Well, Road to California started off with a bang! Extra tent for more vendors and lunch seating. Great Teachers! Beautiful fabric! Wonderful staff! So far, here are my comments:
Thanks to my first two instructors – Linda Ballard for Harmony Square. Also, thanks to Linda Hahn who taught New York Beauty Diversified. Great tips on sewing curves and copying the pattern. Usually if you copy a pattern, the distortion will show up in your quilt – especially if you use 2 different copiers. Both instructors brought in their quilts for layout ideas, colors and quilting the finished product.

Vendors – Thank you Beyond the Reef for coming over with great rolls of fabric – best Hawaiian fabric ever. ‘Quilt in a Day’ – Eleanor Burns is at her booth and I have to ask “Does this woman ever get tired?” She is one of the most upbeat vendors. “Come Quilt with Me’ and Pat Yamin who does triple duty this year – has a booth, judged the quilts and also taught. Another powerhouse vendor/teacher – she is awesome on handstitching. Kai Scissors have a terrific booth with some great show prices, Tracey’s Tables, Bohn from France with needles, scissors, etc, Island Batik and some many more. Tons of sewing machines – both regular machines, long arm, and every attachment possible.

Today is another class, Stacked Hexagon Stars Quilt with Norah McMeeking, and Saturday will be handstitching and learing new decorative stitches. I will be able to post more pictures later. I wasn’t going to do that much shopping as I need to reduce my stash of fabrics but couldn’t stop. Plus I found the most comfortable thimble that is absolutely gorgeous. She told me it was a JL Lane.

Ontario Convention Staff/Road to California Staff – all super helpful.

A few tips for those who attend – wear comfortable shoes. If you are taking class and want to sit with your friends, then get there early so you can sit together. And lastly, have fun and don’t forget your “P’s and Q’s”. That phrase, as I was told, means Don’t forget your PLEASE AND THANK YOUS”. There is a lot of work that goes into these shows. This year, Road is dealing with one teacher that had to cancel due to illness, one vendor broke down in Texas, one instructor woke up with the flu,,,,,, meaning cancelled classes. But you could not tell from their faces. All staff, both paid and volunteer, have smiles on their faces. So head out to Ontario as the show will end on Sunday at 4p.m.