Welcome to the Road to California Blog

When The Netherlands Came To Road

July 2nd, 2015

BeColourful is a small family business that began in Delft, Netherlands — home of the beautiful blue pottery that has been produced there for centuries.

BeColourful was started originally as a quilt pattern company in 2004 after founder Jacqueline de Jonge won the Color Trophy of the Open European Quilt Championship. A quilt maker since 1978, it is Jacqueline’s goal to inspire quilters all over the world with her beautiful and colorful designs.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Jacqueline is not only a passionate quilter but also an encouraging and personal teacher. She loves to share her enthusiasm for her designs with quilters and bring them to a higher and different level to find their artistic skills in themselves. She has made quilts that have won international awards and that have been displayed worldwide. Her quilts are based on traditional designs, but with a contemporary and colorful twist. Since starting BeColourful, Jacqueline has lectured and conducted workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Jacqueline has been interviewed several times in newspapers and magazines and in 2011 she was profiled and featured on the online Quilt show from Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson.

[caption id="attachment_3294" align="aligncenter" width="641"]

Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Joining Jacqueline in the family business is her sister, Bridget Snijder – de Jonge, who handles the social media for BeColourful. Bridget oversees their Facebook and Pinterest accounts and is the editor of the BeColourful website. She also worked with Jacqueline in making their instructional DVD, “How to make a BeColourful Quilt”, and “The BeColourful Quilt Collection”, a beautiful coffee table book that was released in July, 2014.

The last family member to join BeColourful was Jacqueline and Bridget’s brother, Harm de Jonge. At first, he handled the financial aspects of the company. Then, Harm started his own company, BeColourful Quilting Supplies, which sells the beautiful fabric kits BeColourful is known for. Harm is responsible for moving BeColourful to the United States in 2007.

BeColourful and the de Jonge family weren’t the only Netherlands visitors at Road 2015. Alette Wiersema also journeyed all the way from the Netherlands. She came to Road 2015 with her sister, Jolee Johnson, who lives in Claremont, California.

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Alette Wiersema (l) and Jolee Johnson (r)[/caption]

Together, they have attended Road for 10 years and have taken classes for the past seven years. “I participate each year as a white glove volunteer so that Alette can register for her classes early. That way she is assured of her selection and then she can make her travel plans,” said Jolee. Alette, who has been quilting since 1990, says coming to Road is well worth the travel expense. She remarked, “Road is wonderful.”

Note: Early registration is now taking place for Road 2015 volunteers. If you are interested in being a “Roadie” volunteer for Road 2016, and take advantage of early registration for 2017 classes, please visit our website for more information.

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Tags: BeColourful, Delft, Netherlands, Road to California
Posted in Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Vendors | 1 Comment »

Registering for 2018 Classes: A Refresher

June 26th, 2015

Registration for Road to California 2018 begins Saturday, July 8th at 8:00 a.m. PDT

Our online registration is fully automated. To make sure you are prepared for a positive experience, we are once again providing this online registration information. Please familiarize yourself with the steps below. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@roadtocalifornia.com.

Before you begin, please review the class lists and faculty information on our website. We are confident there are classes available to match all skill levels and interests.

Before July 8th, first make sure your internet browser plays nicely with others. Our system does not work well with Internet Explorer and some versions of Mozilla Firefox. Google Chrome and Apple Safari play really nice with others, and have been tested and verified to work on our system. Unfortunately, we have not been able to optimize our website for touch devices (including iPads & iPhones.) On the same note, you should also make sure prior to online registration that you have installed updates for your internet browser. This is very important to your own personal internet security and will enhance your experience with our online registration program. There is a great how-to article on updating your internet browser on the web that you can find here Now that we are done with computer housekeeping, lets move onto the Second Step, logging on. Open that fancy new updated internet browser and navigate to: https://online.roadtocalifornia.com. You should see a photo of our beautiful San Gabriel Mountains kissed with snow and the Road to California logo. If you have taken classes in the past, use the same email address and password and skip ahead.

