s Four Ewe” made by Janet Stone and quilted by Laurie Tigner[/caption] Janet is a close friend of Laurie’s and asked her to do the quilting. Laurie confided that she was “scared to death” to work on the quilt knowing Janet’s status as a master quilter. Laurie “lived in fear” that she would bring Janet’s reputation down. When Laurie heard the quilt had won first place for Traditional, Large, Applique, she was so relieved. “I didn’t humiliate myself.” What were Laurie’s first impressions of Road? “Huge” and “Friendly.” She was particularly impressed with all the attention to detail. Laurie’s Road classes all focused on using her Inktense Fabric Painting technique. She said she loved her students in her classes. “They were the best.” One day, Laurie remarked how she couldn’t believe how wonderful California oranges were compared to the oranges she got back in South Dakota. Laurie was totally flabbergasted when the next day, one of her students brought Laurie a bag of oranges from her tree!! “I didn’t expect that.” To learn more about Laurie, please visit her web page. ]]>

Tags: Award Winning Quilts, Batik, Inktense Fabric Painting, Janet Stone, Laurie Tigner, Winning Quilt
Posted in Road 2016, Winning Quilts | 2 Comments »

Book Preview: Quilts From El's Attic

April 22nd, 2016

Quilt as Desired Special Exhibit, where longarm quilters took original antique quilt tops and added a modern flair to them. And Eleanor Burns was on hand to introduce her new book, Quilts from El’s Attic. Eleanor Burns is a You Tube quilting star, creator of Quilt in a Day, and the perkiest 70 years young woman you will ever meet. During a $5.00 Lecture class, Eleanor shared that Quilts from El’s Attic features 10 antique quilt patterns made in to newer, modern quilt designs. Eleanor’s love of antique quilts is her passion and she set out to simplify those beautiful vintage patterns from the past. In addition to the patterns, Eleanor also includes vintage quilts from her own collection, offering fabric selection advice, lovely sample quilts, history, and yardage and cutting charts. The book went on sale in April. In her class, Eleanor discussed the history behind some of the famous antique designs along with her modern renditions. Did you know that in 1860, the Ladies Art Company was the first company to publish quilt patterns? There were no instructions, just pieces of cardboard with a little picture. The Crow’s Nest quilt (circa 1890) was an example of these early patterns. [caption id="attachment_3990" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] El’s version of the Crow’s Nest in her new book uses Civil War reproduction fabrics to create a more modern positive-negative space. Eleanor and her sister created the floral fabrics when Eleanor was recovering from her heart surgery last year. [caption id="attachment_3991" align="aligncenter" width="562"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Did you know that in 1930 the Kansas City Star published a new quilt pattern every week? Women would make that block the day the pattern came out and put the blocks into samplers [caption id="attachment_3986" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Here is Eleanor’s new version of a block sampler: [caption id="attachment_3993" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Red is Eleanor’s favorite color! Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Did you know that in 1941, a McCalls pattern sold for 35 cents? The traditional Dresden Plate pattern was quilted by hand. Eleanor took the original design and added an ice cream cone border. [caption id="attachment_3988" align="aligncenter" width="586"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Eleanor has made an ice cream cone template available on her website to make it simpler to create this modern table runner which is machine quilted. [caption id="attachment_3989" align="aligncenter" width="530"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Did you know that the Baptist fan was created for convenience? Church ladies would sit together to quilt. Because there was limited space, they added a curve to their design and used large stitches. [caption id="attachment_3994" align="aligncenter" width="549"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] As always, you can count on Eleanor Burns to give an entertaining look at quilting. ]]>

Tags: Antique Quilts, Dresden Plate Quilt, Eleanor Burns, Kansas City Star, McCalls Patterns, Quilt Book
Posted in Road 2016, Road to California | 1 Comment »

Road 2016 Special Exhibit: Quilt As Desired

April 19th, 2016

Quilt as Desired, curated by Mary Kerr, a Road 2016 teacher. [caption id="attachment_3977" align="aligncenter" width="618"] Picture by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Mary teamed with some of the best longarm quilters in bringing this exhibit to life. Mary found the vintage tops for the quilts. She never paid more than $50 for any of them and they were in all kinds of condition. Mary passed the tops on to the quilters who donated their time, batting and expertise in bringing the quilts back to life. Sometimes they added to the top; sometimes they took away. As Mary remarked, “It was a unique marriage of old and new, blurring the lines of the quilting world.” Shows, such as Road to California that display the exhibit, pay to get the quilts shipped to their location and for having Mary come to lead tours and explain the quilts. [caption id="attachment_3980" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] The full exhibit has 40 quilts. Twenty four of them were included in the exhibit at Road 2016. In 5 years, when Quilt as Desired is done touring, all of the quilts will be auctioned off for various quilt causes chosen by Mary and the longarmers. [caption id="attachment_3979" align="aligncenter" width="526"] Photo by Brian Roberts[/caption] Miss Sally was a top quilted by Sally Garuet, founder of the American Quilt Story Group. The original fan top is circa 1930. The Art Deco quilting was done by M&M Quilting. This Dresden Plate top entitled Melon Smoothie was quilted by Marty Vint of Baltimore, Maryland. Mary has macular degeneration and estimates she will only be able to quilt for 2 more years before she loses her eyesight. When this quilt is auctioned off, the proceeds have already been designated to benefit macular degeneration research. [caption id="attachment_3981" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Photo by Brian Roberts[/caption] As Mary said, “No woman ever started out to make a quilt top. A quilt top deserves to be quilted.” All it takes to finish a quilt is time, talent, and resources – which this special exhibit offered for these amazing quilt tops. You can go to Mary’s web site to find out where Quilt as Desired is going next on its tour. You can also purchase a DVD of the entire exhibit.]]>

