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Handbags Are So In!! Meet 2015 Vendor: StudioKat Designs

March 5th, 2015

“When we started out, we thought we were going to start a Home Décor business.”

That’s what Kathy and Bubba Southern were thinking when Kathy retired in 2004. Thankfully, Kathy and Bubba decided to go down a different path: creating a home-based, handbag pattern studio/business known as StudioKat Designs.

After working 30 years doing lab work for a sewage plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Kathy was looking for something different to do in retirement; something she could really enjoy and something she could do staying in her pajamas! “I have had a lifelong obsession with handbags and I knew what I liked,” remarked Kathy. “I found I could fill a niche that other people hadn’t been able to do: cater to people who want a real good alternative to an expensive bag.”

StudioKat Designs enjoys their online presence. In addition to their web site, they have a large following with their Facebook and Instagram accounts. On their web site, they sell handbag patterns as well as zippers and notions because they had a hard time finding good bag notions. Kathy says, “It was the best thing we did.”

What is their biggest seller? Their purse insert line. They began offering this pattern in 2007. Why does Kathy think it is so popular? “It’s a great way to organize ‘stuff’ and can be transferred between handbags.”

Road 2015 was StudioKat Designs first time as a vendor. In fact, it was Bubba’s first time in California!!! Kathy and Bubba said they were “excited” to be at Road to California. “We don’t do many shows. We had a great time, met a lot of friends, and loved the weather!!

Wouldn’t one of StudioKat Designs be great for Road to California’s Bag and Purse Challenge?

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Tags: Kathy Southern, Purses and bags, StudioKat Designs
Posted in Road to California, Vendors | No Comments »

For Your Shopping Pleasure: The Road To California Online Store Is Now Open!

March 2nd, 2015

We get lots of requests for Road to California merchandise, after the show has closed. Not wanting to disappoint our dedicated roadies, we’ve opened the Road to California Online Store

This is the only place to purchase one-of-a-kind Road to California souvenirs, show CD’s, and the specially commissioned Road to California 20^th Anniversary fabric.

The 20^th Anniversary heavy oxford fabric is the foundation for the Road to California Tote Bag & Purse Challenge, sponsored by Road to California and ByAnnie.com with $1,000 in cash prizes being offered. Purchase the fabric in our store and design a one-of-a-kind bag or one from a designer, adding other fabrics, embellishments, hardware or stablizers. Rules and entry blank will be available starting March 15, 2015 on the Road to California and ByAnnie.com web sites.

Shopping for the anniversary fabric and other Road items is easy. Simply go to the store website, click on the items you want to purchase, and fill up your shopping basket

Checking out is fast and hassle-free. Let us know if you will be picking up your order at our office (ready in 30 minutes for no extra charge Monday through Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.) or want us to send it to you for a flat $5.00 fee. Before checking out, you can also write us a note if you have any special requests.

There are two options to use when you pay. Either create a Square account to save time for future shopping trips or sign in as a guest for one time purchases.

We are so excited about our new store, that we are offering a special code for you to receive Free Shipping on any purchases made March 2^nd through March 7^th, 2015. Enter FREESHIP2015 at time of purchase and all items will be sent for no added cost.

Save and Shop for the items you’ve been wanting at Road to California’s online store. See you there!!

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Tags: 20th Anniversary Fabric, ByAnnie.com, Road to California CD's, Road to California Online Store, Road to California Souvenirs, Road to California Tote Bag & Purse Challenge, Shipping Savings Code
Posted in Road to California | No Comments »

Man Sewing With Rob Appell

February 26th, 2015

Rob Appell brought his high energy, quilting expertise to Road 2015. He taught the class, Seascape/Landscape Extravaganza, and visited with guests at the World of Quilts Travel booth, talking about their quilt cruises, including the New England Fall Foliage Quilt Cruise being hosted by Road to California.

Rob was also anxious to talk about his latest project: Man Sewing with Rob Appell, a new You Tube Channel that debuted February 2nd.