If you forgot your password, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Click on Forgot Password. A yellow box should appear (See Photo Below). Fill out all the required information and click change password. Hint: Your new password needs to be 8 characters long and include a capital letter and a number.

If you don’t remember your email address, send us an email to: info@roadtocalifornia.com. We will be happy to assist you with your online account. In your email, please include your name, email address and mailing address. We will use that information to find your account and email you a new password. If you have not taken a class at Road before, click on the blue create an account link. The following page should appear. Fill out all required fields and click create. Again, your password needs to be 8 characters long and include a capital letter and a number.

You should now be logged in! On July 8th at 8:00 AM PDT you can move your mouse to ROAD2018 and click on Register! Once you’ve clicked on Register, you will see the following screen. Make sure if you wish to purchase cancellation insurance, you drag over the Cancellation Insurance selection. Simply Click, Drag into your calendar and Release when the calendar turns red.

Change the drop down from Miscellaneous Items to the date of the class you wish to register for. Here we have chosen Friday, and want to take Dancing Dots with Nancy Mahoney.

Simply Click down on Dancing Dots and Drag the Dancing Dots block over to the calendar (the calendar will turn red) and Release.

Let’s say you also want to take a Sunday class (gotta leave Thursday and Saturday to do some serious shopping in the vendor mall). Being a big fan of stars, you want to take Sparkle Star with Donna Thomas.

Click down on Sparkle Star, Drag it over to the calendar and Release. The calendar turns red when you have dragged the class to the proper location. Release when the calendar is red to enroll.

What if you change your mind and instead of taking a Friday class, you’d rather take a multi-day class? To remove the Friday class, simply Click on the class under Events/Classes to be Purchased, Drag it out of the calendar and Release.

Multi-Day classes are sorted by the first day they begin. For example, you would love to take a class with Rob Appell, and he happens to be teaching a Three Day Seascape/Landscape Extravaganza starting on Monday! Click on class 1302R, Drag it into the calendar, and Release when the calendar turns red!

Please note: We have made a change to our cancellation policy; we will no longer be offering cancellation insurance. Starting in 2016, Road to California’s cancellation policy will offer everyone a refund based off both the date they registered as well as the proximity to the show. Please go to our website for more information and to see a chart that explains our cancellation deadlines. .

Once you’ve verified that you’ve got all your classes, it’s time to pay and check out! Fill out your credit card information, and verify the contact information we have on file. Once your registration is final, our cancellation policy takes effect, so make sure to read it carefully when classes are posted online!

Click Register, and you will be redirected to a page with a confirmation of your registration. You will also receive an email with this information confirming your class enrollment. Take note of the cancellation policy found on the bottom of your confirmation. We do not grant exceptions for cancellation hardships. Please take special care to remember the dates for cancellation. That’s it! Don’t forget: Class registration begins on July 8th at 8 AM PDT! We can’t wait to see you in January!]]>

Tags: Online Entry, Register for classes, Road to California 2016
Posted in Road to California 2018 | No Comments »

DIY Fabric Designing

June 24th, 2015

Seven years ago, Stephanie Kleinman, was challenged to make her own fabric designs. She was already a successful book editor and the producer of the television show, Simply Quilts. Working with a team of programmers, Stephanie created a software program, Fabric Studio Software, to help others design their own fabric too. As Stephanie explained, “Welcome to the new age of technology where you can sit in your PJ’s at your computer while you easily create your very own fabric design, then upload your design to an online digital fabric printer, and receive your fabric in the mail 10 days later!!”

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

In Stephanie’s lecture at Road 2015, “Discover the Fabric Designer Within You,” she answered frequently asked questions about what it takes to design your own fabric:

How do I get started? You first need to understand how fabric is designed. Most fabric falls in to one of four types of designs: free form, hand painted (which is very rare), single subject designs that are offset, and the most popular, seamless repeats where the design is repeated over and over again.