Tags: American Quilt Story Group, Art Deco Quilting, Dresden Plate Quilt, Longarm Quilting, Marty Vint, Mary Kerr, Sally Garuet, Special Quilt Exhibit, Vintage Quilts
Posted in Road 2016, Special Quilt Exhibits | 1 Comment »

Meet Patt Blair: Road 2016 Winner and 2017 Teacher

April 13th, 2016

Patt Blair won 3^rd Place in the category Art, Critter for Summer Hunt at Road 2016

Patt Blair is no stranger to Road to California. A resident of the mountain community of Mt. Baldy, California, she is surrounded by inspiration for her quilt designs. The idea for Summer Hunt came several years ago from another piece of hers, Winter Hunt, where an elusive mountain lion hunted in the late afternoon snow. Patt knew for years that Summer Hunt would come into being; it just took a while to come up with the look she wanted. An east coast artist, B. Hautman, had produced a similar piece and was kind enough to allow Patt her own modified interpretation of his image. It took Patt about 11 weeks to finish Summer Hunt. First, she immersed herself in paining the subject so that she could really come to know it. Patt spent 8 weeks on the quilting. The further along she got on the quilt, the fewer hours were dedicated each day in the project. The blocking and facing only took a few days.

As a quilter, Patt puts a lot of introspection in her pieces. She feels that it “absolutely pays off to really think about the elements of a piece; to decide what importance they will play in telling the quilt’s story. For example, Patt normally loves quilting airflow (the sky) using a motif that draws attention to its easy movement across the horizon. No such attention was warranted in Summer Hunt’s sky so a much more subdued motif was used. Patt was happy to hear she had won third place in the Art, Critter category, which had the highest number of entries for the 2016 show. “A piece becomes like one of my children; I was proud of it.” As a teacher, Patt LOVES the peaceful, playful rhythm that comes from a classroom of people all working and learning together. She has just one classroom goal: that when students leave class, she wants them to feel just a bit “cocky.” In other words, that they will have the realization that they did the project and they’re proud of their work.

Patt will be teaching painting and quilting classes at Road 2017. She is teaching both a two-day version of Painted Quilt Art as well as a one day Painting with Inks. In these two classes, students can use one of Patt’s many drawing options or bring one of their own as instructed on her web site. ( www.pattsart.com button: EZ drawing). Patt will also be teaching The Filling Station, a skill building class on quilting motifs,. This class will allow students to learn and practice stitching motifs that they can use in their own work.

Finally, Patt will be doing a Media Mixer class exploring variety and freedom in using several surface design techniques. Patt says this class is “totally fun and represents what my former teacher Robert E Wood Jr. coined as the meaning of CREATIVITY: a winding path to an unknown destination. We’ll all learn where we were going once we get there!!!” ]]>

Tags: Award Winning Quilts, Patt Blair, Quilt Teacher, Road to California 2017
Posted in Faculty, Winning Quilts | 1 Comment »

Welcome to Carol’s Zoo

April 9th, 2016

In the mid-1980’s, Carol Cruise got cancer.

When she was going through her chemotherapy treatments, she wanted something to do on her “good days” when she was feeling better. A friend gave her a kit to make a teddy bear. Unfortunately for Carol, the kit had a million pieces and she did not enjoy putting it together. Carol thought, “If you are going to make a stuffed animal, you should have fun while you are making it.” So she set out to reduce the pieces of the bear to make the project easier. She ended up with a stuffed bear pattern that had just 2 pieces!! [caption id="attachment_3963" align="aligncenter" width="611"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photgraphy[/caption] Later, Carol thought, “If I could make a bear with just 2 pieces, what other animals could I create?’ That’s how Carol’s Zoo began.

Today, Carol’s Zoo has 20 simplified animal patterns with 8 new ones currently in the “incubator.” Carol is also looking to expand to baby quilts, utilizing a flat or applique version of her animals. [caption id="attachment_3960" align="aligncenter" width="603"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Carol started sewing when she was 5 years old, under the guidance of her mother, a Vogue couture seamstress. Carol’s mother believed that the inside of a garment should look as good as the outside and trained Carol in that philosophy. That training came in handy when Carol started working on simplifying her patterns. [caption id="attachment_3962" align="aligncenter" width="612"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Starting a business as a “zoo keeper” was not Carol’s original plan. She was actually one of the first 5 people to start the customer service department for Levi Strauss. For several years, she had her day job and shared her animals at local shows in the San Francisco Bay area on weekends. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s that Carol plunged in to making Carol’s Zoo her full-time work. She sold 3 of her patterns to McCalls who still carries them in their pattern books. What is Carol’s creative process? “I stare out a window and mentally trace my designs, thinking about how I want a pattern piece to look like. Then I draw it out, tweak it, and redraw it until I get what I envision.” Carol has “so many ideas” that she is working on: scarves, vests, tote bags, spirit dolls, and purses too. She keeps a notebook with her everywhere she goes just in case a new idea pops up. [caption id="attachment_3961" align="aligncenter" width="364"]

Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption] Road 2016 was Carol’s first experience as a vendor for the show. What did she think about Road to California? She enjoyed all of the enthusiasm of the customers and appreciated the opportunity to showcase what she loves doing most: designing and sewing stuffed animals.]]>

Tags: Carol Cruise, Carol's Zoo, DIY Stuffed Animals, McCalls Patterns, Plush Toys
Posted in Road 2016, Vendors | No Comments »