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Celebrating The Red, White, And Blue With Quilts

July 4th, 2014

Whether used as a tablecloth at a potluck, a ground covering for a picnic, or as a blanket to cuddle under while watching fireworks, quilts are an important part of our most patriotic of holidays. And while these 2014 Road to California winning quilts probably won’t be used for such practical purposes, their colors and themes are fitting for such an honored celebration:

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Bias II by Alissa H. Carlton[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2050" align="aligncenter" width="593"]

The Price of Freedom by Kim Bruny[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2049" align="aligncenter" width="612"]

Intersections by Alissa H. Carlton[/caption]

Doesn’t this just remind you of Fireworks?

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Byrne’s Spiral by Beth Nufer and Clem Buzick[/caption]

Wishing you a spectacular Fourth of July.

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Tags: Fourth of July, Winning Quilt
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2014, Road to California | No Comments »

Meet Mr. And Mrs. Matthew Reese

June 30th, 2014

Jennifer Matt-Two-0350 Photo courtesy of Robbie Cavanaugh[/caption]

Just in time to share the wedding details of Jennifer Bennett and Matthew Reese

Married May 25, 2014

Alumni House — University of Redlands — Redlands, California

Matt and Jen chose their wedding location because , ” It was a beautiful, surrounded by one hundred year old buildings and oak trees.” It was where Jennifer went to college for her Bachelor’s of Arts and Teaching Credential.

Their wedding party consisted of ten close family and friends. Matt’s best man was also a Matthew, Matthew Gullett. The two have been best friend’s since college and have worked together as Road staff members the past 6 years. Groomsmen included Jennifer’s brother, Bryan Bennett; Matt’s friend from the University of La Verne College of Law, Dave Hamilton; and Adrian Moore, Matt’s Brother-in-Law.

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Photo courtesy of Robbie Cavanaugh[/caption]

The Matron of honor was Lauren Lening, a friend and fellow teacher of Jen’s at Alta Loma Junior High. Bridesmaids included Jen’s college roommate and friend, Carey Best; and another college friend, Jessica Kunert. Jennifer’s cousins, Kaitlyn and Kelsey Keele served as Junior Bridesmaids and Matt’s nieces’s, Adrienne and Paighten Moore were the adorable flower girls.

The wedding ceremony was conducted by Dr. Roy Halberg. He included the following readings as part of the ceremony: 1 Corinthians 13; How Do I Love Thee? By Elizabeth Barrett Browning (This one made Jen tear up during the ceremony. Luckily Matt had a hanky in his pocket!) and What is Marriage by Anonymous.

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Photo courtesy of Robby Cavanaugh[/caption]

The reception immediately followed the ceremony on the west lawn of the Alumni House. In true Road to California fashion, the guest book consisted of quilt squares that guests were ask to sign. The squares were collected and will be made in to a wedding quilt. So clever!!

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View More: http://robbycavanaugh.pass.us/reese

Photo courtesy of Robbie Cavanaugh[/caption]

Look what Grandma Carolyn wrote:

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Photo courtesy of Robbie Cavanaugh[/caption]

During the reception, there was plenty of dancing and wonderful toasts. A highlight was having Matron of Honor, Lauren, “rap” her speech to the tune of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

The traditional first dance was to Adam Sandler’s , “Grow Old With You.”

What was really special and unique that day was that Jennifer had four generations from her side of the family represented at the wedding: her Great Grandmother Dolores Daros, her Grandmother Lee Ann Akers, her mother Debby Bennett, and Jen. See the pearls Jennifer is wearing? They were originally Jen’s great-grandmother’s. All four women wore them on their wedding day. How sweet is that

Photo courtesy of Robbie Cavanaugh

The couple that traveled the farthest — who was also the longest married couple in attendance — was Road’s own Stevii Graves and her husband, Randy. For their marital advice, they suggested “travel.”

The honeymoon began the very next day. Matt and Jen took a road trip to Mammoth, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Sonoma Valley, and Monterey. They visited the Devil’s Postpile, went wine tasting, and toured the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Said Matt, “We had a wonderful and relaxing time just enjoying the beautiful scenery of California.”

What does the future hold for the new Mr. and Mrs. Reese? They want to adopt a puppy (Jen is hoping for a Basset Hound!) and to travel (Taking the advice of Stevii and Randy right away!) Long term plans include starting a family but Matt insists, “Don’t expect a big announcement at Road in 2015. This won’t happen for a few years.”

[caption id="attachment_2041" align="aligncenter" width="648"]

Photo courtesy of Robbie Cavanaugh[/caption]

Congratulations Matt and Jen!!! Your Road family couldn’t be happier for you!!!

