before Road 2018, we sponsored a 10-day Daily Giveaway. Each day, from January 3 through January 12, entries were collected from comments on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. One comment was randomly selected per day as the winner. The Grand Prize winner was chosen on the last day: Erica from Chino, California. She said she entered the giveaway every day on Instagram. When she found out she had won, she was both “shocked” and “excited” as she jumped for joy. Erica won 4 tickets to the show; 4 passes to Jenny Doan’s Trunk Show on Friday night; and for Saturday, lunch for 4 plus registration in 2 classes: Blooming Dresdens taught by Lee Chappell Monroe and Goodbye UFO’s—Hello New Projects taught by Pat Yamin.
A young mom with two children ages 11 and 2, Erica has been to Road 4 times. She says it’s her “escape.” “I love coming here and seeing everything. I get so inspired.” Erica has been quilting since 2009 and says she often hears, “You’re too young to be quilting!!” Her best friend’s grandmother taught her how to quilt. Recently, Erica has gotten her daughter started in quilting because she wants to pass on her legacy of quilting.
During the show, we gave away several sewing machines for our Daily Drawings. Guests entered their names into a big gold drum located at the North Registration Desk. In order to receive their prize, winners had to be present at the show. If they weren’t in the immediate vicinity of the drawing, they had 15 minutes to claim their prize.
Thursday’s winner was Debbie Johnson from Montclair, California. She won a Brother Disney Innovis Sewing and Embroidery Machine donated by Moore’s Sewing. Debbie has attended Road over 10 times and was in a class (her third of the week!) when she received the phone call that she had won. Debbie said winning the machine was “the perfect ending to my day.”
Something new for 2018 was that there were two drawings held on Friday and Saturday. At 11:30 AM on Friday, a Bernina “Simply Red” 215 donated by Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center, was won by Sylvia Corbin of San Diego, California. She and three friends had attended Party Time the night before and was on a lunch break from Jenny Doan’s class when she heard her name called.
You could hear Sylvia screaming down the main hallway as she ran to collect her prize. Sylvia loves Bernina sewing machines (this prize made it her 4th Bernina) and loves the quilting community.
On Friday afternoon, Myles Eakes of Phelan, California was getting his lunch at nearby Victoria Gardens when he received the phone call that he had won. “Shocked” that he had won, Myles raced back to the Ontario Convention Center, without breaking any traffic laws, but did have to double-park in order to make the 15-minute deadline!!!
Myles is a hand-sewer and is currently designing a quilt featuring golf flags. He came to the show with his wife and mother- both quilters. At first, they did not believe he had won; after all, he was supposed to be getting his lunch so they took their time meeting up with him. Boy were they surprised when they saw him standing with his Janome M7200 donated by Moore’s Sewing!!
On Saturday morning, it took three tries before Denine Moriarity of Valley Center, California, was able to claim her prize, a Baby Lock Katherine, donated by Moore’s Sewing. When she heard that the second person drawn wasn’t present to win, Denine said to herself, “The next one will be me!!” She was “amazed” to win and thought the machine was just “awesome.”
A quilter for 15 years, Denine came to Road 2018 with her sisters. She took two classes and loved the inspiration.
Irene Towler of Hollister, California, won the Saturday afternoon drawing, a Viking Tribute 145 donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum. Road 2018 was Irene’s first time at the show. She commented on the quilts on display saying that they were “the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen. Irene has been quilting “forever” and is a founding member of The Pinnacle Quilters in San Benito County.
The final drawing was held Sunday afternoon where Georgann Bradenburg was the “happy” winner of a Martelli Premier Work Station. 
It’s always fun to see the surprise, joy, and gratitude of Road drawing winners.
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Posts Tagged ‘Mel’s Sewing Center’
Everyone Loves A Winner
Tuesday, January 30th, 2018Everyone Loves A Winner
Saturday, February 11th, 2017Konnect, rolled the drum and pulled out the ticket of a lucky winner:
Thursday
Marilyn McKitrick from Penticton, BC, Canada won a Babylock Rachel from Moore’s Sewing Center. 
This was Marilyn’s fifth time at Road to California. She came with a friend from Nevada and they spent four days at the show. Marilyn said that Road is the “highlight of my year.”
A quilter for the past 15 years, Marilyn was in Lea McComas’ Thread Painted Portraits class when the drawing was held. Earlier in the day, her phone had died. She knew she had to put a phone number down on the entry form, so she put her friend’s number down instead — and forgot to tell her. When Road called her friend’s phone and told her the news, she ran from her hotel room to Marilyn’s class to tell her so Marilyn could make it to the registration desk before the 15 minute time limit was up. Marilyn said she was in “shock–absolute shock” when she found out she was a winner.
