Road to California 2022 (1 of 2)

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California's Ontario Convention Center- lots of space to view all the quilts!

My post for this week is a bit late to give me the chance to share pictures and observations from my trip yesterday to the annual quilt show, Road to California.

It's good to see quilts in person again! Many quilt shows went virtual in the course of the pandemic. And thank goodness for the technology which made it possible to stay connected to the quilting community at large. But it didn't compare to being there in person.


Of course a few things have changed. I would definitely say the crowd was smaller. In pre-pandemic years, parking was hard to find. This year we arrived half an hour after doors opened and got a space in the lot closest to the building with plenty more still available.

Another sign of the times was that attendees had to present photo identification and vaccine/testing status upon entry and be masked throughout the venue. But we didn't let that detract from enjoying the experience, . . .

I'm always so intrigued by the curating of a show. The first conference hall had the bulk of the show's quilts, divided into their categories: Appliqué, Animals, Mixed, Pictorial, Pieced, etc., with their category ribbon awards displayed. 

Enter to face the exhibit of the "Animals" Category

Some of the larger quilts were grouped in colors, which was an interesting way to present them.


Each display is accompanied by an artist's statement in which they talk about their creative process, inspiration, or techniques used in the piece. Sometimes this really enhances your appreciation of the quilt, especially when they share how long it took, call attention to a hidden message in the design, or describe an innovative process. 

"Labels" made by Bonnie Phillips & Bernice Foster

This is one of the quilts that caught my eye because I have used labels in my work before, but never like this! The top is constructed with over 3,000 clothing and other labels collected over 50 years. That is some patient collecting! The appliquéd edge of white against black sets it off nicely.

There were so many ideas that any quilter would walk away with lots of inspiration, and a renewed creative energy.







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