Do I need a computer? While some fabric studios hire a graphic designer to create designs by hand, that option is pretty cost prohibitive to a regular person. Using a computer, you can design fabric like the pros using free software like Paint of Monkey; drawing your design directly on your computer from a tablet or scanning it in; creating your design from scratch using Corel Draw or Illustrator; or use Stephanie’s Fabric Studio Software.

Where can I find inspiration for my designs? Stephanie stressed that you want to choose a design where your eye will naturally travel to and around. Ideas can be found in photos, your child’s artwork, clip art, hobbies, even words and phrases.

What should I consider when creating my design? First incorporate colorization (different shades and colors), movement (where the eye travels), and re-sizing (use the same picture and alternate the size of it from big to small). Once you have settled on these aspects, you can add depth and placement of the object(s). Your final design should be able to fit evenly in to an 8” square —a perfect size for fat quarters.

What are my options once my design is done? Depending how you want to use your fabric will determine how you get your design on the material. If you will be using your fabric in a wall hanging, you can print it out at home on your printer using inkjet printable fabric sheets. If the fabric is going to be used in a quilt, it is best to send your design to a fabric printer such as Spoonflower or Fabric on Demand. There is a 5 yard minimum when you use these services.

Are there cautions I should be aware of? While designing your own fabric is a unique option to personalize a fabric project, Stephanie warned there are some pitfalls. For one, what you see isn’t always what you get. Color and brightness doesn’t always compute and depending on the background color of the fabric you choose, that might affect the overall outcome of the design. Also, often a design isn’t seamless once printed and might become distorted. Still, designing your own fabric is affordable, washable, and has a quick turnaround.

Designing your own fabric is a unique way to personalize a fabric project. For more information and helpful tips, you can reach Stephanie at admin@easymade.com. Her software is available in a CD format or on the cloud.

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Tags: DIY, Fabric Designing, Fabric Studio Software, Stephanie Kleinman
Posted in Road to California, Vendors | 1 Comment »

Men Are Always Welcome At Road

June 18th, 2015

Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

While the majority of our guests are women, we are always happy to see more and more men coming to show. And they don’t just come to carry the bags!!

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Dale from Bakersfield, CA[/caption]

Road 2015 was Dale’s first time at Road. He came with his wife and her friend from Bakersfield, California. Dale’s wife has a longarm machine. He does maintenance on the machine and cuts out templates. “I enjoyed looking at all the different machines at the show. The technology is incredible.”

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Mike from Lancaster, CA[/caption]

A resident of Lancaster California, Mike is a quilter and has been to Road nine times with his wife. His first quilt was a rail fence quilt. In January, he was working on his third quilt. Mike likes looking at the quilts while his wife shops.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Dave came to the 2015 show with his wife Martha and their goddaughter, Nicole. Both Dave and Martha have been quilting for 25 years. It is an activity they like to do together. Dave does both longarm quilting and embroidery. He is fascinated with the geometric designs. “Precision is how a guy’s mind works.”

David was the only man in Jenny Bowker’s evening lecture, Pack and Follow. He knows how to sew and has an interest in wearable art and art quilting.He enjoys coming to Road with his wife to see the wearable art displays.

Everyone is welcome at Road — Who are you going to bring?