***Thanks to photographer Robby Cavanaugh, a childhood friend of Matt’s, for capturing the big day. http://www.robbycavanaugh.com

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Tags: Quilt wedding gift, University of Redlands, Wedding
Posted in Reese Family, Road 2 CA Blog, Road to California | 1 Comment »

Registering For Classes

June 26th, 2014

Class registration is right around the corner. While the webmaster is moving as fast as she can on getting our 2015 classes online, we thought we should give you all a crash course in our online registration system.

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. The most recently updated 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 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 remember your email address and password from last year, enter it now and skip ahead.

If you don’t remember 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 11 at 8 AM PDT you can move your mouse to ROAD2015 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!

Once you’ve verified that you’ve got all your classes and cancellation insurance (you can’t add on cancellation insurance after you click register), 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 will not be granting exceptions for cancellation hardships this year. Please take special care to remember the dates for cancellation.

That’s it! Class information will be posted by July 1! Class registration begins on July 13, 2014 at 8 AM PDT! We can’t wait to see you in January!

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Tags: Internet Browser Update, Quilt Classes, Registering for Road
Posted in classes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Road to California | 4 Comments »

How We Choose Classes For Road To California

June 23rd, 2014

It is almost time to announce our Road to California 2015 classes. Because we are often asked how we come up with our slate of offerings, we wanted to share the planning process that goes in to our class selection.

The first step is to secure our teachers. Selecting the faculty for Road to California actually begins more than two years prior to an upcoming conference. Carolyn, Matt and Stevii Graves (Road’s consultant and talent scout), search for the newest, upcoming talent (as well as seasoned veterans in the teaching world) that would be a good fit for Road. They look for teachers at trade shows, in trade publications (Stevii does book reviews for IQA) and in blogs on the internet. Searching for teachers is a full time job!Choosing the classes can best be summed up as one giant jigsaw puzzle with pieces that don’t fit together! To be certain that we are offering classes that meet the needs and desires of our attendees, we have several methods set in place to ensure that we have a diverse cross section of classes that represent quilters today. We want to make sure that our classes range from Appliqué to Zentangle!

We have 22 classrooms with certain rooms better utilized for certain techniques. For example, this year we have Kim Eichler-Messmer teaching a two day class on Fabric Dyeing for quilts. Her classroom must not only be near water, but also be covered with plastic on the floor so that the fabric dye does not damage the carpeting.

We have received some complaints that Road is primarily catering to the long arm quilter and is not meeting the needs of all quilters. Rather than simply deny this, we would like to provide you with some numbers:

Three of the 22 rooms are utilized with Longarm Machines (Gammill, Handi Quilters & Innova)

Two of the 22 rooms are utilized with sit-down, Longarm Machines (Gammill Charm & Handi Quilters Sweet 16). The techniques used in these classes are directly applicable to domestic machines.

Seven of the 22 rooms have sewing machines provided for attendees (Brother, BabyLock, Bernina, Janome, PFAFF, Viking). These rooms are used for Machine Quilting, Machine Piecing, Machine Applique and many other techniques & projects.

Ten of the 22 rooms are utilized for other classes including Hand Work, Fabric Dying, Painting, Bring Your Own Machine classes, etc.

Classes for Road 2015 will be posted on our website no later than July 1st and registration begins on-line July 13th.

We invite you to join us for THE BEST Road to California yet, our 20^th Anniversary Conference & Showcase.

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Tags: Longarm Machines, Quilt Teachers, Sewing Machines
Posted in behind the scenes, classes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Road to California | 2 Comments »

How To Keep The Kids Entertained This Summer (Part II)

June 20th, 2014

Summer is the perfect time to encourage the children in your life to sew. With the long, hot days, what could be more fun than staying out of the heat and discovering the fun and sense of accomplishment that sewing brings?

We met several innovative young sewers at Road this year whose mothers encouraged their children to learn to sew:

Haley, Anabell and Michelle are 12 year old triplets who love to sew. Their mother is sewer who started quilting 4 years ago. She signed her daughters up for the kid’s class at Road 2013 to introduce them to sewing. Haley made pillowcases and thought the class “was a fun experience.” She also liked all of the quilt exhibits. Annabell made pillows in the class and enjoyed sorting through all the buttons in the button booths. “Buttons are my hobby,” remarked Annabell. Michelle thought looking at the quilts was “cool” and has started making one herself. They all agreed sewing can be very versatile. Learning to sew has become useful for making clothes because it saves them money. And they have also discovered how all it takes is a needle and thread plus some fabric and they can make blankets.

Lizzy is a 7 year old sewer. She came to Road with her mom, Lori, from Temecula, CA. Lori learned to sew from her mother when she was 10 and she has in turn taught her daughter. When Lizzy was just 2 years old, she would watch Lori sew and especially enjoyed turning on and off Lori’s machine!! Lizzie helped Lori baste quilts too. As Lizzy grew, Lori bought some grid Pellon so Lizzie could perfect sewing straight lines. At her young age, Lizzy is already a pretty accomplished sewer. She does both hand and machine sewing and even has her own sewing machine. Lizzie has made napkins, worked with applique, and is looking forward to making her first quilt.

