Road to California

Disclaimer: The following post contains an incalculable amount of adjectives and exclamations...you've been warned...


Had an AMAZING time at the annual Road to California quilt show this weekend!!! The Ontario Convention Center is the perfect venue for such a fantastic event; I walked countless miles admiring all of the fabulous quilts on display. Of course there were tons of fantastic vendors there and I played with design software (check out artistich.com, simply amazing!) and drooled over gorgeous fabrics and amazing new quilting notions. The fabric theme of the show seemed to be batiks (Hoffman was the main show sponsor)...they were everywhere! So of course I bought some ;)
I got to meet some quilting royalty, too! Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims were there as was Eleanor Burns. All just as nice as can be and so down-to-earth; just like you see them on their shows :)
My favorite part of the show was admiring the incredible quilts; award winning as well as all of the entries that were displayed. Every one of them should have had a ribbon in my opinion; I could never be a judge! 

I got to speak with Sherry Reynolds, the quilter who won "Judge's Choice" (I got a picture of her quilt but not one of her, sorry... I was a little distracted by her quilt!) and she explained the process of how she designed and made her quilt, "America, Let It Shine". She designed it all on graph paper and from start to finish it took her just 9 months; so inspiring!  (The pics don't begin to do justice...I had to use my phone.)

Stunning applique

A shout out to "Jack"...

The quilting and trapunto in this quilt were breathtaking...

I picked up this kit with luscious batiks and I would have posted sooner but I was busy diving into this Bali Pop! The colors are dazzling! I also picked up this new strip tube ruler from Daniela @ Cozy Quilt Designs and I'm pretty impressed with it...I can't believe how fast my blocks are going together! I'm going to order some rulers to share...
I also picked up a few Quilts of Valor and brought them home with me to quilt. If you ever see one of their booths at a quilt show, stop and visit with them. They are the nicest bunch of people and their organization allows us such a sweet way to pay tribute to our service men and women.
I'm feeling all inspired so now's the perfect time to get back to work!!!