Rob is collaborating with the Missouri Star Quilt Company to produce weekly quilt tutorials on line. This project was an answer to Rob’s prayers. It allows him to continue in an industry he loves from a new perspective: the business side of things. Rob helps decide what to film and puts together the weekly projects. “I’m not an actor — I am a quilt maker. My talents are in design, communication, and entertainment. Man Sewing gives me the ability to use all of these features.”

New tutorials will be posted every Monday, 52 weeks a year. The tutorials average around 10 minutes in length and feature Rob”s high energy and creativity. Rob spends one out of every six weeks in Missouri filming. When he is not filming, he is back at home “making stuff” (using current fabric and products) and working with the staff, planning the next episodes. In addition to the tutorials, Rob is also making “quick tip” videos for the Man Sewing channel.

Rob is “looking forward to deadlines; accomplishing things I wouldn’t have done before; and expanding my skills.”

How can you be a part of Man Sewing? Subscribe to the You Tube Channel and follow on Facebook so that you don’t miss out on any of the Man Sewing fun.

Road to California wishes Rob the best of luck as he embarks on this new adventure!!

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Tags: Man Sewing, Missouri Star Quilt Co., Rob Appell, You Tube Channel
Posted in Faculty, Road to California | No Comments »

Road 2015 Vendor Spotlight: Meet Splinters and Threads

February 20th, 2015

A Road to California Sponsor, the online business Splinters and Threads, began in 2002 as the place that “brings you the best in quilting and embroidery.” Splinters and Threads features machine embroidery designs, wood printing blocks, fabric paints, patterns and fabrics.

Owner Gina Reddin has been sewing since she was a very young girl in West Texas. She made her first dress completely unsupervised right after her 3rd grade year in school. She called her mother to see if she could sew something while she was home that day. When her mother returned home from school, she fully expected to find a slew of cut up fabrics. only to find a fully completed dress. Gina entered that dress in the fair that year and came home with a blue ribbon. Gina won numerous competitions in school, Girl Scouts, and 4-H.

When her children were young, Gina made most of their clothing and soon began making quilts. While home with her 4 children and expecting her 5th child, Gina discovered machine embroidery. With her degree in Interior Design and having worked as a draftsperson, digitizing was naturally the next step. The images of the embroidery designs progressed into having blocks hand carved in India. Today, Gina brings together her love of computers, quilting, machine embroidery, and fabric to bring a wide array of genres into her designs. Gina has been published in Quilting and Embroidery Magazine and Quiltmaker magazine.

In addition to her business, Gina enjoys photography and travel. She loves hands-on classes, helping others get interested in new ideas. Giving to others also excites Gina; the hand carved blocks now help support 40 families in India ensuring electricity in their homes and all their children now in school.

Splinters and Threads has been a vendor at Road for five years. 2015 marked the first year the company was a Road sponsor. Gina remarked, “I love the customers that Road has, the quality of the quilts and the special afternoon treatment Road shows its vendors.”

What will be new for Splinters and Threads in 2015? Gina shares that a new template/ruler will be released this year. “This one template will replace several templates and be a space saver.” There will also be new patterns offered to go with the line.

To see all the products offered by Splinters and Threads, please visit their web site: www.splintersandthreads.com

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Tags: Machine Embroidery, On Line Quilting and Embroidery Store, Splinters and Threads, Template Ruler, Wood Printing Blocks
Posted in Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Vendors | 3 Comments »

2015 Special Exhibit: Celebrating 150 Years of California State Parks

February 17th, 2015

California has over 279 diverse natural and cultural state parks. They include underwater preserves, reserves, and parks; redwood, rhododendron, and wildlife reserves; state beaches, recreation areas, wilderness areas, and reservoirs; state historic parks, historic homes, Spanish era adobe buildings, including museums, visitor centers, cultural reserves, and preserves; as well as lighthouses, ghost towns, waterslides, conference centers, and off-highway vehicle parks. The diversity of these parks was captured in the Road 2015 Special Exhibit located in the center of the show’s pavilion.