For Road’s 20^th Anniversary Show, January 22 – 25, 2015, there will be a youth quilt challenge. More information will be available soon on the Road to California web site: www.road2ca.com. Who knows? If your children start sewing and quilting now, they may create a winning entry!!!

Sewing+Summer= Tons of fun for everyone!!!

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Tags: Kids and Sewing, Mothers and Daughters, Youth Quilt Challenge
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2014, Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show | No Comments »

How To Keep The Kids Entertained This Summer (Part I)

June 18th, 2014

School is out and summer vacation is here. What do you have planned to keep the children in your life entertained? May we suggest the perfect idea to keep the kids busy? Have them sew!!!

When did you learn to sew? Chances are your mother or grandmother or maybe even an aunt took the time to share their sewing skills with you when you were younger. Why not do the same for the children in your life? Help them to learn and perfect a skill that has brought you joy and can benefit them throughout their lives.

At Road this past January, we met several young people who have caught the sewing bug, thanks to their grandmothers:

Katie just finished the 4^th grade at Stork Elementary in Alta Loma, CA. She started sewing when she was 3!!! Both her grandmothers sew – but not her mom. Her Grammy Barbara, who lives in Northern California, drives down to visit Katie and her family three times a year in her “quilt mobile” (the license plate reads: ♥2BQLTN). On her visits, Barbara brings batting, fabric, and her sewing machine so that she and Katie can sew. The first thing Katie ever made was a pillow. Since then, she has made more pillows plus placemats and pillow cases. Katie bought her first sewing machine during Road and is making a quilt to enter in Road’s kid’s contest next year. Katie says of her sewing, “I get to make different things and create. My favorite part is putting the material together.”

Amaia also just finished the 4^th grade. She came to Road with her Grandma Christine from Riverside, CA. Grandma Christine taught Amaia how to sew 6 years ago. Amaia uses her grandmother’s machine and has made a little bag and a cushion. She got material at Road to make her first quilt for her Bitty Baby doll. Ali (age 10) and Sam (age 7) came to Road with their Gamma. They are from Mira Loma, CA. Ali has been attending Road since she was 4 months old with her mom and grandmother. She likes to sew doll clothes with her sister Sam and was starting on making a quilt. Because they are home schooled, they came to Road every day; they loved seeing the quilts that much!!

KC Wilson (age 11) came with her grandmother Carollynn from Lakewood, CA. KC has already made 3 quilts!! This year was KC and Carollynn’s first time at Road. Said KC, “I liked it a lot!” KC first learned to sew last summer at a Kids Club sponsored by a local sewing shop in Lakewood.

Have you introduced your grandchildren to sewing and quilting yet?

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Tags: Grandmother, Grandparent, Kids and Sewing, Summer Activity
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2014 | No Comments »

A Shout Out to The Men At Road

June 14th, 2014

Road to California attracts all kinds of patrons: old and young; locals and travelers; women, teens, children, and even men!!! What did some of our male guests think of Road 2014?

Richard, from Sacramento, California, came to support his wife and carry her shopping bags. He enjoyed the “artistry” of the quilts.

Bill, from Whittier, California, came one day to help his wife manage her purchases. The rest of the week, he took care of his 97 year old mother-in-law so that his wife could attend the show for the entire week.

Louie came with his wife from Newport News, Virginia. Going to Road was their vacation destination. It was their first time coming to Ontario and the show. While his wife took quilt classes, Louie took a tour of the city. He thought the “weather was fantastic” and that the show was “awesome.” Louie was “amazed at what quilters can do.”

Earl Bunker, age 73, has been a quilter for 6 years. He was looking for something to do after retirement and actually started quilting before his wife. He has 7 sewing machines and uses them all in his projects including his grandmother’s 1882 Singer. He uses that machine for sewing straight stitching as it has a ¼” foot. Earl enjoys sewing quilts and tote bags for his granddaughters (none of whom sew – yet). At the show, he was interested in learning how to do paper piecing as he likes appliqueing. Earl loves the “variety” that Road has to offer.

Have you brought the man in your life to Road?

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Tags: Men at quilt shows, Men that quilt
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2014, Road to California | No Comments »

June Is For Graduations

June 11th, 2014

The Reese family is celebrating TWO college graduations this month.

Carolyn has two granddaughters, Rachel and Mary Beth, receiving college diplomas on June 14^th from California Polytechnic University – Pomona.

Rachel Reese is the daughter of Carolyn’s son Darrell.