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Tags: Men at quilt shows, Men at Road to California, Men that quilt
Posted in Road to California | No Comments »

2016 Road Faculty: Meet Kimberly Einmo

June 16th, 2015

Kimberly will be teaching three classes: 3006C Lone Starburst; 4006C Perfect Pinless Pinwheels; and 5005C Mystery Quilt

Kimberly Einmo is used to being the only girl in the family. Growing up with two brothers, today, she is married and has two sons. How did Kimberly, the only quilter in her family, first get interested in quilting? Kimberly remembers it this way: “My mother had grown up in the depression era and hated anything to do with sewing. But she had the wisdom to know I should have some basic sewing skills ,so she signed me up for some sewing classes when I was seven years old at the local Singer Sewing shop in Massillon, Ohio. I loved sewing from the start and it wasn’t long before I was making many of my own clothes. I joined a 4-H group when I was eight years old called “Buttons and Bows” where I learned even more about garment construction and crafts such as Christmas stockings, tote bags, and holiday décor items. I would enter my garments in the county fair every summer and I loved winning blue ribbons! For Christmas, when I was 10 years old, my parents bought me a sturdy Singer sewing machine that had zig zag and hem stitches which at that time, were quite a big deal! They also surprised me with a cabinet to hold the machine. Those were the best Christmas gifts I ever received! I still have that old Singer machine. However, it wasn’t until I walked into that quilt shop in Alexandria in 1991 when I realized you could piece blocks and quilt on a sewing machine.” Even though Kimberly can piece and quilt by hand, she loves sewing on her sewing machine so much more.

An award winning quilter, designer, and author, Kimberly has written five books. She also hosts four popular online classes with Craftsy.com and has appeared on several television and radio programs.

Kimberly has taught all over the world with her farthest class being in the Czech Republic where she has taught several times for the Prague Patchwork Meeting. What does she like most about teaching? Getting to know her students personally. Kimberly enjoys meeting meet each and every student and finding out a little bit about their life and why they like to quilt.

Once, when Kimberly was teaching, she had a scary experience. She was teaching a class on a Friday night at a quilt store. The store was actually closed, but the front door was unlocked. A man walked in to the front counter and told the shop owner that he had a gun and had just committed an armed robbery and that he wanted to turn himself in to the police. Kimberly overheard the conversation and grabbed all her students and locked them in a tiny bathroom while she called 911. She kept an eye on the shop owner and the man while the owner talked very calmly to him. The police arrived and took the alleged robber. Kimberly remembers it was an incredibly tense situation. Afterwards, she and her students all giggled from nervous energy about having crammed so many women in a tiny bathroom!

What is Kimberly’s best quilting tip? “Take your time and be very accurate as you cut and sew. Accuracy is oh-so-important to achieve great results.”

Kimberly hopes her students come to her classes with an open mind and are willing to try new things. She always encourages her students to step out of their box to learn something new. Kimberly has a personal goal to make every class she teaches a “stress-free” zone. She wants her students to leave her classes knowing they learned a lot, accomplished a lot of actual sewing, and to go home feeling relaxed, happy, and refreshed from a great day in the classroom.

You can visit Kimberly at her website:www.kimberlyeinmo.com

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Tags: Quilt Class, Quilt Instructor, Singer Sewing Machine
Posted in Faculty, Road 2016 | 2 Comments »

Marcus Brothers Textiles Cares

June 11th, 2015

Did you see what Marcus Brothers Textiles was up to in their booth in the Market Place at Road 2015?

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

They were all about Lucy Boston Blocks – the latest trend in English paper piecing inspired by a quilt made in the 1950’s by Lucy Boston. Not only was Marcus Brothers Textiles demonstrating how to carefully fussy-cut striped fabrics & place them to create unique kaleidoscopic effects, they were also giving away kits for Road guests to try their hand at the design.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

As an incentive to have the guests return their newly made Lucy Boston blocks, Marcus Brothers gave each person a fat quarter and the chance to win one of ten prize baskets. In addition, all blocks returned were considered to be made in to a quilt that Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek, was putting together. That quilt is being donated to an auction being held this July, by Quilters Dream Batting. All proceeds from the auction go to benefit Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Pati Violick, Director of Advertising and Marketing for Marcus Brothers Textiles, pointed out that they were more concerned with the Road guests getting to try their hand at something new than how the blocks turned out. “Winners of the prize packages were chosen randomly, not based on the beauty of their squares,” remarked Pati.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

How was the response? Pati reported that over 120 blocks were returned – enough to make not only a quilt, but a lap quilt as well for the auction. Makers were given a label to sign their name and put on the back of their squares. Many of makers also dedicated their blocks to someone they knew who are suffering from and/or have passed away from ALS.