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Point Lobos State Natural Reserve by Christine Robin Hartman

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve by Christine Rohn Hartman[/caption]

The exhibit featured 57 quilts made by members of the Quliters’ Sew-ciety of Redding, Inc. One quilt was a replica of the official California State Parks’ 150th anniversary poster and the other 56 quilts in the exhibit depicted 56 different state parks.

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Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation Area by Candy Ralston[/caption]

In addition to making their quilt, each quilter also submitted a written narrative describing the park they chose, what inspired them to make the quilt, and a description detailing the techniques they used to make the quilt.

[caption id="attachment_2909" align="aligncenter" width="587"]

Anza Borrego Desert State Park by Blossom Hamusek[/caption]

All quilts had to be 20” x 30” with a 3” sleeve, and could be vertical or horizontal. Quilters chose their state parks on a first come/first choice basis from the 279 various state park units in California. The quilters were given 7 months to complete their project.

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Old Town San Diego State Historic Park by Katherine Fletcher[/caption]

Regarding the exhibit, curator Chris Hartman commented, “This was really an inspirational quilt challenge that seems to appeal to viewers of all ages and genders. It was fun to organize and participate in. We thank the CA State Parks 150th Anniversary Committee and the staff members of many of the state parks for their enthusiasm and support for this project.”

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Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park by Linda Molter[/caption]

The exhibit is currently on a two-year tour to various states and national quilt shows. It will also be exhibited at various Northern California State Parks such as Ide Adobe State Historic Park during Ide Adobe Days, Bidwell Mansion, and at the Stanford Mansion at the Leland Stanford State Historic Park in downtown Sacramento during the month of September.

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Tags: 150th Anniversary of California State Parks, California State Parks, Special Quilt Exhibit
Posted in Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show | 3 Comments »

Everyone Loves A Winner

February 11th, 2015

For the second year in a row, Road to California hosted a Daily Drawing.

Prospective winners filled out an entry form at the North Information Desk prior to the drawing at 3:00 p.m. each day of the conference.

All guests had the opportunity to win one of these great prizes donated by these great companies:

Babylock Rachel donated by Moore’s Sewing Center

Bernina Sew Pink Sewing Machine donated by Mel’s Sewing Center

Viking Sapphire 930 donated by OC Sewing

LaCresta Premiere Work Station donated by Martelli

Everyone was excited and nervous waiting for the anticipated announcement.

After giving the steel drum several spins, winners were selected and announced by Randy Graves.

And the lucky winners were:

Thursday: Agnes Wilkerson, Idylwild, California

Agnes came to Road by bus with her local guild, The Mountain Quilters. She was on the bus waiting to leave when her friend ran out to tell her she had won. A quilter for 11 years, Agnes thought it was “amazing” that she had won. “I’ve come to Road for several years and I love everything here.”

Friday: Lynn Grassel, Gillette, Wyoming

Lynn’s favorite color is pink. “I love pink blingy things.” So it was fitting that she won a pink Bernina sewing machine. It was Lynn’s first visit to Road. She came with six quilt buddies and they were having “a blast” taking classes, staying at the host hotel, and visiting the show. Lynn started quilting in 2001 when her youngest child graduated from high school. Going to Road inspired Lynn to want to become an art quilter.

Saturday: Susan Nowak, Thousand Oaks, California

Susan was inside the Exhibit Hall when she heard her name called. This was Susan’s 5^th time at Road. She came with friends who met at college at Cal Lutheran and are now all retired. What is she going to do now that she won her beautiful machine? “I plan to do lots and lots of sewing!!”

Sunday: Kristin McClary, Alta Loma, California

Kristin had attended the show earlier in the week and was just going to stop back by on Sunday “for one more item.” Little did she know that a last minute drop of her entry would win her a new electric work station valued at $3,250!!!

All of our winners remarked that they “never win anything.” Just goes to show that it pays to take a chance and enter the daily drawing. Because one day, the winner’s name being called out just might be yours!!