Friday
Mel’s Sewing donated a Bernina Red sewing machine which was won by Nancy Zimmerman from Placentia, California. Nancy and her “Bunco-Quilting-Jazzercise-Friends” braved the rain to attend Road that day. This was Nancy’s fifth time at Road and she has been quilting for over 20 years.
“Thrilled” was Nancy’s reaction to winning. She said she had been “looking for a smaller machine to take to classes” and this machine would meet her needs. Nancy loves to see all the vendors at Road. “There are new things every time you come.”
Saturday
Cathy Hesler came from Covington, Indiana to attend her second year at Road. She won the Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 930 that was donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum.
She also was in a class when she found out she had won, attending Jacqueline Kunkel’s Vintage Compass. Winning was “a dream come true” for Cathy. “Road is great–I love it!!”
Sunday
Elle Sproal from Orange County, California was the final Daily Giveaway Winner for Road 2017. She won a workstation from Martelli Enterprises.
Thank you to the vendors who contributed the giveaway items and thanks to all who entered.
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Experience Both Domestic And Long Arm Quilting In These 2017 Classes
Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 the first time, Road to California is offering an industry room where students will be able to experience firsthand, quilting on both domestic and long arm machines. Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center and BERNINA have teamed up to provide both types of sewing machines for classes taught by Mandy Leins, Paula Reid, and Jenny Bowker.
How did this concept idea get started? Matt Reese, Road’s Show Director, approached Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center with the idea and they loved it!! Mel’s has been a BERNINA dealer since 1960 and has been supporting Road to California for many years. BERNINA machines have been requested repeatedly for classroom opportunities because they are easy to use with a proven success record for all levels of sewing interest. Mel’s is providing 10 standard domestic BERNINA machines and 10 BERNINA long arm machines for use in the industry room classroom.
The long arm machine being featured is a BERNINA Q 20 – a sit-down long arm machine. This model accommodates the best of both worlds: it can be placed on a frame or set in a cabinet. Using a frame allows the quilter to move the machine while the fabric is stationary. With the cabinet, the fabric can be moved under the stationary machine.
Each instructor assigned to teach in the industry classroom —Mandy Leins, Paula Reid, and Jenny Bowker — will share specific techniques on both machines.
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Fluff & Stuff will be taught on Wednesday and Thursday by Paula Reid, Class 3401C[/caption]
On the domestic machine, features that will be highlighted include the walking foot, darning foot, basting stitch, BERNINA Stitch Regulator, pedal control, the Freehand System, and user interface to achieve amazing results.
The sit-down long arm will emphasize hands-on work with acrylic templates, the #96 foot, BERNINA Stitch Regulator, user interface, and pedal control
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Quilting with a Starter will be taught by Jenny Bowker on Saturday, Class 6001C[/caption]
Students will be encouraged to spend time on both machines. With the experience on a domestic machine, anyone should be able to apply the skills at home to come up with creative and beautiful designs on their personal machines. And after experiencing the Q 20, students can use their hands-on experience to see what amazing things can be done with templates on a sit-down longarm.
Road to California is thrilled to be the first show in 2017 to experience the BERNINA Q 20 in a classroom setting.
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Meet Road 2016 Contest Winners
Wednesday, February 10th, 2016Part of the fun of Road to California is entering the contests.
Two Tickets to Road 2016: Teresa Borkin
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Carolyn Reese congratulates Teresa Borkin[/caption]
Teresa Borkin, from the Seattle area, had always wanted to attend Road. When she won two tickets for the 2016 show in a giveaway on the blog back in September, that sealed the deal. Teresa and six of her quilting friends came for three days. Teresa expected to see high quality quilts and her expectations were met. She attended Preview Night where she enjoyed viewing the quilts without the crowds. Teresa also enjoyed the shopping and seeing vendors from Washington: Carriage Country Quilts, Quilter’s Roost and Quilter’s Coop. “I’m going home with a whole bag of stuff.”
Thursday Daily Winner: Alice Finkelstein
Alice Finkelstein traveled to Road from Paramount, California. This was her 11th year attending the show. Each year, Alice along with her cousin and a friend, stay 3 – 4 days, taking classes, shopping, and enjoying the variety of things offered during the show. Alice put her winning ticket in the raffle barrel at around 1:00 PM on Thursday. It didn’t take her long to collect her prize; she was standing close by when her name was called as the winner of a Baby Lock Rachel sewing machine donated by Moore’s Sewing Center. “I was speechless when I won. It was wonderful.”