Two of the participants in the Lucy Boston Block activity were Donna Nordstrom of Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Joanne Larmore of Glendale, Utah. Friends for over 24 years, they having been meeting up at Road for a “girl’s week” for the past 17 years. After stopping by the Marcus Brothers Textiles booth and getting the fabric and pattern for the Lucy Boston block, they ran around the vendor floor getting the needles and thread needed for the English paper piecing technique and cut out their fabric at one of the booths selling rotary cutters!!!

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

“Then the fun began,” recalled Donna. “Joanne and I found a quiet spot to sit down at the Convention Center and began our blocks. After running around all morning, what better way to relax with your best friend than to piece a block for charity and visit.”

When their blocks were completed, they headed down the elevator to return their squares. Who should get on the elevator with them, but Carolyn Reese, owner of Road to California!! Donna said that Carolyn “was so friendly and we were happy to get to meet her and let her know how much we loved attending every year!”

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

A couple weeks later, after the show, both Joanne and Donna were ecstatic to receive a “big box” in the mail from Marcus Brothers Textiles as two of the ten winners chosen from the challenge.

Donna said she and Joanne “really enjoyed the whole experience and hopes that there are more challenges like this in future shows.”

Thank you Marcus Brothers Textiles for being in Road’s 2015 Marketplace, sharing and encouraging Lucy Boston Blocks English paper piecing. And especially thank you for caring about a cure for ALS.

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Tags: ALS, ALS Auction, Bloom Creek, Charity Quilt, English Paper Piecing, Lucy Boston Blocks, Marcus Brothers Textiles, Quilters Dream Batting, Road to California
Posted in Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Vendors | No Comments »

Road 2016 Faculty: Meet Modern Quilter Natalia Bonner

June 9th, 2015

Natalia Bonner will be teaching two long arm quilting classes: 1203C Beginner’s Guide to Free-Motion Quilting; 3018C Next Steps to Free-Motion Quilting and three piecing quilt classes: 4020C Incline; 5018C A-Maze Me; and 6019C Typhoon

Natalia Bonner is a self-proclaimed quilting addict. As the second of five children, Natalia grew up watching her mom, grandmas and even her great grandmothers sew and quilt. For over 20 years, she has been creating here own award winning quilts.

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Typhoon Quilt by Natalia Bonner[/caption]

Natalia’s favorite quilting tool is her sewing machine. She learned to quilt on a conventional home sewing machine. It wasn’t until eight years ago, when she was pregnant with her daughter, that she got the crazy idea to quit her job and pursue a career as a longarm quilter.

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Cabin Fever by Natalia Bonner and Kathleen Whiting[/caption]

Together, with her mom, Kathleen, (also an award winning quilter and the first McCalls Quilting Quilt Design Star), they own and create for their web site, Piece N Quilt. Says Natalia about the relationship with her mom: “When I returned to quilting after I was married, my mom, Kathleen, became a huge source of inspiration. I had my studio in her studio for several years. It was one of the best things I could have ever done; she helped me grow in more ways than she will ever know. Kathleen and I co-wrote Modern One-Block Quilts and Cabin Fever: 20 Modern Log Cabin Quilts. Also, I couldn’t live without her. I don’t bind quilts; actually I’ve only ever bound one quilt. She binds them all for me….I know I’m super lucky!”

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Peaches and Cream Quilt by Natalia Bonner and Kathleen Whiting[/caption]

Natalia is “beyond words excited” to be teaching at Road 2016. Her very favorite part of teaching is seeing her students achieve a goal. “The excitement that they feel is just as exciting for me!” She also loves seeing the way each student makes a quilt their own.