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Tags: Babylock, Bernina, Daily Drawing, Martelli Enterprises, Mel's Sewing Center, Moore's Sewing Center, OC Sewing, Viking, Work Station
Posted in Giveaways, Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Road to California | No Comments »

What Is Your Creative Process?

February 6th, 2015

No two people approach their quilting projects the same. Here, Road’s 2015 Featured Artist, Sheila Frampton Cooper, shares her creative process:

1) First Things First: Palette and Scale* I usually have a color scheme in mind but many times, I will pull out all of my fabric and just start making color choices as I am building a piece. There’s something about actually looking at a particular piece of fabric and deciding if it’s a good fit. After I decide on the color direction, I then consider the scale of the project. Will I use large pieces or smaller ones?

2) Music* Ever since I was a young child, I have had a very eclectic and discriminating taste in music. It’s fair to say you rarely walk into my studio when there’s nothing playing. Music can change my mood in an instant and it energizes my creative soul; this is one of the reasons music plays such a huge part in my creative process. Some of my favorite artists include: David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Grace Jones, Neil Young, theKinks, Elton John, Bootsy Collins, and Parliament Funkadelic.

3) Improvise* I don’t really work in a series. Each quilt is its own thing, so to speak. Often I’m inspired by a piece and I want to recreate that in some way, but it always goes where it wants to go. Improvisation requires thoughtful attention and every move I make takes careful consideration. In some ways, it’s a lot easier to follow a pattern or a predetermined design. Creating without an initial plan gives me the opportunity to make decisions throughout the construction of a piece and for some, that can be daunting. However, I thrive on that and when I run into a challenge, I step back, quiet my mind, and wait. I wait with the knowledge that a solution will dawn on me, and it always does, without fail.

4) Favorite Tip. I use Superior Threads mono poly in my bobbin. I wind the bobbin and use 50% speed. This also saves thread and gives a nice look on the back of the quilt.

How do you approach your creative process?

*Part of this text was adapted from an article that appeared in the May 2014 issue of American Quilter Magazine.

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Tags: Featured Artist, Quilting Creative Process, Sheila Frampton Cooper
Posted in Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show | No Comments »

2015 Featured Artist: Meet Sheila Frampton Cooper

February 4th, 2015

Award winning artist, Sheila Frampton Cooper, has come a long way in her six short years as a quilter. Prior to quilting, Sheila had an extensive art background in oil, acrylic and watercolor painting, jewelry-making, and architectural photography. Her first foray in to quilting was in 2009 when she made quilts for the Project Linus. Sheila began working on her first art quilt in January of 2010 and completed that project in October of the same year. Titled, “Life in the City,” it was her first entry in to any quilt show. And that first quilt show just happened to be Road to California 2011!

[caption id="attachment_2845" align="aligncenter" width="497"]

Life in the City by Sheila Frampton Cooper[/caption]

In 2013, Sheila was asked by Carolyn Reese to curate the special exhibit, Perspectives: Fantasy and Reality, which showcased quilts that were inspired by maps, aerial views and topography of actual or imaginary places. Then, in November 2013, Matt Reese asked her to be 2015’s featured artist.

Sheila’s favorite quilting technique is taking piecing, using her hand dyed fabrics, and pushing the piecing to “the max” using engineering, thought, consideration, and forward thinking to see, “how far I can go to bring my vision to life.”

To prepare for her featured artist exhibit, Sheila began with Life in the City and created 7 new pieces just for the 2015 show.

Sheila was so “grateful to be invited as the featured artist. I enjoyed interacting with the show attendees, and was thrilled to see my work on the cover of the catalog.”

What does the future hold for this talented art quilter? Until April 4, 2015, a special exhibit she curated, Expressions in Equality, is on display at the Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, in San Diego, CA. Sheila recently relocated to Pont Royal, Mallemort, France. Her new home in this small village is providing the inspiration for 10-12 new pieces she is currently creating for her next exhibit which will be shown at the European Patchwork Meeting being held September 16-19, 2015.

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Tags: Art Quilts, European Patchwork Meeting, Expressions in Equality, Project Linus, Visions Art Museum
Posted in Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show | 4 Comments »