Rachel started college right out of high school and will get her degree after four years of hard work and studying. Her degree is in Business Administration- Management and Human Resources with an emphasis on Non-Profit management. Rachel commuted to school from Rancho Cucamonga and said there wasn’t much time for much else other than school and work. She was involved in the Free Mason organization and served as a state officer while in college.

When it was January and time for Road to California, she helped her dad with the set up and clean-up of the show. Rachel already has a job lined up. They are waiting for her to graduate so they can promote her to manager!!! What was one of Rachel’s memorable moments from college? Taking a class with her cousin Mary Beth. They sat next to each other and on their single name tag between them, wrote Reese for their name. Their teacher never knew which one was which and never really got it straight whether they were sisters or cousins.

Mary Beth Reese is the daughter of Carolyn’s son David.

Before starting at Cal Poly, Mary Beth received her AA in business at Mount San Antonio Community College. She will be receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting. Being accepted to Cal Poly was probably her most memorable college experience as Mary Beth had put off continuing in college for a while. When she was finally ready to go back, she was thrilled that she got accepted right away since it is getting harder and harder these days to be accepted.Mary Beth was a nighttime student at Cal Poly because she held a full-time, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job at Mercury Insurance in Rancho Cucamonga for the last 8 years. In the winter, she usually tried to schedule her classes to avoid conflicts with Road as much as possible. During the week of Road, she would work her normal day time job and after work, head over to the show when everyone else was going home. She worked as the nighttime management contact person for the night classes, staying each evening until the classes were concluded, usually around 10:00 p.m..

What does the future hold for Mary Beth? She’s not in a hurry to find a new job since she already has her job with Mercury Insurance. She is looking forward to getting her nights back to herself though. That is, until January, when Road will be having her back working evenings for their 20th Anniversary Show.

Congratulations Rachel and Mary Beth!!!

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Tags: Cal Poly Pomona, Cousins, Free Masons, Graduation, Mercury Insurance
Posted in Reese Family, Road 2 CA Blog | No Comments »

Meet Valerie Goodwin, Quilt Artist – Exploring The Use of Laser Cutting Technology

June 6th, 2014

Road to California prides itself on presenting the latest and greatest in the quilting world. Having Valerie Goodwin as one of our teachers for our upcoming 20^th Anniversary Conference and Showcase continues this vision.A graduate of Yale University with a Masters Degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, Valerie Goodwin is an architect, a teacher of architectural design at Florida A & M University, and a quilt artist. Her quilt designs are inspired by the realistic and abstract imagery of maps. Says Valerie, “I am fascinated by the language of lines, shape and pattern…My work is noted for its use of color, emphasis on line, and density. My quilts are part of a continuing investigation of ideas that focus on geometrical relationships, patterns, and ordering principles found in architecture. I try to convey these ideas abstractly, through the use of collage, layering, transparency, density, and improvisation.”

Valerie’s new passion combines both the digital and the physical realm of creating. This connection came together in the summer of 2013 when Valerie was selected to participate in a 3-week residency at Florida State University’s (FSU) Facilities for Arts Research (FAR). The title of her project was Mapping Time and Place. During her residency, she tested laser settings on over 30 natural and synthetic fabrics. In addition to exploring combinations of layered materials for her experimental fiber artwork, she also created a binder with fabric samples and laser cutting settings as a resource for future FAR researchers.

Valerie has continued to fine-tune her experience with the laser cutter and its interaction with fabric. Not only does the laser cut fabrics, but it can also score and etch.

All of this innovative work has sparked a desire with Valerie to share her knowledge with other quilt artists. Road is thrilled for Valerie to be sharing this technique with our guests at Road 2015.

To learn more about Valerie’s work, please visit her website: Quilts by Valerie

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Tags: Architect, Laser Cut-Out Material, Maps, Valerie Goodwin
Posted in classes, Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show, Road to California | No Comments »

Road 2014 Special Exhibit: Amish Influence From Traditional to Modern

June 4th, 2014

This exhibit featured 14 quilts that were selected from submissions for C&T Publishing’s new book Amish Quilts—The Adventure Continues. The quilts not only represented Amish-made traditional quilts, but also included modern interpretations that referenced Amish quilts in new and unexpected ways.Traditional Amish quilts reflect their religious commitment to reject “worldly” elements in their dress and lifestyle. They use only solid colors, colors that are approved by their local religious leaders. Early Amish quilts were typically made of lightweight wool fabric with black as a dominant color and exhibited lush quilting patterns that contrasted with the plain background.

Modern Quilting naturally lends itself to the style of the traditional Amish quilts. Aspects of modern quilting such as bold colors; simple, minimalist design; and increased use of negative space translate easily into interpreting a modern approach to Amish quilting.

What a great way to tie the past and future of quilting.

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Tags: Amish, C&T Publishing, Modern Quilting
Posted in Road 2 CA Blog, Road 2014, Road to California | 1 Comment »