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Dappled Quilt by Natalia Bonner and Kathleen Whiting[/caption]

Natalia wants her students at Road 2016 to feel inspired and accomplished. “I want every single person in my longarm quilting classes to walk away feeling like they can do this, it is possible!” In her piecing classes, she feels the same way. Her goal is have every student leave with something finished – whether it be just one block or a whole quilt.

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Cabin Fever Quilts by Natalia Bonner and Kathleen Whiting[/caption]

What is Natalia’s best quilting tip? “When it gets frustrating, take a deep breath, and walk away. Come back later and the problem will be much less significant.”

Learn more about Natalia on her website, Piece N Quilt.

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Tags: Cabin Fever: 20 Modern Log Cabin Quilts, Long Arm Quilting, McCalls Quilting Quilt Design Star, Modern One-Block Quilts, Modern Quilting, Piece N Quilt
Posted in Faculty | No Comments »

Young Canadian Quilters With Heart

June 6th, 2015

Road to California 2015 was quite the adventure for Alexus Jekill, age 11, and Charlotte Upitis, age 9. Both girls are from Calgary, Canada and both girls had their first ever quilts displayed in the special exhibit, The Next Generation.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Alexus and Charlotte are not new to sewing. Charlotte has been sewing since she was four years old when she got her first sewing machine. Alexus has been sewing for the past two years. Both girls sew on Bernina sewing machines. Charlotte has the limited edition machine with peacock feathers and loves to sew clothing, purses, and accessories. Alexus has the limited edition with butterflies that she uses to sew pajamas. She also takes art classes at the Calgary School of Art where she has begun using fabric as one of her mediums.

Sewing for charities is a passion for both girls. They have sewn and donated clothing for Hats for Hearts, a Canadian fundraiser that raises awareness for stroke victims. Charlotte’s grandfather passed away from a stroke when Charlotte was 1 years old. She then had small hemorrhagic strokes in her cerebellum herself due to a sudden medical illness when she was two years old, requiring Charlotte to have to learn how to sit and walk again herself.

It was Charlotte’s mom, Kathryn Upitis, who found out about Road to California and the special exhibit. An article on Road’s blog about triplet girls who sewed attending Road 2014 first caught Kathryn’s interest because Alexus has a twin sister. Then, when she heard about The Next Generation special exhibit, she knew Alexus and Charlotte would want to enter.

The quilts Alexus and Charlotte entered in The Next Generation were the first quilts either girl had made. Both girls dedicated their quilts to a family friend, Toni Kohn Woodward, who had passed away last September from a heart embolism. At the time, Toni was in her 20’s and pregnant. The star on Charlotte’s quilts was added before the quilt show as a way everyone could remember Toni.

[caption id="attachment_3206" align="aligncenter" width="591"]

Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Road to California was the first quilt show Charlotte and Alexus had ever been to. What did the girls think about seeing their quilts in person at the exhibit? Charlotte said, “I was so excited to see it. It made me happy.” Alexus added, “I thought it was crazy!”

Alexus and Charlotte are already planning for their next sewing projects: phone cases and backpacks.

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Tags: Bernina, Calgary School of Art, Canada, The Next Generation, Young Quilters
Posted in Road to California, Special Quilt Exhibits | 2 Comments »

2015 Special Exhibit: The Next Generation of Quilters

June 3rd, 2015

Old quilts are reborn with new faces

What could be more satisfying than encouraging young quilters with their quilt making skills? That’s exactly what Road to California and six other sponsors did when they initiated The Next Generation special exhibit at Road 2015.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Youth, aged seven to sixteen years old, were invited to participate in this non-competitive exhibit. “It’s important to let our younger generation know that quilting can be experienced in all different aspects and that it isn’t just about making old-fashioned blankets,” remarked Carolyn Reese.