Friday Daily Winner: JoAnn Taylor Rice
Road 2016 was JoAnn Taylor Rice’s first time at the show. A resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, JoAnn came for three days and “had the best time. I loved every minute.” She heard about Road to California through her quilt guild, Delightful Quilters. JoAnn was in “shock” when she heard her name called. “My friends and I hurried to get there when the raffle was being held. I hated to think what would happen if I wasn’t there when my name was called.” JoAnn won a Bernina Simple Red 215, donated by Mel’s Sewing Center and Upland Vacuum and Sewing.
Saturday Daily Winner: Maj Uggelberg
Maj Uggelberg was quilting away in a class being taught by Jerry Granata when her friend came running in and shouted that Maj had won the Saturday Daily Raffle. Maj dropped her project and ran to claim her prize, a Husqvarna-Viking 650 sewing machine, donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum. Maj is from Stockholm, Sweden and Road 2016 was the first quilt show she has ever attended. She arrived in the United States on January 12th and was staying until February 26th. Her first reaction to winning was “Wow!!” then, “Will it work back in Sweden?” and “How am I going to get this home?” Maj met OC Sewing and Vacuum owner, Joe Fuller, who told her because it was a Swedish sewing machine, all she would need is a particular cord and there would be no problem using it with the electricity back home. Shipping her new sewing machine home was a breeze because UPS was on site at the Ontario Convention Center and they were able to help Maj get her machine ready to send to Sweden.
Sunday Daily Winner: Liza DeBord
Lucky for Liza DeBord, her daughter entered Liza’s name into the drawing for Sunday. Liza won a Martelli LaCresta Premier Workstation, valued at $3,250!! Liza was “amazed” that she won such an awesome prize.
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Everyone Loves A Winner
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015For 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 5th 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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A Daily Dose of Delight
Wednesday, February 5th, 2014What could be more fun than a lot of clapping, whooping it up, and happy smiles?
That’s exactly what happened not once, not twice, but for each of the four afternoons at Road 2014. Why? Because it was time for the new Daily Raffle. Each day, anxious and hopeful attendees gathered in the North Lobby of the Ontario Convention Center hoping to hear their name called as that day’s winner.
To enter, all any attendee had to do was fill out a raffle slip at the North Information Desk before the drawing was held that day. Entries were collected in a large, gold drum. Then, precisely at 3:30 p.m., Road Staffer Randy Graves, gave the drum one last spin, unlatched the door and pulled out a winning ticket.
In order to collect their prize, the lucky winner had to be present at the time of the drawing. They had fifteen minutes to identify themselves once their name was read. Every opportunity was given for the winner to come forth and be recognized. The winner was announced over the loudspeaker in the Exhibit Hall and the Pavilion. Because the mike couldn’t be heard in the main hall, Road Staffers walked up and down the venue yelling the prospective winner’s name. Even the class lists were verified just in case the prospective winner was in a class. On Thursday and Friday, the first names called did not respond, so Randy had to pick a another name. In both cases, the second winners came jubilantly to the award area. Carolyn Reese presented the winners with their prize. There was much congratulating complete with hugs and high fives.
Who were the winners of our inaugural Daily Raffle and what did they win?
Thursday- Bernina 215 donated by Mel’s Sewing and Fabric Center
Socorro Lapp of Yorba Linda California. Socorro has only been quilting for three years. This was her first time at Road to California. Her friend Becky brought her. Socorro was in the Exhibit Hall when she heard the first name called. She wondered, “Why wasn’t that lady screaming?” Then, when her name was called, she started to scream and ran all the way to the information table.
Socorro said she has never won anything before. She wanted to thank Road to California “For making this a fun place to go shopping.”
Friday- Babylock Sofia 2 donated by Moore’s Sewing
Pam Pfister is originally from Kentucky. She moved to Brea, California a year and a half ago when her daughter had twins. Pam is a new quilter and Road was the first quilt show she had ever gone to. She came on a bus with other quilters connected with The Calico House and Cranberry Quiltworks in Placentia, California. In fact, she held the bus up from leaving because “She just wanted to make sure just in case her name was called.” What was Pam’s reaction? “Unbelievable.” 
Saturday- Husqvarna Viking 670 donated by OC Sewing and Vacuum
Another enthusiastic winner was Linda Brown of Canyon Lake, California. There were actually two Linda Browns at the show. Both came to the desk to claim their prize. The winning Linda Brown was identified by the phone number she wrote down on the raffle ticket. (We felt so bad for the other Linda Brown). This was the eighth Road to California Linda has gone to. Each year, she attends with four friends. They stay for two days and “Have a great time.” Linda has been quilting for 10 years. Her new machine joins her collection of three antique sewing machines at home. 
Sunday- Martelli La Cresta Premiere Work Station donated by Martelli Enterprises
Eloise Sadler was the final winner. Her prize was valued at $1,299.98!!!
Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to the great companies that donated such fabulous prizes.
Do you think we should have a Daily Raffle next year?
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