[caption id="attachment_3205" align="aligncenter" width="627"]

Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

There were a dozen exhibitors: Crystal Farrand – Lake View Terrace, CA; Paige Graves – Leesburg, VA; Shayla A. Adams – Farmington, UT; Alexus Jekill – Calgary, Canada; Charlotte Upitis – Calgary, Canada; Amberlin Garcia – Perris, CA; Mickyla E. Wiggins – Albuquerque, NM; Peyton Chaffee – Ventura, CA; Kali Stone – Fullerton, CA; Cambria Lee – Purcellville, VA; Avery Lee – Purcelllville, VA; and Zenden Hutchins – Santee, CA.

[caption id="attachment_3202" align="aligncenter" width="546"]

Kali Stone is excited about her entry. Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

Each young quilter received a special gift package that included:

A participation ribbon

Finger guard set from Guidelines 4 Quilting

$20 gift certificate to Superior Threads

One Year Subscription to Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine

Charm Square packet from Robert Kaufman Fabrics

Gift Set from Quilter’s Rule International

The exhibit was also supported by The Cotton Patch.

During the show, participants were able to invite family and friends to see their work free of charge in the North Lobby of the Ontario Convention Center.

[caption id="attachment_3211" align="aligncenter" width="645"]

Zenden Hutchins signing out his quilt.[/caption]

A Chinese Proverb says, “If you want happiness for a lifetime – help the next generation.” From the looks of this exhibit, the future holds a lot of quilting happiness!!

Look for more youth quilting events with Road 2016.

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Tags: Guidelines 4 Quilting, Machine Quilting Unlimited, Next Generation, Quilters Rule International, Robert Kaufman Co., Superior Threads, The Cotton Patch, Youth Quilters
Posted in Special Quilt Exhibits | No Comments »

Empty Nest = Start Quilting

May 30th, 2015

When you are raising a family and working, often the only time left for quilting is spent on simply admiration. It isn’t until children are gone and retirement is looming that many of our guests finally have the time to stop admiring and start making quilts of their own.

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography[/caption]

After Yvonne Foster’s husband passed away and her seven children (6 daughters and one son) were on their own, Yvonne knew she needed something to do. Her pastor and her pastor’s daughter invited Yvonne to take a summer quilting class with them. Yvonne wasn’t interested at first, but the more she learned, the more she liked to quilt. The hardest part for Yvonne was getting started. She had always liked to sew clothes for her daughters, but clothing had patterns to follow. Cutting out fabric and putting it together without laid out instructions was hard for Yvonne. But the more she quilted, the more comfortable she became. It’s been 13 years since Yvonne first started quilting. And now, she is sharing her hobby with her daughter, Yvette.

Yvette liked seeing her mother’s finished projects, and thought quilting would be something she would enjoy doing — when she had the time. In 2007, that free time finally came up. After finishing Real Estate classes and getting her Real Estate license, Yvette had Thursday nights open. She decided to use those free evenings and take a quilting class. Guess what? Yvette has been quilting ever since!!

Yvette was the one to introduce her mother to Road. They have been coming for the past five years. Yvette feels she learns something each time she attends and especially likes seeing the judged quilts. “They are unbelieveable.” For Yvonne, she likes talking to the winners and asking them questions about their designs.

Lois Baumgartner of Fountain Valley still has the double-wedding ring quilt that her mother made in the 1940’s. Lois always liked to sew, but it wasn’t until 10 years ago when her children had all left home, that she found the time to start quilting herself. Lois was at a fabric store one day and struck up a conversation with another woman in the store. That lady ended up inviting Lois to attend her quilt guild, the Flying Geese Guild in Irvine, California. Lois says she “quilts at her own pace,” and that her favorite place to get new ideas is going to Road to California.

What held you back from starting to quilt? What are you waiting for to start?

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Tags: Empty Nest Hobby, Midlife, Quilting
Posted in Road to California | No Comments »